| 1. |
- Agervald, Åsa, et al.
(författare)
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CalA, a cyanobacterial AbrB protein, interacts with the upstream region of hypC and acts as a repressor of its transcription in the cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. strain PCC 7120
- 2010
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Ingår i: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. - 0099-2240 .- 1098-5336. ; 76:3, s. 880-890
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The filamentous, heterocystous, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. strain PCC 7120 may contain, depending on growth condition, up to two hydrogenases directly involved in hydrogen metabolism. HypC is one out of at least seven auxiliary gene products required for synthesis of a functional hydrogenase, specifically involved in the maturation of the large subunit. In this study we present a protein, Alr0946, belonging to the transcription regulator family AbrB, which in protein-DNA assays was found to interact with the upstream region of hypC. Transcriptional investigations showed that alr0946 is co-transcribed with the downstream gene alr0947, which encodes a putative protease from the abortive infection superfamily, Abi. Alr0946 was shown to interact specifically not only with the upstream region of hypC but also with its own upstream region, acting as a repressor on both. The bidirectional hydrogenase activity was significant down-regulated when Alr0946 was over-expressed demonstrating a correlation to the transcription factor, either direct or indirect. In silico studies showed that homologues to both Alr0946 and Alr0947 are highly conserved proteins within cyanobacteria with a very similar physical organisation of the corresponding structural genes. Possible functions of the co-transcribed downstream protein Alr0947 are presented. In addition, we present a 3D model of the CyAbrB domain of Alr0946 and putative DNA-binding mechanisms are discussed.
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| 2. |
- Ahlstrom, Christina A. A., et al.
(författare)
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Exchange of Carbapenem-Resistant Escherichia coli Sequence Type 38 Intercontinentally and among Wild Bird, Human, and Environmental Niches
- 2023
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Ingår i: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. - : American Society for Microbiology. - 0099-2240 .- 1098-5336. ; 89:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Carbapenem-resistant bacteria are a threat to public health globally and have been found in the environment as well as the clinic. Some bacterial clones are associated with carbapenem resistance genes, such as Escherichia coli sequence type 38 (ST38) and the carbapenemase gene bla(OXA-48). Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are a global threat to human health and are increasingly being isolated from nonclinical settings. OXA-48-producing Escherichia coli sequence type 38 (ST38) is the most frequently reported CRE type in wild birds and has been detected in gulls or storks in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The epidemiology and evolution of CRE in wildlife and human niches, however, remains unclear. We compared wild bird origin E. coli ST38 genome sequences generated by our research group and publicly available genomic data derived from other hosts and environments to (i) understand the frequency of intercontinental dispersal of E. coli ST38 clones isolated from wild birds, (ii) more thoroughly measure the genomic relatedness of carbapenem-resistant isolates from gulls sampled in Turkey and Alaska, USA, using long-read whole-genome sequencing and assess the spatial dissemination of this clone among different hosts, and (iii) determine whether ST38 isolates from humans, environmental water, and wild birds have different core or accessory genomes (e.g., antimicrobial resistance genes, virulence genes, plasmids) which might elucidate bacterial or gene exchange among niches. Our results suggest that E. coli ST38 strains, including those resistant to carbapenems, are exchanged between humans and wild birds, rather than separately maintained populations within each niche. Furthermore, despite close genetic similarity among OXA-48-producing E. coli ST38 clones from gulls in Alaska and Turkey, intercontinental dispersal of ST38 clones among wild birds is uncommon. Interventions to mitigate the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance throughout the environment (e.g., as exemplified by the acquisition of carbapenem resistance by birds) may be warranted.IMPORTANCE Carbapenem-resistant bacteria are a threat to public health globally and have been found in the environment as well as the clinic. Some bacterial clones are associated with carbapenem resistance genes, such as Escherichia coli sequence type 38 (ST38) and the carbapenemase gene bla(OXA-48). This is the most frequently reported carbapenem-resistant clone in wild birds, though it was unclear if it circulated within wild bird populations or was exchanged among other niches. The results from this study suggest that E. coli ST38 strains, including those resistant to carbapenems, are frequently exchanged among wild birds, humans, and the environment. Carbapenem-resistant E. coli ST38 clones in wild birds are likely acquired from the local environment and do not constitute an independent dissemination pathway within wild bird populations. Management actions aimed at preventing the environmental dissemination and acquisition of antimicrobial resistance by wild birds may be warranted.
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| 3. |
- Ahmed Osman, Omneya, et al.
(författare)
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Interactions of Freshwater Cyanobacteria with Bacterial Antagonists
- 2017
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Ingår i: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. - 0099-2240 .- 1098-5336. ; 83:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cyanobacterial and algal mass development, or blooms, have severe effects on freshwater and marine systems around the world. Many of these phototrophs produce a variety of potent toxins, contribute to oxygen depletion, and affect water quality in several ways. Coexisting antagonists, such as cyanolytic bacteria, hold the potential to suppress, or even terminate, such blooms, yet the nature of this interaction is not well studied. We isolated 31 cyanolytic bacteria affiliated with the genera Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas, Acinetobacter, and Delftia from three eutrophic freshwater lakes in Sweden and selected four phylogenetically diverse bacterial strains with strong-to-moderate lytic activity. To characterize their functional responses to the presence of cyanobacteria, we performed RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) experiments on coculture incubations, with an initial predator-prey ratio of 1: 1. Genes involved in central cellular pathways, stress-related heat or cold shock proteins, and antitoxin genes were highly expressed in both heterotrophs and cyanobacteria. Heterotrophs in coculture expressed genes involved in cell motility, signal transduction, and putative lytic activity. L, D-Transpeptidase was the only significantly upregulated lytic gene in Stenotrophomonas rhizophila EK20. Heterotrophs also shifted their central metabolism from the tricarboxylic acid cycle to the glyoxylate shunt. Concurrently, cyanobacteria clearly show contrasting antagonistic interactions with the four tested heterotrophic strains, which is also reflected in the physical attachment to their cells. In conclusion, antagonistic interactions with cyanobacteria were initiated within 24 h, and expression profiles suggest varied responses for the different cyanobacteria and studied cyanolytes. IMPORTANCE Here, we present how gene expression profiles can be used to reveal interactions between bloom-forming freshwater cyanobacteria and antagonistic heterotrophic bacteria. Species-specific responses in both heterotrophs and cyanobacteria were identified. The study contributes to a better understanding of the interspecies cellular interactions underpinning the persistence and collapse of cyanobacterial blooms.
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| 4. |
- Albertsen, L., et al.
(författare)
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Diversion of Flux toward Sesquiterpene Production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by Fusion of Host and Heterologous Enzymes
- 2011
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Ingår i: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. - 1098-5336 .- 0099-2240. ; 77:3, s. 1033-1040
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ability to transfer metabolic pathways from the natural producer organisms to the well-characterized cell factory Saccharomyces cerevisiae is well documented. However, as many secondary metabolites are produced by collaborating enzymes assembled in complexes, metabolite production in yeast may be limited by the inability of the heterologous enzymes to collaborate with the native yeast enzymes. This may cause loss of intermediates by diffusion or degradation or due to conversion of the intermediate through competitive pathways. To bypass this problem, we have pursued a strategy in which key enzymes in the pathway are expressed as a physical fusion. As a model system, we have constructed several fusion protein variants in which farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPPS) of yeast has been coupled to patchoulol synthase (PTS) of plant origin (Pogostemon cablin). Expression of the fusion proteins in S. cerevisiae increased the production of patchoulol, the main sesquiterpene produced by PTS, up to 2-fold. Moreover, we have demonstrated that the fusion strategy can be used in combination with traditional metabolic engineering to further increase the production of patchoulol. This simple test case of synthetic biology demonstrates that engineering the spatial organization of metabolic enzymes around a branch point has great potential for diverting flux toward a desired product.
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| 5. |
- Almstrand, Robert, et al.
(författare)
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New methods for analysis of spatial distribution and co-aggregation of microbial populations in complex biofilms.
- 2013
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Ingår i: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. - 0099-2240 .- 1098-5336. ; 79:19, s. 5978-5987
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In biofilms, microbial activities form gradients of substrates and electron acceptors, creating a complex landscape of microhabitats, often resulting in structured localization of the microbial populations present. To understand the dynamic interplay between and within these populations, quantitative measurements and statistical analysis of their localization patterns within the biofilms are necessary, and adequate automated tools for such analyses are needed. We have designed and applied new methods for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and digital image analysis of directionally dependent (anisotropic) multispecies biofilms. A sequential-FISH approach allowed multiple populations to be detected in a biofilm sample. This was combined with an automated tool for vertical-distribution analysis by generating in silico biofilm slices and the recently developed Inflate algorithm for coaggregation analysis of microbial populations in anisotropic biofilms. As a proof of principle, we show distinct stratification patterns of the ammonia oxidizers Nitrosomonas oligotropha subclusters I and II and the nitrite oxidizer Nitrospira sublineage I in three different types of wastewater biofilms, suggesting niche differentiation between the N. oligotropha subclusters, which could explain their coexistence in the same biofilms. Coaggregation analysis showed that N. oligotropha subcluster II aggregated closer to Nitrospira than did N. oligotropha subcluster I in a pilot plant nitrifying trickling filter (NTF) and a moving-bed biofilm reactor (MBBR), but not in a full-scale NTF, indicating important ecophysiological differences between these phylogenetically closely related subclusters. By using high-resolution quantitative methods applicable to any multispecies biofilm in general, the ecological interactions of these complex ecosystems can be understood in more detail.
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| 6. |
- Alriksson, Björn, et al.
(författare)
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Cellulase production from spent lignocellulose hydrolysates by recombinant aspergillus niger
- 2009
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Ingår i: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. - : American Society for Microbiology. - 0099-2240 .- 1098-5336. ; 75:8, s. 2366-2374
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A recombinant Aspergillus niger strain expressing the Hypocrea jecorina endoglucanase Cel7B was grown on spent hydrolysates (stillage) from sugarcane bagasse and spruce wood. The spent hydrolysates served as excellent growth media for the Cel7B-producing strain, A. niger D15[egI], which displayed higher endoglucanase activities in the spent hydrolysates than in standard medium with a comparable monosaccharide content (e.g., 2,100 nkat/ml in spent bagasse hydrolysate compared to 480 nkat/ml in standard glucose-based medium). In addition, A. niger D15[egI] was also able to consume or convert other lignocellulose-derived compounds, such as acetic acid, furan aldehydes, and phenolic compounds, which are recognized as inhibitors of yeast during ethanolic fermentation. The results indicate that enzymes can be produced from the stillage stream as a high-value coproduct in secondgeneration bioethanol plants in a way that also facilitates recirculation of process water.
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| 7. |
- Alvarez, Beatriz, et al.
(författare)
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An Exopolysaccharide-Deficient Mutant of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG Efficiently Displays a Protective Llama Antibody Fragment against Rotavirus on Its Surface
- 2015
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Ingår i: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. - 0099-2240 .- 1098-5336. ; 81:17, s. 5784-5793
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rotavirus is the leading cause of infantile diarrhea in developing countries, where it causes a high number of deaths among infants. Two vaccines are available, being highly effective in developed countries although markedly less efficient in developing countries. As a complementary treatment to the vaccines, a Lactobacillus strain producing an anti-rotavirus antibody fragment in the gastrointestinal tract could potentially be used. In order to develop such an alternative therapy, the effectiveness of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG to produce and display a VHH antibody fragment (referred to as anti-rotavirus protein 1 [ARP1]) on the surface was investigated. L. rhamnosus GG is one of the best-characterized probiotic bacteria and has intrinsic antirotavirus activity. Among four L. rhamnosus GG strains [GG (CMC), GG (ATCC 53103), GG (NCC 3003), and GG (UT)] originating from different sources, only GG (UT) was able to display ARP1 on the bacterial surface. The genomic analysis of strain GG (UT) showed that the genes welE and welF of the EPS cluster are inactivated, which causes a defect in exopolysaccharide (EPS) production, allowing efficient display of ARP1 on its surface. Finally, GG (UT) seemed to confer a level of protection against rotavirus-induced diarrhea similar to that of wild-type GG (NCC 3003) in a mouse pup model, indicating that the EPS may not be involved in the intrinsic antirotavirus activity. Most important, GG (EM233), a derivative of GG (UT) producing ARP1, was significantly more protective than the control strain L. casei BL23.
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| 8. |
- Alvarez, Francisco J., et al.
(författare)
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Diverse Nitrogen Sources in Seminal Fluid Act in Synergy To Induce Filamentous Growth of Candida albicans
- 2015
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Ingår i: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. - 0099-2240 .- 1098-5336. ; 81:8, s. 2770-2780
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The pathogenic fungus Candida albicans is the leading cause of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). VVC represents a major quality- of-life issue for women during their reproductive years, a stage of life where the vaginal epithelium is subject to periodic hormonally induced changes associated with menstruation and concomitant exposure to serum as well as potential intermittent contact with seminal fluid. Seminal fluid potently triggers Candida albicans to switch from yeastlike to filamentous modes of growth, a developmental response tightly linked to virulence. Conversely, vaginal fluid inhibits filamentation. Here, we used artificial formulations of seminal and vaginal fluids that faithfully mimic genuine fluids to assess the contribution of individual components within these fluids to filamentation. The high levels of albumin, amino acids, and N-acetylglucosamine in seminal fluid act synergistically as potent inducers of filamentous growth, even at atmospheric levels of CO2 and reduced temperatures (30 degrees C). Using a simplified in vitro model that mimics the natural introduction of seminal fluid into the vulvovaginal environment, a pulse of artificial seminal fluid (ASF) was found to exert an enduring potential to overcome the inhibitory efficacy of artificial vaginal fluid (AVF) on filamentation. These findings suggest that a transient but substantial change in the nutrient levels within the vulvovaginal environment during unprotected coitus can induce resident C. albicans cells to engage developmental programs associated with virulent growth.
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| 9. |
- Ampomah, Osei Yaw, et al.
(författare)
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Nodulation of Thermopsis lupinoides by a Mesorhizobium huakuii strain with a unique nodA gene in Kamtchatka, Russia
- 2011
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Ingår i: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. - 0099-2240 .- 1098-5336. ; 77:15, s. 5513-5516
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Very little is known about rhizobia that form nodules on Thermopsis spp. We report the isolation of a Mesorhizobium huakuii strain with a unique nodA gene that form nodules on Thermopsis lupinoides in Kamtchatka, Russia. The isolate did not form nodules on Thermopsis chinensis or Thermopsis caroliniana, which suggests it may be host specific.
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| 10. |
- Andersson, Rolf E.
(författare)
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Microbial lipolysis at low temperatures
- 1980
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Ingår i: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. - 0099-2240 .- 1098-5336. ; 39:1, s. 36-40
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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