scholarly journals Low-Molecular-Weight Metabolites Secreted by Paenibacillus larvae as Potential Virulence Factors of American Foulbrood

2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (8) ◽  
pp. 2484-2492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hedwig-Annabell Schild ◽  
Sebastian W. Fuchs ◽  
Helge B. Bode ◽  
Bernd Grünewald

ABSTRACTThe spore-forming bacteriumPaenibacillus larvaecauses a severe and highly infective bee disease, American foulbrood (AFB). Despite the large economic losses induced by AFB, the virulence factors produced byP. larvaeare as yet unknown. To identify such virulence factors, we experimentally infected young, susceptible larvae of the honeybee,Apis mellifera carnica, with differentP. larvaeisolates. Honeybee larvae were rearedin vitroin 24-well plates in the laboratory after isolation from the brood comb. We identified genotype-specific differences in the etiopathology of AFB between the tested isolates ofP. larvae, which were revealed by differences in the median lethal times. Furthermore, we confirmed that extracts ofP. larvaecultures contain low-molecular-weight compounds, which are toxic to honeybee larvae. Our data indicate thatP. larvaesecretes metabolites into the medium with a potent honeybee toxic activity pointing to a novel pathogenic factor(s) ofP. larvae. Genome mining ofP. larvaesubsp.larvaeBRL-230010 led to the identification of several biosynthesis gene clusters putatively involved in natural product biosynthesis, highlighting the potential ofP. larvaeto produce such compounds.

1994 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshiki Aoki ◽  
Katsunobu Takenaka ◽  
Satoshi Suzuki ◽  
Neal F. Kassell ◽  
Oren Sagher ◽  
...  

✓ The importance of factors within hemolysate in modulating oxyhemoglobin (oxyHb)-induced contraction was examined in an in vitro model of rabbit basilar arteries. When the basilar arteries were exposed to purified oxyHb alone, the contractile response observed was significantly weaker than that seen in arteries exposed to hemolysate containing an equal concentration of oxyHb. In order to delineate the nature of the factors within hemolysate that facilitate contraction, hemolysate was fractionated, and various components were tested individually for their ability to elicit this effect. A low-molecular-weight fraction of hemolysate, ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 kD, elicited only a mild contraction. However, when this fraction was combined with purified oxyHb, the contractile response was comparable in magnitude to that of unfractionated hemolysate. These studies confirm that purified oxyHb is capable of inducing contraction in vitro. The data also demonstrate that oxyHb elicits a significantly weaker contraction than does hemolysate. In addition, the results suggest that low-molecular-weight components in hemolysate (in the 0.5- to 2.0-kD range), while incapable of inducing a potent contraction alone, may act in concert with oxyHb to elicit the vasoconstriction seen following subarachnoid hemorrhage.


2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (8) ◽  
pp. 2807-2812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrice de Werra ◽  
Aurélie Huser ◽  
Raphael Tabacchi ◽  
Christoph Keel ◽  
Monika Maurhofer

ABSTRACTWe have investigated the impacts of 63 different low-molecular-weight compounds, most of them plant derived, on thein vitroexpression of two antifungal biosynthetic genes by the plant-protecting rhizobacteriumPseudomonas fluorescensCHA0. The majority of the compounds tested affected the expression of one or both antifungal genes. This suggests that biocontrol activity in plant-beneficial pseudomonads is modulated by plant-bacterium signaling.


2013 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 1421-1429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manami Hyakutake ◽  
Satoshi Tomizawa ◽  
Kouhei Mizuno ◽  
Hideki Abe ◽  
Takeharu Tsuge

ABSTRACTPolyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)-producingBacillusstrains express class IV PHA synthase, which is composed of the subunits PhaR and PhaC. RecombinantEscherichia coliexpressing PHA synthase fromBacillus cereusstrain YB-4 (PhaRCYB-4) showed an unusual reduction of the molecular weight of PHA produced during the stationary phase of growth. Nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of the low-molecular-weight PHA revealed that its carboxy end structure was capped by ethanol, suggesting that the molecular weight reduction was the result of alcoholytic cleavage of PHA chains by PhaRCYB-4induced by endogenous ethanol. This scission reaction was also induced by exogenous ethanol in bothin vivoandin vitroassays. In addition, PhaRCYB-4was observed to have alcoholysis activity for PHA chains synthesized by other synthases. The PHA synthase fromBacillus megaterium(PhaRCBm) from another subgroup of class IV synthases was also assayed and was shown to have weak alcoholysis activity for PHA chains. These results suggest that class IV synthases may commonly share alcoholysis activity as an inherent feature.


1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (06) ◽  
pp. 942-946 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffaele Landolfi ◽  
Erica De Candia ◽  
Bianca Rocca ◽  
Giovanni Ciabattoni ◽  
Armando Antinori ◽  
...  

SummarySeveral “in vitro” and “in vivo” studies indicate that heparin administration may affect platelet function. In this study we investigated the effects of prophylactic heparin on thromboxane (Tx)A2 biosynthesis “in vivo”, as assessed by the urinary excretion of major enzymatic metabolites 11-dehydro-TxB2 and 2,3-dinor-TxB2. Twenty-four patients who were candidates for cholecystectomy because of uncomplicated lithiasis were randomly assigned to receive placebo, unfractionated heparin, low molecular weight heparin or unfractionaed heparin plus 100 mg aspirin. Measurements of daily excretion of Tx metabolites were performed before and during the treatment. In the groups assigned to placebo and to low molecular weight heparin there was no statistically significant modification of Tx metabolite excretion while patients receiving unfractionated heparin had a significant increase of both metabolites (11-dehydro-TxB2: 3844 ± 1388 vs 2092 ±777, p <0.05; 2,3-dinor-TxB2: 2737 ± 808 vs 1535 ± 771 pg/mg creatinine, p <0.05). In patients randomized to receive low-dose aspirin plus unfractionated heparin the excretion of the two metabolites was largely suppressed thus suggesting that platelets are the primary source of enhanced thromboxane biosynthesis associated with heparin administration. These data indicate that unfractionated heparin causes platelet activation “in vivo” and suggest that the use of low molecular weight heparin may avoid this complication.


1961 ◽  
Vol 06 (01) ◽  
pp. 015-024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Erik Bergentz ◽  
Oddvar Eiken ◽  
Inga Marie Nilsson

Summary1. Infusions of low molecular weight dextran (Mw = 42 000) to dogs in doses of 1—1.5 g per kg body weight did not produce any significant changes in the coagulation mechanism.2. Infusions of high molecular weight dextran (Mw = 1 000 000) to dogs in doses of 1—1.5 g per kg body weight produced severe defects in the coagulation mechanism, namely prolongation of bleeding time and coagulation time, thrombocytopenia, pathological prothrombin consumption, decrease of fibrinogen, prothrombin and factor VII, factor V and AHG.3. Heparin treatment of the dogs was found to prevent the decrease of fibrinogen, prothrombin and factor VII, and factor V otherwise occurring after injection of high molecular weight dextran. Thrombocytopenia was not prevented.4. In in vitro experiments an interaction between fibrinogen and dextran of high and low molecular weight was found to take place in systems comprising pure fibrinogen. No such interaction occurred in the presence of plasma.5. It is concluded that the coagulation defects induced by infusions of high molecular weight dextran are due to intravascular coagulation.


1986 ◽  
Vol 56 (03) ◽  
pp. 318-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
V Diness ◽  
P B Østergaard

SummaryThe neutralization of a low molecular weight heparin (LHN-1) and conventional heparin (CH) by protamine sulfate has been studied in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, the APTT activity of CH was completely neutralized in parallel with the anti-Xa activity. The APTT activity of LHN-1 was almost completely neutralized in a way similar to the APTT activity of CH, whereas the anti-Xa activity of LHN-1 was only partially neutralized.In vivo, CH 3 mg/kg and LHN-1 7.2 mg/kg was given intravenously in rats. The APTT and anti-Xa activities, after neutralization by protamine sulfate in vivo, were similar to the results in vitro. In CH treated rats no haemorrhagic effect in the rat tail bleeding test and no antithrombotic effect in the rat stasis model was found at a protamine sulfate to heparin ratio of about 1, which neutralized APTT and anti-Xa activities. In LHN-1 treated rats the haemorrhagic effect was neutralized when APTT was close to normal whereas higher doses of protamine sulfate were required for neutralization of the antithrombotic effect. This probably reflects the fact that in most experimental models higher doses of heparin are needed to induce bleeding than to prevent thrombus formation. Our results demonstrate that even if complete neutralization of APTT and anti-Xa activities were not seen in LHN-1 treated rats, the in vivo effects of LHN-1 could be neutralized as efficiently as those of conventional heparin. The large fall in blood pressure caused by high doses of protamine sulfate alone was prevented by the prior injection of LHN-1.


1987 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 313-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
TAKASHI IWAMATSU ◽  
SUSUMU Y. TAKAHASHI ◽  
NORIYOSHI SAKAI ◽  
KAORI ASAI

Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 1356-1363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara P. Schick ◽  
David Maslow ◽  
Adrianna Moshinski ◽  
James D. San Antonio

Abstract Patients given unfractionated heparin (UFH) or low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) for prophylaxis or treatment of thrombosis sometimes suffer serious bleeding. We showed previously that peptides containing 3 or more tandem repeats of heparin-binding consensus sequences have high affinity for LMWH and neutralize LMWH (enoxaparin) in vivo in rats and in vitro in citrate. We have now modified the (ARKKAAKA)n tandem repeat peptides by cyclization or by inclusion of hydrophobic tails or cysteines to promote multimerization. These peptides exhibit high-affinity binding to LMWH (dissociation constant [Kd], ≈ 50 nM), similar potencies in neutralizing anti–Factor Xa activity of UFH and enoxaparin added to normal plasma in vitro, and efficacy equivalent to or greater than protamine. Peptide (ARKKAAKA)3VLVLVLVL was most effective in all plasmas from enoxaparin-treated patients, and was 4- to 20-fold more effective than protamine. Several other peptide structures were effective in some patients' plasmas. All high-affinity peptides reversed inhibition of thrombin-induced clot formation by UFH. These peptides (1 mg/300 g rat) neutralized 1 U/mL anti–Factor Xa activity of enoxaparin in rats within 1 to 2 minutes. Direct blood pressure and heart rate measurements showed little or no hemodynamic effect. These heparin-binding peptides, singly or in combination, are potential candidates for clinical reversal of UFH and LMWH in humans.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document