Classification of three corynebacterial strains isolated from a small paddock in North Rhine-Westphalia: proposal of sp. nov., sp. nov. and sp. nov.

Three novel corynebacterial species were isolated from soil sampled at a paddock in Vilsendorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The strains were coccoid or irregular rod-shaped, catalase-positive and pale white to yellow-orange in colour. By whole genome sequencing and comparison of the 16S rRNA genes as well as the whole genome structure, it was shown that all three strains represent novel species of the family , order , class .

Cross-Hemisphere Study Reveals Geographically Ubiquitous, Plastic-Specific Bacteria Emerging from the Rare and Unexplored Biosphere.

While it is now appreciated that the millions of tons of plastic pollution travelling through marine systems carry complex communities of microorganisms, it is still unknown to what extent these biofilm communities are specific to the plastic or selected by the surrounding ecosystem. To address this, we characterized and compared the microbial communities of microplastic particles, nonplastic (natural and wax) particles, and the surrounding waters from three marine ecosystems (the Baltic, Sargasso and Mediterranean seas) using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We found that biofilm communities on microplastic and nonplastic particles were highly similar to one another across this broad geographical range.

Isolation and Characterization of Phage Thanatos Infecting and Lysing and Promoting Nascent Biofilm Formation.

Species of the genus are widespread in nature in various habitats, however, little is known about phages affecting sp. Here, we report the isolation of phages from diverse freshwater environments that infect and lyse strains of and other sp. Sequence analysis and microscopic imaging strongly indicate that these phages form a so far unclassified genus, now named phage Thanatos, which can be positioned within the subfamily of (; ; ; ; ; ; ).

Screening of a genome-reduced Corynebacterium glutamicum strain library for improved heterologous cutinase secretion.

The construction of microbial platform organisms by means of genome reduction is an ongoing topic in biotechnology. In this study, we investigated whether the deletion of single or multiple gene clusters has a positive effect on the secretion of cutinase from Fusarium solani pisi in the industrial workhorse Corynebacterium glutamicum. A total of 22 genome-reduced strain variants were compared applying two Sec signal peptides from Bacillus subtilis.

Physiology and Transcriptional Analysis of (p)ppGpp-Related Regulatory Effects in .

The alarmone species ppGpp and pppGpp are elementary components of bacterial physiology as they both coordinate the bacterial stress response and serve as fine-tuners of general metabolism during conditions of balanced growth. Since the regulation of (p)ppGpp metabolism and the effects of (p)ppGpp on cellular processes are highly complex and show massive differences between bacterial species, the underlying molecular mechanisms have so far only been insufficiently investigated for numerous microorganisms. In this study, (p)ppGpp physiology in the actinobacterial model organism was analyzed by phenotypic characterization and RNAseq-based transcriptome analysis.

A paper-based, cell-free biosensor system for the detection of heavy metals and date rape drugs.

Biosensors have emerged as a valuable tool with high specificity and sensitivity for fast and reliable detection of hazardous substances in drinking water. Numerous substances have been addressed using synthetic biology approaches. However, many proposed biosensors are based on living, genetically modified organisms and are therefore limited in shelf life, usability and biosafety.

Functional Characterization of a Small Alarmone Hydrolase in .

The (pp)pGpp metabolism is an important component of bacterial physiology as it is involved in various stress responses and mechanisms of cell homeostasis, e.g., the regulation of growth.

Identification and Functional Characterization of Small Alarmone Synthetases in .

The hyperphosphorylated guanosine derivatives ppGpp and pppGpp represent global regulators of the bacterial stress response, as they act as central elements of the stringent response system. Although it was assumed that both, (p)ppGpp synthesis and hydrolysis, are catalyzed by one bifunctional RSH-protein in the actinobacterial model organism ATCC 13032, two putative short alarmone synthetases (SASs) were identified by bioinformatic analyses. The predicted sequences of both enzymes, designated as RelP and RelS, exhibit high similarities to the conserved (p)ppGpp synthetase catalytic domain.