Host defense peptides (HDPs) are naturally occurring polypeptide sequences that, in addition to being active against bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other parasites, may stimulate immunomodulatory responses. Cathelicidins, a family of HDPs, are produced by diverse animal species, such as mammals, fish, birds, amphibians, and reptiles, to protect them against pathogen infections. These peptides have variable C-terminal domains responsible for their antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities and a highly conserved N-terminal pre-pro region homologous to cathelin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe presence of genes for glycosyl hydrolases in many Acidobacteria genomes indicates an important role in the degradation of plant cell wall material. Acidobacteria bacterium AB60 was obtained from Cerrado oligotrophic soil in Brazil, where this phylum is abundant. The 16S rRNA gene analyses showed that AB60 was closely related to the genera Occallatibacter and Telmatobacter.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMetagenomic studies revealed the prevalence of Acidobacteria in soils, but the physiological and ecological reasons for their success are not well understood. Many Acidobacteria exhibit carotenoid-related pigments, which may be involved in their tolerance of environmental stress. The aim of this work was to investigate the role of the orange pigments produced by Acidobacteria strain AB23 isolated from a savannah-like soil and to identify putative carotenoid genes in Acidobacteria genomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe need to develop new drugs for the control of pathogenic microorganisms has redoubled efforts to prospect for antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from natural sources and to characterize its structure and function. These molecules present a broad spectrum of action against different microorganisms and frequently present promiscuous action, with anticancer and immunomodulatory activities. Furthermore, AMPs can be used as biopharmaceuticals in the treatment of hospital-acquired infections and other serious diseases with relevant social and economic impacts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the last years, the antimicrobial resistance against antibiotics has become a serious health issue, arise as global threat. This has generated a search for new strategies in the progress of new antimicrobial therapies. In this context, different nanosystems with antimicrobial properties have been studied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBacteria from the Mucilaginibacter genus are still poorly understood, although their importance has been shown by recent reports describing great quantities of biofilms produced in their colonies. We report the draft genome sequence of a novel Mucilaginibacter member, comprising 8 contigs, totaling 5,478,589 bp and 4,876 predicted coding sequences.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExpression of acid ectophosphatase by Enterobacter asburiae, isolated from Cattleya walkeriana (Orchidaceae) roots and identified by the 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis, was strictly regulated by phosphorus ions, with its optimal activity being observed at an inorganic phosphate concentration of 7 mM. At the optimum pH 3.5, intact cells released p-nitrophenol at a rate of 350.
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