The Pangenome of Gram-Negative Environmental Bacteria Hides a Promising Biotechnological Potential.

Secondary metabolites (SMs) from environmental bacteria offer viable solutions for various health and environmental challenges. Researchers are employing advanced bioinformatic tools to investigate less-explored microorganisms and unearth novel bioactive compounds. In this research area, our understanding of SMs from environmental Gram-negative bacteria lags behind that of its Gram-positive counterparts.

Nitrogen source as a modulator of the metabolic activity of Pedobacter lusitanus NL19: a transcriptomic approach.

Secondary metabolites (SMs) are compounds with relevant biological activities. Their production under laboratory conditions, especially in broth, is still challenging. An example is the pedopeptins, which are nonribosomal peptides active against some bacteria listed by the WHO for which new antibiotics are urgently needed.

The Unexplored Wealth of Microbial Secondary Metabolites: the Sphingobacteriaceae Case Study.

Research on secondary metabolites (SMs) has been mostly focused on Gram-positive bacteria, especially Actinobacteria. The association of genomics with robust bioinformatics tools revealed the neglected potential of Gram-negative bacteria as promising sources of new SMs. The family Sphingobacteriaceae belongs to the phylum Bacteroidetes having representatives in practically all environments including humans, rhizosphere, soils, wastewaters, among others.

Peptone from casein, an antagonist of nonribosomal peptide synthesis: a case study of pedopeptins produced by Pedobacter lusitanus NL19.

Novel natural products are urgently needed to address the worldwide incidence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Extreme environments are a major source of novel compounds with unusual chemical structures. Pedobacter lusitanus NL19 is a new bacterial species that was isolated from one such environment and which produces compounds with potent activity against relevant microorganisms in the clinical, food, veterinary and aquaculture areas.

Environmental superbugs: The case study of Pedobacter spp.

The environment is one of the main reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) but multidrug resistant (MDR) environmental isolates are barely characterised. As suggested by the name, Pedobacter species have been predominantly isolated from soils, but are also recovered from water (including drinking water), chilled food, fish, compost, sludge, glaciers and other extreme environments. The susceptibility phenotype of Pedobacter lusitanus NL19 (isolated from a deactivated uranium mine), its closely related species and the genus type strain were investigated.

Self-assembled hyaluronic acid nanoparticles for controlled release of agrochemicals and diosgenin.

Commercial sodium hyaluronate (HA) and synthetic hydrazide-modified HA were functionalized with diosgenin and two agrochemicals (brassinosteroids DI31 and S7) with degree of substitution ranging from 5.6 to 13.1%.

Pedobacter lusitanus sp. nov., isolated from sludge of a deactivated uranium mine.

Strain NL19T is a Gram-stain-negative, aerobic bacterium that was isolated from sludge of a deactivated uranium mine in Portugal. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain NL19T is a member of the genus Pedobacter and closely related to the strains Pedobacter himalayensis MTCC 6384T, Pedobacter cryoconitis DSM 14825T, Pedobacter westerhofensis DSM 19036T and Pedobacterhartonius DSM 19033T. It had a DNA G+C content of 40.

Draft Genome Sequence of Pedobacter sp. Strain NL19, a Producer of Potent Antibacterial Compounds.

Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Pedobacter sp. strain NL19. The genome has 5.

Pre-miR-146a (rs2910164 G>C) single nucleotide polymorphism is genetically and functionally associated with leprosy.

Mycobacterium leprae infects macrophages and Schwann cells inducing a gene expression program to facilitate its replication and progression to disease. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of gene expression and could be involved during the infection. To address the genetic influence of miRNAs in leprosy, we enrolled 1,098 individuals and conducted a case-control analysis in order to study four miRNAs genes containing single nucleotide polymorphism (miRSNP).

Leishmania braziliensis-reactive T cells are down-regulated in long-term cured cutaneous Leishmaniasis, but the renewal capacity of T effector memory compartments is preserved.

Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis control and tissue damage relate to the effector immune response, which in turn affects clinical outcome. Leishmania reactive CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells are expanded in long-term healed cutaneous leishmaniasis (hCL) patients but their functional characteristics remain to be determined. This study investigates antigen-specific recall in long-term healed CL caused by L.

Self-assembled nanoparticles of modified-chitosan conjugates for the sustained release of DL-α-tocopherol.

Synthetic O6-succinylated chitosan and commercial glycol chitosan were covalently linked to dl-α-tocopheryl monoesters for controlled release of vitamin E. These conjugates formed self-assembled nanoparticles in aqueous solution with 254-496 nm mean diameters and dl-α-tocopherol contents between 27 and 39% (w/w). The particles appeared as 40-75 nm almost spherical nanoparticles when studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy upon drying.

N,O6-partially acetylated chitosan nanoparticles hydrophobically-modified for controlled release of steroids and vitamin E.

Diosgenin, two synthetic analogs of brassinosteroids, testosterone and dl-α-tocopherol were covalently linked to synthetic water-soluble N,O6-partially acetylated chitosan, for their controlled release. Drug linking was confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy and proton NMR. Conjugates were also characterized by differential scanning calorimetry and wide-angle X-ray diffraction.

The role of visual occlusion in altitude maintenance during simulated flight.

The use of visual occlusion as a cue to altitude maintenance in low-altitude flight (LAF) was investigated. The extent to which the ground surface is occluded by 3-D objects varies with altitude and depends on the height, radius, and density of the objects. Participants attempted to maintain a constant altitude during simulated flight over an undulating terrain with trees of various heights, radii, and densities.

LUVs recovered with Chitosan: a new preparation for vaccine delivery.

Chitosan, alpha-(1-4)-amino-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucan, is a deacetylated form of chitin, an abundant natural polysaccharide present in crustacean shells. Its unique characteristics such as positive charge, biodegradability, biocompatibility, nontoxicity, and rigid linear molecular structure make this macromolecule ideal as drug carrier. The association between chitosan and liposomes was carefully described, where REVs (reverse phase evaporation vesicles) were sandwiched by chitosan.

Depth of focus and visual recognition of imagery presented on simultaneously viewed displays: implications for head-mounted displays.

Objective: We sought to determine the optimal focal distance for a semitransparent monocular head-mounted display (HMD) integrated with a flight simulator display and to investigate whether observers experienced visual discomfort or impaired target recognition when using an HMD set at the optimal distance.

Background: When an observer wears a monocular HMD and views a simulator display, focal distances of both displays must be within the observers' depth of focus to prevent blurred imagery. Because focal distance can vary by as much as 0.

IFNG +874T/A polymorphism is not associated with American tegumentary leishmaniasis susceptibility but can influence Leishmania induced IFN-gamma production.

Background: Interferon-gamma is a key cytokine in the protective responses against intracellular pathogens. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located in the first intron of the human IFN-gamma gene can putatively influence the secretion of cytokine with an impact on infection outcome as demonstrated for tuberculosis and other complex diseases. Our aim was to investigate the putative association of IFNG+874T/A SNP with American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) and also the influence of this SNP in the secretion of IFN-gamma in vitro.

Active heading control in simulated flight based on vertically extended contours.

In two experiments, we manipulated the properties of 3-D objects and terrain texture in order to investigate their effects on active heading control during simulated flight. Simulated crosswinds were used to introduce a rotational component into the retinal flow field that presumably provided the visual cues used for heading control An active control task was used so that the results could be generalized to real-world applications such as flight simulation. In Experiment 1, we examined the effects of three types of terrain, each of which was presented with and without 3-D objects (trees), and found that the presence of 3-D objects was more important than terrain texture for precise heading control In Experiment 2, we investigated the effects of varying the height and density of 3-D objects and found that increasing 3-D object density improved heading control, but that 3-D object height had only a small effect.