Search results for "microbiology"
showing 10 items of 7546 documents
Rhodococcus aetherivorans BCP1 as cell factory for the production of intracellular tellurium nanorods under aerobic conditions
2016
Tellurite (TeO3 2−) is recognized as a toxic oxyanion to living organisms. However, mainly anaerobic or facultative-anaerobic microorganisms are able to tolerate and convert TeO3 2− into the less toxic and available form of elemental Tellurium (Te0), producing Te-deposits or Te-nanostructures. The use of TeO3 2−-reducing bacteria can lead to the decontamination of polluted environments and the development of “green-synthesis” methods for the production of nanomaterials. In this study, the tolerance and the consumption of TeO3 2− have been investigated, along with the production and characterization of Te-nanorods by Rhodococcus aetherivorans BCP1 grown under aerobic conditions. Aerobically …
Shelf life evaluation of fresh-cut red chicory subjected to different minimal processes
2018
Abstract Microbiological, chemical and physical parameters of minimally processed red chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) subjected to two different transformation processes were investigated. A classic ready-to-eat (RTE) process (P1) and a production without cutting (P2) were monitored during refrigerated (4 °C) storage (15 d). Total mesophilic microorganisms, total psychrotrophic microorganisms and pseudomonads were detected at the highest cell densities in all samples. Presumptive Pseudomonas population dominated the cultivable microbial community of RTE red chicory and were characterized genetically. Twenty-two randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) types were investigated by 16S rRNA gen…
How do microbial communities in top-and subsoil respond to root litter addition under field conditions?
2016
Abstract Contrasting microbial community composition and activity at different soil depths may affect root litter decomposition. These effects have up to now been investigated mainly in laboratory studies, which may not be able to take into account complex in situ conditions. Our study aimed to analyze the composition and activity of microbial communities after addition of 13 C labeled wheat root litter to a loamy soil under grassland at 30, 60 and 90 cm depths, during a three-year field experiment. We investigated the dynamics of bacterial and fungal abundances and community structures by DNA genotyping and pyrosequencing of 16S and 18S rDNAs. The genetic structures of bacterial and fungal…
Bacteriophage-Based Bacterial Wilt Biocontrol for an Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture
2017
Bacterial wilt diseases caused by Ralstonia solanacearum, R. pseudosolanacearum and R. syzygii subsp. indonesiensis (former R. solanacearum species complex) are among the most important plant diseases worldwide, severely affecting a high number of crops and ornamentals. Difficulties of bacterial wilt control by non-biological methods are related to effectiveness, bacterial resistance and environmental impact. Alternatively, a great many biocontrol strategies have been carried out, with the advantage of being environmentally friendly. Advances in bacterial wilt biocontrol include an increasing interest in bacteriophage-based treatments as a promising re-emerging strategy. Bacteriophages agai…
The Metabolic Building Blocks of a Minimal Cell
2020
This article belongs to the Section Evolutionary Biology.
A Crucial Role of Mitochondrial Dynamics in Dehydration Resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
2021
Mitochondria are dynamic organelles as they continuously undergo fission and fusion. These dynamic processes conduct not only mitochondrial network morphology but also activity regulation and quality control. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has a remarkable capacity to resist stress from dehydration/rehydration. Although mitochondria are noted for their role in desiccation tolerance, the mechanisms underlying these processes remains obscure. Here, we report that yeast cells that went through stationary growth phase have a better survival rate after dehydration/rehydration. Dynamic defective yeast cells with reduced mitochondrial genome cannot maintain the mitochondrial activity and survival rate o…
Revisiting the pH-gated conformational switch on the activities of HisKA-family histidine kinases
2020
13 páginas, 6 figuras, 3 tablas
Sensory domain contraction in histidine kinase CitA triggers transmembrane signaling in the membrane-bound sensor
2017
Bacteria use membrane-integral sensor histidine kinases (HK) to perceive stimuli and transduce signals from the environment to the cytosol. Information on how the signal is transmitted across the membrane by HKs is still scarce. Combining both liquid- and solid-state NMR, we demonstrate that structural rearrangements in the extracytoplasmic, citrate-sensing Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) domain of HK CitA are identical for the isolated domain in solution and in a longer construct containing the membrane-embedded HK and lacking only the kinase core. We show that upon citrate binding, the PAS domain contracts, resulting in a shortening of the C-terminal β-strand. We demonstrate that this contraction of t…
CitA (citrate) and DcuS (C4-dicarboxylate) sensor kinases in thermophilic Geobacillus kaustophilus and Geobacillus thermodenitrificans
2015
The thermophilic Geobacillus thermodenitrificans and Geobacillus kaustophilus are able to use citrate or C4-dicarboxylates like fumarate or succinate as the substrates for growth. The genomes of the sequenced Geobacillus strains (nine strains) each encoded a two-component system of the CitA family. The sensor kinase of G. thermodenitrificans (termed CitAGt) was able to replace CitA of Escherichia coli (CitAEc) in a heterologous complementation assay restoring expression of the CitAEc-dependent citC-lacZ reporter gene and anaerobic growth on citrate. Complementation was specific for citrate. The sensor kinase of G. kaustophilus (termed DcuSGk) was able to replace DcuSEc of E. coli. It respon…
The substitution rate of HIV-1 subtypes: a genomic approach
2017
Abstract HIV-1M causes most infections in the AIDS pandemic. Its genetic diversity is defined by nine pure subtypes and more than sixty recombinant forms. We have performed a comparative analysis of the evolutionary rate of five pure subtypes (A1, B, C, D, and G) and two circulating recombinant forms (CRF01_AE and CRF02 AG) using data obtained from nearly complete genome coding sequences. Times to the most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) and substitution rates of these HIV genomes, and their genomic partitions, were estimated by Bayesian coalescent analyses. Genomic substitution rate estimates were compared between the HIV-1 datasets analyzed by means of randomization tests. Significant diff…