Comparison of the thickening properties of four Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus strains and physicochemical characterization of their exopolysaccharides

It is now well established that physicochemical properties of exopolysaccharides (EPS) can vary between strains of a given species and according to growth conditions. The EPS production of four strains of Lactobacillus bulgaricus was monitored during growth in milk and in a chemically defined media. All strains, including the non-ropy one, produced EPS. The monosaccharide composition, molar mass (M(w)), and intrinsic viscosity of these EPS were determined and compared. Further characterization using high-performance size-exclusion chromatography revealed the presence of two fractions in all EPS: one fraction exhibited a high M(w) and a high intrinsic viscosity while the other had a low M(w) and a low intrinsic viscosity. Strikingly, the EPS synthesized by the non-ropy strain was mainly composed of the low-M(w) fraction while for the ropy strains, the fraction of high M(w) varied between 43 and 90%. According to our results, we propose that the ratio between the high-M(w) and low-M(w) fractions is critical for the texturing properties of L. bulgaricus EPS.     

Rapid and sensitive PCR detection of Vibrio penaeicida, the putative etiological agent of syndrome 93 in New Caledonia

Experimental infections of Penaeus (Litopenaeus) stylirostris were performed with a Vibrio penaeicida strain (AM101) isolated in New Caledonia from Syndrome 93 diseased shrimp. Cumulative mortalities resulting from intramuscular injection or immersion of shrimp in bacterial suspensions demonstrated high virulence for this bacterial strain and suggested that V. penaeicida could be the etiological agent of Syndrome 93. The median lethal dose (LD50) for AM101 was 1.3 x 10(4) CFU (colony forming units) ml-1 by immersion and less than 5 CFU shrimp-1 by intramuscular challenge, with mortality outbreaks at 48 and 22 h after challenge, respectively. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection assay using a primer set designed from the 16S ribosomal RNA gene of V. penaeicida was developed. It gave an expected amplicon of approximately 310 bp in ethidium bromide-stained agarose gels. The specificity of these primers was assessed with different Vibrio species. Furthermore, DNA extracted by the Chelex method could be used to detect fewer than 20 cultured Vibrio cells in sea-water or shrimp hemolymph by this assay. It appears to be a reliable screening method for detecting V. penaeicida in shrimp and from the aquatic environment.     

The influence of headgroup structure and fatty acyl chain saturation of phospholipids on monolayer behavior: a comparative rheological study

This paper compares six phospholipidic monolayers at the water/chloroform interface by performing dilational rheological measurements with a drop tensiometer apparatus. The chosen lipids differ both in their headgroup structure and fatty acyl chain saturation or symmetry. The study concentrated on monolayers formed with DPPC, DPPE, DOPC, DOPE, POPC and POPE. Using a generalized Maxwell rheological model, transposed at the interface, the intimate intermolecular interactions between amphiphilic molecules are studied on and off the monolayer plane. The equilibrium and nonequilibrium phenomena are analyzed and, respectively, correlated with monolayer cohesion and with monolayer/sub-surface interactions. The purpose of this work is to gain further insights into the influences (as slight as they are) of the weak changes in phospholipid structure and on the behavior of the monolayers. The results, widely described, provide further details on nuances existing between very similar molecules, and likewise, on the synergies created between the different effects.     

Embryonic sympathoblasts transiently express TrkB <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vivo</Emphasis> and proliferate in response to brain-derived neurotrophic factor <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis>

Background  

Nerve growth factor and neurotrophin-3 are involved in the development of sympathetic neurons; however, whether brain derived neurotrophic factor also plays a role is not known. The purpose of this study was to determine whether BDNF and its receptor, TrkB, are expressed during the development of paravertebral sympathetic ganglia in vivo and to determine the effect of BDNF in vitro.     

Characterization of arabinoxylan-dehydrogenation polymer (synthetic lignin polymer) nanoparticles

Coniferyl alcohol (G monomer) and a mixture of coniferyl alcohol/sinapyl alcohol (GS monomers, 1/1 ratio) were polymerized to dehydrogenation polymers (DHPs) in presence of two structurally related heteroxylans (HX) differing only in their phenolic substitution patterns. One (HX-40) was enriched in ferulate (FA) while the other (HX-90) was almost devoid of FA. The morphology of the resulting nanoparticles was studied by transmission electron microscopy whereas formation of particles was followed by size exclusion chromatography with online multiangle laser light scattering. HX-40-DHP-G- and HX-40-DHP-GS-derived particles display complex morphological patterns whereas HX-90-DHP-G and HX-90-DHP-GS present rather spherical shapes. The determination of particle sizes and molar masses showed that HX-90 samples formed denser particles than HX-40 ones. These differences are discussed in relation to the ferulate substitution level.     

Cooperative effect of hepatocyte growth factor and fibronectin in anchorage-independent survival of mammary carcinoma cells: requirement for phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity.

Anchorage-independent survival and growth are critical characteristics of malignant cells. We showed previously that the addition of exogenous hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and the presence of fibronectin fibrils stimulate anchorage-independent colony growth of a murine mammary carcinoma, SP1, which expresses both HGF and HGF receptor (Met; R. Saulnier et al., Exp. Cell Res., 222: 360-369, 1996). We now show that tyrosine phosphorylation of Met in carcinoma cells is augmented by cell adhesion and spreading on fibronectin substratum. In contrast, detached serum-starved cells exhibit reduced tyrosine phosphorylation of Met and undergo apoptotic cell death within 18-24 h. Under these conditions, the addition of HGF stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of Met and restores survival of carcinoma cells. Soluble fibronectin also stimulates cell survival and shows a cooperative survival response with HGF but does not affect tyrosine phosphorylation of Met; these results indicate that fibronectin acts via a pathway independent of Met in detached cells. We demonstrated previously that inhibition of phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase activity blocks HGF-induced DNA synthesis of carcinoma cells (N. Rahimi et al., J. Biol. Chem., 271: 24850-24855, 1996). We now show in detached cells a cooperative effect of HGF and FN in the activation of PI 3-kinase and on the phosphorylation of PKB/Akt at serine 473. PI 3-kinase activity is also required for the HGF- and fibronectin-induced survival responses, as well as anchorage-independent colony growth. However, c-Src kinase or MEK1/2 activities are not required for the cell survival effect. Together, these results demonstrate that the PI 3-kinase/Akt pathway is a key effector of the HGF- and fibronectin-induced survival response of breast carcinoma cells under detached conditions and corroborate an interaction between integrin and HGF/ Met signalling pathways in the development of invasive breast cancer.     

产β—葡萄糖苷酶真菌诱变菌株快速筛选方法

报道了一种快速筛选产β-葡萄糖管酶真菌诱变菌株的方法。该法利用ρNPG经β-葡萄糖苷酶水解,水解产物ρNP在碱性条件下显色的原理。采用自制的特殊初筛平皿.经一年多的实践应用表明此法具有简便、灵敏、筛子消耗量小、筛选效率高等优点。     

A Dutch guideline for the treatment of scoliosis in neuromuscular disorders

Background

Children with neuromuscular disorders with a progressive muscle weakness such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Spinal Muscular Atrophy frequently develop a progressive scoliosis. A severe scoliosis compromises respiratory function and makes sitting more difficult. Spinal surgery is considered the primary treatment option for correcting severe scoliosis in neuromuscular disorders. Surgery in this population requires a multidisciplinary approach, careful planning, dedicated surgical procedures, and specialized after care.

Methods

The guideline is based on scientific evidence and expert opinions. A multidisciplinary working group representing experts from all relevant specialties performed the research. A literature search was conducted to collect scientific evidence in answer to specific questions posed by the working group. Literature was classified according to the level of evidence.

Results

For most aspects of the treatment scientific evidence is scarce and only low level cohort studies were found. Nevertheless, a high degree of consensus was reached about the management of patients with scoliosis in neuromuscular disorders. This was translated into a set of recommendations, which are now officially accepted as a general guideline in the Netherlands.

Conclusion

In order to optimize the treatment for scoliosis in neuromuscular disorders a Dutch guideline has been composed. This evidence-based, multidisciplinary guideline addresses conservative treatment, the preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative care of scoliosis in neuromuscular disorders.     

Cell wall polysaccharide interactions in maize bran

Sequential extractions with alkali have been carried out in order to study the nature of linkages which hold heteroxylans in maize bran cell walls. Treatment with 0.5 sodium hydroxide at 30 °C for 2 h released all the phenolic acids (p-coumaric, ferulic, and diferulic) but extracted only ˜30% of heteroxylans (S₁); further treatment with 1.5 potassium hydroxide at 100 °C for 2 h released the remaining heteroxylans (S₂). The heteroxylans from S₁ and S₂ had a similar neutral sugar composition and structure, but their weight average molecular weights were 270 kDa (M_w/M_n = 2) and 370 kDa (M_w/M_n = 2.8), respectively. Proteins (5%) are found with polysaccharides from S₁ and S₂, with different amino acid composition. The results suggest that covalent linkages through phenolic acids are only partly responsible for the associations of maize bran heteroxylans in the cell wall and that linkages to structural cell wall proteins were probably the main cause of heteroxylan insolubility.     

Transfer of IncP plasmids into Stigmatella aurantiaca leading to insertional mutants affected in spore development

Summary Derivatives of the broad-host-range plasmid RP4, containing the wild-type or modified transposon Tn5 were transferred by conjugation to various Stigmatella aurantiaca isolates. The transposons and in some cases fragments of the plasmid as well were integrated into the chromosome. Thus, insertional mutants have been obtained affected in spore formation in liquid culture.