Extracellular protease activity of different Pseudomonas strains: dependence of proteolytic activity on culture conditions

AIMS: This study investigated the effect of growth conditions on proteolytic activity of a Pseudomonas strain, named Pseudomonas sp. LBSA1, isolated from bulk raw milk. It was compared with three Pseudomonas chlororaphis and one Pseudomonas fluorescens strain from culture collections. METHODS AND RESULTS: Bacteriae were grown in a minimal salt medium. For all the strains, addition of 1% (v/v) skim milk to the growth medium was sufficient to induce protease production in 48-h culture. Addition of 1 mmol l(-1) calcium chloride permitted the detection of proteolytic activity of four strains in 48-h cultures but not for Pseudomonas sp. LBSA1. The five strains presented two patterns of proteolytic activity when grown in the minimal salt medium supplemented with 2% (v/v) skim milk at various temperatures for 48 h. Two electrophoretic protease patterns were also obtained from the zymogram of extracellular medium for the five strains. CONCLUSIONS: The growth conditions permitting protease production are variable and do not depend on the genus of the producing strain. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: For the first time a study on proteolytic activity of P. chlororaphis strains is reported. Among the tested criteria, zymograms of extracellular medium were the only ones that permitted distinguishing the P. chlororaphis strains from the P. fluorescens strain.     

Characterization of a biofilm membrane reactor and its prospects for fine chemical synthesis

Biofilms are known to be robust biocatalysts. Conventionally, they have been mainly applied for wastewater treatment, however recent reports about their employment for chemical synthesis are increasingly attracting attention. Engineered Pseudomonas sp. strain VLB120ΔC biofilm growing in a tubular membrane reactor was utilized for the continuous production of (S)‐styrene oxide. A biofilm specific morphotype appeared in the effluent during cultivation, accounting for 60–80% of the total biofilm irrespective of inoculation conditions but with similar specific activities as the original morphotype. Mass transfer of the substrate styrene and the product styrene oxide was found to be dependent on the flow rate but was not limiting the epoxidation rate. Oxygen was identified as one of the main parameters influencing the biotransformation rate. Productivity was linearly dependent on the specific membrane area and on the tube wall thickness. On average volumetric productivities of 24 g L day^?1 with a maximum of 70 g L day^?1 and biomass concentrations of 45 g_BDW L have been achieved over long continuous process periods (≥50 days) without reactor downtimes. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010. 105: 705–717. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

铜绿假单胞菌生物被膜对巨噬细胞的免疫逃逸作用及机制

目的 探讨铜绿假单胞菌生物被膜对巨噬细胞的免疫逃逸作用以及相关机制。方法 用PMA刺激THP-1细胞获得巨噬细胞模型。用6孔板建膜法获得铜绿假单胞菌生物被膜菌。分别用铜绿假单胞菌的生物被膜菌和浮游菌感染巨噬细胞,观察巨噬细胞形态的变化,并检测巨噬细胞的细胞毒性和吞噬功能的变化。进一步用ELISA试剂盒检测感染的巨噬细胞培养上清中炎症细胞因子IL-1β的变化。结果 成功构建巨噬细胞模型和铜绿假单胞菌生物被膜菌模型。与感染了浮游菌的细胞相比,感染了生物被膜菌的巨噬细胞形态变化小,释放的LDH降低,吞噬功能减弱,IL-1β的表达量减少。结论 铜绿假单胞菌生物被膜菌可以逃逸巨噬细胞的免疫防御作用,其机制可能与降低巨噬细胞的炎症反应有关。     

PA-MSHA引起注射局部急性炎症及白细胞介素17、肿瘤坏死因子α和Toll样受体4的表达改变

为研究皮下注射铜绿假单胞菌甘露糖敏感血凝菌毛株(Pseudomonas aeruginosa mannose sensitive hemagglutinin,PA-MSHA)注射液后局部组织的病理学改变及白细胞介素17(interleukin 17,IL-17)、肿瘤坏死因子α(tumor necrosis factorα,TNF-α)和Toll样受体4(Toll-like receptor 4,TLR4)表达情况,将30只小鼠随机分为两组,分别皮下注射PA-MSHA和生理盐水,在注射后6、12、24、48及72h取注射局部组织,苏木精-伊红(hematoxylin-eosin,HE)染色后观察病理形态改变,并用免疫组化染色和图像分析检测IL-17、TNF-α和TLR4表达水平。结果显示,小鼠皮下注射PA-MSHA后,在给药部位引起以中性粒细胞浸润为主的急性炎症;局部炎症灶中IL-17、TNF-α和TLR4表达在注射后6h升高,24h达到高峰,然后逐渐减低,至72h实验组与对照组无差异;3种炎症因子的表达与炎症反应程度相平行。结果表明,皮下注射PA-MSHA能引起局部组织急性炎症反应,且能改变局部免疫状态。     

低温氧等离子体杀灭铜绿假单胞菌的效果及机理

【目的】本文采用低温氧等离子体,在自行设计的远程等离子体反应装置中,对位于不同放电区域（放电区,余辉区,远程区）的模拟染菌载体聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（PET）表面的铜绿假单胞菌(Pseudomonas aeruginosa)的杀灭效果和机理进行了研究。【方法】采用扫描电子显微镜观察了等离子体处理前后细菌细胞的形貌变化,采用考马斯亮蓝法测定了等离子体处理后细菌蛋白质泄漏量,采用双悬浮探针对氧等子体的电子温度和离子浓度以及电子自旋共振波谱对自由基浓度进行了测定。【结果】强放电区、余辉区和远程区处理30s后的灭菌效果分别为4.2 ,3.8和2.6;扫描电镜观察结果和蛋白泄漏量测定结果证明细菌细胞被损毁,在强放电区是电子、离子、自由基和紫外光子的协同作用,而在余辉区和远程区的灭杀作用主要因自由基所为。【结论】证明该反应装置可有效实现活性粒子的分离,在远程等离子体场中揭示了等离子体灭菌的规律和机理。     

Statistical evaluation of a newly modified Robbins device using a bioluminescent pseudomonad to quantify adhesion to plastic

A modified Robbins device (MRD) has frequently been used as a model system to study adhesion and biofilm formation. This study investigates the reproducibility of attachment and whether a statistically significant gradient of adhesion exists along the 25 sampling ports of a MRD. A simple, quantitative, non‐destructive, bioluminescence assay was developed in order to measure attachment of bioluminescent P. veronii BL146bio cells to plastic discs of Thermanox? in newly modified Robbins devices (nMRD). No statistically significant difference in mean bioluminescence values occurred between pairs of nMRDs run in parallel, but there was a significant difference in bioluminescence values between different batches of bacteria (p < 0.05). Generalised Linear Modelling showed that the position of the sample disc influenced the numbers attaching. In 50% of devices a significant positive gradient of attachment occurred and bioluminescence values varied from disc 1 to disc 25 by 29.6–58.0%. In the other 50% of nMRDs there was a smaller, non‐significant gradient. A disc sampling regime was devised to take this gradient into account and used to prove a positive correlation between bioluminescence and numbers of viable P. veronii BL146bio cells during a 6h biofilm accumulation period.     

Cloning and Characterization of the Gene Encoding Pyrroloquinoline Quinone-dependent Poly (vinyl alcohol) Dehydrogenase of Pseudomonas sp. Strain VM15C

A gene library of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-degrading Pseudomonas sp. strain VM15C was constructed in Escherichia coli with the vector pUC18. Screening of this library with a chromogenic PVA dehydrogenase assay resulted in the isolation of a clone that carries the gene (pdh) for the PVA dehydrogenase, and the entire nucleotide sequence of its structural gene was determined. The gene encodes a protein of 639 amino acid residues (68,045 Da) and in the deduced amino acid sequence, some putative functional sites, a signal sequence, a heme c-binding site, and a PQQ-binding site, were detected. The amino acid sequence showed low similarity to other types of quinoprotein dehydrogenases. PVA dehydrogenase expressed in E. coli clones required PQQ. Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺ stimulated the activity. PVA-dependent heme c reduction occurred with exogenous PQQ in cell extracts of the E. coli clone. The PVA dehydrogenase in the E. coli clone was localized in the cytoplasm.     

铜绿假单胞菌PAO1中c-di-GMP代谢相关基因PA0575对表型的影响

【背景】铜绿假单胞菌PAO1中存在与环鸟苷二磷酸(cyclic-di-guanosine monophosphate,c-di-GMP)代谢相关基因PA0575。【目的】探讨铜绿假单胞菌PAO1中环鸟苷二磷酸代谢相关基因PA0575对运动能力及生物膜的影响。【方法】通过PCR对菌株遗传背景进行确认;利用刚果红结合实验及电转PcdrA-gfp质粒间接测量胞内c-di-GMP水平;利用泳动性(swimming)、蜂群泳动(swarming)、蹭行运动(twiching)和生物膜定量实验对细菌进行表型分析,并在运动培养基中添加抗生素研究其对运动能力的影响;针对PA0575基因进行融合蛋白表达载体的构建,并对蛋白进行原核诱导表达。【结果】3株突变体菌株的转座子插入突变位点不一致,胞内c-di-GMP水平检测结果显示,PA0575-1菌株的c-di-GMP含量高于野生型PAO1菌株(P0.05),PA0575-2、PA0575-3菌株胞内c-di-GMP水平与野生型PAO1菌株无差异(P0.05)。运动能力检测实验中,与野生型PAO1菌株相比,PA0575-1菌株泳动性增强(P0.05);PA0575-2、PA0575-3菌株的泳动性、蜂群运动均增强(P0.05);该基因不同位点的突变均导致氯霉素对菌株的运动能力产生抑制作用。生物膜定量结果显示,与野生型PAO1菌株相比,细菌培养18 h后PA0575-1的生物膜含量降低(P0.05),PA0575-2、PA0575-3菌株的生物膜含量升高。最后成功构建了PA0575基因不同结构域的8个表达载体,并获得了异源表达蛋白。【结论】PA0575基因降低铜绿假单胞菌胞内c-di-GMP的水平,影响表型的同时也抑制了氯霉素抗性基因的表达。以上研究为PA0575基因对表型的影响奠定了基础。