Search results for "Bacterium"
showing 10 items of 595 documents
Proteinaceous Surface Layers ofArchaea: Ultrastructure and Biochemistry
2014
The cell walls of the Archaea are composed of different polymers such as glutaminylglycan, heterosaccharide, methanochondroitin, pseudomurein, protein, glycoprotein, or glycocalyx. The S-layer glycoprotein of Halobacterium salinarum was the first glycoprotein discovered in bacteria and archaea. Initially, the novel cell wall structures were viewed as curiosities, and their taxonomic significance was not realized until the concept of the Archaea was published. At this time, the results of cell wall studies supported the new view of the phylogeny of the Bacteria and Archaea. Many archaea possess proteinaceous surface layers (S layers), which form two-dimensional regular arrays. The chemical s…
The emergence of Vibrio pathogens in Europe : ecology, evolution, and pathogenesis (Paris, 11-12th March 2015)
2015
Global change has caused a worldwide increase in reports of Vibrio-associated diseases with ecosystem-wide impacts on humans and marine animals. In Europe, higher prevalence of human infections followed regional climatic trends with outbreaks occurring during episodes of unusually warm weather. Similar patterns were also observed in Vibrio-associated diseases affecting marine organisms such as fish, bivalves and corals. Basic knowledge is still lacking on the ecology and evolutionary biology of these bacteria as well as on their virulence mechanisms. Current limitations in experimental systems to study infection and the lack of diagnostic tools still prevent a better understanding of Vibrio…
Comparison between tumors in plants and human beings: Mechanisms of tumor development and therapy with secondary plant metabolites
2019
Abstract Background Human tumors are still a major threat to human health and plant tumors negatively affect agricultural yields. Both areas of research are developing largely independent of each other. Treatment of both plant and human tumors remains unsatisfactory and novel therapy options are urgently needed. Hypothesis The concept of this paper is to compare cellular and molecular mechanisms of tumor development in plants and human beings and to explore possibilities to develop novel treatment strategies based on bioactive secondary plant metabolites. The interdisciplinary discourse may unravel commonalities and differences in the biology of plant and human tumors as basis for rational …
Effect of changes in the cellular energy state on glucose transport activity in Brevibacterium flavum
2000
Abstract The effect of changes in cellular energy state on 6[14C]glucose uptake and activity of the phosphoenolpyruvate:glucose phosphotransferase system (PTS) in Brevibacterium flavum RC 115 cells was investigated. Energy generation in cells was varied by adding an inhibitor of cellular respiration (potassium cyanide) and an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation (pentachlorophenol) to the cell culture as well as by changing thiamine concentration in the bacterial growth medium. The results showed that glucose uptake in ‘respiring’ cells was inversely correlated with bacterial respiration activity: uptake declined with excess ATP generation and increased with lower ATP synthesis caused by …
Lymphocyte apoptosis in children with central nervous system tuberculosis: a case control study
2011
Abstract Background Studies of the apoptosis mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis have suggested that Mycobacterium tuberculosis can actively interfere with the apoptosis of infected cells. In vivo studies have been performed in adult populations but have not focused on this process in children. In the present study, we analyzed spontaneous T lymphocyte (PBT) apoptosis in the peripheral blood of children with central nervous system tuberculosis (CNS TB), before and after chemotherapy, and compared the results with healthy controls. Methods A case-control study was conducted from January 2002 to June 2009. It included 18 children with CNS TB and 17 healthy controls. Sponta…
Tuning inflammation in tuberculosis: the role of decoy receptors
2009
Decoy receptors are "silent scavengers" of CC chemokines and cytokines, which play a key role in damping inflammation and tissue damage. In this review we discuss on recent findings demonstrating that these receptors set the balance between antimicrobial resistance, immune activation and inflammatory response in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.
Role of the chemokine decoy receptor D6 in balancing inflammation, immune activation, and antimicrobial resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infe…
2008
D6 is a decoy and scavenger receptor for inflammatory CC chemokines. D6-deficient mice were rapidly killed by intranasal administration of low doses of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The death of D6(-/-) mice was associated with a dramatic local and systemic inflammatory response with levels of M. tuberculosis colony-forming units similar to control D6-proficient mice. D6-deficient mice showed an increased numbers of mononuclear cells (macrophages, dendritic cells, and CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes) infiltrating inflamed tissues and lymph nodes, as well as abnormal increased concentrations of CC chemokines (CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, and CCL5) and proinflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor alpha, int…
Bacteria from acidic to strongly alkaline insect midguts: Potential sources of extreme cellulolytic enzymes
2012
Abstract Bacterial isolates from the European Corn Borer (ECB) Ostrinia nubilalis and the coleopteran Colorado Potato Beetle (CPB) Leptinotarsa decemlineata midguts were identified and characterized. Twenty-four colonies, selected on solid media with cellulose as the sole carbon source and pH values ranging from 5 to 12, were identified through 16S sequencing as members of the genera Acinetobacter , Comamonas , Klebsiella , Microbacterium , Micrococcus and Sphingobacterium . A complete enzymatic characterization revealed widespread – albeit moderate – cellulase properties in all but one isolate and high xylanase activity in the four CPB isolates. Different enzymatic patterns in terms of opt…
Mucosal immunology and probiotics.
2013
The cross-talk between the mucosa-associated immune system and microbiota is critical in mucosal tissue homeostasis as well as in protection against infectious and inflammatory diseases occurring at mucosal sites. This recent evidence has paved the way to therapeutic approaches aimed at modulating the mucosa-associated immune system using probiotics. Different strains of probiotics possess the ability to finely regulate dendritic cell (DC) activation, polarizing the subsequent T cell activity toward Th1 (e.g. Lactobacillus (Lb) acidophilus), Th2 (Lb.reuteri and Bifidobacterium bifidum) or, as more recently demonstrated, Th17 responses induced by specific strains such as Lb.rhamnosus GG and …
Towards next generation diagnostics for tuberculosis: identification of novel molecular targets by large-scale comparative genomics
2019
AbstractTuberculosis remains one of the main causes of death worldwide. The long and cumbersome process of culturingMycobacterium tuberculosiscomplex (MTBC) bacteria has encouraged the development of specific molecular tools for detecting the pathogen. Most of these tools aim to become novel tuberculosis diagnostics, and big efforts and resources are invested in their development, looking for the endorsement of the main public health agencies. Surprisingly, no study had been conducted where the vast amount of genomic data available is used to identify the best MTBC diagnostic markers. In this work, we use large-scale comparative genomics to provide a catalog of 30 characterized loci that ar…