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BiotechnologyMutations in Peptidoglycan Synthesis Gene ponA Improve Electrotransformation Efficiency of Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13869Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology are now the key enabling technologies for manipulating microorganisms to suit the practical outcomes desired by humankind. The introduction of exogenous DNA into cells is an indispensable step for this purpose. However, some microorganisms, including the important industrial workhorse Corynebacterium glutamicum, possess a...
Enzymology and Protein EngineeringImprovement of ST0452 N-Acetylglucosamine-1-Phosphate Uridyltransferase Activity by the Cooperative Effect of Two Single Mutations Identified through Structure-Based Protein EngineeringWe demonstrated that the enzymatic activity of a thermostable protein was over 4 times higher than that of the wild-type protein following substitution of a single amino acid, without affecting its thermostability. The three-dimensional structure of the improved mutant protein complexed with substrate was determined. The same overall structure and interaction between the substituted residue and the GlcNAc substrate as observed in the...
Microbial Ecology | SpotlightA Simple In Vitro Gut Model for Studying the Interaction between Escherichia coli and the Intestinal Commensal Microbiota in Cecal MucusBoth commensal and pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli appear to colonize the mammalian intestine by interacting physically and metabolically with other members of the microbiota in the mucus layer that overlays the cecal and colonic epithelium. However, the use of animal models and the complexity of the mammalian gut make it difficult to isolate experimental...
Food MicrobiologyBehavior of Foodborne Pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus in Mixed-Species Biofilms Exposed to BiocidesThis study demonstrates that foodborne pathogens can be established in mixed-species biofilms and that this can protect them from biocide action. The protection is not due to specific characteristics of the pathogen, here S. aureus and L. monocytogenes, but likely caused by specific members or...
Environmental Microbiology | SpotlightElectrode Colonization by the Feammox Bacterium Acidimicrobiaceae sp. Strain A6Most studies on electrogenic microorganisms have focused on the most abundant heterotrophs, while other microorganisms also commonly present in electrode microbial communities, such as Actinobacteria strains, have been overlooked. The novel Acidimicrobiaceae sp. strain A6 (Actinobacteria) is an iron-reducing bacterium that can colonize the surface of anodes in sediments and is linked to electrical current...
Public and Environmental Health MicrobiologyRisk Factors for Detection, Survival, and Growth of Antibiotic-Resistant and Pathogenic Escherichia coli in Household Soils in Rural BangladeshSoil may represent a direct source or act as an intermediary for the transmission of antibiotic-resistant and pathogenic Escherichia coli strains, particularly in low-income and rural settings. Thus, determining risk factors associated with detection, growth, and long-term survival of E. coli in...
Environmental MicrobiologyCarbaryl as a Carbon and Nitrogen Source: an Inducible Methylamine Metabolic Pathway at the Biochemical and Molecular Levels in Pseudomonas sp. Strain C5ppThe degradation of xenobiotics plays a significant role in the environment to maintain ecological systems as well as to prevent the imbalance of biogeochemical cycles via carbon-nitrogen cycling. Carbaryl is the most widely used pesticide from the carbamate family. Pseudomonas sp. strain C5pp, capable of utilizing carbaryl as a carbon and nitrogen source for its growth, subsequently helps in complete remediation of carbaryl....
Environmental Microbiology | SpotlightEfflux Transporter ArsK Is Responsible for Bacterial Resistance to Arsenite, Antimonite, Trivalent Roxarsone, and MethylarseniteThe metalloid extrusion systems are very important bacterial resistance mechanisms. Each of the previously reported ArsB, Acr3, ArsP, ArsJ, and MSF1 transport proteins conferred only inorganic or organic arsenic/antimony resistance. In contrast, ArsK confers resistance to several inorganic and organic trivalent arsenicals and antimonials. The identification of the novel efflux transporter ArsK enriches our understanding of bacterial...
Microbial EcologyResponse of the Anaerobic Methanotroph “Candidatus Methanoperedens nitroreducens” to Oxygen Stress“Candidatus Methanoperedens nitroreducens” is an anaerobic archaeon which couples the reduction of nitrate to the oxidation of methane. This microorganism is present in a wide range of aquatic environments and man-made ecosystems, such as paddy fields and wastewater treatment systems. In such environments, these archaea may experience regular oxygen exposure. However, “Ca. Methanoperedens nitroreducens” is able to...
