Isolation of Actinomycetes from Soil Using Extremely High Frequency Radiation

A new method employing extremely high frequencies (EHFs) is proposed for the selective isolation of actinomycetes from soil. The pretreatment of soil suspensions with EHF wavelengths of 5.6 and 7.1 mm led to a nonselective isolation of actinomycetes. At the same time, the irradiation of soil suspensions within wavelength bands of 3.8–5.8 and 8–11.5 mm considerably augmented the total number of isolated actinomycetes and increased the fraction of the isolated rare genera by 2 and 7 times, respectively. The rare actinomycete genera were represented by Actinomadura, Microtetraspora, Nonomuraea, Micromonospora, Amycolatopsis, Pseudonocardia, Saccharotrix, and Streptosporangium.     

拉鲁湿地自然保护区放线菌组成分析及生物活性测定

探究拉鲁湿地自然保护区的放线菌组成及其抑菌和酶活性,为放线菌新药物先导化合物和高活性酶的筛选提供资源。从拉鲁湿地自然保护区不同土壤类型、不同优势植被采集25份土样。用分散差速离心法分离了拉鲁湿地中温放线菌和低温放线菌。从中温放线菌中选择15株代表菌株进行了初步分类鉴定。采用打孔法检测了其对2株细菌和4株病原真菌的抑菌活性。结果表明：（1）拉鲁湿地放线菌数量从水生环境向陆地生态系统递增,中温放线菌数量显著多于低温放线菌;（2）拉鲁湿地土壤中分离到链霉菌属、小单孢菌属、诺卡氏菌属、马杜拉菌属、小链孢菌属5个放线菌属。其中以链霉菌属和小单孢菌属为优势属。链霉菌属以金色类群、白孢类群和粉红孢类群为主,小单孢菌分离到黄橙类群和黑褐类群;（3）供试菌株分解纤维素能力较强,分解蛋白质活性较低,具有抗菌活性的菌株很少,且抗菌活性较弱;（4）供试菌株耐毒性物质的能力较强。这些菌可用于毒害有机物污染物的处理。     

Antimicrobial, antitumor and in vivo cytotoxicity of actinomycetes inhabiting marine shellfish

Sixty-three actinomycete strains isolated from the marine shellfish Donax trunculus anatinus were phenotypically identified as ten genera, in addition to two unidentified strains. Their metabolic extracts exhibited wide antimicrobial activities towards 11 reference and clinical cultures; and 17.5% showed antitumor activities with solid tumor selectivity of four Nocardioides, Kitasatosporia and Streptomyces strains. Streptomyces 23-2B was particularly noted for its high antitumor activity against Ehrlich’s ascites carcinoma with plateau inhibitory effect at 500, 250 and 50 μg/ml concentrations, promising solid tumor selectivity and high cytotoxicity to human carcinoma of liver (HEPG2), cervix (HELA) and breast (MCF7) (IC₅₀: 3.89, 9.4 and 10 μg/ml, respectively). In vivo cytotoxicity of S.23-2B metabolites showed common sign of unimpaired kidney and liver functions, as indicated from non-significant elevation in serum enzymatic activities, urea, creatinine, total protein and albumin levels in response to 0.5 and 5 μg/g doses after alternate-day injection for 2 weeks. Microorganisms associated with the marine shellfish are suggested to be potential source of bioactive metabolites.     

中华婪步甲共生放线菌的抗菌活性筛选及菌株BJ37的初步鉴定

利用平板分离法从中华婪步甲(Harpalus sinicus)中分离得到56株共生放线菌。其中菌株BJ37具有较好的抗菌活性,其发酵液对枯草芽胞杆菌和白色念珠菌的抑菌圈直径均大于30.0 mm。进一步研究BJ37发酵液不同极性溶剂萃取物的抗菌活性,结果表明在中等极性部位存在活性物质。通过形态学特征和分子生物学分析确定该菌株相似菌株为委内瑞拉链霉菌(Streptomyces venezuelae)。菌株BJ37作为微生物杀菌剂潜在产生菌值得进一步研究。     

Peculiarities of Growth and Morphological Differentiation of Acidophilic and Neutrophilic Soil Streptomycetes

Acidophilic actinomycetes are shown to possess a special mechanism of adaptation to low pH conditions, which shows up in their ability to grow faster on acidified than on neutral media and to adjust the pH of the medium to a level favorable for the formation of aerial mycelium and spores. On nutrient media with pH below 5, neutrophilic actinomycetes either fail to grow or grow much slower than on neutral media; they do not alkalize the medium and do not form aerial mycelium.     

An <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-acyl homolog of mycothiol is produced in marine actinomycetes

Marine actinomycetes have generated much recent interest as a potentially valuable source of novel antibiotics. Like terrestrial actinomycetes the marine actinomycetes are shown here to produce mycothiol as their protective thiol. However, a novel thiol, U25, was produced by MAR2 strain CNQ703 upon progression into stationary phase when secondary metabolite production occurred and became the dominant thiol. MSH and U25 were maintained in a reduced state during early stationary phase, but become significantly oxidized after 10 days in culture. Isolation and structural analysis of the monobromobimane derivative identified U25 as a homolog of mycothiol in which the acetyl group attached to the nitrogen of cysteine is replaced by a propionyl residue. This N-propionyl-desacetyl-mycothiol was present in 13 of the 17 strains of marine actinomycetes examined, including five strains of Salinispora and representatives of the MAR2, MAR3, MAR4 and MAR6 groups. Mycothiol and its precursor, the pseudodisaccharide 1-O-(2-amino-2-deoxy-α-d-glucopyranosyl)-d-myo-inositol, were found in all strains. High levels of mycothiol S-conjugate amidase activity, a key enzyme in mycothiol-dependent detoxification, were found in most strains. The results demonstrate that major thiol/disulfide changes accompany secondary metabolite production and suggest that mycothiol-dependent detoxification is important at this developmental stage.     

Bioactive compounds from marine actinomycetes

Actinomycetes are one of the most efficient groups of secondary metabolite producers and are very important from an industrial point of view. Among its various genera, Streptomyces, Saccharopolyspora, Amycolatopsis, Micromonospora and Actinoplanes are the major producers of commercially important biomolecules. Several species have been isolated and screened from the soil in the past decades. Consequently the chance of isolating a novel actinomycete strain from a terrestrial habitat, which would produce new biologically active metabolites, has reduced. The most relevant reason for discovering novel secondary metabolites is to circumvent the problem of resistant pathogens, which are no longer susceptible to the currently used drugs. Existence of actinomycetes has been reported in the hitherto untapped marine ecosystem. Marine actinomycetes are efficient producers of new secondary metabolites that show a range of biological activities including antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, insecticidal and enzyme inhibition. Bioactive compounds from marine actinomycetes possess distinct chemical structures that may form the basis for synthesis of new drugs that could be used to combat resistant pathogens.     

Assessment of chitin decomposer diversity within an upland grassland

The breakdown of chitin within an acidic upland grassland was studied. The aim was to provide a molecular characterisation of microorganisms involved in chitin degradation in the soil using soil microcosms and buried litter bags containing chitin. The investigation involved an examination of the effects of liming on the microbial communities within the soil and their chitinolytic activity. Microcosm experiments were designed to study the influence of lime and chitin enrichment on the grassland soil bacterial community ex situ under controlled environmental conditions. Bacterial and actinomycete counts were determined and total community DNA was extracted from the microcosms and from chitin bags buried at the experimental site. PCR based on specific 16S rRNA target sequences provided products for DGGE analysis to determine the structure of bacterial and actinomycete communities. Chitinase activity was assessed spectrophotometrically using chitin labelled with remazol brilliant violet. Both liming and chitin amendment increased bacterial and actinomycete viable counts and the chitinase activity. DGGE band patterns confirmed changes in bacterial populations under the influence of both treatments. PCR products amplified from DNA isolated from chitin bags were cloned and sequenced. Only a few matched known species but a prominent coloniser of chitin proved to be Stenotrophomonas maltophilia.     

Pharyngeal actinomycosis: a case report

Actinomycetes are saprophytic bacteria of the oral cavity. They can produce a rare, chronic, and suppurative process that usually originates from the teeth and mandible and then involve the cervical region, especially in the sub-mandibular area. A case of actinomycosis occurring in the retropharyngeal space in a 74 year-old man is reported. It arose as a swelling behind the third lower left molar that had no lesion. The patient was treated successfully with antibiotic therapy. The clinical presentation and management of the case are discussed and the relevant literature is reviewed.