Furnishing spaceship environment: evaluation of bacterial biofilms on different materials used inside International Space Station
In conclusion, under the conditions used for VIABLE ISS, no material or pre-treatment seems to be better than others in terms of quantity and type of bacterial contamination. (Source: Research in Microbiology)
Source: Research in Microbiology - July 10, 2018 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

A 3′ UTR-derived non-coding RNA RibS increases expression of cfa and promotes biofilm formation of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi
Publication date: Available online 8 May 2018Source: Research in MicrobiologyAuthor(s): Xin Zhao, Rui Liu, Hao Tang, George Osei-Adjei, Shungao Xu, Ying Zhang, Xinxiang HuangAbstractBacterial non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are widely studied and found to play important roles in regulating various cellular processes. Recently, many ncRNAs have been discovered to be transcribed or processed from 3′ untranslated regions (3′ UTRs). Here we reported a novel 3′ UTR-derived ncRNA, RibS, which could influence biofilm formation of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi). RibS was confirmed to be a ∼700 nt processed product ...
Source: Research in Microbiology - July 10, 2018 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

New insights into auxin metabolism in Bradyrhizobium japonicum
Publication date: Available online 8 May 2018Source: Research in MicrobiologyAuthor(s): Daniela Torres, Iliana Benavidez, Florencia Donadio, Elias Mongiardini, Susana Rosas, Stijn Spaepen, Jozef Vanderleyden, Aleš Pěnčík, Ondřej Novák, Miroslav Strnad, Jitka Frébortová, Fabricio CassánAbstractBacterial metabolism of phytohormones includes several processes such as biosynthesis, catabolism, conjugation, hydrolysis and homeostatic regulation. However, only biosynthesis and occasionally catabolism are studied in depth in microorganisms. In this work, we evaluated and reconsidered IAA metabolism in Bradyrhizobiumjapon...
Source: Research in Microbiology - July 10, 2018 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

Expression of nirK and nirS genes in two strains of Pseudomonas stutzeri harbouring both types of NO-forming nitrite reductases
Publication date: Available online 9 May 2018Source: Research in MicrobiologyAuthor(s): Lea Wittorf, Christopher M. Jones, Germán Bonilla-Rosso, Sara HallinAbstractReduction of nitrite to nitric oxide in denitrification is catalysed by two different nitrite reductases, encoded by nirS or nirK. Long considered mutually exclusive and functionally redundant in denitrifying bacteria, we show expression of both genes co-occurring in Pseudomonas stutzeri. The differential expression patterns between strain AN10 and JM300 in relation to oxygen and nitrate and their different denitrification phenotypes, with AN10 reducing nitrate...
Source: Research in Microbiology - July 10, 2018 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

Extremely halophilic pleomorphic archaeal virus HRPV9 extends the diversity of pleolipoviruses with integrases
Publication date: Available online 14 May 2018Source: Research in MicrobiologyAuthor(s): Nina S. Atanasova, Tatiana A. Demina, Sudar N.V. Krishnam Rajan Shanthi, Hanna M. Oksanen, Dennis H. BamfordAbstractCertain pleomorphic archaeal viruses are highly infectious even at saturated salt. These viruses belong to the genus Betapleolipovirus of the recently described archaeal virus family Pleolipoviridae. Pleolipoviruses comprise single-stranded or double-stranded, circular or linear DNA genomes that share countless homologues among various archaeal genetic elements. Here we describe a new extremely halophilic betapleolipoviru...
Source: Research in Microbiology - July 10, 2018 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

Bacteriophage research – What we have learnt and what still needs to be addressed
This article touches on the first 100 years of phage research with the author commenting on what he thinks are the highlights, and what needs to be addressed. (Source: Research in Microbiology)
Source: Research in Microbiology - July 10, 2018 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

Phage therapy against Achromobacter xylosoxidans lung infection in a patient with cystic fibrosis: a case report
We present a clinical case of a cystic fibrosis (CF) patient, with multi-drug resistant (MDR) Achromobacter xylosoxidans chronic lung infection who was successfully managed with bacteriophage therapy. (Source: Research in Microbiology)
Source: Research in Microbiology - July 10, 2018 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

Combined bacteriophages and antibiotics as an efficient therapy against VRE Enterococcus faecalis in a mouse model
In this study, a cocktail consisting of two lytic bacteriophages was used to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of phage therapy as a rescue treatment for severe septic peritonitis in a mouse model. We established that a single injection of the bacteriophage cocktail was sufficient to completely reverse a 100% mortality trend caused by Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecalis, with significant improvement in both the clinical state and laboratory test results, and without harmful effects on the microbiome. The combination of bacteriophages with a suboptimal antibiotic regimen imparts an additional beneficial effect on the...
Source: Research in Microbiology - July 10, 2018 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

Erwinia amylovora phage vB_EamM_Y3 represents another lineage of hairy Myoviridae
Publication date: Available online 18 May 2018Source: Research in MicrobiologyAuthor(s): Colin Buttimer, Yannick Born, Alan Lucid, Martin J. Loessner, Lars Fieseler, Aidan CoffeyAbstractTo date, a small number of jumbo myoviruses have been reported to possess atypical whisker-like structures along the surface of their contractile tails. Erwinia amylovora phage vB_EamM_Y3 is another example. It possesses a genome of 261,365 kbp with 333 predicted ORFs. Using a combination of BLASTP, Interproscan and HHpred, about 21% of its putative proteins could be assigned functions involved in nucleotide metabolism, DNA replication, vi...
Source: Research in Microbiology - July 10, 2018 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

Structure and mechanism of bacterial tripartite efflux pumps
Publication date: Available online 19 May 2018Source: Research in MicrobiologyAuthor(s): Arthur Neuberger, Dijun Du, Ben F. LuisiAbstractEfflux pumps are membrane proteins which contribute to multi-drug resistance. In Gram-negative bacteria, some of these pumps form complex tripartite assemblies in association with an outer membrane channel and a periplasmic membrane fusion protein. These tripartite machineries span both membranes and the periplasmic space, and they extrude from the bacterium chemically diverse toxic substrates. In this chapter, we summarise current understanding of the structural architecture, functionali...
Source: Research in Microbiology - July 10, 2018 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

The expression of the genes involved in leucine catabolism of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is controlled by the transcriptional regulator LiuR and by the CbrAB/Crc system
In this study, we investigated the role of the LiuR protein in the liu cluster regulation. Our results indicated that liu expression is regulated at the transcriptional level by LiuR. Mobility shift assays using purified recombinant His-tagged LiuR showed that it was able to bind at the promoter region of liuR, in a dose-dependent manner. Results revealed that expression of the liu operon is subjected to carbon catabolite repression control (CCR); protein LiuD was strongly expressed in the presence of leucine, but it was repressed in the presence of glucose or succinate. Furthermore, this CCR control was dependent on LiuR ...
Source: Research in Microbiology - July 10, 2018 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

molecular mechanisms of AcrB-mediated multidrug export
Publication date: Available online 25 May 2018Source: Research in MicrobiologyAuthor(s): martijn zwama, akihito yamaguchiAbstractThe over-expression of multidrug efflux pumps belonging to the Resistance-Nodulation-Division (RND) superfamily is one of the main causes of multidrug-resistance (MDR) in Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria. AcrB is the most thoroughly studied RND transporter and has functioned as a model for our understanding of efflux-mediated MDR. This multidrug-exporter can recognize and transport a wide range of structurally unrelated compounds (including antibiotics, dyes, bile salts and detergents), while it...
Source: Research in Microbiology - July 10, 2018 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

Syntrophic effect of indigenous and inoculated microorganisms in the leaching of rare earth elements from Western Australian monazite
Publication date: Available online 28 May 2018Source: Research in MicrobiologyAuthor(s): Melissa K. Corbett, Jacques J. Eksteen, Xi-Zhi Niu, Elizabeth L.J. WatkinAbstractThe unique physiochemical properties exhibited by rare earth elements (REEs) and their increasing application in high-tech industries has created a demand for secure supply lines with established recovery procedures that create minimal environmental damage. Bioleaching experiments conducted on a non-sterile monazite concentrate with a known phosphate solubilising microorganism (PSM) resulted in greater mobilisation of REEs into solution in comparison to ex...
Source: Research in Microbiology - July 10, 2018 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

Bacteriophage imaging: past, present and future
Publication date: Available online 28 May 2018Source: Research in MicrobiologyAuthor(s): Gabriel MF. Almeida, Miika Leppänen, Ilari J. Maasilta, Lotta-Riina SundbergAbstractThe visualization of viral particles only became possible after the advent of the electron microscope. The first bacteriophage images were published in 1940 and were soon followed by many other publications that helped to elucidate the structure of the particles and their interaction with the bacterial hosts. As sample preparation improved and new technologies were developed, phage imaging became important approach to morphologically classify these vir...
Source: Research in Microbiology - July 10, 2018 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

The transcription factor SlyA from Salmonella Typhimurium regulates genes in response to hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite
Publication date: Available online 29 May 2018Source: Research in MicrobiologyAuthor(s): Carolina E. Cabezas, Alan C. Briones, Camila Aguirre, Coral Pardo-Esté, Juan Castro-Severyn, César R. Salinas, María S. Baquedano, Alejandro A. Hidalgo, Juan A. Fuentes, Eduardo H. Morales, Claudio A. Meneses, Eduardo Castro-Nallar, Claudia Paz SaavedraAbstractSalmonella Typhimurium is an intracellular pathogen that is capable of generating systemic fever in a murine model. Over the course of the infection, Salmonella faces different kinds of stressors, including harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS). Various defence mechanisms enab...
Source: Research in Microbiology - July 10, 2018 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research