Identification of Sequences Encoding the Detoxification Metalloisomerase Glyoxalase I in Microbial Genomes from Several Pathogenic Organisms

The ubiquitous glyoxalase system, which is composed of two enzymes, removes cellular cytotoxic methylglyoxal (MG). In an effort to identify critical residues conserved in the evolution of the first enzyme in this system, glyoxalase I (GlxI), as well as the structural implications of sequence alterations in this enzyme, a search of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database of unfinished genomes was undertaken. Eleven putative GlxI sequences from pathogenic organisms were identified and analyses of these sequences in relation to the known and previously identified GlxI enzymes were performed. Several of these sequences show a very high similarity to the Escherichia coli GlxI sequence, most notably the 79% identity of the sequence identified from Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of bubonic plague. In addition to the conservation of residues critical to binding the catalytic metal in all of the proposed GlxI enzymes, four regions in the Homo sapiens GlxI enzyme are absent in all of the bacterial GlxI sequences, with the exception of Pseudomonas putida. Removal of these regions may alter the active-site conformation of the bacterial enzymes in relation to that of the H. sapiens. These differences may be targeted for the development of inhibitors selective to the bacterial enzymes. Received: 13 October 1999 / Accepted: 17 January 2000     

缺血性脑卒中患者介入治疗后并发相关性肺炎的病原菌分布及药敏分析

目的:探讨缺血性脑卒中患者介入治疗后并发相关性肺炎的病原菌分布情况及其耐药性,为临床合理选择抗菌药物进行抗感染治疗提供参考。方法:选择2016年5月-2018年6月大连医科大学附属大连市中心医院神经内一科收治的182例缺血性脑卒中介入治疗后并发相关性肺炎患者,对患者痰标本进行细菌培养和鉴定,并对培养阳性的病原菌进行药物敏感性试验。结果:182例患者共送检痰标本并进行细菌培养276次,其中阳性检出199次,阳性检出率为72.10%,检出病原菌215株,革兰阴性杆菌153株,占71.16%,其中鲍氏不动杆菌是主要病原菌,占24.19%,其次为肺炎克雷伯菌,占20.93%;革兰阳性球菌62株,占28.84%,其中金黄色葡萄球菌为主要的病原菌,占11.16%,其次为溶血葡萄球菌,占7.91%。革兰阴性杆菌和革兰阳性球菌中的主要病原菌对抗菌药物的耐药性较严重,且存在多药耐药性的现象。结论:缺血性脑卒中患者介入治疗后并发相关性肺炎的病原菌以革兰阴性杆菌为主,且存在多药耐药率高的现象,临床应合理选取抗菌药物进行治疗。     

Purification and characterization of a dextranase from Sporothrix schenckii

A dextranase (EC 3.2.1.11) was purified and characterized from the IP-29 strain of Sporothrix schenckii, a dimorphic pathogenic fungus. Growing cells secreted the enzyme into a standard culture medium (20 °C) that supports the mycelial phase. Soluble bacterial dextrans substituted for glucose as substrate with a small decrease in cellular yield but a tenfold increase in the production of dextranase. This enzyme is a monomeric protein with a molecular mass of 79 kDa, a pH optimum of 5.0, and an action pattern against a soluble 170-kDa bacterial dextran that leads to a final mixture of glucose (38%), isomaltose (38%), and branched oligosaccharides (24%). In the presence of 200 mM sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.0), the K _m for soluble dextran was 0.067 ± 0.003% (w/v). Salts of Hg²⁺, (UO₂)²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Zn²⁺ inhibited by affecting both V _max and K _m. The enzyme was most stable between pH values of 4.50 and 4.75, where the half-life at 55 °C was 18 min and the energy of activation for heat denaturation was 99 kcal/mol. S. schenckii dextranase catalyzed the degradation of cross-linked dextran chains in Sephadex G-50 to G-200, and the latter was a good substrate for cell growth at 20 °C. Highly cross-linked grades (i.e., G-10 and G-25) were refractory to hydrolysis. Most strains of S. schenckii from Europe and North America tested positive for dextranase when grown at 20 °C. All of these isolates grew on glucose at 35 °C, a condition that is typically associated with the yeast phase, but they did not express dextranase and were incapable of using dextran as a carbon source at the higher temperature. Received: 29 December 1997 / Accepted: 4 March 1998     

The synthesis of novel chromogenic enzyme substrates for detection of bacterial glycosidases and their applications in diagnostic microbiology

The preparation and evaluation of chromogenic substrates for detecting bacterial glycosidase enzymes is reported. These substrates are monoglycoside derivatives of the metal chelators catechol, 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) and 6,7-dibromo-2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene (6,7-dibromo-DHN). When hydrolysed by appropriate bacterial enzymes these substrates produced coloured chelates in the presence of ammonium iron(III) citrate, thus enabling bacterial detection. A β-d-riboside of DHN and a β-d-glucuronide derivative of 6,7-dibromo-DHN were particularly effective for the detection of S. aureus and E. coli respectively.     

肠道病毒71型致神经元病变的机制研究进展

中枢神经系统感染是由病原体侵犯中枢神经系统引起的一类具有较高的发病率和死亡率的疾病。病毒是引起中枢神经系统感染的重要病原体之一,其中肠道病毒71型在继发神经系统症状的重症手足口病患儿中较为常见。EV71致神经元病变是其感染中枢神经系统的基础,阐明肠道病毒71型致神经元病变的机制,不仅可以促进基础病毒学研究,也能为抗病毒药物的开发提供思路,对临床肠道病毒71型致中枢神经系统感染的治疗提供支持。本文主要从肠道病毒71型侵入神经元的受体途径、损伤神经元的线粒体途径、诱导凋亡与自噬、感染胶质细胞后对神经元的旁观者效应、免疫病理机制以及病毒自身因素等多个方面,对肠道病毒71型致神经元病变机制展开综述。     

淋巴瘤化疗后继发感染患者病原菌及耐药性分析

分析淋巴瘤化疗后继发感染患者病原菌分布及病原菌对常见抗菌药物的敏感性,从而为制定患者干预方案、提高患者生活质量提供参考依据。

以经病理确诊的淋巴瘤化疗后继发感染患者为研究对象,采集患者血液、尿液、痰液和粪便样本。采用VITEK 2 COMPACT全自动微生物鉴定及药敏分析仪鉴定病原菌种类,采用Mueller-Hinton琼脂平板和Kirby-Bauer纸片扩散法测定分离的主要病原菌菌株对常见抗菌药物的敏感性。

455例淋巴瘤病人,总计住院1 776人次,累计有356人次发生化疗后继发感染,发生率为20.1%。累计培养出病原菌106株,以大肠埃希菌和肺炎克雷伯菌为主。大肠埃希菌对头孢替坦、阿米卡星、亚胺培南、美罗培南、厄他培南敏感性均＞95%;肺炎克雷伯菌对阿米卡星、头孢替坦、亚胺培南、美罗培南、厄他培南敏感性均＞90%;金黄色葡萄球菌对呋喃妥因、利奈唑胺、替加环素、万古霉素、喹奴普汀/达福普汀敏感性均为100%;铜绿假单胞菌对多黏霉素B敏感性为100%,对哌拉西林/他唑巴坦、头孢吡肟、阿米卡星、庆大霉素、妥布霉素、亚胺培南敏感性均达87.5%。

淋巴瘤住院患者化疗后继发感染发生率较高,大肠埃希菌和肺炎克雷伯菌为主要病原菌,大肠埃希菌和肺炎克雷伯菌对阿米卡星、头孢替坦、亚胺培南、美罗培南、厄他培南敏感性较高。

     

Age dependent alterations in phospholipid composition of a saprophytic and a pathogenic strain of Nocardia

Nocardia polychromogenes (saprophytic) and Nocardia asteroides (pathogenic) showed characteristic patterns in changes of cellular lipids during growth. Total lipids and total phospholipids decreased with the age of the culture in the saprophytic strain, whereas in the pathogenic strain total lipids increased throughout the culture period and the total phospholipids decreased in the late stationary phase. The decrease in total phospholipids in saprophytic strain was reflected in the individual phosphatides. In the pathogenic strain, the phosphatidylinositomannoside content doubled in early stationary phase. Differences were observed in fatty acid composition of phosphatides at various stages of growth, but the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids remained unaltered.     

禽致病性大肠杆菌安徽分离株luxS和pfs基因的克隆、表达与细胞外合成AI-2 活性检测

【目的】LuxS/AI-2型密度感应系统存在于革兰氏阴性和阳性菌中,可产生用于细菌种间交流的通用自诱导信号分子AI-2(Autoinducer-2,AI-2),细菌许多生理功能都受此系统的调节。本研究开展对禽致病性大肠杆菌(Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli,APEC)自诱导信号分子AI-2的检测和建立体外合成、定量的方法,为进一步研究APEC的AI-2调控作用奠定基础。【方法】利用哈维弧菌BB170(Vibrio harveyi BB170)开展对APEC AI-2的检测;利用表达、纯化的LuxS和Pfs在体外催化S-腺苷同型半胱氨酸(Sadenosylhomocysteine,SAH),进行AI-2的体外合成。【结果】APEC能产生自诱导信号分子AI-2;成功表达可用于AI-2合成的可溶性重组蛋白LuxS和Pfs;纯化的重组蛋白LuxS和Pfs与SAH同时作用后,合成了浓度为300μmol/L的AI-2;运用哈维弧菌BB170对合成的AI-2活性检测表明,其活性是阴性对照的700倍。【结论】APEC存在LuxS/AI-2型密度感应系统,APEC的LuxS和Pfs可以在体外催化SAH生成有活性的AI-2分子。本研究为进一步研究APEC的AI-2的调控作用奠定基础。     

Organization and nucleotide sequence of the Streptococcus mutans galactose operon

The galactose operon encoding a repressor and genes for the Leloir pathway for galactose metabolism (galactokinase, galactose-1-phosphate-uridyl transferase and UDP glucose-4-epimerase) was located adjacent to the multiple sugar metabolism (msm) operon on the chromosome of Streptococcus mutans Ingbritt (serotype c) and the complete nucleotide sequence of this 5-kilobase region was determined. The Leloir pathway was induced by the presence of galactose in the growth medium or following the release of intracellular galactose after uptake and cleavage of -galactosides by the multiple sugar metabolism system. Analysis of the mechanism of galactose transport confirmed the absence of a galactose-specific phosphotransferase system and suggested the presence of an inducible galactose permease. Evidence is presented that galactose transport is independent of the proton motive force and may be ATP-dependent.     

Pathogenic interaction between Escovopsis weberi and Leucoagaricus sp.: mechanisms involved and virulence levels

Attini are the only ants that use fresh plant material to cultivate species of Leucoagaricus, which are their source of nutrition. Escovopsis species are specialized mycoparasites of Leucoagaricus sp. and Escovopsis parasitism has a negative impact on the health of the ants' colonies. The goals of this work were: to test if the virulence of different isolates of Escovopsis weberi were the same across Leucoagaricus sp. and to analyze if structural mechanisms were related to variation in the virulence of E. weberi isolates. All E. weberi isolates were able to parasitize isolates of Leucoagaricus spp. but with striking differences in virulence, and it was shown that the contact between hyphae of both fungi was the main process that generates the degradation of Leucoagaricus isolates. Additionally, the two most virulent isolates produced hook-like protuberances, increasing the damage caused to its target. Finally, E. weberi was re-classified as a destructive biotrophic parasite.