Application of sucrose-gradient centrifugation for selective isolation of Nocardia spp. from soil

AIMS: To devise and evaluate a method for selective isolation of the less abundant actinomycetes, Nocardia spp. in soil. METHODS AND RESULTS: This newly developed method is based on differentiating Nocardia from other actinomycete taxa by centrifugation. A water suspension of air-dried soil is centrifuged through a gradient consisting of 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50% sucrose at 240 x g for 30 min. The 20% sucrose layer, which is enriched with Nocardia spp., is then diluted and plated on humic acid-vitamin agar supplemented with antibacterial agents. The proposed method consistently achieved selective isolation of Nocardia spp. in all 14 soil samples tested, which accounted for 5-89% of the total microbial population recovered. Tentative taxonomic characterization based on a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the 16S ribosomal DNA suggested that many of the soil isolates could belong to N. asteroides, N. salmonicida or N. uniformis. CONCLUSIONS: Differential centrifugation can successfully and efficiently isolate soil Nocardia populations that are suppressed by conventional dilution plating approaches. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The development and application of new methodologies with which to isolate less-explored actinomycete taxa is important for improving our knowledge about their taxonomy, ecology and industrial applications.     

Insights from the comparative genome analysis of natural rubber degrading Nocardia species

Nocardia are known to be a facultative human pathogen and can cause infection in immune compromised patients. Though the details research on the virulence factors of Nocardia are scanty but numerous genes that code such factors were reported from different species of Nocardia. Despite of the presence of several virulence factors, species of this genus have been shown to have role in remediation of many toxic and hazardous materials from the environment. In this study, genome sequences of rubber degrading Nocardia sp. BSTN01 and N.nova SH22a have been analyzed to locate the potential virulence genes. Also, the genomes of facultative pathogenic Nocardia like, N.africana, N. brasiliensis, N. kruczakiae, N. transvalensis and N. veterana have been analyzed to find the gene encoding latex clearing protein (Lcp), a rubber oxygenase enzyme of Gram-positive action bacteria. The study provides an insight about the potentiality of rubberdegrading Nocardia species to emerge as future human pathogens and also the probability of a serious concern if the studied facultative pathogens of Nocardia like N. africana, N. brasiliensis, N. kruczakiae, N. transvalensis and N. veterana are capable of degrading rubber, a regularly used material in clinics. Moreover, use of such possible pathogenic strains for their known role in bioremediation of rubber waste from the environment might be deleterious.     

诺卡氏菌属5205菌株产生类胡萝卜素研究

对诺卡氏菌属5205菌株形成类胡萝卜素的培养基和培养条件进行了初步研究。结果表明,该菌在培养基,蛋白胨10g,牛肉膏3g,葡萄糖20g,NaCl 5g,水1000mL,pH 7.5,500mL三角瓶装量100mL培养基于旋转式摇床上30℃,170r/min振荡培养72h,菌体生物量和类胡萝卜素含量分别为7．26mg/mL和471．45ug/干菌体,添加核黄素明显促进该菌的生长和类胡萝卜素的形成。     

顺式环氧琥珀酸水解酶产生菌的筛选及产酶条件

从65株诺卡氏菌中,筛选到一株产顺式环氧琥珀酸水解酶(ESH)的菌株,经鉴定为酒石酸诺卡氏菌(Nocardia tartaricans)SW13-57。在14L发酵罐中通过诱导培养,能在细胞内产生ESH酶活力达120u/g。产酶条件研究表明用丙二醇作碳源,硫酸铵作氮源,顺式环氧琥珀酸作诱导剂,初始pH7.0,温度30℃,通过培养24～30h,产酶量最高。该产酶菌株已被用于固定化细胞方法连续生产L(+)酒石酸。     

红色诺卡氏菌Nr-8206株培养形态与其有效物质及杂质关系分析

筛选红色诺卡氏菌（Nocardia rubra）Nr-8206株适宜投产的最佳培养形态。将红色诺卡氏菌Nr-8206株复壮,通过涂布、形态学考察筛选典型菌落形态。通过发酵技术获得各种菌落形态菌株的生物量,进一步通过细胞破碎、化学提纯等方法获得细胞壁多糖产物,紫外可见光分光光度法进行有效物质含量测定及杂质的检测。结果表明,红色诺卡氏菌Nr-8206株的最佳菌落形态为菌落直径1.68 mm、橘色、有突起、有褶皱、菌落边缘丝状,编号RY2。进行菌株RY2发酵,其菌体量最多,经破碎、提纯后,其有效物质糖含量及胞壁酸含量均高于其他形态的菌落,并高于出发菌株Nr-8206,且其杂质蛋白质残余量更低,杂质更容易去除。该研究可供生产企业以该菌株作为工作菌株时提供形态选择参考。     

加州鲈源鰤鱼诺卡氏菌的分离鉴定及致病性

[背景] 鰤鱼诺卡氏菌（Nocardia seriolae）是一种严重危害水产养殖业的病原菌,可引起以体表溃疡、出血及组织器官形成结节为特征的鱼类慢性肉芽肿疾病,目前尚无有效的防治方法。[目的] 明确引起安徽省临泉县某养殖场加州鲈（Micropterus salmonoides）结节病的病原菌,探讨其致病性,为该病的有效防治提供科学依据。[方法] 取肝脏结节病灶接种于TSB培养基分离优势细菌,利用表型检查结合分子生物学方法鉴定分离菌株。进一步通过检测分离菌株的毒力基因、测定其对加州鲈的半数致死量（LD₅₀）以及所感染加州鲈的组织病理学变化与组织载菌量,分析其致病性。[结果] 从病鱼体内分离到一株优势菌株NI,综合NI分离株的表型特性、16S rRNA基因序列与鰤鱼诺卡氏菌参考株相应序列的一致性以及特异性PCR扩增结果,确定其为鰤鱼诺卡氏菌。鰤鱼诺卡氏菌NI分离株携带毒力基因gapA、ibeA和mip,人工回归感染后加州鲈出现与自然病例相似的症状,其对加州鲈的LD₅₀为2.58×10⁶ CFU/尾。组织病理学观察到头肾、心脏、肝脏、胃和脾脏均出现慢性肉芽肿病变,肠管肌层疏松、肠绒毛脱落,肌肉组织中肌纤维疏松、间隙增宽。qPCR检测结果显示,组织中鰤鱼诺卡氏菌载量由高到低依次为头肾、心、肝、胃、脾、肠和肌肉。[结论] 鰤鱼诺卡氏菌是引起此次加州鲈结节病的病原菌,对该菌致病性的研究为加州鲈诺卡氏菌病的防控提供了理论依据。     

Construction of hybrid bacterial deacetoxycephalosporin C synthases (expandases) by in vivo homeologous recombination

Homeologous recombination (recombination between partially homeologous DNA sequences) was used to produce novel functional deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase (expandase) enzymes in vivo which are hybrids of the Streptomyces clavuligerus and Nocardia lactamdurans enzymes. DNA sequencing of hybrids obtained in E. coli showed that recombination had occurred at several locations within conserved sequences as short as 2 bp. Recombination events obtained in a Streptomyces background resulted in expandases with altered activity on penicillin G as determined by bioassay and HPLC.     

A-ring ortho-specific monohydroxylation of daidzein by cytochrome P450s of Nocardia farcinica IFM10152

The bioconversion of the isoflavonoid daidzein using whole cell Nocardia farcinica IFM10152 showed two kinds of major metabolic modifications, i.e. mono-hydroxylation and subsequent O-methylation. The major hydroxylated products of daidzein prior to the O-methylation reaction were 3',4',7-trihydroxyisoflavone (3'-ODI), 4',6,7-trihydroxyisoflavone (6-ODI) and 4',7,8-trihydroxyisoflavone (8-ODI), which are mono-hydroxylated at the ortho position of each hydroxyl group of daidzein. To identify monooxygenases playing a key role in the monohydroxylation of the A-ring of daidzein, all genes of 27 cytochrome P450s from N. farcinica IFM10152 were cloned and transformed into a E. coli BL21 (DE3) host system. By this enzymatic reaction using the mutants and the genome sequence analysis of N. farcinica IFM10152, it was revealed that nfa12130 and nfa33880 P450 genes clustered with their own ferredoxins and ferredoxin reductases (nfa12140+nfa12150 and nfa338870+nfa33860, respectively) are responsible for the hydroxylation of the A-ring of daidzein, and their major reaction products were 6-ODI and 8-ODI, respectively.     

Eremomycin的发酵条件优化及发酵产物的分离纯化

研究确定Nocardia orientalis NRRL18098发酵生产eremomycin的最佳工艺条件,以及对发酵产物进行分离纯化并得到eremomycin的纯品。通过正交设计方法优化发酵培养基的组成。采用树脂吸附、中压液相色谱技术相结合的方法对发酵产物进行分离纯化。在优化条件下,eremomycin的摇瓶发酵单位达115 mg/L,提高了63.5%,并采用树脂吸附和中压液相色谱相结合的方法能有效地将eremomycin从发酵液中分离出来,制备获得eremomycin精制品。