scholarly journals Growth of Aerobic Ripening Bacteria at the Cheese Surface Is Limited by the Availability of Iron

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (9) ◽  
pp. 3185-3192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christophe Monnet ◽  
Alexandre Back ◽  
Françoise Irlinger

ABSTRACTThe microflora on the surface of smear-ripened cheeses is composed of various species of bacteria and yeasts that contribute to the production of the desired organoleptic properties. The objective of the present study was to show that iron availability is a limiting factor in the growth of typical aerobic ripening bacteria in cheese. For that purpose, we investigated the effect of iron or siderophore addition in model cheeses that were coinoculated with a yeast and a ripening bacterium. Both iron and the siderophore desferrioxamine B stimulated the growth of ripening bacteria belonging to the generaArthrobacter,Corynebacterium, andBrevibacterium. The extent of stimulation was strain dependent, and generally, the effect of desferrioxamine B was greater than that of iron. Measurements of the expression of genes related to the metabolism of iron byArthrobacter arilaitensisRe117 by real-time reverse transcription-PCR showed that these genes were transcribed during growth in cheese. The addition of desferrioxamine B increased the expression of two genes encoding iron-siderophore ABC transport binding proteins. The addition of iron decreased the expression of siderophore biosynthesis genes and of part of the genes encoding iron-siderophore ABC transport components. It was concluded that iron availability is a limiting factor in the growth of typical cheese surface bacteria. The selection of strains with efficient iron acquisition systems may be useful for the development of defined-strain surface cultures. Furthermore, the importance of iron metabolism in the microbial ecology of cheeses should be investigated since it may result in positive or negative microbial interactions.

2000 ◽  
Vol 66 (9) ◽  
pp. 3931-3938 ◽  
Author(s):  
St�phane Bronner ◽  
Patricia Stoessel ◽  
Alain Gravet ◽  
Henri Monteil ◽  
Gilles Pr�vost

ABSTRACT A competitive reverse transcription-PCR method was developed for the semiquantitation of the expression of genes encoding bicomponent leucotoxins of Staphylococcus aureus, e.g., Panton-Valentine leucocidin (lukPV), gamma-hemolysin (hlgA and hlgCB), and LukE-LukD (lukED). The optimization procedure included RNA preparation; reverse transcription; the use of various amounts of enzymes, antisense primer, and RNA; and the final amplification chain reaction. Reproducible results were obtained, with sensitivity for detection of cDNA within the range of 1 mRNA/104 CFU to 102 mRNA/CFU, depending on the gene. Both specific mRNAs were more significantly expressed at the late-exponential phase of growth. Expression was about 100-fold higher in yeast extract-Casamino Acids-pyruvate medium than in heart infusion medium. Expression of the widely distributed gamma-hemolysin locus in the NTCC 8178 strain was around 10-fold diminished compared with that in the ATCC 49775 strain. Because of the lower level of hlgA expression, the corresponding protein, which is generally not abundant in culture supernatant, should be investigated for its contribution to the leucotoxin-associated virulence. The agr, sar, and agr sar mutant strains revealed a great dependence with regard to leucotoxin expression on the global regulatory system inS. aureus, except that expression of hlgA was not affected in the agr mutant.


2011 ◽  
Vol 74 (7) ◽  
pp. 1104-1111 ◽  
Author(s):  
DONGRYEOUL BAE ◽  
MICHAEL R. CROWLEY ◽  
CHINLING WANG

The contamination of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products with Listeria monocytogenes is a major concern for the food industry. For a better understanding of the adaptation and survival ability of L. monocytogenes grown on turkey deli meat, the transcriptome of L. monocytogenes strain F2365 was determined with a microarray. Microarray data were validated with a quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR assay. Based on the microarray data, 39 and 45 genes from L. monocytogenes were transcriptionally upregulated and down-regulated, respectively. The genes regulated at the transcriptional level were mainly involved in energy metabolism, fatty acid and phospholipid metabolism, biosynthesis of proteins, transport and binding proteins, DNA metabolism, cellular processes, and regulatory functions. No significant change was noted for the expression of genes encoding known virulence factors such as sigB, prfA, inlA, inlB, plcA, plcB, and hly. These results suggest that L. monocytogenes grown on RTE deli meat changes its transcription of proteins involved in its metabolic pathways to obtain an energy source or to adapt to environmental change without increasing the expression of virulence factors. The global transcriptome profiles provide a better understanding of the growth or adaptation of L. monocytogenes in RTE meat products.


2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 774-783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edyta Szewczyk ◽  
Sven Krappmann

ABSTRACT Sexual reproduction of the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus (teleomorph: Neosartorya fumigata) was assumed to be absent or cryptic until recently, when fertile crosses among geographically restricted environmental isolates were described. Here, we provide evidence for mating, fruiting body development, and ascosporogenesis accompanied by genetic recombination between unrelated, clinical isolates of A. fumigatus, and this evidence demonstrates the generality and reproducibility of this long-time-undisclosed phase in the life cycle of this heterothallic fungus. Successful mating requires the presence of both mating-type idiomorphs MAT1-1 and MAT1-2, as does expression of genes encoding factors presumably involved in this process. Moreover, analysis of an A. fumigatus mutant deleted for the nsdD gene suggests a role of this conserved regulator of cleistothecium development in hyphal fusion and hence heterokaryon formation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (19) ◽  
pp. 6114-6125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neha Sawhney ◽  
James F. Preston

ABSTRACTMethylglucuronoarabinoxylan (MeGAXn) from agricultural residues and energy crops is a significant yet underutilized biomass resource for production of biofuels and chemicals. Mild thermochemical pretreatment of bagasse yields MeGAXnrequiring saccharifying enzymes for conversion to fermentable sugars. A xylanolytic bacterium,Paenibacillussp. strain JDR-2, produces an extracellular cell-associated GH10 endoxylanse (XynA1) which efficiently depolymerizes methylglucuronoxylan (MeGXn) from hardwoods coupled with assimilation of oligosaccharides for further processing by intracellular GH67 α-glucuronidase, GH10 endoxylanase, and GH43 β-xylosidase. This process has been ascribed to genes that comprise a xylan utilization regulon that encodes XynA1and includes a gene cluster encoding transcriptional regulators, ABC transporters, and intracellular enzymes that convert assimilated oligosaccharides to fermentable sugars. Here we show thatPaenibacillussp. JDR-2 utilized MeGAXnwithout accumulation of oligosaccharides in the medium. ThePaenibacillussp. JDR-2 growth rate on MeGAXnwas 3.1-fold greater than that on oligosaccharides generated from MeGAXnby XynA1. Candidate genes encoding GH51 arabinofuranosidases with potential roles were identified. Following growth on MeGAXn, quantitative reverse transcription-PCR identified a cluster of genes encoding a GH51 arabinofuranosidase (AbfB) and transcriptional regulators which were coordinately expressed along with the genes comprising the xylan utilization regulon. The action of XynA1on MeGAXngenerated arabinoxylobiose, arabinoxylotriose, xylobiose, xylotriose, and methylglucuronoxylotriose. Recombinant AbfB processed arabinoxylooligosaccharides to xylooligosaccharides and arabinose. MeGAXnprocessing byPaenibacillussp. JDR-2 may be achieved by extracellular depolymerization by XynA1coupled to assimilation of oligosaccharides and further processing by intracellular enzymes, including AbfB.Paenibacillussp. JDR-2 provides a GH10/GH67 system complemented with genes encoding intracellular GH51 arabinofuranosidases for efficient utilization of MeGAXn.


2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (15) ◽  
pp. 5149-5156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Salvetti ◽  
Karoline Faegri ◽  
Emilia Ghelardi ◽  
Anne-Brit Kolstø ◽  
Sonia Senesi

ABSTRACTBacillus cereuscan use swarming to move over and colonize solid surfaces in different environments. This kind of motility is a collective behavior accompanied by the production of long and hyperflagellate swarm cells. In this study, the genome-wide transcriptional response ofB. cereusATCC 14579 during swarming was analyzed. Swarming was shown to trigger the differential expression (>2-fold change) of 118 genes. Downregulated genes included those required for basic cellular metabolism. In accordance with the hyperflagellate phenotype of the swarm cell, genes encoding flagellin were overexpressed. Some genes associated with K+transport, phBC6A51 phage genes, and the binding component of the enterotoxin hemolysin BL (HBL) were also induced. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) experiments indicated an almost 2-fold upregulation of the entirehbloperon during swarming. Finally, BC1435 and BC1436, orthologs ofliaI-liaHthat are known to be involved in the resistance ofBacillus subtilisto daptomycin, were upregulated under swarming conditions. Accordingly, phenotypic assays showed reduced susceptibility of swarmingB. cereuscells to daptomycin, and Pspac-induced hyper-expression of these genes in liquid medium highlighted the role of BC1435 and BC1436 in the response ofB. cereusto daptomycin.


Microbiology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 156 (5) ◽  
pp. 1303-1312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijay K. Sharma ◽  
Shawn M. D. Bearson ◽  
Bradley L. Bearson

Quorum-sensing (QS) signalling pathways are important regulatory networks for controlling the expression of genes promoting adherence of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157 : H7 to epithelial cells. A recent study has shown that EHEC O157 : H7 encodes a luxR homologue, called sdiA, which upon overexpression reduces the expression of genes encoding flagellar and locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) proteins, thus negatively impacting on the motility and intimate adherence phenotypes, respectively. Here, we show that the deletion of sdiA from EHEC O157 : H7 strain 86-24, and from a hha (a negative regulator of ler) mutant of this strain, enhanced bacterial adherence to HEp-2 epithelial cells of the sdiA mutant strains relative to the strains containing a wild-type copy of sdiA. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR showed that the expression of LEE-encoded genes ler, espA and eae in strains with the sdiA deletions was not significantly different from that of the strains wild-type for sdiA. Similarly, no additional increases in the expression of LEE genes were observed in a sdiA hha double mutant strain relative to that observed in the hha deletion mutant. While the expression of fliC, which encodes flagellin, was enhanced in the sdiA mutant strain, the expression of fliC was reduced by several fold in the hha mutant strain, irrespective of the presence or absence of sdiA, indicating that the genes sdiA and hha exert opposing effects on the expression of fliC. The strains with deletions in sdiA or hha showed enhanced expression of csgA, encoding curlin of the curli fimbriae, with the expression of csgA highest in the sdiA hha double mutant, suggesting an additive effect of these two gene deletions on the expression of csgA. No significant differences were observed in the expression of the genes lpfA and fimA of the operons encoding long polar and type 1 fimbriae in the sdiA mutant strain. These data indicate that SdiA has no significant effect on the expression of LEE genes, but that it appears to act as a strong repressor of genes encoding flagella and curli fimbriae, and the alleviation of the SdiA-mediated repression of these genes in an EHEC O157 : H7 sdiA mutant strain contributes to enhanced bacterial motility and increased adherence to HEp-2 epithelial cells.


2003 ◽  
Vol 71 (11) ◽  
pp. 6124-6131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie S. Dawes ◽  
Digby F. Warner ◽  
Liana Tsenova ◽  
Juliano Timm ◽  
John D. McKinney ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, possesses a class Ib ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), encoded by the nrdE and nrdF2 genes, in addition to a putative class II RNR, encoded by nrdZ. In this study we probed the relative contributions of these RNRs to the growth and persistence of M. tuberculosis. We found that targeted knockout of the nrdF2 gene could be achieved only in the presence of a complementing allele, confirming that this gene is essential under normal, in vitro growth conditions. This observation also implied that the alternate class Ib small subunit encoded by the nrdF1 gene is unable to substitute for nrdF2 and that the class II RNR, NrdZ, cannot substitute for the class Ib enzyme, NrdEF2. Conversely, a ΔnrdZ null mutant of M. tuberculosis was readily obtained by allelic exchange mutagenesis. Quantification of levels of nrdE, nrdF2, nrdF1, and nrdZ gene expression by real-time, quantitative reverse transcription-PCR with molecular beacons by using mRNA from aerobic and O2-limited cultures showed that nrdZ was significantly induced under microaerophilic conditions, in contrast to the other genes, whose expression was reduced by O2 restriction. However, survival of the ΔnrdZ mutant strain was not impaired under hypoxic conditions in vitro. Moreover, the lungs of B6D2/F1 mice infected with the ΔnrdZ mutant had bacterial loads comparable to those of lungs infected with the parental wild-type strain, which argues against the hypothesis that nrdZ plays a significant role in the virulence of M. tuberculosis in this mouse model.


2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle M. Grandchamp ◽  
Lews Caro ◽  
Elizabeth A. Shank

ABSTRACT In microbial communities, bacteria chemically and physically interact with one another. Some of these interactions are mediated by secreted specialized metabolites that act as either intraspecies or interspecies signals to alter gene expression and to change cell physiology. Bacillus subtilis is a well-characterized soil microbe that can differentiate into multiple cell types, including metabolically dormant endospores. We were interested in identifying microbial interactions that affected sporulation in B. subtilis. Using a fluorescent transcriptional reporter, we observed that coculturing B. subtilis with Escherichia coli promoted sporulation gene expression via a secreted metabolite. To identify the active compound, we screened the E. coli Keio Collection and identified the sporulation-accelerating cue as the siderophore enterobactin. B. subtilis has multiple iron acquisition systems that are used to take up the B. subtilis-produced siderophore bacillibactin, as well as to pirate exogenous siderophores such as enterobactin. While B. subtilis uses a single substrate binding protein (FeuA) to take up both bacillibactin and enterobactin, we discovered that it requires two distinct genes to sporulate in response to these siderophores (the esterase gene besA for bacillibactin and a putative esterase gene, ybbA, for enterobactin). In addition, we found that siderophores from a variety of other microbial species also promote sporulation in B. subtilis. Our results thus demonstrate that siderophores can act not only as bacterial iron acquisition systems but also as interspecies cues that alter cellular development and accelerate sporulation in B. subtilis. IMPORTANCE While much is known about the genetic regulation of Bacillus subtilis sporulation, little is understood about how other bacteria influence this process. This work describes an interaction between Escherichia coli and B. subtilis that accelerates sporulation in B. subtilis. The interaction is mediated by the E. coli siderophore enterobactin; we show that other species' siderophores also promote sporulation gene expression in B. subtilis. These results suggest that siderophores not only may supply bacteria with the mineral nutrient iron but also may play a role in bacterial interspecies signaling, providing a cue for sporulation. Siderophores are produced by many bacterial species and thus potentially play important roles in altering bacterial cell physiology in diverse environments.


2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (20) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takako Hirano ◽  
Manabu Okubo ◽  
Hironobu Tsuda ◽  
Masahiro Yokoyama ◽  
Wataru Hakamata ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Vibrio parahaemolyticus RIMD2210633 secretes both chitinase and chitin oligosaccharide deacetylase and produces β-N-acetyl-d-glucosaminyl-(1,4)-d-glucosamine (GlcNAc-GlcN) from chitin. Previously, we reported that GlcNAc-GlcN induces chitinase production by several strains of Vibrio harboring chitin oligosaccharide deacetylase genes (T. Hirano, K. Kadokura, T. Ikegami, Y. Shigeta, et al., Glycobiology 19:1046–1053, 2009). The metabolism of chitin by Vibrio was speculated on the basis of the findings of previous studies, and the role of chitin oligosaccharide produced from chitin has been well studied. However, the role of GlcNAc-GlcN in the Vibrio chitin degradation system, with the exception of the above-mentioned function as an inducer of chitinase production, remains unclear. N,N′-Diacetylchitobiose, a homodisaccharide produced from chitin, is known to induce the expression of genes encoding several proteins involved in chitin metabolism in Vibrio strains (K. L. Meibom, X. B. Li, A. Nielsen, C. Wu, et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 101:2524–2529, 2004). We therefore hypothesized that GlcNAc-GlcN also affects the expression of enzymes involved in chitin metabolism in the same manner. In this study, we examined the induction of protein expression by several sugars released from chitin using peptide mass fingerprinting and confirmed the expression of genes encoding enzymes involved in chitin metabolism using real-time quantitative PCR analysis. We then confirmed that GlcNAc-GlcN induces the expression of genes encoding many soluble enzymes involved in chitin degradation in Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Here, we demonstrate that GlcNAc-GlcN enhances the chitin-metabolizing ability of V. parahaemolyticus. IMPORTANCE We demonstrate that β-N-acetyl-d-glucosaminyl-(1,4)-d-glucosamine (GlcNAc-GlcN) enhances the chitin-metabolizing ability of V. parahaemolyticus. Members of the genus Vibrio are chitin-degrading bacteria, and some species of this genus are associated with diseases affecting fish and animals, including humans (F. L. Thompson, T. Iida, and J. Swings, Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 68:403–431, 2004; M. Y. Ina-Salwany, N. Al-Saari, A. Mohamad, F.-A. Mursidi, et al., J Aquat Anim Health 31:3–22, 2019). Studies on Vibrio are considered important, as they may facilitate the development of solutions related to health, food, and aquaculture problems attributed to this genus. This report enhances the current understanding of chitin degradation by Vibrio bacteria.


2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (13) ◽  
pp. 4178-4180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Sánchez ◽  
Manabu Itakura ◽  
Hisayuki Mitsui ◽  
Kiwamu Minamisawa

ABSTRACTTo understand the mechanisms underlying the increased N2O reductase activity in theBradyrhizobium japonicum5M09 mutant from enrichment culture under N2O respiration, we analyzed the expression of genes encoding denitrification reductases and regulators. Our results suggest a common regulation ofnap(encoding periplasmic nitrate reductase) andnos(encoding N2O reductase).


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