Some physiological observations on the uptake of d-glucose and 2-deoxy-d-glucose by starving and exponentially-growing yeasts

Some methods for measuring the uptake of sugars by yeasts were investigated critically. A study was made of the effects of starvation of Pichia pinus, Candida utilis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Rhodosporidium toruloides on their uptake of d-glucose and 2-deoxy-d-glucose. Marked changes in the rates of uptake of these sugars occurred during 10 h of starvation, including (a) an immediate increase of up to 75% above that for growing cells and (b) a continuous decline to as little as 4%. Each yeast behaved differently. The rates did not remain constant during the periods of starvation often used for studies on the transport of sugars into yeasts. For Pichia pinus, there were striking differences, associated with starvation, between the transport of 2-deoxy-d-glucose and d-glucose, despite evidence that the two sugars enter this yeast by means of the same carrier. Some physiological explanations for these findings are discussed.     

白色念珠菌拮抗菌株的筛选

目的筛选对白色念珠菌具有明显拮抗作用的菌株.方法通过纸片琼脂扩散法(K-B法)观察各菌株对白色念珠菌的拮抗作用;再利用试管法观察有拮抗作用菌株对白色念珠菌的抑菌效果.结果 K-B法表明大肠埃希菌、甲型链球菌和卡他球菌对白色念珠菌无抑菌作用,表皮葡萄球菌、微球菌有抑菌作用,但抑菌环小;枯草杆菌有明显抑菌作用.试管法表明表皮葡萄球菌和枯草杆菌对白色念珠菌均有生物拮抗作用,其抑菌率分别为97%和89.7%.结论枯草杆菌是白色念珠菌的理想拮抗菌株.     

大鼠支气管肺白念珠菌感染后血清IL-17水平及意义

目的探讨大鼠支气管肺白念珠菌感染后血清白细胞介素17(IL-17)的变化及意义。方法将24只Sprague Dawley(以下简称SD)健康雄性鼠随机分为3组,每组8只,免疫低下+白念珠菌感染组(阳性对照组);免疫低下+生理盐水组(阴性对照组);免疫正常+白念珠菌感染组(实验组)。因为实验过程中存在大鼠死亡,最终每组各有6只大鼠完成实验。系统应用糖皮质激素建立免疫低下的大鼠模型;实验组及阳性对照组使用标准白念珠菌菌株混悬液经气管插管注入而建立感染模型;阴性对照组使用生理盐水作对照。感染后第1、3、5、7天使用尾静脉取血分离血清;酶联免疫吸附法(ELISA)检测血清IL-17水平;第7天取血后处死大鼠,取右肺下叶组织进行HE染色观察。结果第3、5天实验组血清IL-17水平高于对照组,而第1、7天3组间无差异;两对照组IL-17水平无差异。肺组织病理:实验组呈明显炎症反应;阳性对照组呈轻微炎症反应;阴性对照组未见明显炎性细胞浸润。结论大鼠白念珠菌支气管肺感染后,免疫正常的大鼠在感染中期血清IL-17水平升高,IL-17可能通过促进中性粒细胞在气道的聚集而参与炎症反应;IL-17的水平与机体炎症反应呈正相关;IL-17在气道白念珠菌感染后炎症介导及机体防御机制的调动中起一定作用。     

Characterization and amino acid sequence of IRT-4, a novel TEM-type enzyme with a decreased susceptibility to β-lactamase inhibitors

Abstract A novel procedure was used to purify a cytosolic chitinase from Candida albicans to electrophoretic homogeneity. The results represent the first demonstration of the purification of a fungal intracellular chitinase using the criterion of a single band detected following silver-staining of a polyacrylamide gel run under denaturing conditions. Purified chitinase had pH and temperature optima of 5.0 and 50°C, respectively. Inhibition of enzyme activity by allosamidin was pH-dependent occuring maximally at pH 8.0. Phospholipids had similar marked and highly specific effects on the activities of both the purified soluble enzyme and a solubilized microsomal chitinase from C. albicans . Evidence is provided for the existence of a complex chitinolytic system in this organism.     

Functional characterization of the Staphylococcus carnosus SecA protein in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilissecA mutant strains

Abstract The cell wall of Candida albicans contains mannoproteins that are covalently associated with β-1,6-glucan. When spheroplasts were allowed to regenerate a new cell wall, initially non-glucosylated cell wall proteins accumulated in the medium. While the spheroplasts became osmotically stable, β-1,6-glucosylated proteins could be identified in their cell wall by SDS-extraction or β-1,3-glucanase digestion. At later stages of regeneration, β-1,3-glucosylated proteins were also found. Hence, incorporation of proteins into the cell wall is accompanied by extracellular coupling to β-1,6-/β-l,3-glucan. The SDS-extractable glucosylated proteins probably represent degradation products of wall proteins rather than their precursors. Tunicamycin delayed, but did not prevent the formation of β-1,6-glucosylated proteins, demonstrating that β-1,6-glucan is not attached to N -glycosidic side-chains of wall proteins.     

The expression of Candida albicans enolase is not heat shock inducible

Abstract An isoprotein of enolase from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was reported to be a heat shock protein. The possible role of the C. albicans enolase as a heat shock protein was therefore investigated. The de novo synthesis of C. albicans enolase protein and mRNA did not increase during heat stress, but remained constitutively expressed. Amino acid similarity to the heat shock proteins suggests that although the C. albicans enolase is not a classical heat shock protein, it may be a memberof a group of constitutively expressed, structurally related proteins, the heat shock cognate proteins.     

Enzymatic Resolutions of Heterocyclic Alcohols

The butyrates and acetates of heterocyclic alcohols like 3 - hydroxy tetrahydrofuran and - pyran, 3- and 4 - chromanol as well as the corresponding sulfur heterocycles were hydrolyzed using lipase from Candida rugosa (CRL) and from Pseudomonas cepacia, (PCL). Poor to excellent enantioselectivities were obtained depending on the structure of the substrates. An electrostatic amendment to the steric substrate model for PGL is proposed.