-
Scientific Reports Jun 2015The effect of electromagnetic field (EMF) exposures at the microwave (MW) frequency of 18 GHz, on four cocci, Planococcus maritimus KMM 3738, Staphylococcus aureus CIP...
The effect of electromagnetic field (EMF) exposures at the microwave (MW) frequency of 18 GHz, on four cocci, Planococcus maritimus KMM 3738, Staphylococcus aureus CIP 65.8(T), S. aureus ATCC 25923 and S. epidermidis ATCC 14990(T), was investigated. We demonstrate that exposing the bacteria to an EMF induced permeability in the bacterial membranes of all strains studied, as confirmed directly by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and indirectly via the propidium iodide assay and the uptake of silica nanospheres. The cells remained permeable for at least nine minutes after EMF exposure. It was shown that all strains internalized 23.5 nm nanospheres, whereas the internalization of the 46.3 nm nanospheres differed amongst the bacterial strains (S. epidermidis ATCC 14990(T) ~ 0%; Staphylococcus aureus CIP 65.8(T) S. aureus ATCC 25923, ~40%; Planococcus maritimus KMM 3738, ~ 80%). Cell viability experiments indicated that up to 84% of the cells exposed to the EMF remained viable. The morphology of the bacterial cells was not altered, as inferred from the scanning electron micrographs, however traces of leaked cytosolic fluids from the EMF exposed cells could be detected. EMF-induced permeabilization may represent an innovative, alternative cell permeability technique for applications in biomedical engineering, cell drug delivery and gene therapy.
Topics: Biological Transport; Cell Membrane Permeability; Electromagnetic Fields; Electromagnetic Radiation; Microbial Viability; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Nanospheres; Particle Size; Planococcus Bacteria; Propidium; Silicon Dioxide; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus epidermidis
PubMed: 26077933
DOI: 10.1038/srep10980 -
Microbial Ecology Nov 2019A resumption of climate warming in maritime Antarctica, arising from continued greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere, is predicted to lead to further expansions of...
A resumption of climate warming in maritime Antarctica, arising from continued greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere, is predicted to lead to further expansions of plant populations across the region, with consequent increases in nutrient inputs to soils. Here, we test the main and interactive effects of warming, applied with open top chambers (OTCs), and nutrient amendment with tryptic soy broth (TSB), an artificial growth substrate, on bacterial community composition and diversity using Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA genes in soil from a field experiment in the southern maritime Antarctic. Substantial effects of TSB application on bacterial communities were identified after 49 months, including reduced diversity, altered phylogenetic community assembly processes, increased Proteobacteria-to-Acidobacteria ratios and significant divergence in community composition, notably increases in the relative abundances of the gram-positive genera Arthrobacter, Paeniglutamicibacter and Planococcus. Contrary to previous observations from other maritime Antarctic field warming experiments, we recorded no effects of warming with OTCs, or interactive effects of OTCs and TSB application, on bacterial community composition or diversity. Based on these findings, we conclude that further warming of the maritime Antarctic is unlikely to influence soil bacterial community composition or diversity directly, but that increased nutrient inputs arising from enhanced plant growth across the region may affect the composition of soil bacterial communities, with possible effects on ecosystem productivity.
Topics: Antarctic Regions; Bacteria; Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; Fertilizers; Global Warming; Hot Temperature; Microbiota; RNA, Bacterial; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Soil Microbiology
PubMed: 30989354
DOI: 10.1007/s00248-019-01373-z -
World Journal of Microbiology &... Jan 2015To study culturable bacterial diversity under subzero temperature conditions and their possible functional annotation, soil and water samples from Leh Ladakh region were...
To study culturable bacterial diversity under subzero temperature conditions and their possible functional annotation, soil and water samples from Leh Ladakh region were analysed. Ten different nutrient combinations were used to isolate the maximum possible culturable morphotypes. A total of 325 bacterial isolates were characterized employing 16S rDNA-Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis with three restriction endonucleases AluI, MspI and HaeIII, which led to formation of 23-40 groups for the different sites at 75 % similarity index, adding up to 175 groups. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing led to the identification of 175 bacteria, grouped in four phyla, Firmicutes (54 %), Proteobacteria (28 %), Actinobacteria (16 %) and Bacteroidetes (3 %), and included 29 different genera with 57 distinct species. Overall 39 % of the total morphotypes belonged to the Bacillus and Bacillus derived genera (BBDG) followed by Pseudomonas (14 %), Arthrobacter (9 %), Exiguobacterium (8 %), Alishewanella (4 %), Brachybacterium, Providencia, Planococcus (3 %), Janthinobacterium, Sphingobacterium, Kocuria (2 %) and Aurantimonas, Citricoccus, Cellulosimicrobium, Brevundimonas, Desemzia, Flavobacterium, Klebsiella, Paracoccus, Psychrobacter, Sporosarcina, Staphylococcus, Sinobaca, Stenotrophomonas, Sanguibacter, Vibrio (1 %). The representative isolates from each cluster were screened for their plant growth promoting characteristics at low temperature (5-15 °C). Variations were observed among strains for production of ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, indole-3-acetic acid and siderophore, solubilisation of phosphate, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase activity and biocontrol activity against Rhizoctonia solani and Macrophomina phaseolina. Cold adapted microbes may have application as inoculants and biocontrol agents in crops growing at high altitudes under cold climate condition.
Topics: Animals; Antibiosis; Bacteria; Biota; Cluster Analysis; Cold Temperature; DNA, Bacterial; DNA, Ribosomal; Desert Climate; Environmental Microbiology; India; Molecular Sequence Data; Molecular Typing; Phylogeny; Plant Growth Regulators; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Sequence Analysis, DNA
PubMed: 25371316
DOI: 10.1007/s11274-014-1768-z -
The Science of the Total Environment Sep 2021The anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) mediated by microorganisms is a key process in the reduction of methane emissions, and AOM-coupled electron acceptors have been...
The anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) mediated by microorganisms is a key process in the reduction of methane emissions, and AOM-coupled electron acceptors have been shown to regulate methane emissions into the atmosphere in marine systems. Paddy fields are a significant source of methane and account for 20% of global methane emissions, but the effect of electron acceptors on the methane emission process in flooded paddy fields has been poorly characterized. This study aimed to determine whether the electron acceptors ferric iron and nitrate, and biochar, acting as an electron shuttle, can regulate the AOM process in paddy soil, with or without interaction between biochar and these two electron acceptors. We also aimed to characterize which microorganisms are actively involved. Here, we added C-labeled CH (CH) into anaerobic microcosms to evaluate the role of electron acceptors by measuring the methane oxidation rate and the enrichment of C-labeled CO (CO). We then combined DNA-stable isotope probing with amplicon sequencing to study the active microorganisms. We found for the first time that, in addition to nitrate, ferric iron can also effectively promote AOM in paddy soil. However, there was no significant effect of biochar. Ferric iron-dependent AOM was mainly carried out by iron-reducing bacteria (Geobacter, Ammoniphilus and Clostridium), and nitrate-dependent AOM was mainly by nitrate-reducing bacteria (Rhodanobacter, Paenibacillus and Planococcus). Our results demonstrate that the AOM process, regulated by the electron acceptors ferric iron and nitrate, can alleviate methane emission from paddy soil. The potentially active microorganisms related to electron acceptor reduction may be crucial for this methane sink and deserve further research.
Topics: Anaerobiosis; Archaea; Iron; Methane; Microbiota; Nitrates; Oxidation-Reduction; Soil
PubMed: 34029806
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147773 -
Proteins Sep 2018Intracellular subtilisin proteases (ISPs) have important roles in protein processing during the stationary phase in bacteria. Their unregulated protein degrading...
Intracellular subtilisin proteases (ISPs) have important roles in protein processing during the stationary phase in bacteria. Their unregulated protein degrading activity may have adverse effects inside a cell, but little is known about their regulatory mechanism. Until now, ISPs have mostly been described from Bacillus species, with structural data from a single homolog. Here, we study a marine ISP originating from a phylogenetically distinct genus, Planococcus sp. The enzyme was successfully overexpressed in E. coli, and is active in presence of calcium, which is thought to have a role in minor, but essential, structural rearrangements needed for catalytic activity. The ISP operates at alkaline pH and at moderate temperatures, and has a corresponding melting temperature around 60 °C. The high-resolution 3-dimensional structure reported here, represents an ISP with an intact catalytic triad albeit in a configuration with an inhibitory pro-peptide bound. The pro-peptide is removed in other homologs, but the removal of the pro-peptide from the Planococcus sp. AW02J18 ISP appears to be different, and possibly involves several steps. A first processing step is described here as the removal of 2 immediate N-terminal residues. Furthermore, the pro-peptide contains a conserved LIPY/F-motif, which was found to be involved in inhibition of the catalytic activity.
Topics: Aquatic Organisms; Calcium; Catalysis; Endopeptidases; Escherichia coli; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Mutation; Peptides; Planococcus Bacteria; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; Recombinant Proteins; Subtilisins; Temperature
PubMed: 29907987
DOI: 10.1002/prot.25528 -
Microbial Biotechnology Mar 2019The disposal of reject brine, a highly concentrated waste by-product generated by various industrial processes, represents a major economic and environmental challenge....
The disposal of reject brine, a highly concentrated waste by-product generated by various industrial processes, represents a major economic and environmental challenge. The common practice in dealing with the large amounts of brine generated is to dispose of it in a pond and allow it to evaporate. The rate of evaporation is therefore a key factor in the effectiveness of the management of these ponds. The addition of various dyes has previously been used as a method to increase the evaporation rate. In this study, a biological approach, using pigmented halophilic bacteria (as opposed to chemical dyes), was assessed. Two bacteria, an Arthrobacter sp. and a Planococcus sp. were selected due to their ability to increase the evaporation of synthetic brine. When using industrial brine, supplementation of the brine with an iron source was required to maintain the pigment production. Under these conditions, the Planococcus sp. CP5-4 produced a carotenoid-like pigment, which resulted in a 20% increase in the evaporation rate of the brine. Thus, the pigment production capability of halophilic bacteria could potentially be exploited as an effective step in the management of industrial reject brines, analogous to the crystallizer ponds used to mine salt from sea water.
Topics: Arthrobacter; Biotechnology; Iron; Pigments, Biological; Planococcus Bacteria; Salts; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Water Purification
PubMed: 30277309
DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13319 -
The Journal of General and Applied... May 2024Proteolytic enzymes stand out as the most widely employed category utilized in manufacturing industry. A new protease was separated from Planococcus sp.11815 strain and...
Proteolytic enzymes stand out as the most widely employed category utilized in manufacturing industry. A new protease was separated from Planococcus sp.11815 strain and named as nprS-15615 in this research. The gene of this protease has not been reported, and its enzymatic properties have been studied for the first time. To enhance enzyme production, the Planococcus sp. protease gene was expressed in Bacillus licheniformis 2709. The expression level of nprS-15615 was observed under the control of regulatory elements P. nprS-15615 protease activity reached 1186.24±32.87 U/mL after 48 hours of cultivation in shake flasks which was nearly four times the output of the original bacteria (291.38±25.73U/mL). The optimum temperature and pH of the recombinant protease were 30 ℃ and 8.0, respectively.The enzyme exhibited the highest capacity for hydrolyzing casein and demonstrated resilience towards a NaCl concentration of 10.0% (wt/v). Furthermore, in the presence of 0.5% surfactants, the recombinant protease activity can maintain above 75%, and with the existence of 0.5% liquid detergents, there was basically no loss of enzyme activity which indicated that nprS-15615 had good compatibility with surfactants and liquid detergents. In addition, npS-15615 performed well in the washing experiment, and the washing effect at 20 ℃ can be significantly improved by adding crude enzyme solution in the washing process.
Topics: Detergents; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Temperature; Metalloproteases; Recombinant Proteins; Bacterial Proteins; Bacillus licheniformis; Enzyme Stability; Planococcus Bacteria; Caseins; Gene Expression; Cloning, Molecular; Surface-Active Agents; Hydrolysis
PubMed: 37880082
DOI: 10.2323/jgam.2023.09.002 -
Acta Crystallographica. Section F,... Nov 2018The determination of conditions for the reproducible growth of well diffracting crystals is a critical step in every biocrystallographic study. On the occasion of a new...
The determination of conditions for the reproducible growth of well diffracting crystals is a critical step in every biocrystallographic study. On the occasion of a new structural biology project, several advanced crystallogenesis approaches were tested in order to increase the success rate of crystallization. These methods included screening by microseed matrix screening, optimization by counter-diffusion and crystal detection by trace fluorescent labeling, and are easily accessible to any laboratory. Their combination proved to be particularly efficient in the case of the target, a 48 kDa CCA-adding enzyme from the psychrophilic bacterium Planococcus halocryophilus. A workflow summarizes the overall strategy, which led to the production of crystals that diffracted to better than 2 Å resolution and may be of general interest for a variety of applications.
Topics: Bacterial Proteins; Crystallization; Crystallography, X-Ray; Escherichia coli; Planococcus Bacteria; RNA Nucleotidyltransferases; Recombinant Proteins; Workflow
PubMed: 30387781
DOI: 10.1107/S2053230X18014590 -
Journal of Hazardous Materials Jul 2021Long-term exposure of anammox process to 1,4-dioxane was investigated using periodic anammox baffled reactor (PABR) under different 1,4-dioxane concentrations. The...
Long-term exposure of anammox process to 1,4-dioxane was investigated using periodic anammox baffled reactor (PABR) under different 1,4-dioxane concentrations. The results generally indicated that PABR (composed of 4 compartments) has robust resistance to 10 mg-dioxane/L. The 1 compartment acted as a shield to protect subsequent compartments from 1,4-dioxane toxicity through secretion of high extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) of 152.9 mg/gVSS at 10 mg-dioxane/L. However, increasing 1,4-dioxane to 50 mg/L significantly inhibited anammox bacteria; e.g., ~ 93% of total nitrogen removal was lost within 14 days. The inhibition of anammox process at this dosage was most likely due to bacterial cell lysis, resulting in the decrease of EPS secretion and specific anammox activity (SAA) to 105.9 mg/gVSS and 0.04 mg N/gVSS/h, respectively, in the 1 compartment. However, anammox bacteria were successfully self-recovered within 41 days after the cease of 1,4-dioxane exposure. The identification of microbial compositions further emphasized the negative impacts of 1,4-dioxane on abundance of C. Brocadia among samples. Furthermore, the development of genus Planococcus in the 1 compartment, where removal of 1,4-dioxane was consistently observed, highlights its potential role as anoxic 1,4-dioxane degrader. Overall, long-term exposure to 1,4-dioxane should be controlled not exceeding 10 mg/L for a successful application.
Topics: Anaerobiosis; Bioreactors; Dioxanes; Extracellular Polymeric Substance Matrix; Fatigue; Humans; Kinetics; Microbial Consortia; Nitrogen; Oxidation-Reduction
PubMed: 34030408
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125533 -
Polish Journal of Microbiology 2016Naproxen is a one of the most popular non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) entering the environment as a result of high consumption. For this reason, there is...
Naproxen is a one of the most popular non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) entering the environment as a result of high consumption. For this reason, there is an emerging need to recognize mechanisms of its degradation and enzymes engaged in this process. Planococcus sp. S5 is a gram positive strain able to degrade naproxen in monosubstrate culture (27%). However, naproxen is not a sufficient growth substrate for this strain. In the presence of benzoate, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid or vanillic acid as growth substrates, the degradation of 21.5%, 71.71%, 14.75% and 8.16% of naproxen was observed respectively. It was shown that the activity of monooxygenase, hydroxyquinol 1,2-dioxygenase, protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase and protocatechuate 4,5-dioxyegnase in strain S5 was induced after growth of the strain with naproxen and 4-hydroxybenzoate. Moreover, in the presence of naproxen activity of gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase, enzyme engaged in 4-hydroxybenzoate metabolism, was completely inhibited. The obtained results suggest that monooxygenase and hydroxyquinol 1,2-dioxygenase are the main enzymes in naproxen degradation by Planococcus sp. S5.
Topics: Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Bacterial Proteins; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; Naproxen; Planococcus Bacteria; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 28517919
DOI: No ID Found