Pellicle development of Shewanella oneidensis is an aerotaxis-piloted and energy-dependent process.

Pellicles are biofilms found at the air-liquid interface and are widely distributed in natural environments. In this study, a simple pellicle detection method was established, and using this new method, the pellicle formation activities of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and its 42 cytochrome c mutants were analysed. The results showed that the pellicle was initiated at very early stages of incubation.

[Endogenous production and physiological functions of hydrogen sulfide in facultative anaerobic bacteria].

H2S is the third gaseous signaling molecule next to nitric oxide and carbon monoxide, but studies on its physiological functions in bacteria are just emerging. In this paper, we review recent findings regarding endogenous production and physiological functions of H2S in facultative anaerobic bacteria, partly based on our own research on Shewanella oneidensis. There are two principal H2S producing pathways in S.

A Matter of Timing: Contrasting Effects of Hydrogen Sulfide on Oxidative Stress Response in Shewanella oneidensis.

Unlabelled: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), well known for its toxic properties, has recently become a research focus in bacteria, in part because it has been found to prevent oxidative stress caused by treatment with some antibiotics. H2S has the ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS), thus preventing oxidative stress, but it is also toxic, leading to conflicting reports of its effects in different organisms. Here, with Shewanella oneidensis as a model, we report that the effects of H2S on the response to oxidative stress are time dependent.

Impaired cell envelope resulting from arcA mutation largely accounts for enhanced sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide in Shewanella oneidensis.

Oxidative stress is one of the major challenges that Shewanella encounter routinely because they thrive in redox-stratified environments prone to reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, letting alone that ROS can be generated endogenously. As respiration is the predominant process for endogenous ROS, regulators mediating respiration have been demonstrated and/or implicated to play a role in oxidative stress response. In our efforts to unveil the involvement of global regulators for respiration in the oxidative stress response, we found that loss of the Arc system increases S.

Endogenous generation of hydrogen sulfide and its regulation in Shewanella oneidensis.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been recognized as a physiological mediator with a variety of functions across all domains of life. In this study, mechanisms of endogenous H2S generation in Shewanella oneidensis were investigated. As a research model with highly diverse anaerobic respiratory pathways, the microorganism is able to produce H2S by respiring on a variety of sulfur-containing compounds with SirACD and PsrABC enzymatic complexes, as well as through cysteine degradation with three enzymes, MdeA, SO_1095, and SseA.

Managing oxidative stresses in Shewanella oneidensis: intertwined roles of the OxyR and OhrR regulons.

Shewanella oneidensis, renowned for its remarkable respiratory abilities, inhabit redox-stratified environments prone to reactive oxygen species (ROS)formation. Two major oxidative stress regulators,analogues of OxyR and OhrR, specifically respond to H(2)O(2) and organic peroxides (OP), respectively, are encoded in the genome based on sequence comparison to well-studied models. Presumably, these analogues provide protection from ROS.

Protection from oxidative stress relies mainly on derepression of OxyR-dependent KatB and Dps in Shewanella oneidensis.

Shewanella thrives in redox-stratified environments where accumulation of H2O2 becomes inevitable because of the chemical oxidation of reduced metals, sulfur species, or organic molecules. As a research model, the representative species Shewanella oneidensis has been extensively studied for its response to various stresses. However, little progress has been made toward an understanding of the physiological and genetic responses of this bacterium to oxidative stress, which is critically relevant to its application as a dissimilatory metal-reducing bacterium.

Unique organizational and functional features of the cytochrome c maturation system in Shewanella oneidensis.

Shewanella are renowned for their ability to respire on a wide range of electron acceptors, which has been partially accredited to the presence of a large number of the c-type cytochromes. In the model species S. oneidensis MR-1, at least 41 genes encode c-type cytochromes that are predicted to be intact, thereby likely functional.

Biochemical characterization of iron-sulfur cluster assembly in the scaffold IscU of Escherichia coli.

Iron-sulfur cluster is one of the most common prosthetic groups, and it functions in numerous biological processes. However, little is currently known about the mechanisms of iron-sulfur cluster biosynthesis. In this study, we cloned and purified iron-sulfur cluster assembly proteins from Escherichia coli and assembled the cluster in vitro.

Characterization of phosphobacteria isolated from eutrophic aquatic ecosystems.

Phosphobacteria are able to enhance phosphorus availability in soil and improve crop yields. To develop such biofertilizers, 14 predominant phosphobacteria were isolated from eutrophic aquatic ecosystems. Molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis revealed three groups among the nine isolates of inorganic phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (IPSB): IPSB1 and IPSB2 belonged to the actinobacteria and flavobacteria, respectively, and the other seven belonged to the gamma-proteobacteria.

Regulation of Escherichia coli IscS desulfurase activity by ferrous iron and cysteine.

IscS plays a principal role in the synthesis of sulfur-containing biomolecules. It is known that the expression of iscS can be negatively regulated by IscR, the first gene product of iscRSUA-hscBA-fdx. What governs the regulation of cysteine desulfurase activity, however, is unknown.

Escherichia coli FtnA acts as an iron buffer for re-assembly of iron-sulfur clusters in response to hydrogen peroxide stress.

Iron-sulfur clusters are one of the most ubiquitous redox centers in biology. Ironically, iron-sulfur clusters are highly sensitive to reactive oxygen species. Disruption of iron-sulfur clusters will not only change the activity of proteins that host iron-sulfur clusters, the iron released from the disrupted iron-sulfur clusters will further promote the production of deleterious hydroxyl free radicals via the Fenton reaction.

Evaluation of the antioxidant properties of litchi fruit phenolics in relation to pericarp browning prevention.

Phenolics were extracted from litchi fruit pericarp (LFP) tissues, purified and their antioxidant properties analyzed. LFP phenolics strongly inhibited linoleic acid oxidation and exhibited a dose-dependent free-radical scavenging activity against alpha,alpha-diphenyl-beta-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH*) and hydroxyl radicals and superoxide anions. The degradation of deoxyribose by hydroxyl radicals was inhibited by phenolics acting mainly as iron ion chelators, rather than by directly scavenging the radicals.

Characterization of predominant bacteria isolates from clean rooms in a pharmaceutical production unit.

Aims: To screen for the predominant bacteria strains distributed in clean rooms and to analyze their phylogenetic relationships.

Methods And Results: The bacteria distributed in air, surfaces and personnel in clean rooms were routinely monitored using agar plates. Five isolates frequently isolated from the clean rooms of an aseptic pharmaceutical production workshop were selected based on their colony and cell morphology characteristics.

Evaluation of nutrient limitation in aquatic ecosystems with nitrogen fixing bacteria.

There has always been a great need for simple and accurate bioassays for evaluating nutrient limitation in aquatic ecosystems. Whereas organic carbon is usually considered to be the limiting nutrient for microbial growth in many aquatic ecosystems, there are, however, many water sources that are limited by phosphorus or nitrogen. A method named "nitrogen fixing bacterial growth potential" (NFBGP) test, which is based on pre-culturing of autochthonous (target) microorganisms was described.

Analysis of etimicin sulfate by liquid chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection.

A new method for determination of etimicin's (ETM) purity and content is developed by liquid chromatography (LC) and pulsed amperometric detection (PAD). A reversed-phase ion-pair LC method with pulsed amperometric detection on a gold electrode after post-added NaOH is described. The mobile phase consisted of an aqueous solution containing 0.

Determination of zonisamide by a coated monolithic column.

In this paper, a monolithic ODS-silica gel column dynamically coated with cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) was used to demonstrate the high-speed and efficient separation of zonisamide (1,2-benzisoxazole-3-methanesulfonamide, ZNS), its raw material (1,2-benzisoxazole-3-methanecarbonic acid) and intermediate (sodium 1,2-benzisoxazole-3-methanesulfonate) in drugs. Using a 40 mmol/L sodium perchlorate solution (pH 7.0) containing 10% acetonitrile as eluent, the analytes were eluted with a sharp and symmetrical peak within 3.

Characterization of phosphorus-releasing bacteria in a small eutrophic shallow lake, Eastern China.

Phosphorus contents and phosphorus-releasing bacteria were characterized in a small eutrophic lake, Eastern China. Total phosphorus and water soluble inorganic phosphate (WSIP) in water bodies were as high as the levels of hyper-eutrophic lakes. Calcium bound phosphate and organic phosphorus were 2 major forms of phosphorus existing in the sediments.

[Factors restricting growth of heterotrophic bacteria in the water body of West Lake, Hangzhou].

Restricting factors of bacteria growth were studied by pure culture and natural culture test. The results showed that organic carbon source available for bacteria was more important than (NH4)2SO4 and KH2PO4, while higher pH, and rich biomass of phytoplanktons and zooplanktons in the water restrained the growth of heterotrophic bacteria. Under natural culture experiment, Azotobacter increased after 0.