Search results for "bacteria."
showing 10 items of 4757 documents
Development of an Efficient In Vivo System (P-junc-TpaseIS(1223)) for Random Transposon Mutagenesis of Lactobacillus casei
2012
ABSTRACT The random transposon mutagenesis system P junc -TpaseIS 1223 is composed of plasmids pVI129, expressing IS 1223 transposase, and pVI110, a suicide transposon plasmid carrying the P junc sequence, the substrate of the IS 1223 transposase. This system is particularly efficient in Lactobacillus casei , as more than 10,000 stable, random mutants were routinely obtained via electroporation.
The Genome of Cardinium cBtQ1 Provides Insights into Genome Reduction, Symbiont Motility, and Its Settlement in Bemisia tabaci
2014
International audience; Many insects harbor inherited bacterial endosymbionts. Although some of them are not strictly essential and are considered facultative, they can be a key to host survival under specific environmental conditions, such as parasitoid attacks, climate changes, or insecticide pressures. The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is at the top of the list of organisms inflicting agricultural damage and outbreaks, and changes in its distribution may be associated to global warming. In this work, we have sequenced and analyzed the genome of Cardinium cBtQ1, a facultative bacterial endosymbiont of B. tabaci and propose that it belongs to a new taxonomic family, which also includes Candidatu…
Identification of the ectosymbiotic bacteria of Mixotricha paradoxa involved in movement symbiosis
2003
Mixotricha paradoxa, a trichomonad from the hindgut of the Australian termite Mastotermes darwiniensis Froggatt, is a rare example of a movement symbiosis between eukaryotic and prokaryotic microorganisms. The surface of Mixotricha paradoxa is covered with spirochaetes and a rod-shaped bacterium. The four flagella at the anterior end seem only to alter the direction of movement, while the ectosymbiotic spirochaetes propel the flagellate cells. Based on a 16S rDNA sequence analysis after a semi-specific PCR, and subsequent fluorescence in situ hybridization applying helper oligonucleotides and a denaturing step of the 16S rRNA, three different spirochaete clones could be clearly identified o…
Suppression of intestinal microbiota-dependent production of pro-atherogenic trimethylamine N-oxide by shifting L-carnitine microbial degradation.
2014
Abstract Aims Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is produced in host liver from trimethylamine (TMA). TMAO and TMA share common dietary quaternary amine precursors, carnitine and choline, which are metabolized by the intestinal microbiota. TMAO recently has been linked to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and severity of cardiovascular diseases. We examined the effects of anti-atherosclerotic compound meldonium, an aza-analogue of carnitine bioprecursor gamma-butyrobetaine (GBB), on the availability of TMA and TMAO. Main methods Wistar rats received L-carnitine, GBB or choline alone or in combination with meldonium. Plasma, urine and rat small intestine perfusate samples were assayed for L-car…
Extremophilic taxa predominate in a microbial community of photovoltaic panels in a tropical region
2021
ABSTRACT Photovoltaic panels can be colonized by a highly diverse microbial diversity, despite life-threatening conditions. Although they are distributed worldwide, the microorganisms living on their surfaces have never been profiled in tropical regions using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing and PICRUst metagenome prediction of functional content. In this work, we investigated photovoltaic panels from two cities in southeast Brazil, Sorocaba and Itatiba, using these bioinformatics approach. Results showed that, despite significant differences in microbial diversity (p < 0.001), the taxonomic profile was very similar for both photovoltaic panels, dominated mainly by Proteobacteria,…
Inhibitor-Induced Dimerization of an Essential Oxidoreductase from African Trypanosomes
2018
Trypanosomal and leishmanial infections claim tens of thousands of lives each year. The metabolism of these unicellular eukaryotic parasites differs from the human host and their enzymes thus constitute promising drug targets. Tryparedoxin (Tpx) from Trypanosoma brucei is the essential oxidoreductase in the parasite's hydroperoxide-clearance cascade. In vitro and in vivo functional assays show that a small, selective inhibitor efficiently inhibits Tpx. With X-ray crystallography, SAXS, analytical SEC, SEC-MALS, MD simulations, ITC, and NMR spectroscopy, we show how covalent binding of this monofunctional inhibitor leads to Tpx dimerization. Intra- and intermolecular inhibitor-inhibitor, pro…
Spectrum of pncA Mutations in Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates Obtained in Latvia
2004
Pyrazinamide (PZA) is an effective antituberculous agent ([1][1]) that becomes active when bacterial pyrazinamidase converts it to pyrazinoic acid, which is toxic to mycobacteria ([4][2]). In Mycobacerium tuberculosis , PZA resistance is associated with the loss of pyrazinamidase activity, mainly
Longitudinal analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis 19-kDa antigen-specific T cells in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis: association with disease…
2003
CD8(+) T cells play a central role in immune protection against infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. One of the target epitopes for anti-M. tuberculosis directed CD8(+) T cells is the HLA-A2-restricted 19-kDa lipoprotein peptide VLTDGNPPEV. T cell clones directed against this epitope recognized not only the nominal peptide ligand, but also a closely related peptide (VPTDPNPPEV) from the HIV envelope gp120 (HIV(env) gp120) protein characterized by IFN-gamma release. This cross-reactivity was confirmed in ex vivo in M. tuberculosis 19-kDa tetramer-sorted T cells from patients with tuberculosis and in HIVgp120 tetramer-reactive T cells sorted from HIV(+) patients. M. tuberculosis 19-kDa …
Th0 to Th1 switch of CD4 T cell clones specific from the 16-kDa antigen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis after successful therapy: lack of involvement o…
2005
Abstract In this study, we have examined the influence of HLA-DR molecules and the structure of the epitope repertoire of the 16-kDa protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis on the acquisition of the cytokine secretion pattern of CD4 T cell clones, obtained from tuberculous patients before and after anti-mycobacterial therapy. Our data indicate that TB patients have a predominant Th0 response against the 16-kDa protein and its epitopes and that healing, induced by anti-mycobacterial therapy, is associated with a shift toward a predominant Th1 phenotype. Moreover, both HLA-DR molecules restricting the clone specificity and the nature of the recognized epitope do not play any role in the generat…
Mycobacterium tuberculosis Immune Response in Patients With Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Disease
2021
Subjects with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID), such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), have an intrinsic higher probability to develop active-tuberculosis (TB) compared to the general population. The risk ranges from 2.0 to 8.9 in RA patients not receiving therapies. According to the WHO, the RA prevalence varies between 0.3% and 1% and is more common in women and in developed countries. Therefore, the identification and treatment of TB infection (TBI) in this fragile population is important to propose the TB preventive therapy. We aimed to study the M. tuberculosis (Mtb) specific T-cell response to find immune biomarkers of Mtb burden or Mtb clearance in patients with different TB …