ALBERT

Description:    Fifty-five bacteriocinogenic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from seven different sources. Eight isolates were found to produce pediocin PA-1 like bacteriocin as detected by ped B gene PCR and dot-blot hybridization. The culture filtrate (CF) activity of these isolates exhibited strong antilisterial, antibacterial activity against tested food-borne pathogens and LAB. The identification and genetic diversity among the selected LAB was performed by conventional morphological and molecular tools like RFLP, RAPD, and 16S rDNA gene sequencing. The isolates were identified as, 1 each of Pediococcus acidilactici Cb1, Lactobacillus plantarum Acr2, and Streptococcus equinus AC1, 2 were of P. pentosaceus Cb4 and R38, and other 3 were Enterococcus faecium Acr4, BL1, V3. Partial characterization of the bacteriocins revealed that the peptide was heat-stable, active at acidic to alkaline pH, inactivated by proteolytic enzymes, and had molecular weight around 4.6 kDa and shared the properties of class IIa pediocin-family. The bacteriocin production at different temperatures, pH, and salt concentrations was studied to investigate the optimal condition for application of these isolates as a starter culture or as a biopreservative in either acidic or non-acidic foods. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9963-8 Authors S. Manjulata Devi, Department of Food Microbiology, CFTRI, Mysore, India Prakash M. Halami, Department of Food Microbiology, CFTRI, Mysore, India Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The ability of the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes to develop biofilm in food-processing environment is a major concern for the food safety, because biofilms allow bacteria to better resist environmental stresses. PrfA is a key transcriptional activator that positively regulates most of the known listerial virulence gene expression. In order to explore the role of PrfA on Listeria biofilm development, we compared the abilities of biofilm formation by L. monocytogenes wild type strains (EGD and EGDe) and their prfA deletion mutants (EGD∆ prfA and EGDe∆ prfA ), nonpathogenic Listeria innocua , as well as the recombinant strains that express constitutively active mutant PrfA (PrfA*) in L. innocua (LI-pERL3- prfA *) and in EGDe∆ prfA (EGDe∆ prfA -pERL3- prfA *) at 37°C in brain heart infusion (BHI) medium using the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microtiter plate assay and microscopic examination. Our results showed that the wild types of L. monocytogenes had strong abilities to develop biofilm with meshwork of bacterial aggregates, while biofilm with sparse small clumps were observed in L. innocua . The biofilm production of strains EGD∆ prfA and EGDe∆ prfA that lack funtional PrfA was reduced and could be recovered by the introduction of the PrfA*, however, the PrfA* had no impact on the biofilm forming ability of L. innocua . Our results suggest that PrfA plays a significant role in biofilm formation in L. monocytogenes but not in L. innocua , thus may reflect differences in the molecular mechanisms of biofilm formation by these two closely related species. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9964-7 Authors Qingchun Zhou, Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, College of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Luo Yu Road 152, Wuhan, 430079 People’s Republic of China Feifei Feng, Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, College of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Luo Yu Road 152, Wuhan, 430079 People’s Republic of China Li Wang, Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, College of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Luo Yu Road 152, Wuhan, 430079 People’s Republic of China Xiaoqin Feng, Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, College of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Luo Yu Road 152, Wuhan, 430079 People’s Republic of China Xiaojiao Yin, Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, College of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Luo Yu Road 152, Wuhan, 430079 People’s Republic of China Qin Luo, Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, College of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Luo Yu Road 152, Wuhan, 430079 People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Natural wild-type strains of Bacillus subtilis spore is regarded as a non-pathogenic for both human and animal, and has been classified as a novel food which is currently being used as probiotics added in the consumption. To identify B. subtilis spore proteins, we have accomplished a preliminary proteomic analysis of B. subtilis spore, with a combination of two-dimensional electrophoretic separations and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization tandem time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI–TOF–MS). In this article, we presented a reference map of 158 B. subtilis spore proteins with an isoelectric point (pI) between 4 and 7. Followed by mass spectrometry (MS) analysis, we identified 71 B. subtilis spore proteins with high level of confidence. Database searches, combined with hydropathy analysis and GO analysis revealed that most of the B. subtilis spore proteins were hydrophilic proteins related to catalytic function. These results should accelerate efforts to understand the resistance of spore to harsh conditions. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9967-4 Authors Langyong Mao, Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, 301# Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Shantong Jiang, Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, 301# Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Bin Wang, Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, 301# Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Liang Chen, School of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, 29# Wangjiang Road, Chengdu, 610064 Sichuan, People’s Republic of China Qin Yao, Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, 301# Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Keping Chen, Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, 301# Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    A fruity aroma-producing strain WG4 was isolated from a water sample collected from the Western Ghats, India. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of strain WG4 indicated that Chryseobacterium indologenes , a member of the family ‘Flavobacteriaceae’ is the closest related species with a pair-wise sequence similarity of 98.6%. Strain WG4 produces a fruity aroma when grown on nutrient or trypticase soy agar plates. The fruity aroma is more when the strain WG4 is grown on agar plates compared to their growth in broth. The aromatic compounds produced by the strain WG4 were identified as ester compounds and were confirmed as ethyl-2-methylbutyrate and ethyl-3-methylbutyrate based on Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis and using standard reference compounds. Even after repeated subcultures strain WG4 produced the same aroma in high intensity. Thus, strain WG4 could serve as a source for the production of these flavour compounds. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9966-5 Authors P. Anil Kumar, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500 007 India T. N. R. Srinivas, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500 007 India A. R. Prasad, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500 007 India S. Shivaji, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500 007 India Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    This study reports the first detection of Wolbachia and yeast-like symbiont (YLS) harbored in Kerria lacca (Kerr), a scale insect, latter of which produces an economically important natural resin, known as lac. Wolbachia was detected using PCR amplification and sequencing of 16S rDNA; and further confirmation and phylogenetic analysis was carried out by fast evolving wsp gene. Neighbor-joining and maximum parsimonious (MP) analysis showed that this strain belongs to subgroup “ori” of Wolbachia super group B of arthropods. Wolbachia of K . lacca is hereby designated as “ w Kerlac” according to Wolbachia nomenclature system. Histological study revealed the presence of yeast-like endosymbiont, which was also confirmed by PCR amplification of 18S rDNA. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that YLS of K . lacca is quite distinct from YLS of aphid, planthoppers, and beetles. Putative roles of Wolbachia in lecanoid chromosome system of sex determination and in biased sex ratio of K . lacca populations; and YLS in nutritional supplementation and detoxifying substances which are deleterious to K . lacca , are hereby, suggested. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9961-x Authors Amit Vashishtha, Department of Botany, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007 India K. K. Sharama, Indian Institute of Natural Resin and Gum (IINRG), Namkum, Ranchi, India Suman Lakhanpaul, Department of Botany, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007 India Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The genus Asaia (family Acetobacteraceae) was first introduced with a single species— Asaia bogorensis and later six more species were described namely A . siamensis , A . krungthepensis , A . lannaensis , A . platycodi , A . prunellae , and A . astilbes. Acetobacteraceae family has been divided into ten genera but, only three of them include nitrogen fixing species: Gluconacetobacter , Acetobacter , and Swaminathania . This article originated from our study primarily aimed to isolate new endosymbiotic nitrogen fixer among Acetobacteraceae during which we have isolated, for the first time in India, four different strains of Asaia sp. from three different sources: Michalia champaca flower, Anopheles mosquito, and ant Tetraponera rufonigra . All the endosymbiotic strains isolated possess the ability to fix nitrogen. Evidence for both nitrogenase activity and the presence of nifH gene in isolated Asaia sp. is presented. Asaia bogorensis (MTCC 4041 T ) and A . siamensis (MTCC 4042 T ), two of the validated type strains available from the repository, were tested positive for the presence of functional nitrogenase. The nifH gene sequences from these type strains were also confirmed and compared with other nitrogen fixing members of the family Acetobacteraceae. Our result corroborate with the previous reports that Asaia sp. are indeed widely distributed in nature but this is the first time demonstration of their functional nitrogenase activity. This study shows Asaia sp. as fourth genera of nitrogen fixing bacteria in the family Acetobacteraceae. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9968-3 Authors Neeloy Samaddar, Department of Life Science & Biotechnology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India Arundhati Paul, Department of Life Science & Biotechnology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India Somnath Chakravorty, Department of Life Science & Biotechnology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India Writachit Chakraborty, Department of Life Science & Biotechnology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India Joydeep Mukherjee, School of Environmental Studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India Debarati Chowdhuri, Department of Life Science & Biotechnology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India Ratan Gachhui, Department of Life Science & Biotechnology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Leptothrix species in aquatic environments produce uniquely shaped hollow microtubules composed of aquatic inorganic and bacterium-derived organic hybrids. Our group termed this biologically derived iron oxide as “biogenous iron oxide (BIOX)”. The artificial synthesis of most industrial iron oxides requires massive energy and is costly while BIOX from natural environments is energy and cost effective. The BIOX microtubules could potentially be used as novel industrial functional resources for catalysts, adsorbents and pigments, among others if effective and efficient applications are developed. For these purposes, a reproducible system to regulate bacteria and their BIOX productivity must be established to supply a sufficient amount of BIOX upon industrial demand. However, the bacterial species and the mechanism of BIOX microtubule formation are currently poorly understood. In this study, a novel Leptothrix sp. strain designated OUMS1 was successfully isolated from ocherous deposits in groundwater by testing various culture media and conditions. Morphological and physiological characters and elemental composition were compared with those of the known strain L. cholodnii SP-6 and the differences between these two strains were shown. The successful isolation of OUMS1 led us to establish a basic system to accumulate biological knowledge of Leptothrix and to promote the understanding of the mechanism of microtubule formation. Additional geochemical studies of the OUMS1-related microstructures are expected provide an attractive approach to study the broad industrial application of bacteria-derived iron oxides. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9957-6 Authors Michinori Sawayama, Department of Material Chemistry, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan Tomoko Suzuki, Department of Material Chemistry, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan Hideki Hashimoto, Department of Material Chemistry, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan Tomonari Kasai, Department of Material Chemistry, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan Mitsuaki Furutani, Department of Material Chemistry, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan Naoyuki Miyata, Department of Biological Environment, Akita Prefectural University, Akita, Japan Hitoshi Kunoh, Department of Material Chemistry, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan Jun Takada, Department of Material Chemistry, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    A Gram-negative, non-motile, catalase- and oxidase- positive, strictly aerobic, and short rod-shaped bacterium that was designated strain KOPRI 25157 T was isolated from coastal seawater sample in Antarctica. The temperature and pH ranges for growth on R2A agar were 10–20°C, and 5.0–10.0, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain KOPRI 25157 T showed it to belong to the family Oxalobacteraceae of the class Betaproteobacteria , and it formed a distinct clade from other recognized members of the family. DNA G + C content was 65.9 mol%. Major ubiquinone was Q-8. Predominant cellular fatty acids were C 16:1 ω 7 c /15 iso 2OH (56.4%) and C 16:1 (30.5%). Major polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, and unknown lipid. On the basis of these data, it is proposed that strain KOPRI 25157 T is the representative of a novel genus, for which the name Actimicrobium gen. nov. is proposed in the family Oxalobacteraceae. The type strain for Actimicrobium antarcticum sp. nov. is KOPRI 25157 T (=JCM 16673 T =KCTC 23040 T ). Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9962-9 Authors Eun Hye Kim, Division of Polar Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Get-pearl Tower, 12 Gaetbeol-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 406-840 Republic of Korea Hyun-Jeong Jeong, Division of Polar Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Get-pearl Tower, 12 Gaetbeol-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 406-840 Republic of Korea Yoo Kyoung Lee, Division of Polar Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Get-pearl Tower, 12 Gaetbeol-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 406-840 Republic of Korea Eun Young Moon, Institute of Microbiology, Seoul National University, Gwanak_1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 151-742 Republic of Korea Jang-Cheon Cho, Division of Biology and Ocean Sciences, Inha University, 253 Yonghyun-dong, Nam-gu, Incheon, 402-751 Republic of Korea Hong Kum Lee, Division of Polar Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Get-pearl Tower, 12 Gaetbeol-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 406-840 Republic of Korea Soon Gyu Hong, Division of Polar Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Get-pearl Tower, 12 Gaetbeol-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 406-840 Republic of Korea Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Bromoxynil octanoate (BOO), the most widespread herbicide applied to maize, is potentially toxic to both animals and humans. In this article, a highly effective BOO-degrading bacterial strain, XB2, was isolated from the soil of a herbicide factory. The strain was identified as an Acinetobacter sp. based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, morphological, physiological, and biochemical properties. This strain could use BOO as its sole carbon source and could degrade 100 mg l −1 BOO to non-detectable levels in 72 h (h). The optimal pH and temperature for strain XB2’s growth and degradation of BOO in MSM are 7.0 and 30°C, respectively. We propose the following pathway of BOO degradation by strain XB2: the first step is the scission of the ester bond to form bromoxynil, bromoxynil then transformed to 3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxybenzoic acid due to the hydrolysis of nitriles, and debromination finally results in the formation of 3-bromo-4-hydroxybenzoic acid. Inoculating BOO-treated soil samples with strain XB2 resulted in a higher rate of BOO degradation than in non-inoculated soil, regardless of whether the soil had previously been sterilized. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9965-6 Authors Tianming Cai, The College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 People’s Republic of China Liwei Chen, The College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 People’s Republic of China Jing Xu, The College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 People’s Republic of China Shu Cai, The College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The ability of Aspergillus fumigatus l -amino acid oxidase ( l -aao) to cause the resolution of racemic mixtures of dl -amino acids was investigated with dl -alanine, dl -phenylalanine, dl -tyrosine, and dl -aspartic acid. A chiral column, Crownpak CR+ was used for the analysis of the amino acids. The enzyme was able to cause the resolution of the three dl -amino acids resulting in the production of optically pure d -alanine (100% resolution), d -phenylalanine (80.2%), and d -tyrosine (84.1%), respectively. The optically pure d -amino acids have many uses and thus can be exploited industrially. This is the first report of the use of A. fumigatus l -amino acid oxidase for racemic resolution of dl -amino acids. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9955-8 Authors Susmita Singh, Biotechnology Division, North East Institute of Science and Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Jorhat, 785006 Assam, India Binod K. Gogoi, Biotechnology Division, North East Institute of Science and Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Jorhat, 785006 Assam, India Rajib L. Bezbaruah, Biotechnology Division, North East Institute of Science and Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Jorhat, 785006 Assam, India Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Bacterial FtsE gene codes for the ATP-binding protein, FtsE, which in complex with the transmembrane protein, FtsX, participates in diverse cellular processes. Therefore, regulated expression of FtsE and FtsX might be critical to the human pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis , under stress conditions. Although ftsX gene of M. tuberculosis ( MtftsX ) is known to be transcribed from a promoter inside the upstream gene, ftsE , the transcriptional status of ftsE gene of M. tuberculosis ( MtftsE ) remains unknown. Therefore, the authors initiated transcriptional analyses of MtftsE , using total RNA from M. tuberculosis cells that were grown under stress conditions, which the pathogen is exposed to, in granuloma in tuberculosis patients. Primer extension experiments showed the presence of putative transcripts, T1, T2, T3, and T4. T1 originated from the intergenic region between the upstream gene, MRA_3135 , and MtftsE . T2 and T3 were found initiated from within MRA_3135 . T4 was transcribed from a region upstream of MRA_3135 . RT-PCR confirmed co-transcription of MRA_3135 and MtftsE . The cloned putative promoter regions for T1, T2, and T3 elicited transcriptional activity in Mycobacterium smegmatis transformants. T1, T2, and T3, but no new transcript, were present in the M. tuberculosis cells that were grown under the stress conditions, which the pathogen is exposed to in granuloma in tuberculosis patients. It showed lack of modulation of MtftsE transcripts under the stress conditions tested, indicating that ftsE may not have a stress response-specific function in M. tuberculosis . Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9897-1 Authors Sougata Roy, Indian Institute of Science, Microbiology and Cell Biology, Bangalore, Karnataka Srinivasan Vijay, Indian Institute of Science, Microbiology and Cell Biology, Bangalore, Karnataka Muthu Arumugam, Indian Institute of Science, Microbiology and Cell Biology, Bangalore, Karnataka Deepak Anand, Indian Institute of Science, Microbiology and Cell Biology, Bangalore, Karnataka Mushtaq Mir, Indian Institute of Science, Microbiology and Cell Biology, Bangalore, Karnataka Parthasarathi Ajitkumar, Indian Institute of Science, Microbiology and Cell Biology, Bangalore, Karnataka Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Cryptosporidium parvum , an intestinal apicomplexan parasite, is a significant cause of diarrheal diseases in both humans and animals. What is more, there is no promising strategy for controlling cryptosporidiosis. In this study, the P23 immunodominant surface protein of C. parvum sporozoites was stably expressed in the Lactobacillus casei Zhang strain and its immunogenicity was evaluated in a mouse model. The molecular weight (23 kDa) and immunogenicity of p23 gene expressed by L.   casei Zhang were similar to that of the native P23 protein. Oral immunization with control L.   casei Zhang and recombinant L. casei Zhang-p23 activated the mucosal immune system to elicit serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) and mucosal IgA in mice. Furthermore, the expression of cytokines such as IL-4, IL-6, and IFN-γ in splenocytes of mice was detected by real-time PCR after oral immunization. P23-specific immunocyte activation was also verified. These findings indicate that the live L.   casei Zhang vector may be a new tool for the production of mucosal vaccines against cryptosporidiosis in animals. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9894-4 Authors Geriletu, Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, 306 Zhaowuda Road, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia 010018, China Rihua Xu, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083 China Honglin Jia, National Research Center for Protozoan Disease, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokaido Japan Mohamad Alaa Terkawi, National Research Center for Protozoan Disease, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokaido Japan Xuenan Xuan, National Research Center for Protozoan Disease, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokaido Japan Heping Zhang, Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, 306 Zhaowuda Road, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia 010018, China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Geldanamycin belongs to benzoquinone ansamycin antibiotic and has potent antitumor activities. In this study, a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library with an average insert size of up to 150 kb was constructed from genomic DNA of Streptomyces autolyticus JX-47. A genetic-screening strategy was established using BAC end-sequencing and three pairs of primers designed to target the remote regions, gdmA1, gdmA3 and gdmRI, of the geldanamycin gene cluster. Three clones covering geldanamycin biosynthesis gene cluster were obtained, which together spanned a 250-kb genomic region, and a 150227-bp insert in the clone p4E9 was sequenced. Comparison with the reported geldanamycin gene cluster sequences from S. hygroscopicus revealed that it had the same gene arrangement and high gene homology in the polyketide synthase (PKS) region and its downstream with 84–100% DNA identity and 81–100% amino acid (AA) identity. Its DNA homology with the whole gene cluster sequence from S. hygroscopicus strain 17997 reached 99% identity. However, upstream of the PKS region exhibited great diversity, where only ORF16 was conserved, and the other genes including gdmL and gdmX were displaced. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9940-2 Authors Shikun Dai, Key Laboratory of Marine Bio-Resources Sustainable Utilization, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301 People’s Republic of China Yongchang Ouyang, Guangzhou Medical College, Guangzhou, 510182 People’s Republic of China Guanghua Wang, Key Laboratory of Marine Bio-Resources Sustainable Utilization, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301 People’s Republic of China Xiang Li, Key Laboratory of Marine Bio-Resources Sustainable Utilization, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301 People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Phototrophic bacteria necessarily contain carotenoids for photosynthesis, and a few phototrophic purple bacteria accumulate unusual carotenoids. The carotenoids in the genera Phaeospirillum and Roseospira were identified using spectroscopic methods. All species of the genus Phaeospirillum contained characteristic polar carotenoids in addition to lycopene and hydroxylycopene (rhodopin); hydroxylycopene glucoside, dihydroxylycopene, and its mono- and/or diglucosides. From the structures of these carotenoids, their accumulation was suggested to be due to absence of CrtD (acyclic carotenoid C-3,4 desaturase) and to possession of glucosyltransferase. Species of the genus Roseospira have been reported to have unusual absorption spectra in acetone extract, and they were found to accumulate 3,4-didehydrorhodopin as a major carotenoid. This may be due to low activity of CrtF (acyclic 1-hydroxycarotenoid methyltransferase). The study concludes in identifying genus specific unusual carotenoids, which is probably due to characteristic nature of some carotenogenesis enzymes. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9941-1 Authors Shinichi Takaichi, Department of Biology, Nippon Medical School, 297, Kosugi-cho 2, Nakahara, Kawasaki, 211-0063 Japan Takashi Maoka, Research Institute for Production Development, 15 Shimogamo Morimoto Cho, Sakyo ku, Kyoto, 606 0805 Japan Ch. Sasikala, Bacterial Discovery Laboratory, Centre for Environment, JNT University, Hyderabad, 500 085 India Ch. V. Ramana, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, 500 046 India Keizo Shimada, Department of Biology, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Minami-ohsawa 1-1, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0397 Japan Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    A total of 136 samples of tap water were collected from state and municipal schools between March and November 2009. The samples were filtered through cellulose nitrate membranes that were seeded at non-nutrient agar 1.5% containing an overlayer of Escherichia coli suspension. Thirty-one (22.79%) tap water samples investigated were found positive for free-living amoebae (FLA). From these, 13 presented as FLA that seems to belong to the genus Acanthamoeba. All samples of FLA were cloned and identified as belonging to the genus Acanthamoeba by the morphology of cysts and trophozoites and by PCR using genus-specific primers that amplify the ASA.S1 region of 18S rDNA gene. Physiological tests of thermotolerance and osmotolerance were used to evaluate the pathogenicity of the isolates. The sequencing analysis by comparing the sequences submitted to GenBank, showed genotype distribution into groups T2, T2/T6, T6, and T4. In tests of thermotolerance and osmotolerance, 50% of the isolates had a low pathogenic potential. The results indicated the presence of Acanthamoeba in tap water in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, revealing its importance and the need for more epidemiological studies to determine their distribution in the environment and its pathogenic potential. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0003-5 Authors Mari Aline Todero Winck, Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitogia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Setor de Parasitologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Sarmento Leite, 500, Porto Alegre, RS 90050-170, Brazil Karin Caumo, Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitogia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Setor de Parasitologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Sarmento Leite, 500, Porto Alegre, RS 90050-170, Brazil Marilise Brittes Rott, Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitogia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Setor de Parasitologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Sarmento Leite, 500, Porto Alegre, RS 90050-170, Brazil Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The potential use of Brettanomyces anomalus PSY-001 as an additional starter culture for the production of Rice-steamed sponge cake (RSSC), a traditional fermented food in China, was investigated. Two productions of RSSC, each containing batches of experimental cakes with Brettanomyces added and reference cakes with the leavened liquid added were carried out. For both experimental and reference cakes, chemical analysis and sensory evaluation were carried out during the fermentation period. The results showed that experimental cakes had desirable aroma and taste. The observed differences indicate a positive contribution to the overall quality of RSSC by B. anomalus PSY-001. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9997-y Authors Peng Wu, College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China Xiaoyun Xu, College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China Yongxia Xu, College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China Qingchan Chen, College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China Siyi Pan, College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    To study the prevalence and isoforms of the pathogenicity island ETT2 among pathogenic Escherichia coli , as well as to determine the relationship between the ETT2 locus and other virulence factors, PCR amplifications target to the 35 ETT2-associated genes were established and used to investigate the presence of the ETT2 locus in 168 E. coli isolates from weaned piglets with edema and/or diarrhea or dairy cows with mastitis. The results showed that the ETT2 locus could be identified in the pathogenic E. coli isolates from colibacillosis in pigs and in the ones from mastitis in cows, but the presence of ETT2 among the isolates of porcine origin were significantly higher (85.87%) than that (47.37%) of bovine origin. Furthermore, 11 ETT2 isoforms were found in this research, including an intact form and 10 deletion types. The intact ETT2 was the prevalent form among the pathogenic E. coli isolates of porcine origin, and highly associated with the presence of shigatoxin type 2e (Stx2e), while the great majority isolates of bovine origin just carried various deletion types, and no distinct association with other virulence factors, e.g., the presence/absence of LT1, ST2, Cnf2, Tra, HPI, Hly, and F17a fimbriae. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0032-0 Authors DaRong Cheng, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009 China ShanYuan Zhu, Jiangsu Animal Husbandry and Veterinary College, Taizhou, 225300 China ZhiRui Su, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009 China WeiYong Zuo, Jiangsu Animal Husbandry and Veterinary College, Taizhou, 225300 China Hui Lu, Jiangsu Animal Husbandry and Veterinary College, Taizhou, 225300 China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    A collection of 94 unusual members of the Enterobacteriaceae were screened for the presence of extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) using the MicroScan ESβL plus dried confirmation panel. Presumptively positive strains were then confirmed for the presence of an ESBL by double disk diffusion, E-test strips (AB Biodisk, Solna, Sweden) and PCR for SHV, TEM, and CTX-M2 genes. Of the 18 strains initially positive on the ESβL panel only three strains ( Leminorella grimontii , Klebsiella ozaenae , and Kluyvera ascorbata ) were positive by confirmation methods. These results suggest laboratories should be cautious regarding the methodology employed in screening for the presence of ESBLs in enteric bacteria. However, it should be noted that of the 94 strains, 29 were found to be resistant to two or more of the antibiotics present in the MicroScan ESβL plus panel indicating that there are potential treatment issues with these organisms despite their lack of ESBLs. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-4 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0057-4 Authors Sharon L. Abbott, Microbial Diseases Laboratory, CA State Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA Janice A. Lidgard, Microbial Diseases Laboratory, CA State Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA Wendy K. W. Cheung, Microbial Diseases Laboratory, CA State Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA Martha N. Obeso, Microbial Diseases Laboratory, CA State Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA Zenda L. Berrada, Microbial Diseases Laboratory, CA State Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA J. Michael Janda, Microbial Diseases Laboratory, CA State Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Pantoea agglomerans YS19 is a rice endophytic bacterium characterized to form multicellular biofilm-like structures called symplasmata. Phenotypic distinctions between symplasmata-forming cells and planktonic cells are crucial for understanding YS19’s survival strategies. In this study, a 43.1 kDa protein SPM43.1 was identified to show significant resistance to the aggregation effect caused by denaturing acidic conditions. MALDI-TOF analysis data indicated that it is a maltose-binding protein homolog while contains sequence homologous to the chaperone protein, ClpB. The purified SPM43.1 protein was detected to exhibit chaperone-like activities at acidic conditions, where its conformation transformed from an ordered to a globally less ordered structure as revealed by circular dichroism spectroscopy, showing a similar property to most chaperone proteins. The expression of SPM43.1 in YS19 is initiated when bacterial cells begin to aggregate, yet its amount in planktonic cells greatly exceeds that in symplasmata-forming cells, suggesting its crucial role to the survival of planktonic cells in experiencing environmental fluctuations. However, the bacterium prefers to form symplasmata, while not to express SPM43.1 proteins, for surviving the artificially set fluctuant (acid here) environments. This study provides valuable information on the life styles and survival strategies of microorganisms that forms multicellular aggregates at specific growth stages. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0055-6 Authors Qianqian Li, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, #5 Zhongguancun Nandajie, Beijing, 100081 People’s Republic of China Yuxuan Miao, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, #5 Zhongguancun Nandajie, Beijing, 100081 People’s Republic of China Ting Yi, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, #5 Zhongguancun Nandajie, Beijing, 100081 People’s Republic of China Jia Zhou, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, #5 Zhongguancun Nandajie, Beijing, 100081 People’s Republic of China Zhenyue Lu, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, #5 Zhongguancun Nandajie, Beijing, 100081 People’s Republic of China Yongjun Feng, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, #5 Zhongguancun Nandajie, Beijing, 100081 People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    In this study, both recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae T73-63 and FY-09 derived from the industrial wine yeast T73-4 and laboratory yeast FY1679-01B, respectively, were constructed and compared for their β-carotene production in real grape juice. The results showed that highest β-carotene content (5.89 mg/g) was found in strain T73-63, which was 2.1 fold higher than that of strain FY-09. Although the cell growth was inhibited by the metabolic burden induced by the production of heterogeneous β-carotene, the pigment yield in T73-63 was still 1.7 fold higher than that of FY-09. Furthermore, high contents of ergosterol and fatty acid were also observed in T73-63. These results suggest that industrial wine yeast has highly active metabolic flux in mevalonate pathway, which leads to more carbon flux into carotenoid branch compared to that of laboratory yeast. The results of this study collectively suggest that in the application of recombinant strains to produce carotenoid using agro-industrial by-products as substrate, the suitable host strains should have active mevalonate pathway. For this purpose, the industrial wine yeast is a suitable candidate. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0047-6 Authors Guo-liang Yan, Center for Viticulture and Enology, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083 People’s Republic of China Heng-yu Liang, Center for Viticulture and Enology, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083 People’s Republic of China Chang-qing Duan, Center for Viticulture and Enology, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083 People’s Republic of China Bei-zhong Han, Center for Viticulture and Enology, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083 People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The 20 kb DNAs are associated with crystals in many subspecies of Bacillus thuringiensis . We isolated 20 kb DNAs from crystals of B. thuringiensis strain 4.0718, then constructed a gene library using DNA fragments of Sau 3AI partial digestion and pbluescriptIISK(+) vector. We screened out 440 recombinants, yielding a genomic coverage of ten and including 99% sequence of DNA which achieved the required theoretical value to construct the gene library. Through NCBI Blast and homology analysis, the sequencing results proved that the DNA came from the chromosome of B. thuringiensis. Moreover, we have completed the multiple alignment of homologous ropB protein sequences and phylogenetic analysis using bioinformatic software. For further investigation of the interactions between 20 kb DNAs and protoxins, molecular docking has also been done. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0038-7 Authors Feng Wu, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Molecular Biology–State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Microbial Molecular Biology, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 China Xinmin Zhao, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Molecular Biology–State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Microbial Molecular Biology, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 China Yunjun Sun, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Molecular Biology–State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Microbial Molecular Biology, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 China Wenping Li, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Molecular Biology–State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Microbial Molecular Biology, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 China Liqiu Xia, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Molecular Biology–State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Microbial Molecular Biology, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 China Xuezhi Ding, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Molecular Biology–State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Microbial Molecular Biology, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 China Jia Yin, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Molecular Biology–State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Microbial Molecular Biology, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 China Shengbiao Hu, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Molecular Biology–State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Microbial Molecular Biology, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 China Ziquan Yu, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Molecular Biology–State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Microbial Molecular Biology, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 China Ying Tang, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Molecular Biology–State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Microbial Molecular Biology, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    White-rot basidiomycetes are the main decomposers of woody biomass in forest ecosystems. Little is known, however, about the interactions between white-rot fungi and other microorganisms in decayed wood. A wood-rotting fungus, Stereum sp. strain TN4F, was isolated from a fruit body, and its coexisting cultivable bacteria were isolated from its substrate; natural white-rot decayed wood. The effects of bacteria on fungal growth were examined by confrontational assay in vitro. A growth-promoting bacterium for this Stereum strain was identified as Curtobacterium sp. TN4W-19, using 16SrRNA sequencing. A confrontational assay revealed that Curtobacterium sp. TN4W-19 significantly promoted the mycelial growth of Stereum sp. TN4F in the direction of the bacterial colony, without direct contact between the mycelium and bacterial cells. This is the first report of a positive interaction between a white-rot fungus and a coexisting bacterial strain in vitro. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0050-y Authors Ichiro Kamei, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, 1-1, Gakuen-kibanadai-nishi, Miyazaki, 889-2192 Japan Takehiro Yoshida, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, 1-1, Gakuen-kibanadai-nishi, Miyazaki, 889-2192 Japan Daisuke Enami, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, 1-1, Gakuen-kibanadai-nishi, Miyazaki, 889-2192 Japan Sadatoshi Meguro, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, 1-1, Gakuen-kibanadai-nishi, Miyazaki, 889-2192 Japan Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Yeast cells sense and respond to hypertonicity. Saccharomyces cerevisiae MTCC 2918 was tested for its metabolic status in 1 M NaCl by cell viability analysis, intracellular glycerol content and total antioxidant capacity. Yeast cell viability was maximum in 1 M NaCl and 24 h addition of 1 M NaCl was effective in induction of hyperosmolarity. Increased glycerol contents in cells treated with salt indicated adaptation to osmotic stress with a maximum of 240.87 ± 0.38 mg/g dry weight (DW) at 72 h. The total antioxidant status with 1 M NaCl was 9.29 ± 0.39 mM/g DW at 96 h reflecting free radical quenching to overcome stress with increasing growth period. Considering that pre-adaptation to one type of stress evoked a protective response to other stress factors, we have attempted the cross adaptation of osmotic shock to high ethanol concentrations. In effect, we observed that osmotic shock lowered the cell survival by augmentation of cell toxicity by ethanol due to stress induction during exponential phase. Glycerol accumulation to an order of 470.27 ± 0.53 mg/g DW at 48 h in 1 M NaCl and 12% ethanol indicated that both stresses culminated in membrane disruption further leading to cell burst and contributed to the stress overload. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0036-9 Authors Geraldine S. M. John, Department of Biotechnology, CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Adyar, Chennai, 600020 India Murugesan Gayathiri, Department of Biotechnology, CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Adyar, Chennai, 600020 India Chellan Rose, Department of Biotechnology, CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Adyar, Chennai, 600020 India Asit B. Mandal, Chemical Laboratory, CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute, Adyar, Chennai, 600020 India Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    In this study, the synergistic effect of overexpressing the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase gene and adding ergosterol synthesis inhibitor, ketoconazole, on β-carotene production in the recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae was investigated. The results showed that the over-expression of HMG-CoA reductase gene and adding 100 mg/l ketoconazole alone can result in 135.1 and 15.6% increment of β-carotene concentration compared with that of the control (2.05 mg/g dry weight of cells), respectively. However, the combination of overexpressing HMG-CoA reductase gene and adding ketoconazole can achieve a 206.8% increment of pigment content (6.29 mg/g dry weight of cells) compared with that of the control. Due to the fact that over-expression of the HMG-CoA reductase gene can simultaneously improve the flux of the sterol and carotenoid biosynthetic pathway, it can be concluded that under the circumstances of blocking sterol biosynthesis, increasing the activity of HMG-CoA reductase can result in more precursors FPP fluxing into carotenoid branch and obtain a high increment of β-carotene production. The results of this study collectively suggest that the combination of overexpressing HMG-CoA reductase gene and supplying ergosterol synthesis inhibitor is an effective strategy to improve the production of desirable isoprenoid compounds such as carotenoids. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0044-9 Authors Guo-liang Yan, Center for Viticulture and Enology, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083 People’s Republic of China Ke-rui Wen, Center for Viticulture and Enology, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083 People’s Republic of China Chang-qing Duan, Center for Viticulture and Enology, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083 People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The aim of this study was to determine the presence of bla CTX-M-2 in our A. baumannii population and their putative role as an alternative mechanism of resistance to third-generation cephalosporins in this species. The bla CTX-M-2 gene is widespread among the Enterobacteriaceae isolates from our country; however, it was not found in 76 isolates A. baumannii non-epidemiologically related clinical isolates resistant to third-generation cephalosporins isolated since 1982 in hospitals from Buenos Aires City. A plasmid isolated from Proteus mirabilis that possesses the complex class 1 integron In35::IS CR1 :: bla CTX-M-2 was used to transform the natural competent A. baumannii clinical strain A118. PCR, plasmid extraction, DNA restriction, and susceptibility test confirmed that A118 could gain and maintain the plasmid possessing In35::IS CR1 :: bla CTX-M-2 , the genetic platform where the bla CTX-M-2 gene is dispersing in Argentina. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-3 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0052-9 Authors María Soledad Ramírez, Laboratorio de Investigaciones de los Mecanismos de Resistencia a Antibióticos, Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Microbiología, Parasitología e Inmunología, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paraguay, 2155 Buenos Aires, Argentina Andrea Karina Merkier, Laboratorio de Investigaciones de los Mecanismos de Resistencia a Antibióticos, Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Microbiología, Parasitología e Inmunología, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paraguay, 2155 Buenos Aires, Argentina María Paula Quiroga, Laboratorio de Investigaciones de los Mecanismos de Resistencia a Antibióticos, Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Microbiología, Parasitología e Inmunología, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paraguay, 2155 Buenos Aires, Argentina Daniela Centrón, Laboratorio de Investigaciones de los Mecanismos de Resistencia a Antibióticos, Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Microbiología, Parasitología e Inmunología, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paraguay, 2155 Buenos Aires, Argentina Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Culture-dependent and -independent approaches were employed to identify the bacterial community structure from olive-mill wastewater produced from three olive-fruit varieties. The 233 bacterial isolates recovered were phylogenetically related to 38 members of Firmicutes , Actinobacteria , α - Proteobacteria , β - Proteobacteria , γ - Proteobacteria , and Bacteroidetes . Employing a novel microarray-based approach (PhyloChip) a high bacterial diversity was revealed consisting of 18 different phyla with representatives from 99 different families. The bacterial diversity in olive-mill wastewater from the three olive tree varieties was dominated by α -, β - , γ - , δ - , ε - Proteobacteria , Firmicutes , Bacteroidetes , Chloroflexi, Cyanobacteria, and Actinobacteria . This in-depth analysis of the indigenous microbiota indicated a cultivar-specific bacterial profile. Interestingly, the common bacterial taxa present in all three varieties examined were restricted indicating that the bacterial communities present in the olive-mill wastewater are greatly influenced by the olive-fruit variety. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0049-4 Authors George Tsiamis, Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Ioannina, Agrinio, Greece Georgia Tzagkaraki, Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Ioannina, Agrinio, Greece Athina Chamalaki, Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Ioannina, Agrinio, Greece Nikolaos Xypteras, Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Ioannina, Agrinio, Greece Gary Andersen, Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA Dimitris Vayenas, Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Ioannina, Agrinio, Greece Kostas Bourtzis, Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Ioannina, Agrinio, Greece Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The strain Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) is widely used as an efficient probiotic in therapy and prevention of human infectious diseases, especially of the intestinal system. Concurrently, small adult pigs are being used as experimental omnivore models to study human gastrointestinal functions. EcN bacteria were applied to 6 adult healthy female pigs in a 2-week trial. 6 Control animals remained untreated. Altogether, 164 and 149 bacterial strains were isolated from smear samples taken from gastrointestinal mucosa in the experimental and control group, respectively. Each individual E. coli strain was then tested for the presence of 29 bacteriocin-encoding determinants as well as for DNA markers of A, B1, B2 and D phylogenetic groups. A profound reduction of E. coli genetic variance (from 32 variants to 13 ones, P  = 0.0006) was found in the experimental group, accompanied by a lower incidence of bacteriocin producers in the experimental group when compared to control (21.3 and 34.9%, respectively; P  = 0.007) and by changes in the incidence of individual bacteriocin types. The experimental administration of EcN strain was not sufficient for stable colonization of porcine gut, but induced significant changes in the enterobacterial microbiota. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0051-x Authors David Šmajs, Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Building A6, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic Jan Bureš, 2nd Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine at Hradec Králové, University Teaching Hospital, Charles University in Prague, Sokolská 581, 500 05 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic Jan Šmarda, Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Building A6, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic Eva Chaloupková, Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Building A6, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic Jaroslav Květina, Institute of Experimental Biopharmaceutics, Joint Research Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences and PRO.MED.CS Praha a.s., Heyrovského 1207, 500 02 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic Miroslav Förstl, Institute of Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine at Hradec Králové, University Teaching Hospital, Charles University in Prague, Sokolská 581, 500 05 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic Darina Kohoutová, 2nd Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine at Hradec Králové, University Teaching Hospital, Charles University in Prague, Sokolská 581, 500 05 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic Martin Kuneš, Institute of Experimental Biopharmaceutics, Joint Research Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences and PRO.MED.CS Praha a.s., Heyrovského 1207, 500 02 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic Stanislav Rejchrt, 2nd Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine at Hradec Králové, University Teaching Hospital, Charles University in Prague, Sokolská 581, 500 05 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic Jiřina Lesná, Institute of Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine at Hradec Králové, University Teaching Hospital, Charles University in Prague, Sokolská 581, 500 05 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic Marcela Kopáčová, 2nd Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine at Hradec Králové, University Teaching Hospital, Charles University in Prague, Sokolská 581, 500 05 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The prokaryotic cells distribution in the water column of the coastal saline meromictic Lake Faro (Messina, Italy) was investigated by microscopic counting techniques. Water samples were collected at a central station from the surface to the bottom, when waters were characterized by a marked stratification. A “red-water” layer, caused by a dense growth of photosynthetic sulfur bacteria, was present at a depth of 15 m, defining a transition area between oxic (mixolimnion) and anoxic (monimolimnion) layers. Fluorescently labeled 16S rRNA oligonucleotide, group-specific probes were used to determine the abundance of Bacteria and Archaea , and their subgroups, Green Sulfur Bacteria (GSB), Sulfate Reducing Bacteria (SRB), Cyanobacteria and Chromatium okenii , and Crenarchaeota and Euryarchaeota , as key elements of the microbial community. Bacteria decreased from surface to bottom, while Archaea increased with depth and reached the maximum value at 30 m, where they outnumbered the Bacteria . Bacteria and picophytoplankton prevailed in the mixolimnion. At the chemocline high numbers of prokaryotic cells were present, mainly represented by Cyanobacteria, Chromatium okenii and Euryarchaeota . GSB, SRB, and Crenarchaeota prevailed below the chemocline. Although Archaea constitute a minor fraction of microbial community, they could represent active contributors to the meromictic Lake Faro ecosystem. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0028-9 Authors Valeria Lentini, Dipartimento di Biologia Animale ed Ecologia Marina, Sezione di Ecologia Microbica e Biotecnologie, Università di Messina, V.le F. Stagno d’Alcontres, 31, 98166 Sant’Agata, Messina, Italy Concetta Gugliandolo, Dipartimento di Biologia Animale ed Ecologia Marina, Sezione di Ecologia Microbica e Biotecnologie, Università di Messina, V.le F. Stagno d’Alcontres, 31, 98166 Sant’Agata, Messina, Italy Teresa L. Maugeri, Dipartimento di Biologia Animale ed Ecologia Marina, Sezione di Ecologia Microbica e Biotecnologie, Università di Messina, V.le F. Stagno d’Alcontres, 31, 98166 Sant’Agata, Messina, Italy Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Daidzein (4′,7-dihydroxyisoflavone), a phytoestrogen found in soybeans mainly in the form of its glycoside daidzin, is metabolized by colonic bacteria to compounds with altered estrogenic activities, which may affect human health. Antibacterial agents used for the treatment of infections can alter the composition of bacterial populations in the colon and therefore can affect daidzein metabolism. To rapidly detect the effects of different concentrations of antibiotics on daidzein metabolism by colonic bacteria of monkeys and identify the subpopulation involved in daidzein metabolism, Etest strips containing antibacterial agents from three classes (tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, and β-lactams) were used to eliminate the colonic bacteria that were susceptible to 0–32 μg/ml of each antibacterial agent and test the surviving bacteria for their ability to metabolize daidzein. The metabolism of daidzein by the colonic microflora was measured before and after the colonic bacterial population was exposed to antibacterial agents. The metabolites were detected by high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry after incubation of the cultures for various times. Exposure of colonic microflora to antibiotics had various effects on daidzein metabolism. Tetracycline completely removed the bacteria metabolizing daidzein, metabolism of daidzein was not changed in cultures of bacteria after ceftriaxone treatment, and ciprofloxacin enriched for the bacteria metabolizing daidzein. In liquid cultures treated with various concentrations of ciprofloxacin, 4 μg/ml of ciprofloxacin favored the growth of bacteria that metabolized daidzein. This is the first time in which the Etest has been used to show that, whereas some antibiotics eliminate phytoestrogen-metabolizing bacteria in colonic microflora, others enrich them by eliminating the non-metabolizing strains in the population. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0020-4 Authors John B. Sutherland, Division of Microbiology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Jefferson, AR, USA Brad M. Bridges, Division of Microbiology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Jefferson, AR, USA Thomas M. Heinze, Division of Microbiology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Jefferson, AR, USA Michael R. Adams, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA Patrick J. Delio, Washington National Research Primate Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA Charlotte Hotchkiss, Washington National Research Primate Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA Fatemeh Rafii, Division of Microbiology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Jefferson, AR, USA Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Pyrococcus abyssi GE5 ( P. aby ) and Pyrococcus furiosus DSM 3638 ( P. fur ) are two model hyperthermophilic archaea. However, their annotations in public databases are unsatisfactory. In this article, the two genomes were re-annotated according to the following steps. (i) All “hypothetical genes” in the original annotation were re-identified based on the Z-curve method, and some of them were recognized as non-coding open reading frames (ORFs). Evidence showed that the recognized non-coding ORFs were highly unlikely to encode proteins. (ii) The translation initiation sites (TISs) of all the annotated genes were re-located, and more than 10% of the TISs were shifted to 5′-upstream or 3′-downstream regions. (iii) The functions of the refined “hypothetical genes” were predicted using sequence alignment tools, more than 200 originally annotated “hypothetical genes” in either of the two hyperthermophiles were assigned functions. A large number of these functions have reference support or experimentally characterized homologues. All the refined information will serve as a valuable resource for research on P. aby and P. fur , which may be helpful in the exploration of thermal adaptation mechanisms. The complete re-annotation files of P. aby and P. fur are available at http://211.69.128.148/download/ . Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-12 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0035-x Authors Junxiang Gao, School of Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 People’s Republic of China Ji Wang, Department of Marine Biology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003 People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    In this study, we compared the performance of three serological assays (Monolisa HCV Ag/Ab ULTRA, Innotest HCV Ab IV enzyme immunoassay—EIA, and Ortho HCV 3.0 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay—ELISA) for the detection of HCV infection. Ninety plasma samples were collected, representing 63 samples from groups at risk for acquiring HCV infection and 27 HCV RNA-positive samples. The results of Ortho HCV 3.0 ELISA, Innotest HCV Ab IV, and Monolisa HCV Ag/Ab ULTRA were fully concordant for 27 HCV RNA-positive samples. Ortho HCV 3.0 ELISA test and Innotest HCV Ab IV also gave the same results for risk groups, while three samples were found to be reactive by Monolisa HCV Ag/Ab ULTRA and were consequently found negative for HCV RNA. As two of the solely Monolisa HCV Ag/Ab ULTRA-positive samples were also hepatitis B s antigen (HBsAg)-positive, neutralization of HBsAg was performed but no arguments for the HBsAg interference were observed. In conclusion, the non-specific reactive signal was observed, in three samples using Monolisa HCV Ag/Ab ULTRA, to be negative by other serological assays, and observed to be negative in an HCV RNA assessment, a result that could not be attributed to the interference with HBsAg. In the context of diagnostic testing, no test for various HCV genotypes was observed to be superior to any other. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-4 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0046-7 Authors Server Yagci, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, Belgium Elizaveta Padalko, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, Belgium Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Na + /H + antiporters are ubiquitous membrane proteins and play a central role in cell homeostasis including pH regulation, osmoregulation, and Na + /Li + tolerance in bacteria. The microbial communities in extremely hypersaline soil are an important resource for isolating Na + /H + antiporter genes. A metagenomic library containing 35,700 clones was constructed by using genomic DNA obtained from the hypersaline soil samples of Keke Salt Lake in Northwest of China. Two Na + /H + antiporters, K1-NhaD, and K2-NhaD belonging to NhaD family, were screened and cloned from this metagenome by complementing the triple mutant Escherichia coli strain KNabc ( nhaA − , nhaB − , chaA − ) in medium containing 0.2 M NaCl. K1-NhaD and K2-NhaD have 75.5% identity at the predicted amino acid sequence. K1-NhaD has 78% identity with Na + /H + antiporter NhaD from Halomonas elongate at the predicted amino acid sequence. The predicted K1-NhaD is a 53.5 kDa protein (487 amino acids) with 13 transmembrane helices. K2-NhaD has 73% identity with Alkalimonas amylolytica NhaD. The predicted K2-NhaD is a 55 kDa protein (495 amino acids) with 12 transmembrane helices. Both K1-NhaD and K2-NhaD could make the triple mutant E. coli KNabc ( nhaA − , nhaB − , chaA − ) grow in the LBK medium containing 0.2–0.6 M Na + or with 0.05–0.4 M Li + . Everted membrane vesicles prepared from E. coli KNabc cells carrying K1-NhaD or K2-NhaD exhibited Na + /H + and Li + /H + antiporter activities which were pH-dependent with the highest activity at pH 9.5. Little K + /H + antiporter activity was also detected in vesicles form E. coli KNabc carrying K1-NhaD or K2-NhaD. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0053-8 Authors Maio Gao, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 People’s Republic of China Lei Wang, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 People’s Republic of China San-feng Chen, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Arginine biosynthesis in Corynebacterium glutamicum proceeds via a pathway that is controlled by arginine through feedback inhibition of NAGK, the enzyme that converts N -acetyl- l -glutamate (NAG) to N -acety- l -glutamy- l -phosphate. In this study, the gene arg B encoding NAGK from C. glutamicum ATCC 13032 was site-directed, and the l -arginine-binding sites of feedback inhibition in Cglu_NAGK are described. The N-helix and C-terminal residues were first deleted, and the results indicated that they are both necessary for Cglu_NAGK, whereas, the complete N-helix deletion (the front 28 residues) abolished the l -arginine inhibition. Further, we study here the impact on these functions of 12 site-directed mutations affecting seven residues of Cglu_NAGK, chosen on the basis of homology structural alignment. The E19R, H26E, and H268N variants could increase the I 0.5 R 50–60 fold, and the G287D and R209A mutants could increase the I 0.5 R 30–40 fold. The E281A mutagenesis resulted in the substrate kinetics being greatly influenced. The W23A variant had a lower specific enzyme activity. These results explained that the five amino acid residues (E19, H26, R209, H268, and G287) located in or near N-helix are all essential for the formation of arginine inhibition. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0042-y Authors Meijuan Xu, The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province 214122, People’s Republic of China Zhiming Rao, The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province 214122, People’s Republic of China Wenfang Dou, The Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Medicine and Pharmaceutics, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122 People’s Republic of China Jian Jin, The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province 214122, People’s Republic of China Zhenghong Xu, The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province 214122, People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Escherichia coli strains are used in secondary metabolism research for DNA cloning and transferring plasmids by intergeneric conjugation. Non-restricting strains are desirable for DNA cloning and non-methylating strains are beneficial for transferring DNA to methyl-restricting hosts, like Streptomyces coelicolor . We have constructed a non-methylating E. coli strain, JTU007, by deleting the DNA methylation genes dcm and dam from the widely used non-restricting cloning host DH10B. JTU007 was tested as donor for the conjugative transfer of a plasmid containing the 39 kb actinorhodin biosynthesis gene cluster to S. lividans and S. coelicolor. The Dcm − Dam − strain JTU007 transferred DNA into S. coelicolor A(3)2 derivatives at high frequency. To demonstrate the usefulness of E. coli JTU007 for gene cloning, we constructed a comprehensive S. toxytricini genomic cosmid library, and transferred it using high-throughput conjugation to the methyl-restricting S. coelicolor . One of the cosmid clones produced a brown pigment, and the clone was revealed to carry a tyrosinase operon. JTU007 is more useful than ET12567 because it does not restrict methylated DNA in primary cloning, and gives higher transformation and cosmid infection frequencies. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0048-5 Authors Hao Zhou, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030 China Yemin Wang, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030 China Yanfei Yu, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030 China Tingli Bai, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030 China Li Chen, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030 China Pei Liu, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030 China Hang Guo, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030 China Chenchen Zhu, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030 China Meifeng Tao, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030 China Zixin Deng, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030 China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Helicobacter pylori is a highly successful human-specific gastric pathogen that infects up to 50% of the world’s population. Virulent H. pylori isolates harbor the cytotoxin-associated genes pathogenicity island ( cag -PAI), which encodes a type IV secretion system that translocates bacterial effector (e.g., CagA oncoprotein) molecules into host cells. Although some cag -PAI genes are shown to be required for CagA delivery or localization, the majority have no known function. In the current study, the authors performed a cell components fractionation assay and showed that CagI, one of the cag -PAI proteins located in the bacterial membrane, was not translocated into host cells. The homologous recombination method then was used to construct the isogenic mutant of H. pylori cagI, and the translocation assay was performed. The results showed that the isogenic mutant of H. pylori NCTC 11637 cagI could cause a reduction in the degree of CagA translocation. Overall, the results suggested that CagI might be an accessory component of the CagA secretion system not translocated into host cells and that it is located in the bacterial membrane. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0043-x Authors Hua Wang, School of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Jun Han, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Nanjing Children Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210008 Jiangsu, China Deyu Chen, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated to Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212011 Jiangsu, China Xiujie Duan, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated to Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212011 Jiangsu, China Xiaohuan Gao, School of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Xiaochun Wang, School of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Shihe Shao, School of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Discoloring biofilms from Cambodian temples Angkor Wat, Preah Khan, and the Bayon and West Prasat in Angkor Thom contained a microbial community dominated by coccoid cyanobacteria. Molecular analysis identified Chroococcidiopsis as major colonizer, but low similarity values (〈95%) suggested a similar genus or species not present in the databases. In only two of the six sites sampled were filamentous cyanobacteria, Microcoleus, Leptolyngbya, and Scytonema , found; the first two detected by sequencing of 16S rRNA gene library clones from samples of a moist green biofilm on internal walls in Preah Khan, where Lyngbya (possibly synonymous with Microcoleus ) was seen by direct microscopy as major colonizer. Scytonema was detected also by microscopy on an internal wall in the Bayon. This suggests that filamentous cyanobacteria are more prevalent in internal (high moisture) areas. Heterotrophic bacteria were found in all samples. DNA sequencing of bands from DGGE gels identified Proteobacteria ( Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Methylobacterium radiotolerans ) and Firmicutes ( Bacillus sp., Bacillus niacini , Bacillus sporothermodurans , Lysinibacillus fusiformis , Paenibacillus sp., Paenibacillus panacisoli , and Paenibacillus zanthoxyli ). Some of these bacteria produce organic acids, potentially degrading stone. Actinobacteria, mainly streptomycetes, were present in most samples; algae and fungi were rare. A dark-pigmented filamentous fungus was detected in internal and external Preah Khan samples, while the alga Trentepohlia was found only in samples taken from external, pink-stained stone at Preah Khan. Results show that these microbial biofilms are mature communities whose major constituents are resistant to dehydration and high levels of irradiation and can be involved in deterioration of sandstone. Such analyses are important prerequisites to the application of control strategies. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0034-y Authors Christine C. Gaylarde, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK César Hernández Rodríguez, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico, DF, Mexico Yendi E. Navarro-Noya, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico, DF, Mexico B. Otto Ortega-Morales, Departamento de Microbiologia Ambiental y Biotecnologia, CA-UNACAM-16 PROMEP DES de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Autonoma de Campeche, Av. Agustín Melgar s/n. Col. Lindavista, C.P. 24030 Campeche, Mexico Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Fungal surface hydrophobicity is involved in several functions in fungal growth and development. Water contact angles measurement has been used as a direct and simple approach for its characterisation in solid cultures. Microsphere adhesion assay is said to be the best method to assess cell hydrophobicity of filamentous fungi. This study aimed to apply these two methods to study hydrophobicity of Penicillium expansum and Penicillium brevicompactum grown as mycelial mats in solid culture, liquid culture and water biofilms. As result, both species in solid cultures were classified as hydrophobic with contact angles ≥90º, but in liquid cultures and water biofilms showed different levels of hydrophobicity when microsphere adhesion assay was applied. In addition, was found that biofilms have specific hydrophobic hyphae which may be involved in fungal ecological functions. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0037-8 Authors Virginia Siqueira, IBB-Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal Nelson Lima, IBB-Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Nitric oxide synthase (NOS), the enzyme responsible for the production of endogenous nitric oxide from arginine, has been recently discovered in a number of Gram-positive bacteria. While bacterial NOS has been implicated in mediating nitrosative stress, much remains unknown about the functional role of endogenous nitric oxide in bacteria. Using the known NOS inhibitor aminoguanidine, we examined changes in the protein expression profile using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Treatment with aminoguanidine induced several changes in protein expression in Bacillus subtilis . In particular, mreB-like protein (Mbl) was fully down-regulated in the aminoguanidine-treated samples. The expression of Mbl was also examined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Mbl was found to be fully down-regulated at the transcriptional level as well. Given the role that Mbl plays in the maintenance of cytoskeletal structure, it appears that bacterial NOS may participate in specific biosynthetic pathways with ramifications toward the regulation of antibiotic resistance. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0039-6 Authors Erin Treece, Department of Chemistry, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA Andrew Pinkham, Department of Chemistry, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA Thomas Kim, Department of Chemistry, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Holcoglossum is one of the smaller genera of Orchidaceae, mainly distributed in southwest China. Some members of this genus as well as H. rupestre and H. flavescens are endemic and rare Chinese orchids. As far as we know, little work has been done concerning the relationships between the Holcoglossum plants and endophytic microorganisms. In this study, 46 culturable fungal endophytes were isolated and identified from roots of nine Holcoglossum plants collected from Yunnan, Guangxi, and Hainan provinces of China based on molecular techniques. The results showed that all strains belonged to four classes, i.e., Sordariomycetes (41.30%), Dothideomycetes (36.96%), Agaricomycetes (17.39%), Leotiomycetes (4.35%). Thirty-six strains were identified at the genus level, including Alternaria , Cladosporium , Clonostachys , Colletotrichum , Cosmospora , Cryptosporiopsis , Cylindrocarpon , Didymella , Epulorhiza (Anamorphic Tulasnella ), Fusarium , Myrmecridium , Leptosphaeria , Paraconiothyrium , Phomopsis , Pyrenochaeta , and Stephanonectria . Fusarium and Epulorhiza (Anamorphic Tulasnella ) were the dominant fungal endophytes. Some orchids mycorrhizal fungi as well as Tulasnell a calospora and Epulorhiza sp. were found in roots. This is the first report concerning endophytic fungi from Holcoglossum plants (Orchidaceae), suggesting that endophytic fungi in Holcoglossum plants are very abundant. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0045-8 Authors Xiao-Ming Tan, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, No. 151, Malianwa North Road, Haidian, Beijing, 100193 China Xiao-Mei Chen, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, No. 151, Malianwa North Road, Haidian, Beijing, 100193 China Chun-Lan Wang, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, No. 151, Malianwa North Road, Haidian, Beijing, 100193 China Xiao-Hua Jin, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China Jin-Long Cui, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, No. 151, Malianwa North Road, Haidian, Beijing, 100193 China Juan Chen, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, No. 151, Malianwa North Road, Haidian, Beijing, 100193 China Shun-Xing Guo, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, No. 151, Malianwa North Road, Haidian, Beijing, 100193 China Li-Fang Zhao, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, No. 151, Malianwa North Road, Haidian, Beijing, 100193 China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    This study was taken up with a view to generate basic information on spore hardiness to ethanol in various Bacillus species and related genera, and to assess the effectiveness of different levels of ethanol as a bacterial disinfectant. Predominantly spore-bearing cultures of five Bacillus spp. ( B. pumilus , B. subtilis , B. megaterium , B. fusiformis and B. flexus ) that were isolated from the spent-alcohol used during plant tissue culture work were challenged with aqueous ethanol (25, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90% v/v) in 1 ml volumes at 10 10−11  CFU ml −1 . Monitoring the spore endurance through spotting and plating revealed prolonged tolerance (〉12 months) at different alcohol levels depending on the organism except in 90% where no survival was observed beyond 2–12 months. Spores of related genera like Paenibacillus and Lysinibacillus also showed long-term ethanol survival. Alcohol tolerance of spore-forming organisms depended on the extent of spores and spore hardiness, which in turn varied with the organism, strain, age of culture, growing conditions and other factors as authenticated with ATCC strains of B. pumilus and B. subtilis . Aqueous 90% ethanol caused instant inactivation of vegetative cells in different spore formers and twelve other non-sporulating Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms tested. Taking into account both vegetative cells and spores, the appropriate concentration of ethanol as a disinfectant emerged to be 90% followed by absolute ethanol compared with the generally recommended 70–80% level. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0040-0 Authors Pious Thomas, Division of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hessarghatta Lake, Bangalore, 560 089 India Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Salmonella causes the majority of infections in humans and homeothermic animals. This article describes a specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method developed for a rapid identification of Salmonella . A gyrB -targeted species-specific primer pair, S-P-for (5′-GGT GGT TTC CGT AAA AGT A-3′) and S-P-rev (5′-GAA TCG CCT GGT TCT TGC-3′), was successfully designed. PCR with all the Salmonella strains produced a 366- bp DNA fragment that was absent from all the non- Salmonella strains tested. The detection limit of the PCR was 0.01 ng with genomic DNA or 3.2 cells per assay. Good specificity was also demonstrated by fecal samples, from which only the gyrB gene of Salmonella was amplified. Using the culture-PCR method, 27 isolates on Salmonella - Shigella (SS) medium were rapidly identified as Salmonella , which was confirmed by the sequencing of the gyrB gene. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0007-1 Authors Xuhong Ye, State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing East Road, 71, Nanjing, 210008 People’s Republic of China Yiming Wang, State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing East Road, 71, Nanjing, 210008 People’s Republic of China Xiangui Lin, State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing East Road, 71, Nanjing, 210008 People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Chlorothalonil (TPN; 2,4,5,6-tetrachloroisophthalonitrile) has been widely used as a broad-spectrum chlorinated aromatic fungicide and its application resulted in global pollution commonly detected in the diverse ecosystems. Recently, microbial degradation of TPN has been studied extensively as an effective and environmental-friendly method to reduce TPN residue levels in the environment. This review summarizes the current knowledge of recent developments in the biodegradation of TPN. Diverse pure culture strains capable of degrading TPN were widely distributed among Proteobacteria and several metabolic pathways of TPN biotransformation were discovered. The two key genes (glutathione S -transferase and chlorothalonil hydrolytic dehalogenase coding gene) responsible for the conversion of TPN and recent findings for future practical bioremediation of TPN-contaminated ecosystem are also discussed. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0001-7 Authors Guangli Wang, Department of Microbiology, Key Laboratory of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Bin Liang, Department of Microbiology, Key Laboratory of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Feng Li, Anhui Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Biology, College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, 235000 Anhui, People’s Republic of China Shunpeng Li, Department of Microbiology, Key Laboratory of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    2-Phenylethanol (2-PE) can be produced from l -phenylalanine ( l -Phe) with the oxidation degradation of ethanol by active dry yeast. In this study, the catalysis effect of ethanol on biotransforming l -Phe into 2-PE by yeast was evaluated and optimized. The results indicated that increasing ethanol concentration was beneficial for enhancing 2-PE concentration but lowered the 2-PE productivity. Initial ethanol concentration above 25 g/l could strongly inhibit the 2-PE production. To obtain 2-PE with desirable concentrations with an economical operation mode, three fed-batch biotransformation operation methods using ethanol or/and glucose were carried out in a solid–liquid two-phase system. When using ethanol alone with the initial concentration of 10 g/l, the total concentration and overall productivity of 2-PE were 7.6 g/l and 0.065 g l −1  h −1 , respectively. Furthermore, an experiment with controlled glucose solely (higher than 2 g/l) was finished. In this case, phenylacetaldehyde (PA) was detected along with ethanol accumulation, suggesting that reaction of PA → 2-PE in Ehrlich pathway was inhibited. To further enhance 2-PE production by using glucose only, a novel operation strategy to simultaneously control rates of glucose glycolysis and ethanol oxidative degradation with the aid of ISPR techniques was developed. With this strategy, 2-PE concentration and yield based on glucose consumption reached a higher level of 14.8 g/l and 0.12 g-PE/g-glucose, respectively, and these are the highest values reported up to date with the fed-batch biotransformation operation mode. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0008-0 Authors Shaofeng Rong, School of Perfume and Aroma Technology, Shanghai Institute of Technology, No. 120, Cao-Board Road, Shanghai, 200235 China Baomei Ding, School of Perfume and Aroma Technology, Shanghai Institute of Technology, No. 120, Cao-Board Road, Shanghai, 200235 China Xiaoli Zhang, School of Perfume and Aroma Technology, Shanghai Institute of Technology, No. 120, Cao-Board Road, Shanghai, 200235 China Xuesong Zheng, School of Perfume and Aroma Technology, Shanghai Institute of Technology, No. 120, Cao-Board Road, Shanghai, 200235 China Yifei Wang, School of Perfume and Aroma Technology, Shanghai Institute of Technology, No. 120, Cao-Board Road, Shanghai, 200235 China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The proteolytic regulation of toxin–antitoxin (TA) systems has been well studied in Escherichia coli but remains unclear in other bacteria. A chromosomal gene pair ssr1114/slr0664 , named relNEs , of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 forms a TA system belonging to rel family. Here, we used E. coli strain BL21 (DE3) as a host to characterize the proteolytic regulation of relNEs . The proteases of this strain could not degrade the antitoxin RelN, and the ectopic production of the ATP-dependant protease Lons or ClpP2s/Xs of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 did not affect E. coli growth. Either Lons or ClpP2s/Xs was able to degrade RelN resulting in growth arrest of E. coli due to the activation of RelEs’s toxicity, and the presence of RelEs could protect RelN to a certain extent against Lons and ClpP2s/Xs. Our observations suggest that both Lons and ClpP2s/Xs are responsible for RelN proteolysis in the native host under certain conditions. RelN is the first protein substrate identified for cyanobacterial ATP-dependent proteases. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0011-5 Authors Degang Ning, Department of Environment Sciences, School of Environment, Jiangsu University, Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013 Jiangsu, China Sen Ye, Department of Environment Sciences, School of Environment, Jiangsu University, Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013 Jiangsu, China Biao Liu, Department of Environment Sciences, School of Environment, Jiangsu University, Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013 Jiangsu, China Jianing Chang, Department of Environment Sciences, School of Environment, Jiangsu University, Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013 Jiangsu, China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    LysGH15, a phage endolysin, exhibits a particularly broad lytic spectrum against Staphylococcus aureus , especially methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Sequence analysis reveals that this endolysin contains a C-terminal cell wall binding domain (SH3b), which causes the endolysin to bind to host strains. In this study, the substrate binding affinity of the SH3b domain (LysGH15B) was evaluated. A fusion protein of LysGH15B and green fluorescent protein (LysGH15B–GFP) were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli . Laser scanning confocal microscopy was used to detect the fluorescence of the treated cells irradiated at different excitation wavelengths and to determine the binding activity of LysGH15B–GFP and GFP. We found that LysGH15B–GFP not only generated green fluorescence, but, more importantly, also displayed specific affinity to staphylococcal isolates, especially MRSA. In contrast, the single GFP did not display any binding activity. The high affinity was attributed to the portion of LysGH15B and the binding activity of the fusion protein was specific to staphylococci. This study provides an insight into the SH3b domain of LysGH15. The specific binding activity may cause LysGH15B to serve as an anchoring device, and offer an alternative approach for cell surface attachment onto staphylococci. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0018-y Authors Jingmin Gu, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Xi’an Road 5333#, Changchun, 130062 People’s Republic of China Rong Lu, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Xi’an Road 5333#, Changchun, 130062 People’s Republic of China Xiaohe Liu, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Xi’an Road 5333#, Changchun, 130062 People’s Republic of China Wenyu Han, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Xi’an Road 5333#, Changchun, 130062 People’s Republic of China Liancheng Lei, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Xi’an Road 5333#, Changchun, 130062 People’s Republic of China Yu Gao, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Xi’an Road 5333#, Changchun, 130062 People’s Republic of China Honglei Zhao, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Xi’an Road 5333#, Changchun, 130062 People’s Republic of China Yue Li, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Xi’an Road 5333#, Changchun, 130062 People’s Republic of China Yuwen Diao, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Xi’an Road 5333#, Changchun, 130062 People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) was designed for detection of Listeria monocytogenes , which is an important food-borne kind of pathogenic bacteria causing human and animal disease. The primers set for the hly A gene consist of six primers targeting eight regions on specific gene. The LAMP assay could be performed within 40 min at 65°C in a water bath. Amplification products were visualized by calcein and manganous ion and agarose gel electrophoresis. Sensitivity of the LAMP assay for detection of L. monocytogenes in pure cultures was 2.0 CFU per reaction. The LAMP assay was 100-fold higher sensitive than that of the conventional PCR assay. Taking this way, 60 chicken samples were investigated for L. monocytogenes . The accuracy of LAMP was shown to be 100% when compared to the “gold standard” culture-biotechnical, while the PCR assay failed to detect L. monocytogenes in two of the positive samples. It is shown that LAMP assay can be used as a sensitive, rapid, and simple detection tool for the detection of L. monocytogenes and will facilitate the surveillance for contamination of L. monocytogenes in food. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0013-3 Authors Meng-Jun Tang, Poultry Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangsu, China Sheng Zhou, Poultry Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangsu, China Xiao-Yan Zhang, Poultry Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangsu, China Jun-Hua Pu, Poultry Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangsu, China Qing-Lian Ge, Poultry Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangsu, China Xiu-Jun Tang, Poultry Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangsu, China Yu-Shi Gao, Poultry Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangsu, China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The study provides molecular analyses of fecal microbiota of diarrhea patients infected with four different types of viruses. Fecal specimens from 52 patients with viral diarrhea (13 each of adenovirus, norovirus, rotavirus, and astrovirus) and six healthy individuals were collected and etiological viral agent was confirmed by enzyme immunoassay and specific PCR. To assess the changes in microbial diversity in patients with viral diarrhea, DNA from stool were extracted and characterized by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) with universal primers specific for the V3 region of 16S rRNA gene. The strongest bands of the DGGE profiling were excised and sequenced to identify the dominant groups. Bacteroides vulgatus , Bifidobacterium , and Lactobacillus genera were also enumerated by real time PCR. The results revealed that bacterial diversity and similarity in feces from viral diarrhea groups were significantly lower (mean H ′ / H max ¢ 0.89–0.94, 29–43, respectively) as compared with those of healthy individuals (mean H ′ / H max ¢ 1.36, 59, respectively). Sequencing of dominant bands affirmed that diarrhea groups were mainly comprised of phylum Firmicutes, such as genera Enterococcus , Peptostreptococcaceae incertae sedi , Streptococcus , Weissella, and Clostridium , and opportunistically pathogenic genus Shigella , while dominant group in healthy individuals was phylum Bacteroidetes. Copy number of Bacteroides vulgatus , Bifidobacterium , and Lactobacillus genera was also reduced significantly in viral diarrhea groups as compared to healthy group. It is concluded that opportunistic pathogens increases, while other species of commensal microbiota decrease significantly in the viral diarrhea patients and dysbacteriosis is dependent on type of virus infection. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9972-7 Authors Chaofeng Ma, Department of Immunology and Pathogenic Biology, Molecular Bacteriology Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases of Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University, 76 Yanta West Road, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710061, China Xiaokang Wu, Department of Immunology and Pathogenic Biology, Molecular Bacteriology Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases of Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University, 76 Yanta West Road, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710061, China Muhammad Nawaz, Department of Immunology and Pathogenic Biology, Molecular Bacteriology Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases of Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University, 76 Yanta West Road, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710061, China Jinsong Li, Xi’an Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710054, China Pengbo Yu, Department of Immunology and Pathogenic Biology, Molecular Bacteriology Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases of Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University, 76 Yanta West Road, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710061, China John E. Moore, Northern Ireland Public Health Laboratory, Department of Bacteriology, Belfast City Hospital, Lisburn Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT9 7AD, UK Jiru Xu, Department of Immunology and Pathogenic Biology, Molecular Bacteriology Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases of Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University, 76 Yanta West Road, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710061, China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Tetratricopeptide- and sel1-like repeat (SLR) proteins modulate various cellular activities, ranging from transcription regulation to cell-fate control. Helicobacter cysteine-rich proteins (Hcp) consist of several SLRs that are cross-linked by disulfide bridges and have been implicated in host/pathogen interactions. Using pull-down proteomics, several human proteins including Nek9, Hsp90, and Hsc71 have been identified as putative human interaction partners for HcpC. The interaction between the NimA-like protein kinase Nek9 and HcpC has been validated by ELISA and surface plasmon resonance. Recombinant Nek9 is recognized by HcpC with a dissociation constant in the lower micromolar range. This interaction is formed either directly between Nek9 and HcpC or via the formation of a complex with Hsc71. The HcpC homologue HcpA possesses no affinity for Nek9, suggesting that the reported interaction is rather specific for HcpC. These results are consistent with previous observations where Nek9 was targeted upon bacterial or viral invasion. However, further experiments will be required to show that the reported interactions also occur in vivo. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9969-2 Authors Bernd Roschitzki, Functional Genomics Center Zurich, UZH / ETH Zürich, Winterthurerstr. 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland Stefan Schauer, Functional Genomics Center Zurich, UZH / ETH Zürich, Winterthurerstr. 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland Peer R. E. Mittl, Department of Biochemistry, University of Zürich, Winterthurer Str. 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    A multiple herbicide-resistant acetohydroxyacid synthase (rAHAS) gene was cloned from Pseudomonas sp. Lm10. Sequence analysis showed that the rAHAS regulatory subunit was identical to that of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 (sensitive AHAS, sAHAS), whereas six different sites [H134→N (rAHAS→sAHAS), A135→P, S136→T, I210→V, F264→Y, and S486→W] were found in the catalytic subunit. The rAHAS and sAHAS were over expressed, purified and characterized. rAHAS showed higher resistance to four kinds of AHAS-inhibitor herbicides than sAHAS. The resistance factor of rAHAS was 56.0-fold, 12.6-fold, 6.5-fold, and 9.2-fold as compared with sAHAS when metsulfuron-methyl, imazethapyr, flumetsulam, and pyriminobac-methyl used as inhibitor, respectively. The specific activity of rAHAS was lower than that of sAHAS and the K m value of rAHAS for pyruvate was approximately onefold higher than the corresponding value for sAHAS. Data from site-directed mutagenesis demonstrated that alteration at A135, F264, and S486 resulted in resistance reduction, while the mutation at H134, S136, and I210 has little effect on the resistance. A135 was mainly responsible for resistance to imidazolinone; F264 conferred resistance to sulfonylurea and triazolopyrimidine sulfonamide; and S486 showed multiple herbicides resistance to the four herbicides. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9953-x Authors Zhi-Fei Lang, College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Jing-Jing Shen, Key Laboratory of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Life Sciences College of Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Shu Cai, Key Laboratory of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Life Sciences College of Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Jun Zhang, Key Laboratory of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Life Sciences College of Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Jian He, Key Laboratory of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Life Sciences College of Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Shun-Peng Li, Key Laboratory of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Life Sciences College of Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Wireworms, the polyphagous larvae of click beetles belonging to the genus Agriotes (Coleoptera: Elateridae) , are severe and widespread agricultural pests affecting numerous crops. A previously unknown intracellular bacterium has been identified in a diseased Agriotes larva. Microscopic studies revealed the subcellular structures characteristic of Rickettsiella infections. Molecular phylogenetic analysis based on 16S ribosomal RNA and signal recognition particle receptor (FtsY) encoding sequences demonstrates that the wireworm pathogen belongs to the taxonomic genus Rickettsiella . Therefore, the new pathotype designation ‘ R. agriotidis ’ is proposed to refer to this organism. Moreover, genetic analysis makes it likely that—on the basis of the currently accepted organization of the genus Rickettsiella —this new pathotype should be considered a synonym of the nomenclatural type species, Rickettsiella popilliae . Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9958-5 Authors Andreas Leclerque, Institute for Biological Control, Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Heinrichstraße 243, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany Regina G. Kleespies, Institute for Biological Control, Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Heinrichstraße 243, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany Claudia Ritter, State Institute for Agriculture and Fishing Research Mecklenburg-West Pomerania (LFA), Centre for Field Vegetable Production (GKZ), Dorfplatz 1, 18276 Gülzow, Germany Christina Schuster, Institute for Biological Control, Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Heinrichstraße 243, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany Simon Feiertag, Institute for Biological Control, Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Heinrichstraße 243, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    As the first line of host defense, inflammatory responses in response to bacterial infection are initiated by the production of a range of mediators. Infection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been shown to stimulate the production of bradykinin (BK), which is known as a universal mediator for the induction of inflammatory reaction via the predominant interaction with the bradykinin B2 receptor (B2R). Thus, the interaction between BK and B2R represents an important host innate response against invading P. aeruginosa . However, the contribution of P. aeruginosa to the up-regulation of B2R expression remains unclear. Here, we report that P. aeruginosa is potent in inducing the expression of B2R at the mRNA and protein levels in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Components produced and secreted from P. aeruginosa could play an essential role in inducing B2R expression, and the secreted components are not under the control of Type III secretion system or quorum sensing. B2R expression in response to P. aeruginosa is mediated by the induction of cellular signaling that leads to the activation of transcription factor NF-κB. Thus, this study demonstrates that P. aeruginosa is able to up-regulate the expression of B2R during infection via the NF-κB signaling pathway. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9959-4 Authors Hee-Sung Shin, Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Korea University, Jochiwon, Yeongi, Chungnam 339-700, Republic of Korea Un-Hwan Ha, Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Korea University, Jochiwon, Yeongi, Chungnam 339-700, Republic of Korea Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    SACE_7040 is presumed to be a member of the TetR family of transcriptional regulators in Saccharopolyspora erythraea , but its biological function is unknown. It was shown that the SACE_7040 gene knockout mutant formed aerial mycelium earlier than its original strain, and this phenotype could be restored by complementation of a single copy of SACE_7040 gene, demonstrating that SACE_7040 is an important regulator of the morphological differentiation of Sac . erythraea. When SACE_7040 gene was disrupted in the bldD mutant, we intriguingly found that the defect in aerial development exhibited by the bldD mutant could be overcome, suggesting a crosstalk between SACE_7040 and BldD in Sac . erythraea morphogenesis. These findings provide novel insights toward the Sac . erythraea developmental biology. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9943-z Authors Shu Han, School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Jiu Long Road No. 111, Hefei, 230601 China Ping Song, School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Jiu Long Road No. 111, Hefei, 230601 China Ting Ren, School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Jiu Long Road No. 111, Hefei, 230601 China Xunduan Huang, School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Jiu Long Road No. 111, Hefei, 230601 China Cheng Cao, Institute of Bioengineering, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Fengtaidongdajie Road No. 20, Beijing, 100071 China Buchang Zhang, School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Jiu Long Road No. 111, Hefei, 230601 China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The present study reports the economic production of thermostable chitinase production from Oerskovia xanthineolytica NCIM 2839 by solid-state fermentation (SSF) technique and its application in fungal protoplasts formation. The Oerskovia xanthineolytica NCIM 2839 was found to produce thermostable chitinase 148 U g −1 of solid substrate in SSF using wheat bran with colloidal chitin as base. Protoplasts of A . niger were formed by using crude chitinase produced in SSF and formed protoplasts were confirmed by using scanning electron microscopy. This is the simple and economical method for protoplast formation which makes it possible applications in strain improvement of various fungi by protoplasts fusion in Biotechnological industries. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9978-1 Authors Shailesh R. Waghmare, Department of Microbiology, Shivaji University, Vidyanagar, Kolhapur 416004, India Swaroop S. Kulkarni, Department of Microbiology, Shivaji University, Vidyanagar, Kolhapur 416004, India Jai S. Ghosh, Department of Microbiology, Shivaji University, Vidyanagar, Kolhapur 416004, India Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Wolbachia are cytoplasmically inherited alpha-proteobacteria well known for inducing a variety of reproductive abnormalities in the diverse arthropod hosts they infect. Despite their obligate intracellular lifestyle which usually protects bacteria from phage infection, Wolbachia harbor a widespread temperate phage called WO. Evidences of horizontal phage transfers indicate that this phage could promote genetic exchanges between strains leading to evolutionary changes in the genomes of Wolbachia , and could be involved in the phenotypes these bacteria induced. In this study, we report the survey of Wolbachia and WO phage infections in 20 populations of the Uzifly Exorista sorbillans , a tachinid endoparasite of silkworm Bombyx mori , collected from different geographic regions of India. Previous studies demonstrated that Wolbachia is associated with positive reproductive fitness effects in this species. Polymerase chain reaction using the ftsZ gene encoding for a Wolbachia cell division protein and the orf7 capsid protein gene of the phage showed that all flies checked were infected by Wolbachia and its phage WO. Phylogenetic analyses based on the Wolbachia surface protein gene revealed 100% of double infections by the arthropod supergroups A and B. These results can serve as a valuable basis for understanding the evolution of Wolbachia bacteria and may provide information about the dynamics of Wolbachia –host associations. This knowledge could be exploited for the use of Wolbachia for effective control strategies of the Uzifly, a serious menace of the silkworm B. mori. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9973-6 Authors Nadipinayakanahalli Munikrishnappa Guruprasad, Department of Sericulture & Biological Sciences, Bangalore University, Bangalore, 560056 India Laurence Mouton, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR CNRS 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon1, 43 Bd du 11 Novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France Sumithra, Department of Sericulture & Biological Sciences, Bangalore University, Bangalore, 560056 India Hosagavi Puttegowda Puttaraju, Department of Sericulture & Biological Sciences, Bangalore University, Bangalore, 560056 India Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    To improve our understanding of the changes in bacterial and fungal diversity in natural pine and planted forests in subtropical region of China, we examined bacterial and fungal communities from a native and a nearby planted pine forest of the Mt. Lushan by constructing clone libraries of 16S and 18S rRNA genes. For bacterial communities, Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria were dominant bacterial taxa in both two types of forest soils. The Shannon–Wiener diversity index, rarefaction curve analysis, and LibShuff analysis suggest that these two forests contained similar diversity of bacterial communities. Low soil acidity (pH ≈ 4) of our study forests might be one of the most important selection factors determining growth of acidophilic Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria . However, the natural forest harbored greater level of fungal diversity than the planted forest according to the Shannon–Wiener diversity index and rarefaction curve analysis. Basidiomycota and Ascomycota were dominant fungal taxa in the soils of natural and planted forests, respectively. Our results suggest that fungal community was more sensitive than the bacterial community in characterizing the differences in plant cover impacts on the microbial flora in the natural and planted forests. The natural and planted forests may function differently due to the differences in soil fungal diversity and relative abundance. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0031-1 Authors Ming Nie, Centre for Watershed Ecology, Institute of Life Science and Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031 People’s Republic of China Han Meng, Department of Microbiology and Microbial Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433 People’s Republic of China Ke Li, Department of Microbiology and Microbial Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433 People’s Republic of China Jia-Rong Wan, Centre for Watershed Ecology, Institute of Life Science and Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031 People’s Republic of China Zhe-Xue Quan, Department of Microbiology and Microbial Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433 People’s Republic of China Chang-Ming Fang, Institute of Biodiversity Science and Research Institute for the Changing Global Environment, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433 People’s Republic of China Jia-Kuan Chen, Centre for Watershed Ecology, Institute of Life Science and Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031 People’s Republic of China Bo Li, Centre for Watershed Ecology, Institute of Life Science and Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031 People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Zygomycetes such as Cunninghamella elegans seem to be promising biosorbents for pollutants removal from wastewaters because of their particular cell wall characteristics. In this article the effect of ten culture media on C. elegans biomass composition was investigated by means of Fourier transform infra red spectroscopy (FTIR). Biomasses grown on starches from potatoes and cereals were characterised by high amount of chitin and polysaccharides, the glucose gave rise to a biomass rich in acidic polysaccharides and lipids. By contrast, biomasses grown on corn steep liquor were poor in acidic polysaccharides and, when N sources and micronutrients were added, rich in proteins. The lipid content of the biomass generally increased by halving nutrients. Biosorption yields of these biomasses towards four wastewater models were assessed in terms of colour, salts and toxicity reduction. The biomasses rich in proteins and acid polysaccharides were less effective in removing reactive and direct dyes, whereas those rich in cationic polysaccharides showed a higher affinity for these dyes. Both chromatography and FTIR analyses showed that biomasses cultured in halved C and N had the highest affinity for salts. The wastewaters detoxification was quite always achieved, with values often lower that the Italian legal threshold limit. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0017-z Authors Valeria Tigini, Department of Plant Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy Valeria Prigione, Department of Plant Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy Ilaria Donelli, Stazione Sperimentale per la Seta, Milan, Italy Giuliano Freddi, Stazione Sperimentale per la Seta, Milan, Italy Giovanna Cristina Varese, Department of Plant Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    In previous studies, our group developed a method based on Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy and Image Analysis (CLSM-IA) to analyze the diversity and biomass of cyanobacteria in microbial mats. However, this method cannot be applied to heterotrophic microorganisms, as these do not have autofluorescence. In this article, we present a method that combines CLSM-IA and Hoechst 33342 and SYTOX Green fluorochromes (FLU-CLSM-IA) to determine the viability and biomass of Micrococcus luteus DE2008, isolated from a saline microbial mat (Ebro Delta, Tarragona, Spain). The method has been applied to assess the effect of salinity on this microorganism. A reduction in viability and biomass (live cells) was observed as the salt concentration increases. The largest effect was at 100‰ NaCl with a cell death of 27.25% and a decrease in total and individual biomass of 39.75 and 0.009 mgC/cm 3 , respectively, both with respect to optimal growth (10 ‰ NaCl). On the other hand, another important contribution of this article was that combining the FLU-CLSM-IA results with those achieved by plate counts enabled us to determine, for first time, the viability and the total biomass of the “dormant cells” (66.75% of viability and 40.59 mgC/cm 3 of total biomass at 100‰ NaCl). FLU-CLSM-IA is an efficient, fast, and reliable method for making a total count of cells at pixel level, including the dormant cells, to evaluate the viability and the biomass of a hetetrophic microorganism, M. luteus DE2008. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0033-z Authors Zully M. Puyen, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain Eduard Villagrasa, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain Juan Maldonado, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain Isabel Esteve, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain Antonio Solé, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The capability for biofilm and quorum-sensing (QS) signaling production among Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were evaluated. A total of 231 isolates were recovered from sputa of cystic fibrosis (CF, n  = 104) and non-CF (non-CF, n  = 127) patients. One hundred ninety-seven (85.3%; 95% CI 80.1–89.3%) were biofilm producers and 157 (68%; 95% CI 61.7–73.6%) were weak QS-producing. No difference was observed between CF and non-CF isolates regarding the ability to produce biofilm and QS-signaling. Interestingly, the degree of QS production appears to be related to the degree of biofilm production. Thus, blocking QS pathways may be crucial in the prevention and treatment of biofilm-related infections. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-4 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-0041-z Authors Leandro Reus Rodrigues Perez, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculdade de Farmácia, UFRGS, Av. Ipiranga 2752, Porto Alegre, Brazil Ana Lúcia Peixoto de Freitas, Clinical Analysis Department, Faculdade de Farmácia, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil Afonso Luís Barth, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculdade de Farmácia, UFRGS, Av. Ipiranga 2752, Porto Alegre, Brazil Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description: Erratum to: Photorhabdus luminescens subsp. kleinii subsp. nov. (Enterobacteriales: Enterobacteriaceae) Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-1 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9907-3 Authors Ruisheng An, Department of Entomology, OARDC, The Ohio State University, 1680 Madison Ave, Wooster, OH 44691, USA Parwinder S. Grewal, Department of Entomology, OARDC, The Ohio State University, 1680 Madison Ave, Wooster, OH 44691, USA Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Populations of marine red yeast from shrimps and the environments of shrimp culture were investigated from various areas at Zhanjiang in China. All strains were studied for the production of biomass and carotenoids. We isolated 88 marine red yeast strains and the average populations of marine red yeast in seawater and the water from shrimp culture ponds were 70.0 and 172.4 CFU per 100 ml water, respectively. For shrimp samples, average populations of marine red yeast from gills, intestines, and stomachs were 178.0, 15.0, and 8.0 CFU per shrimp, respectively. The isolates were grouped into nine species belonging to three genera as follows: Rhodosporidium , Rhodotorula , and Sporidiobolus . R. sphaerocarpum had the highest average biomass yield (10.3 ± 0.88 g/l), followed by S. ruineniae (10.1 g/l) and Rh. mucilaginosa (9.9 ± 1.75 g/l). R. paludigenum had the highest average carotenoid yield (2.83 ± 0.589 mg/l), followed by S. pararoseus (2.72 mg/l) and R. sphaerocarpum (2.59 ± 0.454 mg/l). The results showed that marine red yeasts were normal microbial components in the environments of shrimp culture and shrimps, and carotenoids are abundant in these marine red yeast. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9910-8 Authors Shi-Ping Yang, Marine Development and Research Center of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China Zao-He Wu, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China Ji-Chang Jian, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The taxonomic position of a Gram-positive, endo-spore forming bacterium isolated from a haematite ore sample was analyzed by a polyphasic approach. The strain designated as HIO-4 T matched most of the phenotypic and chemical characteristics of the genus Cohnella and represents a novel species. The sequence of the almost complete 16S rRNA (1489 bases) was compared with those of previously studied Cohnella type strains and confirmed that the strain belongs to the genus Cohnella . Strain HIO-4 T differs from all other species of Cohnella by at least 3.9% at the 16S rRNA level and the moderately related species are Cohnella phaseoli (96.1%) and Cohnella yongneupensis (96.1%), respectively. Predominant polar lipids are diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE); few unknown phospholipids, mannose containing lipid, aminophospholipid and aminophosphoglycolipids. The results of physiological and biochemical tests allowed the genotypic and phenotypic distinctiveness of strain HIO-4 T with its phylogenetic relatives and suggest that the strain HIO-4 T should be recognized as a novel species, for which the name Cohnella ferri sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is HIO-4 T (=MTCC 8365 T  = JCM 16139 T ) Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9917-1 Authors Shanmugam Mayilraj, MTCC-Microbial Type Culture Collection & Gene Bank, Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, 160036 India Arunachalam Ruckmani, MTCC-Microbial Type Culture Collection & Gene Bank, Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, 160036 India Chandandeep Kaur, MTCC-Microbial Type Culture Collection & Gene Bank, Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, 160036 India Ishwinder Kaur, MTCC-Microbial Type Culture Collection & Gene Bank, Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, 160036 India Hans Peter-Klenk, DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    A novel aerobic mesophilic bacterial strain SYBC-H1 T capable of degrading chitin was isolated and classified in this study. The strain exhibited strong chitinolytic activity and was a Gram-negative, curved, rod-shaped, and motile bacterium. Growth of this strain was observed between 10 and 41°C and between pH 3.5 and 9.5. The DNA G + C content of strain SYBC-H1 T was 53.25 mol%. The cellular fatty acids (〉5%) were 12:0 iso 3-OH (5.87%), 16:0 (28.16%), and 18:1ω7c (20.48%). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity revealed that strain SYBC-H1 T belonged to the family Neisseriaceae , and was distantly related (95.0% similarity) to the genus Chitiniphilus . Its phenotype was unique and genetic and phylogenetic analysis experiments suggested that strain SYBC-H1 T represented the type strain (CGMCC 3438 T , ATCC BAA-2140 T ) of a novel genus, for which the name Chitinolyticbacter meiyuanensis SYBC-H1 T gen. nov., sp. nov. was proposed. The highest enzymatic activity of chitinase (9.6 U/ml) was obtained at 72 h in 250 ml shake flasks. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of SYBC-H1 T has been deposited in GenBank under the accession number GQ981314. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9921-5 Authors Zhikui Hao, The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122 People’s Republic of China Yujie Cai, The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122 People’s Republic of China Xiangru Liao, The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122 People’s Republic of China Xiaohui Liang, Energy Research Institute of Shandong Academy of Sciences, Jinan, 250014 People’s Republic of China Jiayang Liu, The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122 People’s Republic of China Zhiyou Fang, Department of Cell Biology and Cell Dynamics Program, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA Mingming Hu, The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122 People’s Republic of China Dabing Zhang, Jiangsu Hanbon Science & Technology Co. Ltd, Huai’an, 223001 Jiangsu People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Biofilm-related infections have become a major clinical concern. Typically, animal models that involve inoculation with planktonic bacteria have been used to create positive infection signals and examine antimicrobial strategies for eradicating or preventing biofilm-related infection. However, it is estimated that 99.9% of bacteria in nature dwell in established biofilms. As such, open wounds have significant potential to become contaminated with bacteria that reside in a well-established biofilm. In this study, a modified CDC biofilm reactor was developed to repeatably grow mature biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus on the surface of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) membranes for inoculation in a future animal model of orthopaedic implant biofilm-related infection. Results indicated that uniform, mature biofilms repeatably grew on the surface of the PEEK membranes. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9908-2 Authors Dustin L. Williams, Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA Kassie L. Woodbury, Department of Veterans Affairs, Bone and Joint Research Laboratory (151F), Salt Lake City, UT USA Bryan S. Haymond, Department of Veterans Affairs, Bone and Joint Research Laboratory (151F), Salt Lake City, UT USA Albert E. Parker, Center For Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT USA Roy D. Bloebaum, Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    In clinical applications, colonization of metal implants by adhesive and biofilm-forming bacteria not only prolong healing but create additional healthcare costs for implant revision and antimicrobial treatment. An in vitro assay was established investigating the antimicrobial surface activity of external fixation pins intended for use in bone fractures and deformities. Test articles made out of stainless steel and coated with a polymer-containing nanoparticulate silver were compared to non-coated reference controls out of stainless steel, copper and titanium. Staphylococcus epidermidis , known as a predominant cause for implant-related infections was used as test organism. Test pins and bacteria were incubated for a period of 20 h found to be sufficient for initiating biofilm formation. After removing non- and low-adherent bacteria by rinsing, two methods were used to isolate high-adherent (sessile) bacteria from the implant surfaces. Besides shaking the implants in a solution containing small glass beads, a cytobrush technique was used to mechanically harvest viable bacteria. Finally, the amount of detached bacteria was determined by plate counts. Several parameters identified to be critical within the different removal procedures such as the inoculum concentration and the shaking time in the presence of glass beads as well as time of the cytobrush treatment were analysed. The final test scheme resulted in the use of an inoculum of 10 5 colony forming units (CFU) per millilitre, ten rinsing steps for the removal of low adherent bacteria and 5 min of shaking in the presence of glass beads, detaching the high-adherent bacteria. Due to subjective variations impacting the outcome of the procedure, the cytobrush technique was not favoured and finally rejected. Using the in vitro assay developed, it could be demonstrated that fixation pins coated with silver show a 3 log step reduction in the number of biofilm-forming bacteria compared to a non-coated stainless steel or titanium implant. Pins made out of copper showed the highest antimicrobial efficacy, as the number of detached bacteria was found to be below the detection limit, they served as a positive control within this test. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9923-3 Authors Franz H. Furkert, Department of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics of Christian Albrecht University, Kiel, Germany Jan H. Sörensen, Department of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics of Christian Albrecht University, Kiel, Germany Jörg Arnoldi, Institute of Clinical Science, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden Bernd Robioneck, Stryker Trauma GmbH, Schönkirchen, Germany Hartwig Steckel, Department of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics of Christian Albrecht University, Kiel, Germany Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The objectives of this study were to determine the distribution of phylogenetic groups among Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from Recife, Brazil and to assess the relationship between the groups and the isolation sites and resistance profile. Ninety four isolates of K. pneumoniae from hospital or community infections and from normal microbiota were analyzed by gyrA PCR–RFLP, antibiotic susceptibility, and adonitol fermentation. The results revealed the distinction of three phylogenetic groups, as it has also been reported in Europe, showing that these clusters are highly conserved within K. pneumoniae . Group KpI was dominantly represented by hospital and community isolates while groups KpII and KpIII displayed mainly normal microbiota isolates. The resistance to third generation cephalosporins, aztreonam, imipenem, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and streptomycin was only observed in KpI. The percentage of resistance was higher in KpI, followed by KpII and KpIII. The differences in the distribution of K. pneumoniae phylogenetic groups observed in this study suggest distinctive clinical and epidemiological characteristics among the three groups, which is important to understand the epidemiology of infections caused by this organism. This is the first study in Brazil on K. pneumoniae isolates from normal microbiota and community infections regarding the distribution of phylogenetic groups based on the gyrA gene. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9903-7 Authors Maíra Espíndola Silva de Melo, Departamento de Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE 50.732-970, Brazil Adriane Borges Cabral, Laboratório de Imunopatologia Keizo Asami, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE 50.732-970, Brazil Maria Amélia Vieira Maciel, Departamento de Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE 50.732-970, Brazil Vera Magalhães da Silveira, Departamento de Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE 50.732-970, Brazil Ana Catarina de Souza Lopes, Departamento de Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE 50.732-970, Brazil Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The association of kefir microbiota was observed by electron microscopic examination. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observations revealed that kefir grain surface is very rough and the inner portions had scattered irregular holes on its surface. The interior of the grain comprised fibrillar materials which were interpreted as protein, lipid and a soluble polysaccharide, the kefiran complex that surrounds yeast and bacteria in the grain. Yeast was observed more clearly than bacteria on the outer portion of the grain. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) observations of kefir revealed that the grain comprised a mixed culture of yeast and bacteria growing in close association with each other. Microbiota is dominated by budded and long-flattened yeast cells growing together with lactobacilli and lactococci bacteria. Bacterial cells with rounded ends were also observed in this mixed culture. Kefir grains, kefir suspensions, and kefiran were tested for antimicrobial activities against several bacterial and fungal species. The highest activity was obtained against Streptococcus faecalis KR6 and Fusarium graminearum CZ1. Growth of Aspergillus flavus AH3 producing for aflatoxin B1 for 10 days in broth medium supplemented with varying concentrations of kefir filtrate (%, v/v) showed that sporulation was completely inhibited at the higher concentrations of kefir filtrate (7–10%, v/v). The average values of both mycelial dry weights and aflatoxin B1 were completely inhibited at 10% (v/v). This is the first in vitro study about the antifungal characteristics of kefir against filamentous fungi which was manifested by applying its inhibitory effect on the productivity of aflatoxin B1 by A. flavus AH3. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9901-9 Authors Ahmed A. Ismaiel, Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt Mohamed F. Ghaly, Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt Ayman K. El-Naggar, Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Strains of the invasive toxic cyanobacteria Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii were genetically evaluated with four genetic markers encompassing in total 2.9 kb (16S rRNA, ITS longer spacer, ITS shorter spacer and rpoC1 ) to assess the phylogenetic relationships, genetic variation and population differentiation of the species across all five continents. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the C. raciborskii strains grouped into three well-supported distinct clusters: (I) European (II) African/American, and (III) Asian/Australian. The European group presented a high genetic similarity with the Asian and the Australian isolates than with the African and American isolates. Several Portuguese isolates were analyzed ( n  = 7) and revealed a low genetic differentiation with little geographical structure. The genetic distance among groups and phylogenetic relationships obtained in this study suggest that the recent invasion of C. raciborskii in Portuguese and other European temperate environments could have had its origin in the Asian and/or Australian continents. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9900-x Authors Cristiana Moreira, CIMAR/CIIMAR, Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal Afef Fathalli, Unité de Recherche Ecosystèmes et Ressources Aquatiques, Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie, 43, Avenue Charles-Nicolle, 1082 Tunis Mahrajène, Tunisie Vítor Vasconcelos, CIMAR/CIIMAR, Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal Agostinho Antunes, CIMAR/CIIMAR, Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the bla SHV gene in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from hospital and community infections and from the normal microbiota of healthy individuals in Recife, PE, Brazil. Fifty-two K. pneumoniae isolates were analyzed regarding the presence of the bla SHV gene, using PCR, and eight isolates were analyzed by DNA sequencing. This gene was detected in 16 isolates from hospital infections, four from community infections, and nine from the normal microbiota. This was the first study to find the bla SHV gene in K. pneumoniae isolates from the normal microbiota. Through DNA sequencing of eight K. pneumoniae isolates from hospital and community infections, with a resistance phenotype indicative of extended-spectrum β-lactamase production, a new SHV variant named SHV-122 was found. We also detected the presence of bla SHV-1 , bla SHV-11 , bla SHV-28 , and bla SHV-108 . The results show that in Recife, Brazil, K. pneumoniae isolates that presented resistance to oxyimino-β-lactams had high prevalence and diversity of the bla SHV gene. We also conclude that there was a high presence of the bla SHV gene among isolates from the normal microbiota of healthy individuals. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9899-z Authors Dyana Leal Veras, Keizo Asami Immunopathology Laboratory, Federal University of Pernambuco (LIKA/UFPE), Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235, Cidade Universitária, Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil Luiz Carlos Alves, Keizo Asami Immunopathology Laboratory, Federal University of Pernambuco (LIKA/UFPE), Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235, Cidade Universitária, Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil Fábio André Brayner, Keizo Asami Immunopathology Laboratory, Federal University of Pernambuco (LIKA/UFPE), Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235, Cidade Universitária, Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil Duschinka Ribeiro Duarte Guedes, Department of Entomology, Aggeu Magalhães Research Center (CPqAM-Fiocruz), Av. Professor Moraes Rego, s/n Cidade Universitária, Recife, PE 50.670-420, Brazil Maria Amélia Vieira Maciel, Department of Tropical Medicine, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235, Cidade Universitária, Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil Cíntia Renata Costa Rocha, Keizo Asami Immunopathology Laboratory, Federal University of Pernambuco (LIKA/UFPE), Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235, Cidade Universitária, Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil Ana Catarina de Souza Lopes, Keizo Asami Immunopathology Laboratory, Federal University of Pernambuco (LIKA/UFPE), Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235, Cidade Universitária, Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Recent studies have demonstrated that lactobacilli or their cell components can improve certain immune function in animals. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of porcine lactobacilli on the intestinal mucosal immunity of piglets. Neonatal piglets were used as a model and were orally administrated with Lactobacillus salivarius B1 isolated from the duodenal mucosa of a healthy piglet. The feces of the piglets were collected on days 7, 14, and 21 for intestinal microflora analysis. On day 28, the piglets were sacrificed, and their intestinal mucosa samples were immediately collected to investigate the changes in intestinal morphological and immunocompetent cells. Finally, the expression of cytokines and TLRs was detected in the different intestinal segments. The results indicate that L. salivarius B1 can partially ameliorate the microflora of the feces and increase the number of intestinal immunocompetent cells, as the intraepithelial lymphocyte ( P  〈 0.05), and the IgA-producing cells ( P  〈 0.01) in the lactobacilli-treated group were all increased compared with those in the control group. Enhanced expression of the cytokine IL - 6 gene was also observed in the ileum ( P  〈 0.05). Moreover, L. salivarius B1 can also upregulate the expression of TLR2 in the intestinal tract at the gene and protein levels ( P  〈 0.05). The results demonstrate that L. salivarius B1 is beneficial for the maturation of the intestinal mucosal immune system and elicited local immunomodulatory activities. In addition, the modulatory effects of L. salivarius B1 on mucosal immunity mainly depend on its extracellular components. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9906-4 Authors Jinhua Zhang, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang, Jiangsu Nanjing, 210095, China Jun Deng, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang, Jiangsu Nanjing, 210095, China Zhisheng Wang, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang, Jiangsu Nanjing, 210095, China Chuanyan Che, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang, Jiangsu Nanjing, 210095, China Yun-feng Li, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang, Jiangsu Nanjing, 210095, China Qian Yang, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang, Jiangsu Nanjing, 210095, China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus IMC 501 ® and Lactobacillus paracasei IMC 502 ® on oxidative stress in athletes during a four-week period of intense physical activity. Two groups of twelve subjects each were selected for this analysis. The first group consumed a daily dose of a mixture of the two probiotic strains (1:1 L. rhamnosus IMC 501 ® and L. paracasei IMC 502 ® ; ~10 9 cells/day) for 4 weeks. The second group (control) did not consume any supplements during the 4 weeks. Blood samples collected immediately before and after the supplementation were analyzed, and plasma levels of reactive oxygen metabolites and biological antioxidant potential were determined. Faeces were also collected and analyzed before and at the end of the probiotic supplementation. Antioxidative activity and oxidative stress resistance of the two strains were determined in vitro. Results demonstrated that intense physical activity induced oxidative stress and that probiotic supplementation increased plasma antioxidant levels, thus neutralizing reactive oxygen species. The two strains, L. rhamnosus IMC 501 ® and L. paracasei IMC 502 ® , exert strong antioxidant activity. Athletes and all those exposed to oxidative stress may benefit from the ability of these probiotics to increase antioxidant levels and neutralize the effects of reactive oxygen species. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9915-3 Authors Daniele Martarelli, School of Pharmacy, Unit of Experimental Medicine and Public Health, University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle carceri 9, 62032 Camerino, MC Italy Maria Cristina Verdenelli, School of Biosciences and Biotechnologies, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, MC Italy Stefania Scuri, School of Pharmacy, Hygiene and Public Health Research Centre, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, MC Italy Mario Cocchioni, School of Pharmacy, Hygiene and Public Health Research Centre, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, MC Italy Stefania Silvi, School of Biosciences and Biotechnologies, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, MC Italy Cinzia Cecchini, School of Biosciences and Biotechnologies, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, MC Italy Pierluigi Pompei, School of Pharmacy, Unit of Experimental Medicine and Public Health, University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle carceri 9, 62032 Camerino, MC Italy Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Bacterial infections are an important issue in current clinical medicine. The severity of infectious diseases has increased dramatically in recent years, which is also due to increasing numbers of resistant bacteria, including strains producing broad-spectrum beta-lactamases. The study aimed at determining the prevalence of ESBL- and AmpC-positive Enterobacteriaceae at the Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Olomouc. Enterobacteriaceae were isolated from clinical samples from infants hospitalized at the Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Olomouc over a period of 2 years. ESBL- and AmpC-positive isolates were subjected to basic genetic analysis. In the study period, a total of 1,526 isolates of the Enterobacteriaceae family were identified, including 55 (3.6%) cases of the ESBL phenotype and 17 (1.1%) AmpC-positive isolates. Genetic analysis of ESBL-positive isolates revealed a majority of CTX-M enzymes. Among AmpC beta-lactamases, the EBC, CIT, DHA, and MOX types were detected. An Escherichia coli strain was isolated with mutations in the promoter region of the ampC chromosomal gene that are associated with overproduction of the relevant enzyme. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9911-7 Authors Vendula Husičková, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Hněvotínská 3, 77515 Olomouc, Czech Republic Magdaléna Chromá, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Olomouc, Czech Republic Milan Kolář, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Hněvotínská 3, 77515 Olomouc, Czech Republic Kristýna Hricová, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Hněvotínská 3, 77515 Olomouc, Czech Republic Taťána Štosová, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Hněvotínská 3, 77515 Olomouc, Czech Republic Lumír Kantor, Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic Lubomír Dubrava, Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    A fluoroglycofen ethyl-degrading bacterium, MBWY-1, was isolated from the soil of an herbicide factory. This isolated strain was identified as Mycobacterium phocaicum based on analysis of its 16S rRNA gene sequence and its morphological, physiological, and biochemical properties. The strain was able to utilize fluoroglycofen ethyl as its sole source of carbon for growth and could degrade 100 mg l −1 of fluoroglycofen ethyl to a non-detectable level within 72 h. The optimum temperature and pH for fluoroglycofen ethyl degradation by strain MBWY-1 were 30°C and 7.0, respectively. Five metabolites produced during the degradation of fluoroglycofen ethyl and were identified by mass spectrometry as {5-[2-chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl) phenoxy]-2-nitrophenylacyl} hydroxyacetic acid, acifluorfen, 5-[2-chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl) phenoxy ]-2-nitrobenzoate, 5-[2-chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl) phenoxy]-2-hydroxyl, and 3-chloro-4-hydroxyl benzotrifluoride. Identification of the metabolites allowed to propose the degradation pathway of fluoroglycofen ethyl by strain MBWY-1. The inoculation of strain MBWY-1 into soil treated with fluoroglycofen ethyl resulted in a higher fluoroglycofen ethyl degradation rate than in uninoculated soil regardless of whether the soil was sterilized or nonsterilized. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9918-0 Authors Liwei Chen, The College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 People’s Republic of China Tianming Cai, The College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 People’s Republic of China Qingling Wang, The College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Helicobacter pylori is the principal cause of chronic active gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric cancer. To develop an oral vaccine against H. pylori infection, we had expressed the H. pylori ureB gene (Genbank accession no. FJ436980) in nisin-controlled expression vectors using Lactococcus lactis NZ3900 as host. The ureB gene was amplified by PCR from a H.pylori strain MEL-Hp27. Then the ureB gene was fused translationally downstream of the nisin-inducible promoter nisA in a L. lactis plasmid pNZ8149. Lactose utilization based on the complementation of the lacF gene was used as a dominant selection marker for the food-grade expression system employing L. lactis NZ3900. The conditions of UreB expression in this system were optimized by orthogonal experiment. The optimized conditions have been determined as follows: induction of expression was carried out at the cells density of OD 600  ≈ 0.4 with 25 ng/ml nisin, and harvest after 5 h. The maximum percentage of recombinant UreB was estimated to be 7% of total soluble cellular proteins and the yield was 12.9 μg/ml. Western blot demonstrated that the UreB protein was expressed in the L. lactis transformant and had favorable immunoreactivity. These results indicated that the lactococci-derived vaccines could be promising candidates as alternative vaccine strategies for preventing H. pylori infection. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9920-6 Authors Shuaiyin Chen, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China Rongguang Zhang, Henan Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China Guangcai Duan, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China Jianxiang Shi, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Ancylobacter sp. XJ-412-1, capable of degrading metsulfuron-methyl, was isolated from sulfonylurea-contaminated soil. When metsulfuron-methyl was provided as the sole carbon source, more than 90.5% of metsulfuron-methyl at concentration of 50 mg l −1 was degraded by strain XJ-412-1 after incubation at 30°C for 7 days. The initial degradation products of metsulfuron-methyl (MSM), thifensulfuron-methyl (TSM), and bensulfuron-methyl (BSM) by XJ-412-1 were identified as corresponding deesterified derivatives by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, which indicated a primary pathway of the deesterification of these three sulfonylurea herbicides. The carboxyesterase activity of the cell-free extracts was assayed and strongly inhibited by 4-chloromercuribenzoic acid (PCMB), diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC), phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), and malathion. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9919-z Authors Peng Lu, Department of Microbiology, Key Lab of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 Jiangsu Province People’s Republic of China Lei Jin, Department of Microbiology, Key Lab of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 Jiangsu Province People’s Republic of China Bin Liang, Department of Microbiology, Key Lab of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 Jiangsu Province People’s Republic of China Jing Zhang, Department of Microbiology, Key Lab of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 Jiangsu Province People’s Republic of China Shunpeng Li, Department of Microbiology, Key Lab of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 Jiangsu Province People’s Republic of China Zhaozhong Feng, Department of Microbiology, Key Lab of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 Jiangsu Province People’s Republic of China Xing Huang, Department of Microbiology, Key Lab of Microbiological Engineering of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 Jiangsu Province People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The role of innate immunity in the prevention of urinary tract infection is well-documented. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is a major determinant of innate immune response. In an animal model of urinary tract infection, bactofection-mediated gene transfer of TLR4 was tested in a preventive approach. Bactofection with TLR4 reduced the colonization with uropathogenic Escherichia coli by 91% in the kidney and by 41% in the bladder. Reduced colonization was associated with lower oxidative stress and expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and myeloperoxidase in the kidney. Bactofection with TLR4 was successful in the prevention of ascending pyelonephritis. Further studies should focus on long-term effects, the dose response and the potential therapeutic use in models of chronic urinary tract infection. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-4 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9922-4 Authors Ľubomíra Tóthová, Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova 4, 811 08 Bratislava, Slovakia Július Hodosy, Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova 4, 811 08 Bratislava, Slovakia Natália Kamodyová, Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova 4, 811 08 Bratislava, Slovakia Pavol Janega, Institute of Pathology, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia Lívia Slobodníková, Institute of Microbiology, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia Adriana Liptáková, Institute of Immunology, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia Peter Boor, Department of Nephrology and Institute of Pathology, RWTH University of Aachen, Aachen, Germany Peter Celec, Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova 4, 811 08 Bratislava, Slovakia Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The rep-PCR DNA fingerprinting performed with REP, BOX A1R, and (GTG) 5 primers was investigated as a way to differentiate between human, livestock, and poultry sources of fecal pollution on the area of Xiangshan Bay, East China Sea. Of the three methods, the BOX-PCR DNA fingerprints analyzed by jack-knife algorithm were revealed high rate of correct classification (RCC) with 91.30, 80.39, 89.39, 86.14, 93.24, 87.72, and 89.28% of human, cattle, swine, chicken, duck, sheep, and goose E. coli isolates classified into the correct host source, respectively. The average rate of correct classification (ARCC) of REP-, BOX-, and (GTG) 5 -PCR patterns was 79.88, 88.21, and 86.39%, respectively. Although the highest amount of bands in (GTG) 5 -PCR fingerprints could be observed, the discriminatory efficacy of BOX-PCR was superior to both REP- and (GTG) 5 -PCR. Moreover, the similarity of 459 isolates originated from shellfish and growing water was compared with fecal-obtained strains. The results showed that 92.4 and 96.2% E. coli strains isolated from midstream and downstream shellfish samples, respectively, had a ≥80% similarity with corresponding strains isolated from fecal samples. It was indicated that E. coli in feces could spread from human sewage or domestic farms to the surrounding shellfish culture water, and potentially affect the quality of shellfish. This work suggests that rep-PCR fingerprinting can be a promising genotypic tool applied in the shellfish growing water management on East China Sea for source identification of fecal pollution. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9870-z Authors Hong-Jia Ma, Food Safety Key Laboratory of Zhejiang Province, School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, 310035 People’s Republic of China Ling-Lin Fu, Food Safety Key Laboratory of Zhejiang Province, School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, 310035 People’s Republic of China Jian-Rong Li, Food Safety Key Laboratory of Zhejiang Province, School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, 310035 People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    This is the first report of isolation of fungi present in fatty and defatted castor bean meal as well as the first of crop’s selection to test the cellulolytic potential, in order to verify the diversity and potential of cellulolytic fungi in castor bean waste ( Ricinus communis L.). For the screening on solid medium, it was used carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) as the sole carbon source. The microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel) was used as a substrate for submerged fermentation for production of cellobiohydrolase (FPase) and the CMC to produce endoglucanases (CMCase) and β-glycosidases (BG). 189 cultures of fungi were isolated, including 40 species of filamentous fungi and three yeasts. The Aspergillus was the most frequent found genus. Regarding the distribution of isolated species from defatted castor bean meal, the A . niger was the most frequent one; and within the fatty castor bean meal, the Emericela variecolor prevailed among other species. Among the 67 fungal cultures tested in the initial screening on solid media to assess the cellulolytic potential, 54 disclosed Cellulolytic Index (CI) ranging from 1.04 to 6.00 mm. The isolates were selected for enzyme production in liquid medium with values above 2.0 CI. They were obtained with A . japonicus URM5620 FPase activity (4.99 U/ml) and BG (0.05 U/ml), and Rhodotorula glutinis URM5724 activity of CMCase 3.58 U/ml. These cases occurred after 168 h of submersion for both species of fungi. In our study, we could conclude that the castor bean is a promising source of fungi capable of producing cellulolytic enzymes. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9879-3 Authors Polyanna N. Herculano, Mycology Department, Federal University of Pernambuco, Cidade Universitária, CEP, Recife, PE 50670-420, Brazil D. M. M. Lima, Mycology Department, Federal University of Pernambuco, Cidade Universitária, CEP, Recife, PE 50670-420, Brazil M. J. S. Fernandes, Mycology Department, Federal University of Pernambuco, Cidade Universitária, CEP, Recife, PE 50670-420, Brazil R. P. Neves, Mycology Department, Federal University of Pernambuco, Cidade Universitária, CEP, Recife, PE 50670-420, Brazil C. M. Souza-Motta, Mycology Department, Federal University of Pernambuco, Cidade Universitária, CEP, Recife, PE 50670-420, Brazil A. L. F. Porto, Department of Animal Morphology and Physiology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Dois Irmãos, CEP, Recife, PE 52171-900, Brazil Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The aim was to perform a pentavalent PCR assay for the detection of putative virulence genes encoded in VTEC plasmids, katP , espP , subA , stcE , and ehxA . The five-specific primer pairs used in the assay do not interfere with each other and generate amplification products of 914, 774, 556, 399, and 262 bp. It was selected at random 39 strains belonged to 20 serotypes in order to evaluate the multiplex in a wide variety of strains. The results of this study indicate that it is possible to perform simultaneous amplification and search for recognized plasmid-encoded virulence markers from different E. coli serotypes and apply this technique to the genetic characterization of E. coli strains isolated from reservoirs, foods or patients. This complementary technique is a useful tool to detect interstrain differences for epidemiological studies and to provide information that could be related to the risk of human infection. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9877-5 Authors A. V. Bustamante, FCV, UNCPBA, SAMP, Tandil, Argentina A. M. Sanso, FCV, UNCPBA, SAMP, Tandil, Argentina P. M. A. Lucchesi, FCV, UNCPBA, SAMP, Tandil, Argentina A. E. Parma, FCV, UNCPBA, SAMP, Tandil, Argentina Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The novel finding of this study is that the δ-endotoxin present in the spore coat of Bacillus thuringiensis strain 1.1 (Bt1.1), plays a central role in spore germination by generation of germinant via its β-glucosidase activity and is based on the following: (i) the crystals of Bt1.1 consist of the 140 kDa δ-endotoxin which exhibits β-glucosidase enzymatic activity. Besides crystals, δ-endotoxin is also located in the spore coat and at this site displays β-glucosidase activity, resulting in glucose production; (ii) glucose is an efficient germinant of both Bt1.1 and acrystalliferous Bt4.1 strain; (iii) substrates of β-glucosidase can activate the germination of Bt1.1 spores, but not those of the acrystalliferous Bt4.1 sister strain that do not contain the 140 kDa δ-endotoxin; (iv) Reduction or enhancement of enzymatic activity of δ-endotoxin, results in retardation or acceleration of germination and outgrowth, respectively. Bt1.1 cells secrete a 60 kDa polypeptide which displays β-glucosidase activity as indicated by zymogram analysis and which is immunologically related to the 140 kDa δ-endotoxin. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9878-4 Authors Anastasia Papalazaridou, Department of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece Ειrini Kanata, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece Afroditi Sivropoulou, Department of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Forty-eight isolates resistant to at least two antibiotics were selected from 53 antibiotic-resistant enterococci from chicken and pig meat and faeces and analysed for specific resistance determinants. Of the 48 multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains, 31 were resistant to two antibiotics (29 to erythromycin and tetracycline, 1 to erythromycin and vancomycin, 1 to vancomycin and tetracycline), 14 to three (erythromycin, tetracycline and vancomycin or ampicillin) and 3 to four (erythromycin, vancomycin, ampicillin and gentamicin). erm (B), tet (M), vanA and aac (6′) - Ie aph (2′′) - Ia were the antibiotic resistance genes most frequently detected. All 48 MDR enterococci were susceptible to linezolid and daptomycin. Enterococcus faecalis (16), Enterococcus faecium (8), Enterococcus mundtii (2) and Enterococcus gallinarum (1) were identified in meat, and E. faecium (13) and Enterococcus durans (13) in faeces. Clonal spread was not detected, suggesting a large role of gene transfer in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance. Conjugative transfer of resistance genes was more successful when donors were enterococcal strains isolated from faeces; co-transfer of vanA and erm (B) to a human E. faecium occurred from both E. faecium and E. durans pig faecal strains. These data show that multidrug resistance can be found in food and animal species other than E. faecium and E. faecalis , and that these species can efficiently transfer antibiotic resistance to human strains in inter-specific matings. In particular, the occurrence of MDR E. durans in the animal reservoir could have a role in the emergence of human enterococcal infections difficult to eradicate with antibiotics. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9880-x Authors Carla Vignaroli, Department of Biomedical Sciences-Section of Microbiology, Polytechnic University of Marche, Tronto 10/A, 60020 Torrette di Ancona, Italy Giada Zandri, Department of Biomedical Sciences-Section of Microbiology, Polytechnic University of Marche, Tronto 10/A, 60020 Torrette di Ancona, Italy Lucia Aquilanti, SAIFET Department-Section of Food Microbiology, Polytechnic University of Marche, Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy Sonia Pasquaroli, Department of Biomedical Sciences-Section of Microbiology, Polytechnic University of Marche, Tronto 10/A, 60020 Torrette di Ancona, Italy Francesca Biavasco, Department of Biomedical Sciences-Section of Microbiology, Polytechnic University of Marche, Tronto 10/A, 60020 Torrette di Ancona, Italy Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    An environmental Burkholderia cepacia strain named Cs5 was isolated and identified first using API biochemical identification system and then with 16S rDNA and rec A sequence homology search. This bacterium exhibited a broad spectrum of fungicidal activities against Alternaria alternata , Aspergillus niger , Fusarium culmorum , F . graminearum , F . oxysporum and Rhizoctonia solani . In the liquid conditions, the MIC of A. niger and R. solani were reached with, respectively, 1.25–2% of the Cs5 liquid culture supernatant. However, in the solid conditions, the same inhibition was caused in the presence of 3% of the Cs5 supernatant. The exhibition of these two fungi at low concentrations of supernatant Cs5 caused various morphological changes of their mycelia which were observed by confocal microscopy. Three antifungal compounds, named Cs5-255, Cs5-257 and Cs5-446, were purified from the Cs5 culture. The structural analysis of these molecules showed that Cs5-255 and Cs5-257 are analogous and belonged to the alkyl-quinolone family, while Cs5-446 was a didecyl-phthalate, isolated for the first time from a bacterium. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9892-6 Authors Olfa Kilani-Feki, Equipe « Biopesticides » L.P.A.P, Centre de Biotechnologie de Sfax, Université de Sfax, P.O. Box 1177, 3018 Sfax, Tunisia Gérald Culioli, Laboratoire MAPIEM (EA 4323), Université du Sud Toulon Var, 83957 La Garde Cedex, France Annick Ortalo-Magné, Laboratoire MAPIEM (EA 4323), Université du Sud Toulon Var, 83957 La Garde Cedex, France Nabil Zouari, Equipe « Biopesticides » L.P.A.P, Centre de Biotechnologie de Sfax, Université de Sfax, P.O. Box 1177, 3018 Sfax, Tunisia Yves Blache, Laboratoire MAPIEM (EA 4323), Université du Sud Toulon Var, 83957 La Garde Cedex, France Samir Jaoua, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, P.O.Box 2713, Doha, Qatar Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    In this study, we identified two Haemaphysalis species present at the Khao Yai National Park in Thailand and investigated the presence of rickettsia in these ticks. A total of 166 Haemaphysalis specimens were collected randomly under leaves along visitor paths at five locations in the park. Male and female adults of two different Haemaphysalis species, H. shimoga and H. lagrangei , were identified. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis revealed Rickettsia bacteria in these two Haemaphysalis species; this study represents the first time such presence has been reported in Thailand . The infection rates of Rickettsia were in both H. shimoga (7.41%) and H. lagrangei (10.17%) at these locations in addition to two pools of Haemahysalis nymphs (28.57%). Furthermore, 25.93% of H. shimoga showed positive results that matched Haemaphysalis longicornis symbionts (92% sequence identity) and the Coxeilla burnetti 16S ribosomal RNA gene (90% sequence identity). We propose that this is a novel H. shimoga symbiont bacterium in Thailand and might be a novel Coxeilla -like agent or Coxeilla sp. found in H. shimoga . In contrast, we did not observe any Wolbachia bacteria, which also belong to the order Rickettsiales, in the same group of Haemaphysalis ticks. Furthermore, PCR was used to detect three other genera of bacteria, Anaplasma , Ehrlichia and Borrelia , none of which were identified in the Haemaphysalis ticks studied. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9887-3 Authors Arunee Ahantarig, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok, 10400 Thailand Premnika Malaisri, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok, 10400 Thailand Supanee Hirunkanokpun, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok, 10400 Thailand Chalao Sumrandee, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok, 10400 Thailand Wachareeporn Trinachartvanit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok, 10400 Thailand Visut Baimai, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok, 10400 Thailand Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The ability of fluorescent Pseudomonas strain EKi, in production of biocontrol and plant growth promotory (PGP) metabolites under saline stress was evaluated. Strain EKi could tolerate NaCl up to 1,550 mM and showed biocontrol of Macrophomina phaseolina (76.19%) in the presence of up to 400 mM NaCl. Strain EKi was able to produce IAA, siderophore and pyocyanin with gradual reduction of up to 76.31, 45.46, and 48.99%, respectively, as NaCl concentration increased from 0 to 500 mM. Reduced growth rate resulted in delayed induction of IAA, siderophore and pyocyanin by the PGPR. Thin layer chromatography of chloroform extract from non-stressed and salt stressed EKi, and inhibition of M. phaseolina by purified pyocyanin clearly indicated its role in biocontrol. In vitro and in vivo results showed the growth promotion and charcoal rot disease suppression of chickpea by strain EKi under both non-stressed and saline stress. There was 76.75 and 65.25% reduction of disease incidence in non-saline and saline conditions, respectively, in vitro conditions. In presence of M. phaseolina strain EKi brought about 67.65 and 58.45% reduction of disease incidence in non-saline and saline soil, respectively. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9895-3 Authors Ekta Khare, Department of Microbiology, Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur, 208024 UP India Sachin Singh, Department of Microbiology, Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur, 208024 UP India D. K. Maheshwari, Department of Botany and Microbiology, Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar, 249404 Uttarakhand India Naveen K. Arora, Department of Microbiology, Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur, 208024 UP India Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Sulfachloropyridazine (SCP), an antibiotic used in aquaculture and in animal husbandry, is a common contaminant in surface and groundwaters. Two types of microbial reactors were evaluated as methods for removing SCP from flowing water. One type of reactor evaluated was a nitrogen-limiting biobarrier; the other a slow-sand-filter. Results showed that the soybean oil-fed, nitrogen-limiting biobarrier was not very effective at removing SCP from flowing water. When supplied with flowing water containing 2.4 mg l −1 SCP the nitrogen-limiting biobarrier removed ~0.6 mg l −1 SCP or about 28% of that present. SCP removal by the nitrogen-limiting biobarrier may not have been biological as abiotic removal was not ruled out. More efficient biological removal was obtained with the slow-sand-filter which reduced the SCP levels from 2.35 to 0.048 mg l −1 , a removal efficiency of ~98%. High levels of nitrate nitrogen, 50 mg l −1 N, did not interfere with the removal processes of either reactor suggesting that SCP was not being degraded as a microbial nitrogen source. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9898-0 Authors William J. Hunter, USDA–ARS, 2150-D Centre Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80526-8119, USA Dale L. Shaner, USDA–ARS, 2150-D Centre Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80526-8119, USA Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The amino acid l -theanine (γ-glutamylethylamide) has potential important applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries and increased demand for this compound is expected. It is the major “umami” (good taste) component of tea and its favorable physiological effects on mammals have been reported. An enzymatic method for the synthesis of l -theanine involving recombinant Escherichia coli γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) has been developed. We report here the application of small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) fusion technology to the expression and purification of recombinant Escherichia coli γ-GGT. In order to obtain γ-GGT with high theanine-forming activity, safety, and low cost for food and pharmaceutics industry, M9 (consisting of glycerol and inorganic salts) and 0.1% (w/v) lactose were selected as culture medium and inducer, respectively. The fusion protein was expressed in soluble form in E. coli , and expression was verified by SDS-PAGE and western blot analysis. The fusion protein was purified to 90% purity by nickel–nitrilotriacetic acid (Ni–NTA) resin chromatography with a yield of 115 mg per liter fermentation culture. After the SUMO/γ-GGT fusion protein was cleaved by the SUMO protease, the cleaved sample was reapplied to a Ni–NTA column. Finally, about 62 mg recombinant γ-GGT was obtained from 1 l fermentation culture with no less than 95% purity. The recombinant γ-GGT showed great transpeptidase activity, with 1500 U of purified recombinant γ-GGT in a 1-l reaction system, a biosynthesis yield of 41 g of l -theanine was detected by paper chromatography or high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Thus, the application of SUMO technology to the expression and purification of γ-GGT potentially could be employed for the industrial production of l -theanine. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9891-7 Authors Qi Wang, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medicine Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, No. 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210046 Jiangsu People’s Republic of China Cui Min, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medicine Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, No. 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210046 Jiangsu People’s Republic of China Fenfen Zhu, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medicine Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, No. 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210046 Jiangsu People’s Republic of China Yinqiang Xin, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medicine Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, No. 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210046 Jiangsu People’s Republic of China Shuangquan Zhang, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medicine Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, No. 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210046 Jiangsu People’s Republic of China Lan Luo, State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093 People’s Republic of China Zhimin Yin, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medicine Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, No. 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210046 Jiangsu People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The aim of this study was to demonstrate the persistence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis ( MAP ) in soil and colonization of different plant parts after deliberate exposure to mouflon feces naturally contaminated with different amounts of MAP . Samples of aerial parts of plants, their roots, and the soil below the roots were collected after 15 weeks and examined using IS 900 real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and cultivation. Although the presence of viable MAP cells was not demonstrated, almost all samples were found to be positive using qPCR. MAP IS 900 was not only found in the upper green parts, but also in the roots and soil samples (from 1.00 × 10 0 to 6.43 × 10 3 ). The level of soil and plant contamination was influenced mainly by moisture, clay content, and the depth from which the samples were collected, rather than by the initial concentration of MAP in the feces at the beginning of the experiment. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9875-7 Authors Radka Pribylova, Department of Food and Feed Safety, Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 70, 621 00 Brno, Czech Republic Iva Slana, Department of Food and Feed Safety, Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 70, 621 00 Brno, Czech Republic Marija Kaevska, Department of Food and Feed Safety, Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 70, 621 00 Brno, Czech Republic Jiri Lamka, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove, Charles University in Prague, Heyrovskeho 1203, 500 05 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic Vladimir Babak, Department of Food and Feed Safety, Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 70, 621 00 Brno, Czech Republic Jiri Jandak, Department of Agrochemistry, Soil Science, Microbiology and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic Ivo Pavlik, Department of Food and Feed Safety, Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 70, 621 00 Brno, Czech Republic Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The response of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans to variations in extracellular Cu exposure was investigated in terms of glutathione-related genes expression profiling based on reverse-transcription quantitative PCR analysis. The results show that the higher concentration of Cu would induce the expression of glutathione-related enzymes and cells elicited specific transcriptional responses when challenged with environmental Cu (0.08 mol l −1 ) conditions over a 60-min period. In comparison to the control, glutathione S-transferases (GST) and glutathione reductase (GR) were highly expressed when the cells were grown in the medium with copper, and the increase of glutathione and glutathione-related enzymes makes the cells acclimate to oxidative stress induced by Cu and protects the cells from toxicity caused by Cu exposure. It suggests that in order for Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans to counteract the conditions of external Cu exposure, it modulated its expression level of GST, GR, glutathione hydrolase, and glutathione synthetase, which may protect organisms from oxidative damage. These parameters may be used to assess the biological impact of Cu in mining activities. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9881-9 Authors Jin-lan Xia, Key Lab of Biometallurgy of the Ministry of Education of China, School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 People’s Republic of China Shun Wu, Key Lab of Biometallurgy of the Ministry of Education of China, School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 People’s Republic of China Rui-yong Zhang, Key Lab of Biometallurgy of the Ministry of Education of China, School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 People’s Republic of China Cheng-gui Zhang, Key Lab of Biometallurgy of the Ministry of Education of China, School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 People’s Republic of China Huan He, Key Lab of Biometallurgy of the Ministry of Education of China, School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 People’s Republic of China Hong-chen Jiang, Geomicrobiology Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083 China Zhen-yuan Nie, Key Lab of Biometallurgy of the Ministry of Education of China, School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 People’s Republic of China Guan-zhou Qiu, Key Lab of Biometallurgy of the Ministry of Education of China, School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    The use of bioinsecticides, particularly those produced by sporeless Bacillus thuringiensis strains, has been shown to be a good alternative in pest management. Two types of sporeless mutants were distinguished. The asporogenic mutants which completely lack spores produce a regular bipyramidal crystal inclusion. The oligosporogenic mutants kept the ability to produce insecticidal crystal proteins. However, sporulation in such mutants was not totally blocked and very few of them could still produce spores. In order to improve bioinsecticides production, adaptation of sporeless strains to heat shock and osmotic stress was investigated. Delta-endotoxin production by 78% of sporeless mutants was significantly improved by osmotic stress with an overproduction of about 17%, compared to the wild strain BNS3. However, toxin production was improved by only 21% of mutants after heat shock, in low cost medium. The statistical analysis proved that delta-endotoxin production, cell growth, and spore formation of asporogenic and oligosporogenic mutants depended on the type of applied stress. Each strain has an important potential when applying the adequate stress. Moreover, adaptation of sporeless mutants to NaCl may allow the substitution of all minerals of the medium by diluted sea water which appeared to be a good alternative for the economic production of bioinsecticides at industrial scale which is of great importance from the practical point of view. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9884-6 Authors Saoussen Ben Khedher, Laboratoire de Protection et Amélioration des Plantes (Equipe Biopesticides), Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, 1177, 3018 Sfax, Tunisia Samir Jaoua, Laboratoire de Protection et Amélioration des Plantes (Equipe Biopesticides), Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, 1177, 3018 Sfax, Tunisia Nabil Zouari, Laboratoire de Protection et Amélioration des Plantes (Equipe Biopesticides), Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, 1177, 3018 Sfax, Tunisia Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi ( S. Typhi) is the cause of typhoid fever, a food-borne disease that is prevalent worldwide, most particularly in developing countries. RNA polymerase sigma factors RpoE (σ E ) and RpoS (σ S ) govern transcription initiation of two sets of genes in Escherichia and Salmonella . It was previously suggested that some genes might be coregulated by RpoE and RpoS in Salmonella under conditions of environmental stress, but experimental evidence has been lacking. We therefore constructed rpoS deletion (Δ rpoS ) and double rpoE / rpoS deletion (Δ rpoE/ Δ rpoS ) mutants of S. Typhi and compared their growth properties with an rpoE mutant (Δ rpoE ) and wild-type strains under conditions of hyperosmotic stress. We report that the Δ rpoE , Δ rpoS , and Δ rpoE/ Δ rpoS strains grew more slowly under hyperosmotic stress conditions than the wild-type strain, and the Δ rpoE/ Δ rpoS strain grew most slowly. The global transcriptional profiles of Δ rpoE , Δ rpoS , Δ rpoE/ Δ rpoS after 30 min of hyperosmotic stress were investigated using a Salmonella genomic DNA microarray. The results of microarray indicated that the expression levels of 38 genes were markedly reduced during hyperosmotic stress in the double mutant Δ rpoE/ Δ rpoS strain, but expression levels were not significantly affected by single Δ rpoE or Δ rpoS mutations. This was confirmed for several key genes by qRT-PCR. This study therefore indicated crosstalk between sigma factors RpoE and RpoS in S. Typhi under hyperosmotic conditions and provides new insights into the regulatory networks of S. Typhi. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9890-8 Authors Hong Du, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medical Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China Min Wang, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medical Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China Zhe Luo, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medical Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China Bin Ni, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medical Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China Fei Wang, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medical Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China Yanchen Meng, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medical Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China Shungao Xu, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medical Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China Xinxiang Huang, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medical Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Biogas digesters contain microbial assemblages that process a mass of extracellular polymeric substances from animal manure and domestic wastewater; however, due to the limitation of available technology in cultivation of majority of the micro-organisms in biogas digesters, the enzymatic potential of these microbial communities remains largely unexplored. In this study, to evaluate subtilase gene diversity in a biogas digester, the partial sequences of the gene were directly amplified from the metagenomic DNA by using consensus-degenerate primers. The desired PCR products were cloned into pGEM-T Easy vector, and thirty positive clones were chose for Polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) analysis, from which thirteen distinguished patterns were obtained and then sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis showed that ten out of the thirteen sequences were related to the subtilase genes in GenBank and were grouped into three families of the subtilases superfamily. The nucleotide sequences analysis through BLAST search revealed that none of the partial genes the authors isolated showed significant similarity against the non-redundant Nucleotide database of NCBI. Meanwhile, the deduced amino acid sequences of ten partial subtilase genes showed moderate identities to the previously identified sequences in GenBank, with a range from 39 to 61%. Collectively, the data indicate that there is a great diversity of subtilase genes in the biogas digester; and may be a rich reservoir for novel subtilase genes. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9876-6 Authors Xiaojie Cheng, Beijing Agro-Biotechnology Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science, No. 9 Ban Jing Shu Guang Hua Yuan Middle Road, Haidian District, 100097 Beijing, People’s Republic of China Miao Gao, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100081 Beijing, People’s Republic of China Min Wang, Beijing Agro-Biotechnology Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science, No. 9 Ban Jing Shu Guang Hua Yuan Middle Road, Haidian District, 100097 Beijing, People’s Republic of China Huawei Liu, Beijing Agro-Biotechnology Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science, No. 9 Ban Jing Shu Guang Hua Yuan Middle Road, Haidian District, 100097 Beijing, People’s Republic of China Jianguang Sun, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100081 Beijing, People’s Republic of China Junlian Gao, Beijing Agro-Biotechnology Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science, No. 9 Ban Jing Shu Guang Hua Yuan Middle Road, Haidian District, 100097 Beijing, People’s Republic of China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    In order to assess methanogen diversity in feces of pigs, archaeal 16S rRNA gene clone libraries were constructed from feces of the pig. After the amplification by PCR using primers Met86F and Met1340R, equal quantities of PCR products from each of the five pigs were mixed together and used to construct the library. Sequence analysis showed that the 74 clones were divided into ten phylotypes as defined by RFLP analysis. Phylogenetic analysis showed that three phylotypes were most closely affiliated with the genus Methanobrevibacte r (46% of clones). The library comprised 55.4% unidentified euryarchaeal clones. Three phylotypes (LMG4, LMG6, LMG8) were not closely related to any known Euryarchaeota sequences. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that the archaea found in the libraries were all clustered into the Euryarchaeota. The data from the phylogenetic tree showed that those sequences belonged to three monophyletic groups. Phylotypes LGM2 and LGM7 grouped within the genus Methanobrevibacter. Phylotypes LGM4, LGM6, LGM8 and LGM9 grouped within the genus Methanosphaera . Other phylotypes grouped together, and formed a distantly related sister group to Aciduliprofundum boonei and species of the Thermoplasmatales including Thermoplasma volcanium and Thermoplasm acidophilum . Our results showed that methanogens belonging to the genus Methanobrevibacter were predominant in pig feces, and that many unique unknown archaea sequences were also found in the library. Nevertheless, whether these unique sequences represent new taxonomic groups and their role in the pig gut need further investigation. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-4 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9873-9 Authors Sheng-Yong Mao, Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Microbiology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China Cui-Feng Yang, Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Microbiology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China Wei-Yun Zhu, Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Microbiology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Phage shock proteins (Psp) and their homologues are found in species from the three domains of life: Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya (e.g. higher plants). In enterobacteria, the Psp response helps to maintain the proton motive force (PMF) of the cell when the inner membrane integrity is impaired. The presumed ability of ArcB to sense redox changes in the cellular quinone pool and the strong decrease of psp induction in Δ ubiG or Δ arcAB backgrounds suggest a link between the Psp response and the quinone pool. The authors now provide evidence indicating that the physiological signal for inducing psp by secretin-induced stress is neither the quinone redox state nor a drop in PMF. Neither the loss of the H + -gradient nor the dissipation of the electrical potential alone is sufficient to induce the Psp response. A set of electron transport mutants differing in their redox states due to the lack of a NADH dehydrogenase and a quinol oxidase, but retaining a normal PMF displayed low levels of psp induction inversely related to oxidised ubiquinone levels under microaerobic growth and independent of PMF. In contrast, cells displaying higher secretin induced psp expression showed increased levels of ubiquinone. Taken together, this study suggests that not a single but likely multiple signals are needed to be integrated to induce the Psp response. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-12 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9869-5 Authors Christoph Engl, Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York University Medical School, New York, USA Alex Ter Beek, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Martijn Bekker, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Joost Teixeira de Mattos, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Goran Jovanovic, Division of Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK Martin Buck, Division of Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    A set of six specific primers was designed by targeting intergenic spacer region (IGS) sequences. With Bst DNA polymerase, the products could be clearly amplified for 60 min at 62°C in a simple water bath. The sensitivity of the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) for detecting Metarhizium anisopliae var. anisopliae was about 0.01 pg fungal DNA per reaction (equivalent to 27 conidia). LAMP products could be judged with agar gel or naked eye after addition of SYBR Green I. There were no cross reactions with other fungal isolates indicating high specificity of the LAMP. The LAMP could detect the presence of M. anisopliae var. anisopliae from soil. The detection limits for M. anisopliae var. anisopliae of LAMP reaction was 50 conidia per reaction in soil. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9872-x Authors Ya Li, Agricultural College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China Shuang-Hu Cai, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Cronobacter sakazakii is an opportunistic pathogen that has been implicated in meningitis, NEC, and sepsis in neonates. Colonization and subsequent infection and invasion of C. sakazakii require that the organism adheres to host cell surfaces. Agents that inhibit or block attachment of the pathogen to epithelial cells could be useful in reducing infections. The goal of this research was to assess the ability of prebiotic galactooligosaccharides (GOS) and polydextrose (PDX) to inhibit adherence of C. sakazakii 4603 to a HEp-2 human cell line. Adherence experiments were performed in the presence or absence of prebiotics using HEp-2 cells grown to confluency on glass coverslips. Prebiotics and bacteria were added and incubated for 3 h. Coverslips were washed, and adherence was determined by cultural and microscopic methods. When measured microscopically or by cultural methods, significant reductions in adherence (56 and 71%, respectively) of C. sakazakii were observed in the presence of GOS (16 mg/ml). Adherence inhibition also occurred (48%) when a GOS–PDX blend (8 mg/ml each) was tested, although PDX by itself had less effect. Similar results were also observed for Caco-2 cells and also for another strain of C. sakazakii (29004). These results suggest that GOS and PDX, alone and in combination, may have an anti-adhesive effect on C. sakazakii and directly inhibit the adherence to gastrointestinal epithelial cells. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9882-8 Authors Maria Quintero, Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA Maria Maldonado, Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA MariaElisa Perez-Munoz, Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA Roberto Jimenez, Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA Terry Fangman, Center of Biotechnology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA John Rupnow, Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA Anja Wittke, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Evansville, USA Michael Russell, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Evansville, USA Robert Hutkins, Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    A specific and sensitive reverse transcriptase-nested polymerase chain reaction assay (RT-nPCR) was developed for the detection of Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) from naturally infected citrus samples. Two sets of primer pairs were designed by alignment of nucleotide sequences available in GenBank database for different genotypes of CTV. RT-nPCR reaction components and thermal cycling parameters were optimized and reaction conditions were standardized. Sequencing of the PCR products from direct and nested-PCR reactions confirmed the specificity of both primer pairs. Presence of CTV specific amplicons in asymptomatic samples which were collected from diseased orchards indicated the sensitivity of the test. As RT-nPCR technique, developed in the present study, is specific and efficient in detecting CTV, this could be envisioned for diagnostic applications and surveillance. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9883-7 Authors Charith Raj Adkar-Purushothama, Molecular Phytodiagnostic Laboratory, Department of Studies in Botany, University of Mysore, Manasagangothri, Mysore, 570 006 Karnataka India P. K. Maheshwar, Department of Microbiology, Yuvaraja’s College, University of Mysore, Mysore, 570 005 Karnataka India Teruo Sano, Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Japan G. R. Janardhana, Molecular Phytodiagnostic Laboratory, Department of Studies in Botany, University of Mysore, Manasagangothri, Mysore, 570 006 Karnataka India Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Leptospira infection involves the adhesion of the bacteria followed by invasion of the host crossing the extracellular matrix barrier. In an effort to understand the molecular mechanism of this process, the possibility of occurrence of matrix degrading enzymes from Leptospira was investigated. Zymographic analysis showed that the outer membrane of Leptospires contains a gelatinase of average molecular size of 46 kDa. The gelatinase exhibited maximum activity at neutral pH and was inhibited by metal chelators such as EGTA, EDTA, and Orthophenanthroline and was activated by calcium, magnesium, zinc, and copper, suggesting that it is a membrane-associated neutral matrix metalloproteinase. Analysis of the production of the enzyme by various serovars showed that the pathogenic serovars expressed significant amount of this enzyme while nonpathogenic forms either did not express or showed only very low activity, suggesting that this enzyme may be associated with pathogenesis of leptospirosis. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9886-4 Authors Madanan G. Madathiparambil, Regional Medical Research Centre (ICMR) and WHO Collaborating Centre for Diagnosis, Reference, Research and, Training in Leptospirosis, Post Bag No. 13, Port Blair, 744 101 Andaman and Nicobar Islands India Sandhanakrishnan Cattavarayane, Regional Medical Research Centre (ICMR) and WHO Collaborating Centre for Diagnosis, Reference, Research and, Training in Leptospirosis, Post Bag No. 13, Port Blair, 744 101 Andaman and Nicobar Islands India Sudhakaran R. Perumana, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Riverside Transit Campus, Padannakkad, Nileswar, Kasaragod, 671328 Kerala India Gayathri D. Manickam, Regional Medical Research Centre (ICMR) and WHO Collaborating Centre for Diagnosis, Reference, Research and, Training in Leptospirosis, Post Bag No. 13, Port Blair, 744 101 Andaman and Nicobar Islands India Subhash C. Sehgal, Regional Medical Research Centre (ICMR) and WHO Collaborating Centre for Diagnosis, Reference, Research and, Training in Leptospirosis, Post Bag No. 13, Port Blair, 744 101 Andaman and Nicobar Islands India Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Symbiotic effectiveness of 19 indigenous and two exotic (USDA 2426 and USDA 2431) strains of lentil Rhizobium belonging to different phage-sensitive and phage-resistant groups was compared under axenic condition. Four strains (USDA 2431, BHULR 104, BHULR 113, and BHULR 115) sensitive to different phages were found significantly superior over others in terms of nodule number, acetylene reduction activity, and total dry weight per plant. Inoculation response of these strains was then evaluated on six lentil cultivars under field condition. A significant symbiotic interaction between rhizobial strains and lentil cultivars was observed. Grain yield enhancement was noticed by the compatible interaction of lentil cultivars HUL-57, L-4147, K-75, and PL-4/DPL-15/DPL-62 with rhizobial strains USDA 2431, BHULR 104, BHULR 113, and BHULR 115, respectively. The authentication of rhizobial strains was accomplished through 16S rDNA sequence analysis. All rhizobial strains had close matching with R. leguminosarum bv. viciae strains. The results have shown that phages can trustfully help selecting out the symbiotically efficient most rhizobial strains for advantageous use with lentil cultivars, in order to strengthen the BNF-based future lentil breeding programs. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9871-y Authors Sanjay Kumar Jaiswal, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Microbiology Laboratory, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005 India Banshi Dhar, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Microbiology Laboratory, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005 India Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    Eukaryotes engage in intimate interactions with microbes that range in age and type of association. Although many conspicuous examples of ancient insect associates are studied (e.g., Buchnera aphidicola ), fewer examples of younger associations are known. Here, we further characterize a recently evolved bacterial endosymbiont of the leafhopper Euscelidius variegatus (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae), called BEV. We found that BEV, continuously maintained in E. variegatus hosts at UC Berkeley since 1984, is vertically transmitted with high fidelity. Unlike many vertically transmitted, ancient endosymbioses, the BEV– E. variegatus association is not obligate for either partner, and BEV can be cultivated axenically. Sufficient BEV colonies were grown and harvested to estimate its genome size and provide a partial survey of the genome sequence. The BEV chromosome is about 3.8 Mbp, and there is evidence for an extrachromosomal element roughly 53 kb in size (e.g., prophage or plasmid). We sequenced 438 kb of unique short-insert clones, representing about 12% of the BEV genome. Nearly half of the gene fragments were similar to mobile DNA, including 15 distinct types of insertion sequences (IS). Analyses revealed that BEV not only shares virulence genes with plant pathogens, but also is closely related to the plant pathogenic genera Dickeya , Pectobacterium , and Brenneria . However, the slightly reduced genome size, abundance of mobile DNA, fastidious growth in culture, and efficient vertical transmission suggest that symbiosis with E. variegatus has had a significant impact on genome evolution in BEV. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9893-5 Authors Patrick H. Degnan, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT USA Leonora S. Bittleston, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA USA Allison K. Hansen, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT USA Zakee L. Sabree, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT USA Nancy A. Moran, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT USA Rodrigo P. P. Almeida, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    We evaluated the ability of several strains of the rhizobacterium Paenibacillus polymyxa , differing in the yield and rheological properties of their exopolysaccharides, to form biofilms on abiotic surfaces. Of these strains, P. polymyxa 1465, giving the highest yield of extracellular polysaccharides and the highest kinematic viscosity of the culture liquid and of aqueous polysaccharide solutions, proved to be the most active in forming biofilms on hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with rabbit polyclonal antibodies developed to isolated exopolysaccharides of P. polymyxa 1465 and 92 was used to detect P. polymyxa ’s polysaccharidic determinants in the composition of the biofilm materials. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9896-2 Authors Irina V. Yegorenkova, Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences (IBPPM RAS), 13 Prospekt Entuziastov, Saratov, Russian Federation 410049 Kristina V. Tregubova, Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences (IBPPM RAS), 13 Prospekt Entuziastov, Saratov, Russian Federation 410049 Larisa Yu. Matora, Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences (IBPPM RAS), 13 Prospekt Entuziastov, Saratov, Russian Federation 410049 Gennady L. Burygin, Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences (IBPPM RAS), 13 Prospekt Entuziastov, Saratov, Russian Federation 410049 Vladimir V. Ignatov, Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences (IBPPM RAS), 13 Prospekt Entuziastov, Saratov, Russian Federation 410049 Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651

Description:    To investigate whether Bombyx mori immunized with Bacillus subtilis spore displaying GP64 escape from the B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus ( Bm NPV) attack, a recombinant integrative plasmid named pJS700- GP64 was constructed, which carries a recombinant cotC - Gp64 gene under the control of the cotC promoter. In this study, pJS700- GP64 was transformed into B. subtilis 168 (trp − ) competent cells, an amylase ( amyE ) inactivated mutant was selected, and was confirmed to be a double cross-over integrant, cotC - Gp64 fragment of which was integrated into B. subtilis chromosome. Gp64 was expressed on the spore surface and recognized by Gp64-specific antibody. Results of B. mori when challenged with Bm NPV indicated that B. mori vaccinated with the recombinant spores possessed resistance to the invasion of Bm NPV at some degree. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s00284-011-9867-7 Authors Guohui Li, Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, 301# Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013 China Qi Tang, Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, 301# Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013 China Huiqing Chen, Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, 301# Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013 China Qin Yao, Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, 301# Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013 China Degang Ning, School of Environment, Jiangsu University, 301# Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013 China Keping Chen, Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, 301# Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013 China Journal Current Microbiology Online ISSN 1432-0991 Print ISSN 0343-8651