Ameyamaea chiangmaiensis gen. nov., sp. nov., an acetic acid bacterium in the alpha-Proteobacteria.

Two isolates, AC04(T) and AC05, were isolated from the flowers of red ginger collected in Chiang Mai, Thailand. In phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, the two isolates were included within a lineage comprised of the genera Acidomonas, Gluconacetobacter, Asaia, Kozakia, Swaminathania, Neoasaia, Granulibacter, and Tanticharoenia, and they formed an independent cluster along with the type strain of Tanticharoenia sakaeratensis. The calculated pair-wise sequence similarities of isolate AC04(T) were 97.

Phylogeny of gamma-polyglutamic acid-producing Bacillus strains isolated from a fermented locust bean product manufactured in West Africa.

Twenty-five Bacillus strains capable of producing gamma-polyglutamic acid (PGA) were isolated from fermented locust bean products manufactured in the savanna area of Ghana. To clarify the phylogeny of these PGA-producing strains, phylogenetic analyses based on sequences of 16S rDNA, rpoB (RNA polymerase beta-subunit) and fus (elongation factor G) genes were performed. A phylogenetic tree based on 16S rDNA indicated that ten isolates were clustered in the same group of Bacillus subtilis.

Phylogeny of gamma-polyglutamic acid-producing Bacillus strains isolated from fermented soybean foods manufactured in Asian countries.

Natto-like fermented soybean products are manufactured and consumed in many Asian countries. In this study, we isolated thirty-four Bacillus strains capable of producing gamma-polyglutamic acid (PGA) from natto in mountainous areas of South Asia and Southeast Asia and from soils in Japan. To elucidate the phylogeny of these PGA-producing strains, phylogenetic trees based on sequences of 16S rDNA, housekeeping genes of rpoB (RNA polymerase beta-subunit) and fus (elongation factor G) were constructed.

Identification of the RsmG methyltransferase target as 16S rRNA nucleotide G527 and characterization of Bacillus subtilis rsmG mutants.

The methyltransferase RsmG methylates the N7 position of nucleotide G535 in 16S rRNA of Bacillus subtilis (corresponding to G527 in Escherichia coli). Disruption of rsmG resulted in low-level resistance to streptomycin. A growth competition assay revealed that there are no differences in fitness between the rsmG mutant and parent strains under the various culture conditions examined.

Characterization of gamma-glutamyl hydrolase produced by Bacillus sp. isolated from Thai Thua-nao.

Gamma-glutamyl hydrolase with a molecular mass of 28 kDa was purified from the culture broth of Bacillus sp. isolated from Thai Thua-nao, a natto-like fermented soybean food. The purified enzyme hydrolyzed chemically synthesized oligo-gamma-L-glutamates but not oligo-gamma-D-glutamates and degraded gamma-polyglutamic acid to a hydrolyzed product of only about 20 kDa (with D- and L-glutamic acid in a ratio of 70:30), suggesting that the enzyme is a gamma-glutamyl hydrolase that cleaves the gamma-glutamyl linkage between L- and L-glutamic acid of gamma-polyglutamic acid.

Structure of the hydrolyzed product (F-2) released from gamma-polyglutamic acid by gamma-glutamyl hydrolase YwtD of Bacillus subtilis.

The structure of the hydrolyzed product (F-2) with a molecular mass of about 2 kDa released from gamma-polyglutamic acid by the gamma-glutamyl hydrolase YwtD of Bacillus subtilis was analyzed. The results showed that F-2 is an optically heterogeneous polymer consisting of D- and L-glutamic acid in an 80:20 ratio with D-glutamic acid on both the N- and C-terminal sides, suggesting that YwtD is an enzyme that cleaves the gamma-glutamyl bond between D- and D-glutamic acid recognizing adjacent L-glutamic acid toward the N-terminal region.

Difference in transcription levels of cap genes for gamma-polyglutamic acid production between Bacillus subtilis IFO 16449 and Marburg 168.

In a strain carrying capB-lacZ fusion of Bacillus subtilis IFO16449, which produces a large amount of gamma-polyglutamic acid (PGA), beta-galactosidase activity was enhanced by about five times with the addition of L-glutamic acid. This increase was also confirmed by Northern blot analysis. On the other hand, the activity was not detected in a strain carrying capB-lacZ fusion of B.

Conversion of a typical catalase from Bacillus sp. TE124 to a catalase-peroxidase by directed evolution.

We have converted a typical catalase from Bacillus sp. TE124 to a catalase-peroxidase using DNA shuffling and error-prone PCR. A triple mutant, R47H/R356C/D374N, that showed significantly reduced catalase activity and increased peroxidase activity was identified by screening mutant libraries.

Characterization of the Bacillus subtilis ywtD gene, whose product is involved in gamma-polyglutamic acid degradation.

The ywtD gene, which codes for an enzyme that degrades gamma-polyglutamic acid (PGA), was cloned from Bacillus subtilis IFO16449. The gene is located immediately downstream of ywsC and ywtABC, a PGA operon involved in PGA biosynthesis, and it showed partial similarity to genes coding for DL-endopeptidase, a peptidoglycan-degrading enzyme. The ywtD gene, from which signal sequence is excised, was inserted into pET15b, and the recombinant plasmid was then transformed into Escherichia coli.

Cloning, sequencing, and expression of the gene from bacillus circulans that codes for a heparinase that degrades both heparin and heparan sulfate.

The gene, designated hep, coding for a heparinase that degrades both heparin and heparan sulfate, was cloned from Bacillus circulans HpT298. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed that the open reading frame of the hep gene consists of 3,150 bp, encoding a precursor protein of 1,050 amino acids with a molecular mass of 116.5 kDa.

Purification and characterization of heparinase that degrades both heparin and heparan sulfate from Bacillus circulans.

A heparinase that degrades both heparin and heparan sulfate (HS) was purified to homogeneity from the cell-free extract of Bacillus circulans HpT298. The purified enzyme had a single band on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with an estimated molecular mass of 111,000. The enzyme showed optimal activity at pH 7.

Characterization of the Bacillus subtilis ywsC gene, involved in gamma-polyglutamic acid production.

The genes required for gamma-polyglutamic acid (PGA) production were cloned from Bacillus subtilis IFO16449, a strain isolated from fermented soybeans. There were four open reading frames in the cloned 4.2-kb DNA fragment, and they were almost identical to those in the ywsC and ywtABC genes of B.