scholarly journals Use of Proteomic Analysis To Elucidate the Role of Calcium in Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol Fermentation by Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052

2012 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 282-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bei Han ◽  
Victor Ujor ◽  
Lien B. Lai ◽  
Venkat Gopalan ◽  
Thaddeus Chukwuemeka Ezeji
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Sugar Transport ◽  
Clostridium Beijerinckii ◽  
Abe Fermentation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Butanol Tolerance ◽  
Sugar Transporters ◽  
Shock Proteins ◽  
Acetone Butanol Ethanol

ABSTRACTCalcium carbonate increases growth, substrate utilization, and acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation byClostridium beijerinckiiNCIMB 8052. Toward an understanding of the basis for these pleiotropic effects, we profiled changes in theC. beijerinckiiNCIMB 8052 proteome that occur in response to the addition of CaCO3. We observed increases in the levels of different heat shock proteins (GrpE and DnaK), sugar transporters, and proteins involved in DNA synthesis, repair, recombination, and replication. We also noted significant decreases in the levels of proteins involved in metabolism, nucleic acid stabilization, sporulation, oxidative and antibiotic stress responses, and signal transduction. We determined that CaCO3enhances ABE fermentation due to both its buffering effects and its ability to influence key cellular processes, such as sugar transport, butanol tolerance, and solventogenesis. Moreover, activity assaysin vitrofor select solventogenic enzymes revealed that part of the underpinning for the CaCO3-mediated increase in the level of ABE fermentation stems from the enhanced activity of these catalysts in the presence of Ca2+. Collectively, these proteomic and biochemical studies provide new insights into the multifactorial basis for the stimulation of ABE fermentation and butanol tolerance in the presence of CaCO3.

scholarly journals Protein Acetylation Mediated by YfiQ and CobB Is Involved in the Virulence and Stress Response ofYersinia pestis

2018 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanbing Liu ◽  
Yafang Tan ◽  
Shiyang Cao ◽  
Haihong Zhao ◽  
Haihong Fang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Protein Modification ◽  
Acid Resistance ◽  
Major Protein ◽  
Primary Metabolism ◽  
Protein Acetylation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Shock Proteins

ABSTRACTRecent studies revealed that acetylation is a widely used protein modification in prokaryotic organisms. The major protein acetylation acetyltransferase YfiQ and the sirtuin-like deacetylase CobB have been found to be involved in basic physiological processes, such as primary metabolism, chemotaxis, and stress responses, inEscherichia coliandSalmonella. However, little is known about protein acetylation modifications inYersinia pestis, a lethal pathogen responsible for millions of human deaths in three worldwide pandemics. Here we found thatYp_0659andYp_1760ofY. pestisencode the major protein acetylation acetyltransferase YfiQ and the sirtuin-like deacetylase CobB, respectively, which can acetylate and deacetylate PhoP enzymaticallyin vitro. Protein acetylation impairment incobBandyfiQmutants greatly decreased bacterial tolerance to cold, hot, high-salt, and acidic environments. Our comparative transcriptomic data revealed that the strongly decreased tolerance to stress stimuli was probably related to downregulation of the genes encoding the heat shock proteins (HtpG, HslV, HslR, and IbpA), cold shock proteins (CspC and CspA1), and acid resistance proteins (HdeB and AdiA). We found that the reversible acetylation mediated by CobB and YfiQ conferred attenuation of virulence, probably partially due to the decreased expression of thepsaABCDEFoperon, which encodes Psa fimbriae that play a key role in virulence ofY. pestis. This is the first report, to our knowledge, on the roles of protein acetylation modification in stress responses, biofilm formation, and virulence ofY. pestis.

scholarly journals Hierarchical Transcriptional Control of the LuxR Quorum-Sensing Regulon of Vibrio harveyi

2020 ◽  
Vol 202 (14) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan R. Chaparian ◽  
Alyssa S. Ball ◽  
Julia C. van Kessel
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Cell Density ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Vibrio Harveyi ◽  
Sugar Transport ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Second Tier

ABSTRACT In vibrios, quorum sensing controls hundreds of genes that are required for cell density-specific behaviors including bioluminescence, biofilm formation, competence, secretion, and swarming motility. The central transcription factor in the quorum-sensing pathway is LuxR/HapR, which directly regulates ∼100 genes in the >400-gene regulon of Vibrio harveyi. Among these directly controlled genes are 15 transcription factors, which we predicted would comprise the second tier in the hierarchy of the LuxR regulon. We confirmed that LuxR binds to the promoters of these genes in vitro and quantified the extent of LuxR activation or repression of transcript levels. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) indicates that most of these transcriptional regulators control only a few genes, with the exception of MetJ, which is a global regulator. The genes regulated by these transcription factors are predicted to be involved in methionine and thiamine biosynthesis, membrane stability, RNA processing, c-di-GMP degradation, sugar transport, and other cellular processes. These data support a hierarchical model in which LuxR directly regulates 15 transcription factors that drive the second level of the gene expression cascade to influence cell density-dependent metabolic states and behaviors in V. harveyi. IMPORTANCE Quorum sensing is important for survival of bacteria in nature and influences the actions of bacterial groups. In the relatively few studied examples of quorum-sensing-controlled genes, these genes are associated with competition or cooperation in complex microbial communities and/or virulence in a host. However, quorum sensing in vibrios controls the expression of hundreds of genes, and their functions are mostly unknown or uncharacterized. In this study, we identify the regulators of the second tier of gene expression in the quorum-sensing system of the aquaculture pathogen Vibrio harveyi. Our identification of regulatory networks and metabolic pathways controlled by quorum sensing can be extended and compared to other Vibrio species to understand the physiology, ecology, and pathogenesis of these organisms.

scholarly journals Milling byproducts are an economically viable substrate for butanol production using clostridial ABE fermentation

2020 ◽  
Vol 104 (20) ◽  
pp. 8679-8689
Author(s):  
Nils Thieme ◽  
Johanna C. Panitz ◽  
Claudia Held ◽  
Birgit Lewandowski ◽  
Wolfgang H. Schwarz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clostridium Beijerinckii ◽  
Abe Fermentation ◽  
Liquid Fuels ◽  
Butanol Production ◽  
Enzymatic Pretreatment ◽  
Profitability Analysis ◽  
Key Points ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Wheat Middlings ◽  
Acetone Butanol Ethanol

Abstract Butanol is a platform chemical that is utilized in a wide range of industrial products and is considered a suitable replacement or additive to liquid fuels. So far, it is mainly produced through petrochemical routes. Alternative production routes, for example through biorefinery, are under investigation but are currently not at a market competitive level. Possible alternatives, such as acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation by solventogenic clostridia are not market-ready to this day either, because of their low butanol titer and the high costs of feedstocks. Here, we analyzed wheat middlings and wheat red dog, two wheat milling byproducts available in large quantities, as substrates for clostridial ABE fermentation. We could identify ten strains that exhibited good butanol yields on wheat red dog. Two of the best ABE producing strains, Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 and Clostridium diolis DSM 15410, were used to optimize a laboratory-scale fermentation process. In addition, enzymatic pretreatment of both milling byproducts significantly enhanced ABE production rates of the strains C. beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 and C. diolis DSM 15410. Finally, a profitability analysis was performed for small- to mid-scale ABE fermentation plants that utilize enzymatically pretreated wheat red dog as substrate. The estimations show that such a plant could be commercially successful. Key points • Wheat milling byproducts are suitable substrates for clostridial ABE fermentation. • Enzymatic pretreatment of wheat red dog and middlings increases ABE yield. • ABE fermentation plants using wheat red dog as substrate are economically viable.

scholarly journals The F-Box Protein Fbp1 Regulates Sexual Reproduction and Virulence in Cryptococcus neoformans

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 791-802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tong-Bao Liu ◽  
Yina Wang ◽  
Sabriya Stukes ◽  
Qing Chen ◽  
Arturo Casadevall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Reproduction ◽  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Membrane Integrity ◽  
Infection Model ◽  
Calcofluor White ◽  
Fungal Virulence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
F Box Protein

ABSTRACTCryptococcus neoformansis the leading cause of fungal meningitis in immunocomprised populations. Although extensive studies have been conducted on signal transduction pathways important for fungal sexual reproduction and virulence, how fungal virulence is regulated during infection is still not understood. In this study, we identified the F-box protein Fbp1, which contains a putative F-box domain and 12 leucine-rich repeats (LRR). Althoughfbp1mutants showed normal growth and produced normal major virulence factors, such as melanin and capsule, Fbp1 was found to be essential for fungal virulence, asfbp1mutants were avirulent in a murine systemic-infection model. Fbp1 is also important for fungal sexual reproduction. Basidiospore production was blocked in bilateral mating betweenfbp1mutants, even though normal dikaryotic hyphae were observed during mating.In vitroassays of stress responses revealed thatfbp1mutants are hypersensitive to SDS, but not calcofluor white (CFW) or Congo red, indicating that Fbp1 may regulate cell membrane integrity. Fbp1 physically interacts with Skp1 homologues in bothSaccharomyces cerevisiaeandC. neoformansvia its F-box domain, suggesting it may function as part of an SCF (Skp1, Cullins, F-box proteins) E3 ligase. Overall, our study revealed that the F-box protein Fbp1 is essential for fungal sporulation and virulence inC. neoformans, which likely represents a conserved novel virulence control mechanism that involves the SCF E3 ubiquitin ligase-mediated proteolysis pathway.

Heat shock and stress response of Taenia solium and T. crassiceps (Cestoda)

Parasitology ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 122 (5) ◽  
pp. 583-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. VARGAS-PARADA ◽  
C. F. SOLÍS ◽  
J. P. LACLETTE
Keyword(s):  
Heat Shock ◽  
Heat Shock Proteins ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Stress Proteins ◽  
Taenia Solium ◽  
Western Blots ◽  
Prolonged Incubation ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Shock Proteins

Heat shock and stress responses are documented for the first time in larval stages of the cestodes Taenia solium and Taenia crassiceps. Radioactive metabolic labelling after in vitro incubation of cysts at 43 °C, revealed the induction of heat shock proteins. In T. crassiceps, the major heat shock proteins were 80, 70 and 60 kDa. After prolonged incubation, a set of low molecular weight heat shock proteins (27, 31, 33 and 38 kDa), were also induced. In vitro incubation of cysts at 4 °C, induced the synthesis of stress proteins ranging from 31 to 80 kDa, indicating the parasite is also able to respond to cold shock. T. solium cysts exposure to temperature stress also resulted in an increased synthesis of 2 major heat shock proteins of 80 and 70 kDa. Western blots using the excretory–secretory products of T. solium showed that 2 heat shock proteins were recognized by antibodies in the sera of cysticercotic patients: one of 66 kDa and another migrating close to the run front. The T. solium 66 kDa protein was also recognized by specific antibodies directed to a 60 kDa bacterial heat shock protein, suggesting that it belongs to this family of proteins.

scholarly journals Adaptive Strategies and Pathogenesis of Clostridium difficile fromIn VivoTranscriptomics

2013 ◽  
Vol 81 (10) ◽  
pp. 3757-3769 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Janoir ◽  
Cécile Denève ◽  
Sylvie Bouttier ◽  
Frédéric Barbut ◽  
Sandra Hoys ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clostridium Difficile ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Host Interactions ◽  
Colonization Factor ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Colonization Process

ABSTRACTClostridium difficileis currently the major cause of nosocomial intestinal diseases associated with antibiotic therapy in adults. In order to improve our knowledge ofC. difficile-host interactions, we analyzed the genome-wide temporal expression ofC. difficile630 genes during the first 38 h of mouse colonization to identify genes whose expression is modulatedin vivo, suggesting that they may play a role in facilitating the colonization process. In the ceca of theC. difficile-monoassociated mice, 549 genes of theC. difficilegenome were differentially expressed compared to their expression duringin vitrogrowth, and they were distributed in several functional categories. Overall, our results emphasize the roles of genes involved in host adaptation. Colonization results in a metabolic shift, with genes responsible for the fermentation as well as several other metabolic pathways being regulated inversely to those involved in carbon metabolism. In addition, several genes involved in stress responses, such as ferrous iron uptake or the response to oxidative stress, were regulatedin vivo. Interestingly, many genes encoding conserved hypothetical proteins (CHP) were highly and specifically upregulatedin vivo. Moreover, genes for all stages of sporulation were quickly inducedin vivo, highlighting the observation that sporulation is central to the persistence ofC. difficilein the gut and to its ability to spread in the environment. Finally, we inactivated two genes that were differentially expressedin vivoand evaluated the relative colonization fitness of the wild-type and mutant strains in coinfection experiments. We identified a CHP as a putative colonization factor, supporting the suggestion that thein vivotranscriptomic approach can unravel newC. difficilevirulence genes.

Butanol production from the effluent of hydrogen fermentation

2011 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 1236-1240 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. H. Chen ◽  
S. Y. Chen ◽  
S. J. Chao ◽  
Z. C. Jian
Keyword(s):  
Consumption Rate ◽  
Clostridium Beijerinckii ◽  
Abe Fermentation ◽  
Acetate Buffer ◽  
Microbial Populations ◽  
Butanol Production ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Carbohydrate Consumption ◽  
Acetone Butanol Ethanol ◽  
Acetate Butyrate

The purpose of the study was to recover butanol from the effluent of the hydrogen-producing bioreactor containing acetate, butyrate, and carbohydrate. The butanol production by Clostridium beijerinckii NRRL B592 was evaluated under both unsterilized and sterilized conditions for examining the potential of butanol production for the practical application. Sucrose of 10 g/L and butyrate of 2 g/L coupled with acetate buffer were used to mimic the effluent. Sucrose was completely consumed in the both unsterilized and sterilized conditions during acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation. However, the results illustrate that the carbohydrate consumption rate in the unsterilized condition was higher than that in the sterilized condition. The maximum butanol concentrations of 3,500 and 3,750 mg/L were achieved in the sterilized and unsterilized conditions, respectively. Meanwhile, it was found that the acetate and the butyrate concentrations of 600 and 1,500 mg/L, and 300 and 1,000 mg/L were ingested to yield butanol in the sterilized condition and in the unsterilized condition, respectively. The results concluded that high levels of acetate and butyrate could eliminate the interference of other microbial populations, resulting in the enrichment of C. beijerinckii NRRL B592 in the fermentor. The butanol production by C. beijerinckii NRRL B592 could be, therefore, produced from the effluent of the hydrogen-producing bioreactor. It promised that the microbial butanol production is one of attractive bioprocesses to recover energy from wastes.

Dietary regulation of intestinal brush-border sugar and amino acid transport in carnivores

1991 ◽  
Vol 261 (4) ◽  
pp. R793-R801 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. K. Buddington ◽  
J. W. Chen ◽  
J. M. Diamond
Keyword(s):  
Brush Border ◽  
Sugar Transport ◽  
Nutrient Transporters ◽  
Sugar Transporters ◽  
Dietary Regulation ◽  
Leopard Frogs ◽  
Intestinal Brush Border ◽  
Carbohydrate Levels

The ability of omnivores and herbivores to regulate reversibly their intestinal brush-border nutrient transporters is functionally related to the unpredictably variable composition of their natural diets. To determine whether carnivores are able similarly to regulate the activities of their intestinal nutrient transporters, we fed to three species of vertebrates that are carnivorous as adults (cats, mink, and leopard frogs) diets with either at least 50% digestible carbohydrate or with negligible carbohydrate levels. Rates of transport for the sugars glucose and fructose and the amino acids (AAs) aspartate, leucine, lysine, and proline were measured throughout the intestine (only proline and glucose in the frogs) by an in vitro everted-sleeve method. Although all three species consume much carbohydrate during early development, only the mink was able to regulate sugar transporter activity in response to changes in levels of dietary carbohydrate. In contrast, the sugar transporters of the cat were unresponsive to varying carbohydrate levels, and long-term feeding of a high-carbohydrate diet caused down-regulation of sugar transport in frogs. Of the three species, only the mink is a member of a family that includes omnivorous species, whereas all members of the families to which the cat and frog belong are carnivorous as adults. All three species were able to regulate rates of AA transport, though the patterns and magnitude of the responses differed between species as well as between AAs, suggesting independent regulation of some AA transporters.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

scholarly journals Plasmodium falciparum Resistance to a Lead Benzoxaborole Due to Blocked Compound Activation and Altered Ubiquitination or Sumoylation

mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirthana M. V. Sindhe ◽  
Wesley Wu ◽  
Jenny Legac ◽  
Yong-Kang Zhang ◽  
Eric E. Easom ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasmodium Falciparum ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Mechanisms Of Action ◽  
Antimalarial Drugs ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Level ◽  
Level Resistance

ABSTRACT New antimalarial drugs are needed. The benzoxaborole AN13762 showed excellent activity against cultured Plasmodium falciparum, against fresh Ugandan P. falciparum isolates, and in murine malaria models. To gain mechanistic insights, we selected in vitro for P. falciparum isolates resistant to AN13762. In all of 11 independent selections with 100 to 200 nM AN13762, the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) increased from 18–118 nM to 180–890 nM, and whole-genome sequencing of resistant parasites demonstrated mutations in prodrug activation and resistance esterase (PfPARE). The introduction of PfPARE mutations led to a similar level of resistance, and recombinant PfPARE hydrolyzed AN13762 to the benzoxaborole AN10248, which has activity similar to that of AN13762 but for which selection of resistance was not readily achieved. Parasites further selected with micromolar concentrations of AN13762 developed higher-level resistance (IC50, 1.9 to 5.0 μM), and sequencing revealed additional mutations in any of 5 genes, 4 of which were associated with ubiquitination/sumoylation enzyme cascades; the introduction of one of these mutations, in SUMO-activating enzyme subunit 2, led to a similar level of resistance. The other gene mutated in highly resistant parasites encodes the P. falciparum cleavage and specificity factor homolog PfCPSF3, previously identified as the antimalarial target of another benzoxaborole. Parasites selected for resistance to AN13762 were cross-resistant with a close analog, AN13956, but not with standard antimalarials, AN10248, or other benzoxaboroles known to have different P. falciparum targets. Thus, AN13762 appears to have a novel mechanism of antimalarial action and multiple mechanisms of resistance, including loss of function of PfPARE preventing activation to AN10248, followed by alterations in ubiquitination/sumoylation pathways or PfCPSF3. IMPORTANCE Benzoxaboroles are under study as potential new drugs to treat malaria. One benzoxaborole, AN13762, has potent activity and promising features, but its mechanisms of action and resistance are unknown. To gain insights into these mechanisms, we cultured malaria parasites with nonlethal concentrations of AN13762 and generated parasites with varied levels of resistance. Parasites with low-level resistance had mutations in PfPARE, which processes AN13762 into an active metabolite; PfPARE mutations prevented this processing. Parasites with high-level resistance had mutations in any of a number of enzymes, mostly those involved in stress responses. Parasites selected for AN13762 resistance were not resistant to other antimalarials, suggesting novel mechanisms of action and resistance for AN13762, a valuable feature for a new class of antimalarial drugs.

scholarly journals The Heat-Induced Molecular Disaggregase Hsp104 of Candida albicans Plays a Role in Biofilm Formation and Pathogenicity in a Worm Infection Model

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1012-1020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Fiori ◽  
Soňa Kucharíková ◽  
Gilmer Govaert ◽  
Bruno P. A. Cammue ◽  
Karin Thevissen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Structural Defects ◽  
Infection Model ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACT The consequences of deprivation of the molecular chaperone Hsp104 in the fungal pathogen Candida albicans were investigated. Mutants lacking HSP104 became hypersusceptible to lethally high temperatures, similarly to the corresponding mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae , whereas normal susceptibility was restored upon reintroduction of the gene. By use of a strain whose only copy of HSP104 is an ectopic gene under the control of a tetracycline-regulated promoter, expression of Hsp104 prior to the administration of heat shock could be demonstrated to be sufficient to confer protection from the subsequent temperature increase. This result points to a key role for Hsp104 in orchestrating the cell response to elevated temperatures. Despite their not showing evident growth or morphological defects, biofilm formation by cells lacking HSP104 proved to be defective in two established in vitro models that use polystyrene and polyurethane as the substrates. Biofilms formed by the wild-type and HSP104 -reconstituted strains showed patterns of intertwined hyphae in the extracellular matrix. In contrast, biofilm formed by the hsp104 Δ/ hsp104 Δ mutant showed structural defects and appeared patchy and loose. Decreased virulence of the hsp104 Δ/ hsp104 Δ mutant was observed in the Caenorhabditis elegans infection model, in which high in vivo temperature does not play a role. In agreement with the view that stress responses in fungal pathogens may have evolved to provide niche-specific adaptation to environmental conditions, these results provide an indication of a temperature-independent role for Hsp104 in support of Candida albicans virulence, in addition to its key role in governing thermotolerance.

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