6S-Like scr3559 RNA Affects Development and Antibiotic Production in Streptomyces coelicolor

Regulatory RNAs control a number of physiological processes in bacterial cells. Here we report on a 6S-like RNA transcript (scr3559) that affects both development and antibiotic production in Streptomyces coelicolor. Its expression is enhanced during the transition to stationary phase. Strains that over-expressed the scr3559 gene region exhibited a shortened exponential growth phase in comparison with a control strain; accelerated aerial mycelium formation and spore maturation; alongside an elevated production of actinorhodin and undecylprodigiosin. These observations were supported by LC-MS analyses of other produced metabolites, including: germicidins, desferrioxamines, and coelimycin. A subsequent microarray differential analysis revealed increased expression of genes associated with the described morphological and physiological changes. Structural and functional similarities between the scr3559 transcript and 6S RNA, and its possible employment in regulating secondary metabolite production are discussed.

Identifying determinants of bacterial fitness in a model of human gut microbial succession

Human gut microbiota development has been associated with healthy growth but understanding the determinants of community assembly and composition is a formidable challenge. We cultured bacteria from serially collected fecal samples from a healthy infant; 34 sequenced strains containing 103,102 genes were divided into two consortia representing earlier and later stages in community assembly during the first six postnatal months. The two consortia were introduced alone (singly), or sequentially in different order, or simultaneously into young germ-free mice fed human infant formula. The pattern of fitness of bacterial strains observed across the different colonization conditions indicated that later-phase strains substantially outcompete earlier-phase strains, although four early-phase members persist. Persistence was not determined by order of introduction, suggesting that priority effects are not prominent in this model. To characterize succession in the context of the metabolic potential of consortium members, we performed in silico reconstructions of metabolic pathways involved in carbohydrate utilization and amino acid and B-vitamin biosynthesis, then quantified the fitness (abundance) of strains in serially collected fecal samples and their transcriptional responses to different histories of colonization. Applying feature-reduction methods disclosed a set of metabolic pathways whose presence and/or expression correlates with strain fitness and that enable early-stage colonizers to survive during introduction of later colonizers. The approach described can be used to test the magnitude of the contribution of identified metabolic pathways to fitness in different community contexts, study various ecological processes thought to govern community assembly, and facilitate development of microbiota-directed therapeutics.

The Mechanical Behavior and Deformation Mechanisms of Nb-Al-V Alloys

ABSTRACTA series of Nb-Al-V alloys containing 20–40 at. % V and 10–25 at. % Al have been investigated. The phase distributions in the alloys indicate that Al promotes the formation of the A15 phase whilst V stabilises a B2 phase. Room temperature compression testing revealed that the B2 is inherently ductile such that for the alloys with less than 40% by volume of the A15 phase, strains of over 50% were obtained easily. The 2% offset yield stresses of these alloys did not vary significantly with composition, being 1.2±0.1GPa in each case. TEM studies were used to show that the deformation in the B2 phase occurs predominantly by the glide of screw-type super-partial dislocations with b=l/2<111> on {110} and {112}. In some alloys this dislocation activity was preceded by the formation of pseudo-twins, via a martensitic shear transformation.

A Study of Internal Damage of Metal Matrix Composites by Neutron Diffraction

ABSTRACTUsing neutron diffraction, we have measured the elastic phase strains of Al/TiC and Al/SiC composites under uniaxial tensile loading. The phase strains were used to reconstruct the global elastic strain. It has been found that, above macroscopic yield, the global elastic strain response is not linear. A theoretical model shows that the nonlinearity is dictated by changes in the ratio of longitudinal phase stresses. Furthermore, the changes in this ratio resulting from matrix plasticity and reinforcement fracture are different which leads to distinct slope changes in the global elastic strain response that can be used to distinguish the onset of these two processes on the global elastic strain loading curve.