Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-2 fine-tunes inflammatory responses in murine Gram-negative sepsis.

During infections, TLR-mediated responses require tight regulation to allow for pathogen removal, while preventing overwhelming inflammation and immunopathology. The triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (TREM)-2 negatively regulates inflammation by macrophages and impacts on phagocytosis, but the function of endogenous TREM-2 during infections is poorly understood. We investigated TREM-2's role in regulating TLR4-mediated inflammation by studying wild-type and TREM-2(-/-) mice challenged with LPS and found TREM-2 to dampen early inflammation.

Alkalilactibacillus ikkensis, gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel enzyme-producing bacterium from a cold and alkaline environment in Greenland.

Three novel Gram-positive, endospore-forming bacteria were isolated from a cold and alkaline environment. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the strains were almost identical, and that they were related to Natronobacillus azotifigens 24KS-1(T) (95.8% identity), Paraliobacillus quinghaiensis YIM-C158(T) (95.

Identification, cloning and expression of a cold-active beta-galactosidase from a novel Arctic bacterium, Alkalilactibacillus ikkense.

A novel, cold-active beta-galactosidase was isolated from an Arctic Gram-positive bacterium, Alkalilactibacillus ikkense. The corresponding gene was cloned and expressed as an active enzyme in Escherichia coli. Denaturing gel electrophoresis of both the native and the recombinant beta-galactosidase showed a monomeric molecular weight of 115-120 kDa.

A lipase with broad temperature range from an alkaliphilic gamma-proteobacterium isolated in Greenland.

A gamma-proteobacterium related to the genera Alteromonadales and Pseudomonadales, isolated from a cold and alkaline environment in Greenland, has been shown to produce a lipase active between 5 degrees C and 80 degrees C, with optimal activity at 55 degrees C and pH 8. PCR-based screening of genomic DNA from the isolated bacterium, followed by genome walking, resulted in two complete open reading frames, which were predicted to encode a lipase and its helper protein, a lipase foldase. The amino acid sequence derived for the lipase showed resemblance to lipases from Pseudomonas, Rhodoferax, Aeromonas and Vibrio.

Rhodonellum psychrophilum gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel psychrophilic and alkaliphilic bacterium of the phylum Bacteroidetes isolated from Greenland.

A novel alkaliphilic and psychrophilic bacterium was isolated from the cold and alkaline ikaite tufa columns of the Ikka Fjord in south-west Greenland. According to 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain GCM71(T) belonged to the family 'Flexibacteraceae' in the phylum Bacteroidetes. Strain GCM71(T), together with five related isolates from ikaite columns, formed a separate cluster with 86-93 % gene sequence similarity to their closest relative, Belliella baltica.

Arsukibacterium ikkense gen. nov., sp. nov, a novel alkaliphilic, enzyme-producing gamma-Proteobacterium isolated from a cold and alkaline environment in Greenland.

A novel aerobic, Gram-negative, non-pigmented bacterium, GCM72(T), was isolated from the alkaline, low-saline ikaite columns in the Ikka Fjord, SW Greenland. Strain GCM72(T) is a motile, non-pigmented, amylase- and protease-producing, oxidase-positive, and catalase-negative bacterium, showing optimal growth at pH 9.2-10.

Bacterial diversity in permanently cold and alkaline ikaite columns from Greenland.

Bacterial diversity in alkaline (pH 10.4) and permanently cold (4 degrees C) ikaite tufa columns from the Ikka Fjord, SW Greenland, was investigated using growth characterization of cultured bacterial isolates with Terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and sequence analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA gene fragments. More than 200 bacterial isolates were characterized with respect to pH and temperature tolerance, and it was shown that the majority were cold-active alkaliphiles.