scholarly journals Cell aggregation and aerobic respiration facilitate survival of Zymomonas mobilis ZM4 in an aerobic minimal medium

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara E Jones-Burrage ◽  
Timothy A Kremer ◽  
James B McKinlay
Keyword(s):  
Zymomonas Mobilis ◽  
Minimal Medium ◽  
Maximum Yield ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Cell Aggregation ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Rich Media ◽  
Cellulose Synthase Gene ◽  
Potential Alternative ◽  
Media Supplementation

Zymomonas mobilis produces ethanol from glucose near the theoretical maximum yield, making it a potential alternative to yeast for industrial ethanol production. A potentially useful industrial feature is the ability to form multicellular aggregates called flocs, which can settle quickly and exhibit higher resistance to harmful chemicals. While spontaneous floc-forming Z. mobilis mutants have been described, little is known about the natural conditions that induce Z. mobilis floc formation and the genetic factors involved. Here we found that wild-type Z. mobilis forms flocs in response to aerobic growth conditions but only in a minimal medium. We identified a cellulose synthase gene cluster and a single diguanylate cyclase that are essential for both floc formation and survival in an aerobic minimal medium. We also found that NADH dehydrogenase 2, a key component of the aerobic respiratory chain, is important for survival in an aerobic minimal medium, providing a physiological role for this enzyme which has previously been found to be disadvantageous in aerobic rich media. Supplementation of the minimal medium with vitamins also promoted survival but did not inhibit floc formation.

scholarly journals Cell Aggregation and Aerobic Respiration Are Important forZymomonas mobilisZM4 Survival in an Aerobic Minimal Medium

2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara E. Jones-Burrage ◽  
Timothy A. Kremer ◽  
James B. McKinlay
Keyword(s):  
Yeast Extract ◽  
Zymomonas Mobilis ◽  
Minimal Medium ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Maximum Yield ◽  
Aerobic Respiration ◽  
Aerobic Growth ◽  
Poor Growth ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multicellular Aggregates

ABSTRACTZymomonas mobilisproduces ethanol from glucose near the theoretical maximum yield, making it a potential alternative to the yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiaefor industrial ethanol production. A potentially useful industrial feature is the ability to form multicellular aggregates called flocs, which can settle quickly and exhibit higher resistance to harmful chemicals than single cells. While spontaneous floc-formingZ. mobilismutants have been described, little is known about the natural conditions that induceZ. mobilisfloc formation or about the genetic factors involved. Here we found that wild-typeZ. mobilisforms flocs in response to aerobic growth conditions but only in a minimal medium. We identified a cellulose synthase gene cluster and a single diguanylate cyclase that are essential for both floc formation and survival in a minimal aerobic medium. We also found that NADH dehydrogenase 2, a key component of the aerobic respiratory chain, is important for survival in a minimal aerobic medium, providing a physiological role for this enzyme, which has previously been found to be disadvantageous in a rich aerobic medium. Supplementation of the minimal medium with vitamins also promoted survival but did not inhibit floc formation.IMPORTANCEThe bacteriumZymomonas mobilisis best known for its anaerobic fermentative lifestyle, in which it converts glucose into ethanol at a yield surpassing that of yeast. However,Z. mobilisalso has an aerobic lifestyle, which has confounded researchers with its attributes of poor growth, accumulation of toxic acetic acid and acetaldehyde, and respiratory enzymes that are detrimental for aerobic growth. Here we show that a majorZ. mobilisrespiratory enzyme and the ability to form multicellular aggregates, called flocs, are important for survival, but only during aerobic growth in a medium containing a minimum set of nutrients required for growth. Supplements, such as vitamins or yeast extract, promote aerobic growth and, in some cases, inhibit floc formation. We propose thatZ. mobilislikely requires aerobic respiration and floc formation in order to survive in natural environments that lack protective factors found in supplements such as yeast extract.

scholarly journals The Lipid Lysyl-Phosphatidylglycerol Is Present in Membranes of Rhizobium tropici CIAT899 and Confers Increased Resistance to Polymyxin B Under Acidic Growth Conditions

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 1421-1430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Sohlenkamp ◽  
Kanaan A. Galindo-Lagunas ◽  
Ziqiang Guan ◽  
Pablo Vinuesa ◽  
Sally Robinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Minimal Medium ◽  
Polymyxin B ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Membrane Lipid ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Rhizobium Tropici ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Inducible Genes

Lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol (LPG) is a well-known membrane lipid in several gram-positive bacteria but is almost unheard of in gram-negative bacteria. In Staphylococcus aureus, the gene product of mprF is responsible for LPG formation. Low pH-inducible genes, termed lpiA, have been identified in the gram-negative α-proteobacteria Rhizobium tropici and Sinorhizobium medicae in screens for acid-sensitive mutants and they encode homologs of MprF. An analysis of the sequenced bacterial genomes reveals that genes coding for homologs of MprF from S. aureus are present in several classes of organisms throughout the bacterial kingdom. In this study, we show that the expression of lpiA from R. tropici in the heterologous hosts Escherichia coli and Sinorhizobium meliloti causes formation of LPG. A wild-type strain of R. tropici forms LPG (about 1% of the total lipids) when the cells are grown in minimal medium at pH 4.5 but not when grown in minimal medium at neutral pH or in complex tryptone yeast (TY) medium at either pH. LPG biosynthesis does not occur when lpiA is deleted and is restored upon complementation of lpiA-deficient mutants with a functional copy of the lpiA gene. When grown in the low-pH medium, lpiA-deficient rhizobial mutants are over four times more susceptible to the cationic peptide polymyxin B than the wild type.

scholarly journals Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Ferredoxin Oxidoreductase from Methanococcus maripaludis

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (20) ◽  
pp. 7281-7289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myong-Ok Park ◽  
Taeko Mizutani ◽  
Patrik R. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Pyrococcus Furiosus ◽  
Substrate Inhibition ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Sodium Molybdate ◽  
Rare Metal ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Defined Medium ◽  
Methanococcus Maripaludis ◽  
Ferredoxin Oxidoreductase ◽  
Gapdh Activity

ABSTRACT The genome sequence of the non-sugar-assimilating mesophile Methanococcus maripaludis contains three genes encoding enzymes: a nonphosphorylating NADP+-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPN), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate ferredoxin oxidoreductase (GAPOR); all these enzymes are potentially capable of catalyzing glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G3P) metabolism. GAPOR, whose homologs have been found mainly in archaea, catalyzes the reduction of ferredoxin coupled with oxidation of G3P. GAPOR has previously been isolated and characterized only from a sugar-assimilating hyperthermophile, Pyrococcus furiosus (GAPORPf), and contains the rare metal tungsten as an irreplaceable cofactor. Active recombinant M. maripaludis GAPOR (GAPORMm) was purified from Escherichia coli grown in minimal medium containing 100 μM sodium molybdate. In contrast, GAPORMm obtained from cells grown in medium containing tungsten (W) and W and molybdenum (Mo) or in medium without added W and Mo did not display any activity. Activity and transcript analysis of putative G3P-metabolizing enzymes and corresponding genes were performed with M. maripaludis cultured under autotrophic conditions in chemically defined medium. The activity of GAPORMm was constitutive throughout the culture period and exceeded that of GAPDH at all time points. As GAPDH activity was detected in only the gluconeogenic direction and GAPN activity was completely absent, only GAPORMm catalyzes oxidation of G3P in M. maripaludis. Recombinant GAPORMm is posttranscriptionally regulated as it exhibits pronounced and irreversible substrate inhibition and is completely inhibited by 1 μM ATP. With support from flux balance analysis, it is concluded that the major physiological role of GAPORMm in M. maripaludis most likely involves only nonoptimal growth conditions.

scholarly journals Elucidation of Gram-Positive Bacterial Iron(III) Reduction for Kaolinite Clay Refinement

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 3084
Author(s):  
Hao Jing ◽  
Zhao Liu ◽  
Seng How Kuan ◽  
Sylvia Chieng ◽  
Chun Loong Ho
Keyword(s):  
Iron Reduction ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Cellular Interaction ◽  
Kaolin Clay ◽  
Media Composition ◽  
Gram Positive ◽  
Kaolinite Clay ◽  
Gram Positive Bacteria ◽  
Rich Media ◽  
The Media

Recently, microbial-based iron reduction has been considered as a viable alternative to typical chemical-based treatments. The iron reduction is an important process in kaolin refining, where iron-bearing impurities in kaolin clay affects the whiteness, refractory properties, and its commercial value. In recent years, Gram-negative bacteria has been in the center stage of iron reduction research, whereas little is known about the potential use of Gram-positive bacteria to refine kaolin clay. In this study, we investigated the ferric reducing capabilities of five microbes by manipulating the microbial growth conditions. Out of the five, we discovered that Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus outperformed the other microbes under nitrogen-rich media. Through the biochemical changes and the microbial behavior, we mapped the hypothetical pathway leading to the iron reduction cellular properties, and found that the iron reduction properties of these Gram-positive bacteria rely heavily on the media composition. The media composition results in increased basification of the media that is a prerequisite for the cellular reduction of ferric ions. Further, these changes impact the formation of biofilm, suggesting that the cellular interaction for the iron(III)oxide reduction is not solely reliant on the formation of biofilms. This article reveals the potential development of Gram-positive microbes in facilitating the microbial-based removal of metal contaminants from clays or ores. Further studies to elucidate the corresponding pathways would be crucial for the further development of the field.

scholarly journals Increased Fitness of Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1 Leucine Auxotrophs in Soil

2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (12) ◽  
pp. 3644-3651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wook Kim ◽  
Stuart B. Levy
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Fluorescens ◽  
Bacterial Genome ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Soil Environment ◽  
Fitness Advantage ◽  
Gene Structures

ABSTRACT The annotation process of a newly sequenced bacterial genome is largely based on algorithms derived from databases of previously defined RNA and protein-encoding gene structures. This process generally excludes the possibility that the two strands of a given stretch of DNA can each harbor a gene in an overlapping manner. While the presence of such structures in eukaryotic genomes is considered to be relatively common, their counterparts in prokaryotic genomes are just beginning to be recognized. Application of an in vivo expression technology has previously identified 22 discrete genetic loci in Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1 that were specifically activated in the soil environment, of which 10 were present in an antisense orientation relative to previously annotated genes. This observation led to the hypothesis that the physiological role of overlapping genetic structures may be relevant to growth conditions outside artificial laboratory media. Here, we examined the role of one of the overlapping gene pairs, iiv19 and leuA2, in soil. Although iiv19 was previously demonstrated to be preferentially activated in the soil environment, its absence did not alter the ability of P. fluorescens to colonize or survive in soil. Surprisingly, the absence of the leuA2 gene conferred a fitness advantage in the soil environment when leucine was supplied exogenously. This effect was determined to be independent of the iiv19 gene, and further analyses revealed that amino acid antagonism was the underlying mechanism behind the observed fitness advantage of the bacterium in soil. Our findings provide a potential mechanism for the frequent occurrence of auxotrophic mutants of Pseudomonas spp. in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients.

scholarly journals Escherichia coli NsrR Regulates a Pathway for the Oxidation of 3-Nitrotyramine to 4-Hydroxy-3-Nitrophenylacetate

2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (18) ◽  
pp. 6170-6177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda D. Rankin ◽  
Diane M. Bodenmiller ◽  
Jonathan D. Partridge ◽  
Shirley F. Nishino ◽  
Jim C. Spain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Growth Defect ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Mutant Phenotypes ◽  
Culture Supernatants ◽  
Chip Chip

ABSTRACT Chromatin immunoprecipitation and microarray (ChIP-chip) analysis showed that the nitric oxide (NO)-sensitive repressor NsrR from Escherichia coli binds in vivo to the promoters of the tynA and feaB genes. These genes encode the first two enzymes of a pathway that is required for the catabolism of phenylethylamine (PEA) and its hydroxylated derivatives tyramine and dopamine. Deletion of nsrR caused small increases in the activities of the tynA and feaB promoters in cultures grown on PEA. Overexpression of nsrR severely retarded growth on PEA and caused a marked repression of the tynA and feaB promoters. Both the growth defect and the promoter repression were reversed in the presence of a source of NO. These results are consistent with NsrR mediating repression of the tynA and feaB genes by binding (in an NO-sensitive fashion) to the sites identified by ChIP-chip. E. coli was shown to use 3-nitrotyramine as a nitrogen source for growth, conditions which partially induce the tynA and feaB promoters. Mutation of tynA (but not feaB) prevented growth on 3-nitrotyramine. Growth yields, mutant phenotypes, and analyses of culture supernatants suggested that 3-nitrotyramine is oxidized to 4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenylacetate, with growth occurring at the expense of the amino group of 3-nitrotyramine. Accordingly, enzyme assays showed that 3-nitrotyramine and its oxidation product (4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenylacetaldehyde) could be oxidized by the enzymes encoded by tynA and feaB, respectively. The results suggest that an additional physiological role of the PEA catabolic pathway is to metabolize nitroaromatic compounds that may accumulate in cells exposed to NO.

Identification of a bacterial di-haem cytochrome c peroxidase from Methylomicrobium album BG8

Microbiology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 156 (9) ◽  
pp. 2682-2690 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. A. Karlsen ◽  
Ø. Larsen ◽  
H. B. Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Copper Ions ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Inverse Pcr ◽  
Restriction Enzyme Digestion ◽  
Methylococcus Capsulatus ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Methylomicrobium Album

The nucleotide sequence of an open reading frame (corB) downstream of the copper-repressible CorA-encoding gene of the methanotrophic bacterium Methylomicrobium album BG8 was obtained by restriction enzyme digestion and inverse PCR. The amino acid sequence deduced from this gene showed significant sequence similarity to the surface-associated di-haem cytochrome c peroxidase (SACCP) previously isolated from Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath), including both c-type haem-binding motifs. Homology analysis placed this protein, phylogenetically, within the subfamily containing the M. capsulatus SACCP of the bacterial di-haem cytochrome c peroxidase (BCCP) family of proteins. Immunospecific recognition confirmed synthesis of the M. album CorB as a protein non-covalently associated with the outer membrane and exposed to the periplasm. corB expression is regulated by the availability of copper ions during growth and the protein is most abundant in M. album when grown at a low copper-to-biomass ratio, indicating an important physiological role of CorB under these growth conditions. corB was co-transcribed with the gene encoding CorA, constituting a copper-responding operon, which appears to be under the control of a σ 54-dependent promoter. M. album CorB is the second isolated member of the recently described subfamily of the BCCP family of proteins. So far, these proteins have only been described in methanotrophic bacteria.

scholarly journals The kinetics of chromosome transfer in Escherichia coli: a mathematical treatment

1962 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Symonds
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Minimal Medium ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Mathematical Treatment ◽  
Female Cell ◽  
Transfer Delay ◽  
Maximum Delay ◽  
Effective Contact ◽  
Kinetics Of ◽  
Good Agreement

A mathematical treatment has been presented of the ideas of de Haan & Gross concerning transfer delay and chromosomal withdrawal during conjugation In Escherichia coli. The calculations involve three parameters: (i) the maximum delay, λ, which can occur between the formation of effective contact in mating pairs and the initiation of chromosomal transfer, (ii) the probability, b, that mating pairs separate with the withdrawal of that segment of the Hfr chromosome which has entered the female cell, and (iii) the probability, c, that mating pairs separate with the breakage of the Hfr chromosome at the point where it enters the female cell, leaving the injected fragment in the female.A comparison of the theory with the experimental results of de Haan & Gross obtained when chromosomal transfer occurs either in minimal medium or in broth shows good agreement under the following conditions:(i) the value of λ is the same under both growth conditions,(ii) the value of b is the same under both growth conditions,(iii) the value of c is much greater during transfer in broth than it is in minimal medium.

scholarly journals Sinorhizobium meliloti Cells Require Biotin and either Cobalt or Methionine for Growth

2001 ◽  
Vol 67 (8) ◽  
pp. 3767-3770 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Watson ◽  
Roselyn Heys ◽  
Teresa Martin ◽  
Marc Savard
Keyword(s):  
Growth Factors ◽  
Yeast Extract ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Minimal Medium ◽  
Vitamin B ◽  
Methionine Biosynthesis ◽  
Rich Media ◽  
Homocysteine Methyltransferase

ABSTRACT Sinorhizobium meliloti is usually cultured in rich media containing yeast extract. It has been suggested that some components of yeast extract are also required for growth in minimal medium. We tested 27 strains of this bacterium and found that none were able to grow in minimal medium when methods to limit carryover of yeast extract were used during inoculation. By fractionation of yeast extract, two required growth factors were identified. Biotin was found to be absolutely required for growth, whereas previously the need for this vitamin was considered to be strain specific. All strains also required supplementation with cobalt or methionine, consistent with the requirement for a vitamin B12-dependent homocysteine methyltransferase for methionine biosynthesis.

scholarly journals The nrfA and nirB Nitrite Reductase Operons in Escherichia coli Are Expressed Differently in Response to Nitrate than to Nitrite

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (20) ◽  
pp. 5813-5822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henian Wang ◽  
Robert P. Gunsalus
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Nitrite Reductase ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Potent Inducer ◽  
Culture Techniques ◽  
Nitrite Reductase Gene

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli possesses two distinct nitrite reductase enzymes encoded by the nrfA and nirBoperons. The expression of each operon is induced during anaerobic cell growth conditions and is further modulated by the presence of either nitrite or nitrate in the cells' environment. To examine how each operon is expressed at low, intermediate, and high levels of either nitrate or nitrite, anaerobic chemostat culture techniques were employed using nrfA-lacZ and nirB-lacZ reporter fusions. Steady-state gene expression studies revealed a differential pattern of nitrite reductase gene expression where optimalnrfA-lacZ expression occurred only at low to intermediate levels of nitrate and where nirB-lacZ expression was induced only by high nitrate conditions. Under these conditions, the presence of high levels of nitrate suppressed nrfA gene expression. While either NarL or NarP was able to inducenrfA-lacZ expression in response to low levels of nitrate, only NarL could repress at high nitrate levels. The different expression profile for the alternative nitrite reductase operon encoded by nirBDC under high-nitrate conditions was due to transcriptional activation by either NarL or NarP. Neither response regulator could repress nirB expression. Nitrite was also an inducer of nirB and nrfA gene expression, but nitrate was always the more potent inducer by >100-fold. Lastly, since nrfA operon expression is only induced under low-nitrate concentrations, the NrfA enzyme is predicted to have a physiological role only where nitrate (or nitrite) is limiting in the cell environment. In contrast, the nirB nitrite reductase is optimally synthesized only when nitrate or nitrite is in excess of the cell's capacity to consume it. Revised regulatory schemes are presented for NarL and NarP in control of the two operons.

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