scholarly journals Functional Genomics Enables Identification of Genes of the Arginine Transaminase Pathway in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (11) ◽  
pp. 3945-3953 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhe Yang ◽  
Chung-Dar Lu
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Dna Microarrays ◽  
Genetic Locus ◽  
Regulatory Protein ◽  
Chromatography Analysis ◽  
Arginine Catabolism ◽  
Metabolic Versatility ◽  
Phenotype Analysis ◽  
Major Route

ABSTRACT Arginine utilization in Pseudomonas aeruginosa with multiple catabolic pathways represents one of the best examples of the metabolic versatility of this organism. To identify genes involved in arginine catabolism, we have employed DNA microarrays to analyze the transcriptional profiles of this organism in response to l-arginine. While most of the genes involved in arginine uptake, regulation, and metabolism have been identified as members of the ArgR (arginine-responsive regulatory protein) regulon in our previous study, they did not include any genes of the arginine dehydrogenase (ADH) pathway. In this study, 18 putative transcriptional units of 38 genes, including the two known genes of the ADH pathway, kauB and gbuA, were found to be inducible by exogenous l-arginine in the absence of ArgR. To identify the missing genes that encode enzymes for the initial steps of the ADH pathway, the potential physiological functions of those candidate genes in arginine utilization were studied by growth phenotype analysis of knockout mutants. Expression of these genes was induced by l-arginine in an aruF mutant strain devoid of a functional arginine succinyltransferase pathway, the major route of arginine utilization. Disruption of dadA, a putative catabolic alanine dehydrogenase-encoding gene, in the aruF mutant produced no growth on l-arginine, suggesting the involvement of l-alanine in arginine catabolism. This hypothesis was further supported by the detection of an l-arginine-inducible arginine:pyruvate transaminase activity in the aruF mutant. Knockout of aruH and aruI, which encode an arginine:pyruvate transaminase and a 2-ketoarginine decarboxylase in an operon, also abolished the ability of the aruF mutant to grow on l-arginine. The results of high-performance liquid chromatography analysis demonstrated consumption of 2-ketoarginine and suggested that generation of 4-guanidinobutyraldehyde occurred in the aruF mutant but not in the aruF aruI mutant. These results led us to propose the arginine transaminase pathway that removes the α-amino group of l-arginine via transamination instead of oxidative deamination by dehydrogenase or oxidase as originally proposed. In the same genetic locus, we also identified a two-component system, AruRS, for the regulation of arginine-responsive induction of the arginine transaminase pathway. This work depicted a wider network of arginine metabolism than we previously recognized.

scholarly journals Homologues of Neisserial Heme Oxygenase in Gram-Negative Bacteria: Degradation of Heme by the Product of thepigA Gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (21) ◽  
pp. 6394-6403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Ratliff ◽  
Wenming Zhu ◽  
Rahul Deshmukh ◽  
Angela Wilks ◽  
Igor Stojiljkovic
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Heme Oxygenase ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Visible Spectrum ◽  
Inducible Promoter ◽  
Major Product ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Heme Oxygenases ◽  
Chromatography Analysis ◽  
Biliverdin Ix

ABSTRACT The oxidative cleavage of heme to release iron is a mechanism by which some bacterial pathogens can utilize heme as an iron source. ThepigA gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is shown to encode a heme oxygenase protein, which was identified in the genome sequence by its significant homology (37%) with HemO ofNeisseria meningitidis. When the gene encoding the neisserial heme oxygenase, hemO, was replaced withpigA, we demonstrated that pigA could functionally replace hemO and allow for heme utilization by neisseriae. Furthermore, when pigA was disrupted by cassette mutagenesis in P. aeruginosa, heme utilization was defective in iron-poor media supplemented with heme. This defect could be restored both by the addition of exogenous FeSO4, indicating that the mutant did not have a defect in iron metabolism, and by in trans complementation with pigA from a plasmid with an inducible promoter. The PigA protein was purified by ion-exchange chromotography. The UV-visible spectrum of PigA reconstituted with heme showed characteristics previously reported for other bacterial and mammalian heme oxygenases. The heme-PigA complex could be converted to ferric biliverdin in the presence of ascorbate, demonstrating the need for an exogenous reductant. Acidification and high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of the ascorbate reduction products identified a major product of biliverdin IX-β. This differs from the previously characterized heme oxygenases in which biliverdin IX-α is the typical product. We conclude that PigA is a heme oxygenase and may represent a class of these enzymes with novel regiospecificity.

scholarly journals Characterization of an Arginine:Pyruvate Transaminase in Arginine Catabolism of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (11) ◽  
pp. 3954-3959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhe Yang ◽  
Chung-Dar Lu
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Biochemical Characterization ◽  
Physiological Function ◽  
Catalytic Efficiency ◽  
Kinetic Mechanism ◽  
Arginine Catabolism ◽  
Ping Pong ◽  
Coupled Reaction

ABSTRACT The arginine transaminase (ATA) pathway represents one of the multiple pathways for l-arginine catabolism in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The AruH protein was proposed to catalyze the first step in the ATA pathway, converting the substrates l-arginine and pyruvate into 2-ketoarginine and l-alanine. Here we report the initial biochemical characterization of this enzyme. The aruH gene was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, and its product was purified to homogeneity. High-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (MS) analyses were employed to detect the presence of the transamination products 2-ketoarginine and l-alanine, thus demonstrating the proposed biochemical reaction catalyzed by AruH. The enzymatic properties and kinetic parameters of dimeric recombinant AruH were determined by a coupled reaction with NAD+ and l-alanine dehydrogenase. The optimal activity of AruH was found at pH 9.0, and it has a novel substrate specificity with an order of preference of Arg > Lys > Met > Leu > Orn > Gln. With l-arginine and pyruvate as the substrates, Lineweaver-Burk plots of the data revealed a series of parallel lines characteristic of a ping-pong kinetic mechanism with calculated V max and k cat values of 54.6 ± 2.5 μmol/min/mg and 38.6 ± 1.8 s−1. The apparent Km and catalytic efficiency (k cat/Km ) were 1.6 ± 0.1 mM and 24.1 mM−1 s−1 for pyruvate and 13.9 ± 0.8 mM and 2.8 mM−1 s−1 for l-arginine. When l-lysine was used as the substrate, MS analysis suggested Δ1-piperideine-2-carboxylate as its transamination product. These results implied that AruH may have a broader physiological function in amino acid catabolism.

scholarly journals Identification of a Genetic Locus Essential for Serotype b-Specific Antigen Synthesis in Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans

1998 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuo Yoshida ◽  
Yoshio Nakano ◽  
Yoshihisa Yamashita ◽  
Toshihiko Koga
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Genetic Locus ◽  
Specific Antigen ◽  
Amino Acid Sequences ◽  
Open Reading Frames ◽  
Actinobacillus Actinomycetemcomitans ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Chromatography Analysis ◽  
Large Gene ◽  
Serotype B

ABSTRACT A large gene cluster associated with the biosynthesis of the serotype-specific polysaccharide antigen (SPA) of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans Y4 (serotype b) was cloned and characterized. Western blot analysis showed that Escherichia coli DH5α, containing a plasmid carrying this cluster, produced a polysaccharide which reacted with a monoclonal antibody directed against the SPA of A. actinomycetemcomitans Y4. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis indicated that the polysaccharide produced by an E. coli transformant, as well as A. actinomycetemcomitans Y4 SPA, was composed of rhamnose and fucose. Furthermore, using various derivatives of the plasmid, we demonstrated that the cloned 13-kbBssHII-BspHI fragment was indispensable for SPA synthesis in E. coli DH5α. The 24,909-bp nucleotide sequence, which included this fragment and its flanking regions, was determined. In the sequenced area, 24 open reading frames (ORFs) with the same orientation were found. Most of these were located sequentially within a short distance of each other. Many of the deduced amino acid sequences were similar to the gene products of the polysaccharide synthetic genes of other bacteria. The average G+C content (37.7%) of all 24 ORFs in the sequenced area was lower than that (45.6%) of the whole chromosome of A. actinomycetemcomitans Y4. It is noteworthy the average G+C content of the nine ORFs in the 8.5-kb central region of the 13-kbBssHII-BspHI fragment indispensable for SPA synthesis in E. coli was found to be especially low (27.0%).

scholarly journals In Vitro Propagation, Huperzine A Content and Antioxidant Activity of Three Genotypic Huperzia serrata

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1112
Author(s):  
Yan Yang ◽  
Liangfang Dai ◽  
Decai Wu ◽  
Limin Dong ◽  
Yisheng Tu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antioxidant Activity ◽  
High Performance ◽  
In Vitro Propagation ◽  
Huperzine A ◽  
Induction Medium ◽  
Naphthalene Acetic Acid ◽  
Regeneration Rate ◽  
Huperzia Serrata ◽  
Chromatography Analysis

Huperzia serrata is a traditional herb and endangered Chinese medicinal material, which has attracted much attention due to its production of Huperzine A (HupA). In vitro propagation of H. serrata is considered a new way to relieve the resource pressure of H. serrata. In this study, three different genotypic wild H. serrata were used for in vitro propagation. Then, the antioxidant activity and the content of HupA in the regenerated H. serrata were investigated. The results showed the survival rate of the explant was increased to 25.37% when using multiple sterilization processes. The best induction medium for H. serrata was the Schenk and Hildebrandt (SH) medium supplemented with 0.5 mg·L−1 Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 0.1 mg·L−1 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), where the regeneration rate of the explant was to 57.04%. The best proliferation medium was the SH medium with NAA (1.0 mg·L−1), as the biomass of in vitro tissue increased 164.17 ± 0.41 times. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis showed that the in vitro culture of three genotypes could produce HupA and the content of HupA was 53.90–87.17 µg·g−1. The antioxidant experiment showed that the methanol extract of in vitro H. serrata had higher antioxidant activity than that of wild H. serrata. This study provides a reliable in vitro H. serrata culture protocol and laid an important foundation for the antioxidant capacity of the thallus and the content of HupA.

scholarly journals Genome-Scale Metabolic Network Analysis of the Opportunistic Pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1

2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (8) ◽  
pp. 2790-2803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew A. Oberhardt ◽  
Jacek Puchałka ◽  
Kimberly E. Fryer ◽  
Vítor A. P. Martins dos Santos ◽  
Jason A. Papin
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Metabolic Network ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogen ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Metabolic Versatility ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Scale Properties ◽  
Genome Scale

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major life-threatening opportunistic pathogen that commonly infects immunocompromised patients. This bacterium owes its success as a pathogen largely to its metabolic versatility and flexibility. A thorough understanding of P. aeruginosa's metabolism is thus pivotal for the design of effective intervention strategies. Here we aim to provide, through systems analysis, a basis for the characterization of the genome-scale properties of this pathogen's versatile metabolic network. To this end, we reconstructed a genome-scale metabolic network of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. This reconstruction accounts for 1,056 genes (19% of the genome), 1,030 proteins, and 883 reactions. Flux balance analysis was used to identify key features of P. aeruginosa metabolism, such as growth yield, under defined conditions and with defined knowledge gaps within the network. BIOLOG substrate oxidation data were used in model expansion, and a genome-scale transposon knockout set was compared against in silico knockout predictions to validate the model. Ultimately, this genome-scale model provides a basic modeling framework with which to explore the metabolism of P. aeruginosa in the context of its environmental and genetic constraints, thereby contributing to a more thorough understanding of the genotype-phenotype relationships in this resourceful and dangerous pathogen.

scholarly journals Abnormal physiological properties and altered cell wall composition in Streptococcus pneumoniae grown in the presence of clavulanic acid.

1997 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 504-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Severin ◽  
E Severina ◽  
A Tomasz
Keyword(s):  
Streptococcus Pneumoniae ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Biochemical Properties ◽  
Beta Lactam ◽  
Chromatography Analysis ◽  
Peptide Composition ◽  
Increased Sensitivity ◽  
Altered Cell ◽  
Quantitative Changes

Subinhibitory concentrations of clavulanate caused premature induction of stationary-phase autolysis, sensitization to lysozyme, and reductions in the MICs of deoxycholate and penicillin for Streptococcus pneumoniae. In the range of clavulanate concentrations producing these effects, this beta-lactam compound was selectively bound to PBP 3. Cell walls isolated from pneumococci grown in the presence of clavulanate showed increased sensitivity to the hydrolytic action of purified pneumococcal autolysin in vitro. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis of the peptidoglycan isolated from the clavulanate-grown cells showed major qualitative and quantitative changes in stem peptide composition, the most striking feature of which was the accumulation of peptide species carrying intact D-alanyl-D-alanine residues at the carboxy termini. The altered biological and biochemical properties of the clavulanate-grown pneumococci appear to be the consequences of suppressed D,D-carboxypeptidase activity.

scholarly journals Bacteriophage-Based Biosensing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: An Integrated Approach for the Putative Real-Time Detection of Multi-Drug-Resistant Strains

Biosensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 124
Author(s):  
Liliam K. Harada ◽  
Waldemar Bonventi Júnior ◽  
Erica C. Silva ◽  
Thais J. Oliveira ◽  
Fernanda C. Moreli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Acquired Resistance ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Color Changes ◽  
Metabolic Versatility ◽  
The Matrix

During the last decennium, it has become widely accepted that ubiquitous bacterial viruses, or bacteriophages, exert enormous influences on our planet’s biosphere, killing between 4–50% of the daily produced bacteria and constituting the largest genetic diversity pool on our planet. Currently, bacterial infections linked to healthcare services are widespread, which, when associated with the increasing surge of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms, play a major role in patient morbidity and mortality. In this scenario, Pseudomonas aeruginosa alone is responsible for ca. 13–15% of all hospital-acquired infections. The pathogen P. aeruginosa is an opportunistic one, being endowed with metabolic versatility and high (both intrinsic and acquired) resistance to antibiotics. Bacteriophages (or phages) have been recognized as a tool with high potential for the detection of bacterial infections since these metabolically inert entities specifically attach to, and lyse, bacterial host cells, thus, allowing confirmation of the presence of viable cells. In the research effort described herein, three different phages with broad lytic spectrum capable of infecting P. aeruginosa were isolated from environmental sources. The isolated phages were elected on the basis of their ability to form clear and distinctive plaques, which is a hallmark characteristic of virulent phages. Next, their structural and functional stabilization was achieved via entrapment within the matrix of porous alginate, biopolymeric, and bio-reactive, chromogenic hydrogels aiming at their use as sensitive matrices producing both color changes and/or light emissions evolving from a reaction with (released) cytoplasmic moieties, as a bio-detection kit for P. aeruginosa cells. Full physicochemical and biological characterization of the isolated bacteriophages was the subject of a previous research paper.

scholarly journals Biofilm Formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Fimbrial cup Gene Clusters Are Controlled by the Transcriptional Regulator MvaT

2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (9) ◽  
pp. 2880-2890 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Vallet ◽  
Stephen P. Diggle ◽  
Rachael E. Stacey ◽  
Miguel Cámara ◽  
Isabelle Ventre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Dna Microarrays ◽  
Transcriptional Profiling ◽  
Bacterial Pathogen ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Northern Blotting ◽  
Negative Regulator ◽  
Regulatory Control ◽  
Homologous Gene

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen which poses a major threat to long-term-hospitalized patients and individuals with cystic fibrosis. The capacity of P. aeruginosa to form biofilms is an important requirement for chronic colonization of human tissues and for persistence in implanted medical devices. Various stages of biofilm formation by this organism are mediated by extracellular appendages, such as type IV pili and flagella. Recently, we identified three P. aeruginosa gene clusters that were termed cup (chaperone-usher pathway) based on their sequence relatedness to the chaperone-usher fimbrial assembly pathway in other bacteria. The cupA gene cluster, but not the cupB or cupC cluster, is required for biofilm formation on abiotic surfaces. In this study, we identified a gene (mvaT) encoding a negative regulator of cupA expression. Such regulatory control was confirmed by several approaches, including lacZ transcriptional fusions, Northern blotting, and transcriptional profiling using DNA microarrays. MvaT also represses the expression of the cupB and cupC genes, although the extent of the regulatory effect is not as pronounced as with cupA. Consistent with this finding, mvaT mutants exhibit enhanced biofilm formation. Although the P. aeruginosa genome contains a highly homologous gene, mvaU, the repression of cupA genes is MvaT specific. Thus, MvaT appears to be an important regulatory component within a complex network that controls biofilm formation and maturation in P. aeruginosa.

scholarly journals Histological Characterization of Resistance to Different Root-Knot Nematode Species Related to Phenolics Accumulation in Capsicum annuum

2005 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Pegard ◽  
G. Brizzard ◽  
A. Fazari ◽  
O. Soucaze ◽  
P. Abad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Resistance Gene ◽  
Capsicum Annuum ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Nematode Species ◽  
Susceptible Cultivar ◽  
Resistant Line ◽  
Root Knot Nematode ◽  
Resistance Response ◽  
Root Knot Nematodes ◽  
Chromatography Analysis

In the pepper Capsicum annuum CM334, which is used by breeders as a source of resistance to Phytophthora spp. and potyviruses, a resistance gene entirely suppresses reproduction of the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne spp.). The current study compared the histological responses of this resistant line and a susceptible cultivar to infection with the three most damaging root-knot nematodes: M. arenaria, M. incognita, or M. javanica. Resistance of CM334 to root-knot nematodes was associated with unidentified factors that limited nematode penetration and with post-penetration biochemical responses, including the hypersensitive response, which apparently blocked nematode migration and thereby prevented juvenile development and reproduction. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis suggested that phenolic compounds, especially chlorogenic acid, may be involved in CM334 resistance. The response to infection in the resistant line varied with root-knot nematode species and was correlated with nematode behavior and pathogenicity in the susceptible cultivar: nematode species that quickly reached the vascular cylinder and initiated feeding sites in the susceptible cultivar were quickly recognized in CM334 and stopped in the epidermis or cortex. After comparing our data with those from other resistant pepper lines, we suggest that timing of the resistance response and the mechanism of resistance vary with plant genotype, resistance gene, and root-knot nematode species.

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