Substrate binding and catalytic mechanism of UDP-α-D-galactofuranose: β-galactofuranoside β-(1→5)-galactofuranosyltransferase GfsA.

UDP-α-D-galactofuranose (UDP-Galf): β-galactofuranoside β-(1→5)-galactofuranosyltransferase, known as GfsA, is essential in synthesizing β-(1→5)-galactofuranosyl oligosaccharides that are incorporated into the cell wall of pathogenic fungi. This study analyzed the structure and function of GfsA from . To provide crucial insights into the catalytic mechanism and substrate recognition, the complex structure was elucidated with manganese (Mn), a donor substrate product (UDP), and an acceptor sugar molecule (β-galactofuranose).

Selection and application of methanol-utilizing bacteria from tomato leaves for biocontrol of gray mold.

Gray mold, caused by , is a significant threat to tomato production. Traditional chemical control methods have become increasingly ineffective because of the development of resistance. This study aimed to isolate methanol-utilizing bacteria from tomato leaves and evaluate their biocontrol potential against gray mold.

Structural Investigations of Cargo Molecules Inside Icosahedrally Symmetric Encapsulin by VUVCD Spectroscopic Measurements.

Prokaryotes organize intracellular compartments with protein-based organelles called encapsulins. Encapsulins with icosahedral symmetry can encapsulate specific cargo proteins mediated by targeting peptides or encapsulation-mediating domains. Encapsulins have been used in eukaryotic cells for bioengineering, vaccine development, and nanoparticle alignment.

Identification of a putative α-galactoside β-(1 → 3)-galactosyltransferase involved in the biosynthesis of galactomannan side chain of glucuronoxylomannogalactan in .

The cell surface of is covered by a thick capsular polysaccharide. The capsule is the most important virulence factor of ; however, the complete mechanism of its biosynthesis is unknown. The capsule is composed of glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) and glucuronoxylomannogalactan (GXMGal).

Discovery of α-(1→6)-linked mannan structures resembling yeast -glycan outer chains in mycelium.

Unlabelled: The cellular surface of the pathogenic filamentous fungus is enveloped in a mannose layer, featuring well-established fungal-type galactomannan and -mannose-type galactomannan. This study reports the discovery of cell wall component in mycelium, which resembles -glycan outer chains found in yeast. The glycosyltransferases involved in its biosynthesis in were identified, with a focus on two key α-(1→2)-mannosyltransferases, Mnn2 and Mnn5, and two α-(1→6)-mannosyltransferases, Mnn9 and Van1.

Complete genome sequence of subsp. NARUSE using PacBio sequencing.

We report the complete genome sequence of subsp. NARUSE, which has been traditionally employed for fermenting soybeans in Japan. The genome was sequenced using the PacBio system, yielding a sequence, yielding a sequence length of 4,148,793 nucleotides for the circular chromosome and 62,770 nucleotides for the plasmid.

Identification of galactofuranose antigens such as galactomannoproteins and fungal-type galactomannan from the yellow fungus ().

Filamentous fungi belonging to the genus are known to possess galactomannan in their cell walls. Galactomannan is highly antigenic to humans and has been reported to be involved in the pathogenicity of pathogenic filamentous fungi, such as , and in immune responses. In this study, we aimed to confirm the presence of D-galactofuranose-containing glycans and to clarify the biosynthesis of D-galactofuranose-containing glycans in , a yellow fungus.

Mnt1, an α-(1 → 2)-mannosyltransferase responsible for the elongation of N-glycans and O-glycans in Aspergillus fumigatus.

The fungal cell wall is necessary for survival as it serves a barrier for physical protection. Therefore, glycosyltransferases responsible for the synthesis of cell wall polysaccharides may be suitable targets for drug development. Mannose is a monosaccharide that is commonly found in sugar chains in the walls of fungi.

Structural basis for the core-mannan biosynthesis of cell wall fungal-type galactomannan in .

Fungal cell walls and their biosynthetic enzymes are potential targets for novel antifungal agents. Recently, two mannosyltransferases, namely core-mannan synthases A (CmsA/Ktr4) and B (CmsB/Ktr7), were found to play roles in the core-mannan biosynthesis of fungal-type galactomannan. CmsA/Ktr4 is an α-(1→2)-mannosyltransferase responsible for α-(1→2)-mannan biosynthesis in fungal-type galactomannan, which covers the cell surface of Strains with disrupted / have been shown to exhibit strongly suppressed hyphal elongation and conidiation alongside reduced virulence in a mouse model of invasive aspergillosis, indicating that CmsA/Ktr4 is a potential novel antifungal candidate.

Immunohistochemical Pharmacokinetics of the Anti-diabetes Drug Alogliptin in Rat Kidney and Liver.

Alogliptin is one of a new class of therapeutic agents for type 2 diabetes called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors. Here, we used immunohistochemistry to investigate the pharmacokinetics of alogliptin at the cell and tissue levels in the rat kidney and liver. One hour after alogliptin administration, the most noticeable immunoreactivity in the kidney was a moderate-to-strong staining in proximal tubule S3 segment epithelial cells.

Unique hexameric structure of copper-containing nitrite reductase of an anammox bacterium KSU-1.

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) and denitrification are two different microbial reactions that form nitrogen gas. The initial step in the anammox reaction-reduction of nitrite to nitric oxide-is thought to be catalyzed by homologs of dissimilatory nitrite reductase, which is known to be involved in denitrification. Here, we reveal the crystal structure of the copper-containing nitrite reductase (CuNIR) of strain KSU-1, an anammox bacterium.

Nitric Oxide Production from Nitrite Reduction and Hydroxylamine Oxidation by Copper-containing Dissimilatory Nitrite Reductase (NirK) from the Aerobic Ammonia-oxidizing Archaeon, Nitrososphaera viennensis.

Aerobic ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) play a crucial role in the global nitrogen cycle by oxidizing ammonia to nitrite, and nitric oxide (NO) is a key intermediate in AOA for sustaining aerobic ammonia oxidation activity. We herein heterologously expressed the NO-forming, copper-containing, dissimilatory nitrite reductase (NirK) from Nitrososphaera viennensis and investigated its enzymatic properties. The recombinant protein catalyzed the reduction of NO to NO, the oxidation of hydroxylamine (NHOH) to NO, and the production of NO from NHOH and NO.

Anammox Organism KSU-1 Expresses a Novel His/DOPA Ligated Cytochrome c.

Anammox is a bacterial energy metabolic process that forms N gas from nitrite and ammonium ions. The enzymatic mechanisms of anammox have been gradually revealed; however, the electron transport chain in anammox bacteria remains poorly understood. In the present study, we purified and characterized two low-molecular-weight c-type cytochromes from an enriched culture of the anammox bacterium strain, KSU-1.

Impact of aerobic acclimation on the nitrification performance and microbial community of landfill leachate sludge.

Nitrogenous pollution of water is regarded as a global environmental problem, and nitrogen removal has become an important issue in wastewater treatment processes. Landfill leachate is a typical large source of nitrogenous wastewater. Although the characteristics of leachate vary according to the age of the landfill, leachates of mature landfill have high concentrations of nitrogenous compounds.

Physiological characterization of anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacterium 'Candidatus Jettenia caeni'.

To date, six candidate genera of anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria have been identified, and numerous studies have been conducted to understand their ecophysiology. In this study, we examined the physiological characteristics of an anammox bacterium in the genus 'Candidatus Jettenia'. Planctomycete KSU-1 was found to be a mesophilic (20-42.

Reduction of nitric oxide catalyzed by hydroxylamine oxidoreductase from an anammox bacterium.

The hydroxylamine oxidoreductase (HAO) from the anammox bacterium, Candidatus Kuenenia stuttgartiensis has been reported to catalyze the oxidation of hydroxylamine (NH2OH) to nitric oxide (NO) by using bovine cytochrome c as an oxidant. In contrast, we investigated whether the HAO from anammox bacterium strain KSU-1 could catalyze the reduction of NO with reduced benzyl viologen (BVred) and the NO-releasing reagent, NOC 7. The reduction proceeded, resulting in the formation of NH2OH as a product.

Anammox organism KSU-1 expresses a NirK-type copper-containing nitrite reductase instead of a NirS-type with cytochrome cd1.

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) and denitrification are two distinct microbial reactions relevant to the global nitrogen cycle. The proposed initial step of the anammox reactions, reduction of nitrite to nitric oxide, has been postulated to be identical to that in denitrification catalyzed by the dissimilatory nitrite reductase of the cytochrome cd(1)-type. Here, we characterized the copper-containing nitrite reductase homolog encoded by nirK detected in the genome of an anammox bacterium strain KSU-1.

High rate nitrogen removal by the CANON process at ambient temperature.

Completely autotrophic nitrogen removal over nitrite (CANON) is a cost-effective nitrogen removal process. Implementation of the CANON process relies on the cooperation of ammonium-oxidizing and Anammox bacteria, as well as the inhibition of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. Strict limitations on dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in the reactor, and the addition of sufficient inorganic carbon in the influent, were adopted as the main operational strategies.

Effect of temperature on low-strength wastewater treatment by UASB reactor using poly(vinyl alcohol)-gel carrier.

The feasibility of treating low-strength wastewater with an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor, using a poly(vinyl alcohol)-gel carrier, at various temperatures and hydraulic retention times (HRTs) was examined. The temperature was decreased from 35°C to 25°C and then to 15°C. The HRT was reduced from 2.

Nitrogen removal performance of a hybrid anammox reactor.

The anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process has attracted considerable attention in recent years as an alternative to conventional nitrogen removal technologies. In this study, an innovative hybrid reactor combining fluidized and fixed beds for anammox treatment was developed. The fluidized bed was mechanically stirred and the gaseous product could be rapidly released from the anammox sludge to prevent washout of the sludge caused by flotation.

Reject water treatment by improvement of whole cell anammox entrapment using polyvinyl alcohol/alginate gel.

Reject water treatment performance was investigated by whole cell anammox sludge entrapped polyvinyl alcohol/sodium alginate gel in the stirred tank reactor (STR). The whole experiment was conducted through Phase 1 and Phase 2 in which synthetic wastewater and modified reject water were used as feeding medium, respectively. The anammox reactor demonstrated quick start-up after 22 days as well as stable and relatively high nitrogen removal rate of more than 8.

Factors affecting the treatment of reject water by the anammox process.

Reject water from a municipal wastewater treatment plant was treated using a stirred tank anammox reactor after being treated by a partial nitrification reactor. The results indicated the variations in the influent NO(2)(-)-N to NH(4)(+)-N ratio had a negative effect on reactor performance, especially when the T-N concentrations were high. Influent total organic carbon concentrations greater than 50mg/L were proven to have a serious effect on the nitrogen removal efficiencies of the anammox reactor.

High-rate partial nitrification treatment of reject water as a pretreatment for anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox).

In this study, a lab-scale swim-bed partial nitrification reactor was developed to treat ammonium-rich reject water to achieve an appropriate NO(2)(-)-N/NH(4)(+)-N mixture that could serve as a pretreatment for anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox). Strictly controlling the DO concentration was adopted as the main operational strategy. In addition, the influent concentrations of inorganic carbon/ammonium (IC/NH(4)(+)) and alkalinity/ammonium (Alk/NH(4)(+)) that were approximately 0.

High-rate nitrogen removal from anaerobic digester liquor using an up-flow anammox reactor with polyethylene sponge as a biomass carrier.

Here, the stable performance of nitrogen removal from digester liquor after partial nitrification was experimentally demonstrated in an up-flow anammox reactor with polyethylene sponge (PE sponge) as a biomass carrier. A high nitrogen loading rate of 8.4 kg-N/m(3)/day with a TN removal rate of 7.