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Marine Drugs Nov 2014Bacterial quorum sensing (QS) and the corresponding signals, acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs), were first described for a luminescent Vibrio species. Since then, detailed...
Bacterial quorum sensing (QS) and the corresponding signals, acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs), were first described for a luminescent Vibrio species. Since then, detailed knowledge has been gained on the functional level of QS; however, the abundance of AHLs in the family of Vibrionaceae in the environment has remained unclear. Three hundred and one Vibrionaceae strains were collected on a global research cruise and the prevalence and profile of AHL signals in this global collection were determined. AHLs were detected in 32 of the 301 strains using Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Chromobacterium violaceum reporter strains. Ethyl acetate extracts of the cultures were analysed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (MS) with automated tandem MS confirmation for AHLs. N-(3-hydroxy-hexanoyl) (OH-C6) and N-(3-hydroxy-decanoyl) (OH-C10) homoserine lactones were the most common AHLs found in 17 and 12 strains, respectively. Several strains produced a diversity of different AHLs, including N-heptanoyl (C7) HL. AHL-producing Vibrionaceae were found in polar, temperate and tropical waters. The AHL profiles correlated with strain phylogeny based on gene sequence homology, however not with geographical location. In conclusion, a wide range of AHL signals are produced by a number of clades in the Vibrionaceae family and these results will allow future investigations of inter- and intra-species interactions within this cosmopolitan family of marine bacteria.
Topics: Acyl-Butyrolactones; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Mass Spectrometry; Phylogeny; Quorum Sensing; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Species Specificity; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Vibrionaceae
PubMed: 25419995
DOI: 10.3390/md12115527 -
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Aug 2011Nonulosonic acids (NulOs) encompass a large group of structurally diverse nine-carbon backbone α-keto sugars widely distributed among the three domains of life. Mammals...
Nonulosonic acids (NulOs) encompass a large group of structurally diverse nine-carbon backbone α-keto sugars widely distributed among the three domains of life. Mammals express a specialized version of NulOs called sialic acids, which are displayed in prominent terminal positions of cell surface and secreted glycoconjugates. Within bacteria, the ability to synthesize NulOs has been demonstrated in a number of human pathogens and is phylogenetically widespread. Here we examine the distribution, diversity, evolution, and function of NulO biosynthesis pathways in members of the family Vibrionaceae. Among 27 species of Vibrionaceae examined at the genomic level, 12 species contained nab gene clusters. We document examples of duplication, divergence, horizontal transfer, and recombination of nab gene clusters in different Vibrionaceae lineages. Biochemical analyses, including mass spectrometry, confirmed that many species do, in fact, produce di-N-acetylated NulOs. A library of clinical and environmental isolates of Vibrio vulnificus served as a model for further investigation of nab allele genotypes and levels of NulO expression. The data show that lineage I isolates produce about 20-fold higher levels of NulOs than lineage II isolates. Moreover, nab gene alleles found in a subset of V. vulnificus clinical isolates express 40-fold higher levels of NulOs than nab alleles associated with environmental isolates. Taken together, the data implicate the family Vibrionaceae as a "hot spot" of NulO evolution and suggest that these molecules may have diverse roles in environmental persistence and/or animal virulence.
Topics: Alleles; Bacterial Typing Techniques; Base Sequence; Biosynthetic Pathways; Computational Biology; DNA, Bacterial; Genes, rRNA; Genetic Variation; Genome, Bacterial; Metabolome; Multigene Family; N-Acetylneuraminic Acid; Phenotype; Phylogeny; Vibrionaceae
PubMed: 21724895
DOI: 10.1128/AEM.00712-11 -
Journal of Clinical Microbiology Dec 2003Six commercially available bacterial identification products were tested with Vibrio alginolyticus (12 strains), V. cholerae (30 strains), Photobacterium (Vibrio)...
Six commercially available bacterial identification products were tested with Vibrio alginolyticus (12 strains), V. cholerae (30 strains), Photobacterium (Vibrio) damselae (10 strains), V. fluvialis (10 strains), V. furnissii (4 strains), V. hollisae (10 strains), V. metschnikovii (9 strains), V. mimicus (10 strains), V. parahaemolyticus (30 strains), and V. vulnificus (10 strains) to determine the accuracy of each system for identification. The products included API 20E, Crystal E/NF, MicroScan Neg ID2 and Rapid Neg ID3, and Vitek GNI+ and ID-GNB. Each product was tested only with those species that were listed in its database. Overall, the systems correctly identified 63.9, 80.9, 63.1, 73.6, 73.5, and 77.7% of the isolates to species level, respectively. Error rates ranged from 0.8% for the API 20E to 10.4% for the Rapid Neg ID3. The API 20E gave "no identification" for 13.1% of the isolates, while the Neg ID2, GNI+, ID-GNB, and Crystal were unable to identify 1.8, 2.9, 5.0, and 6.9%, respectively. For V. cholerae, specifically, accuracy ranged from 50.0 to 96.7%, with the API 20E having the worst performance and Crystal having the best. V. fluvialis presented the biggest challenge for the API 20E and the GNI+, with probabilities averaging 10%, while V. mimicus was a major problem with the Crystal E/NF, which identified none of the strains correctly. With the Neg ID2, correct answers were often obtained only after a modified inoculation of the panel with a bacterial suspension prepared with 0.85% NaCl. Additional tests required for identification often included growth in the absence of NaCl, which is not readily available in most clinical laboratories. The only product to correctly identify at least 90% of V. cholerae strains was the Crystal E/NF, and only three of the six products, the API 20E and both of the Vitek cards, correctly identified more than 90% of the V. parahaemolyticus strains. Thus, extreme care must be taken in the interpretation of answers from these six commercially available systems for the identification of Vibrio species.
Topics: Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections; Humans; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; Reproducibility of Results; Serotyping; Vibrio; Vibrio Infections; Vibrio cholerae; Vibrio mimicus; Vibrio parahaemolyticus; Vibrionaceae
PubMed: 14662957
DOI: 10.1128/JCM.41.12.5654-5659.2003 -
Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious... Jul 1992The in vitro activity of meropenem was compared with imipenem and other selected antimicrobial agents against 115 isolates from the family Vibrionaceae. No resistance... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
The in vitro activity of meropenem was compared with imipenem and other selected antimicrobial agents against 115 isolates from the family Vibrionaceae. No resistance was observed with meropenem or imipenem against these isolates. However, meropenem was generally four- to 16-fold more active than imipenem against the aeromonads and Vibrio cholerae. Meropenem showed excellent in vitro activity against the Vibrionaceae and may be useful for eradicating infections produced by these organisms.
Topics: Aeromonas; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Humans; Imipenem; Meropenem; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Thienamycins; Vibrio cholerae; Vibrionaceae
PubMed: 1643823
DOI: 10.1016/0732-8893(92)90088-b -
Journal of Bacteriology May 2008Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is thought to occur frequently in bacteria in nature and to play an important role in bacterial evolution, contributing to the formation...
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is thought to occur frequently in bacteria in nature and to play an important role in bacterial evolution, contributing to the formation of new species. To gain insight into the frequency of HGT in Vibrionaceae and its possible impact on speciation, we assessed the incidence of interspecies transfer of the lux genes (luxCDABEG), which encode proteins involved in luminescence, a distinctive phenotype. Three hundred three luminous strains, most of which were recently isolated from nature and which represent 11 Aliivibrio, Photobacterium, and Vibrio species, were screened for incongruence of phylogenies based on a representative housekeeping gene (gyrB or pyrH) and a representative lux gene (luxA). Strains exhibiting incongruence were then subjected to detailed phylogenetic analysis of horizontal transfer by using multiple housekeeping genes (gyrB, recA, and pyrH) and multiple lux genes (luxCDABEG). In nearly all cases, housekeeping gene and lux gene phylogenies were congruent, and there was no instance in which the lux genes of one luminous species had replaced the lux genes of another luminous species. Therefore, the lux genes are predominantly vertically inherited in Vibrionaceae. The few exceptions to this pattern of congruence were as follows: (i) the lux genes of the only known luminous strain of Vibrio vulnificus, VVL1 (ATCC 43382), were evolutionarily closely related to the lux genes of Vibrio harveyi; (ii) the lux genes of two luminous strains of Vibrio chagasii, 21N-12 and SB-52, were closely related to those of V. harveyi and Vibrio splendidus, respectively; (iii) the lux genes of a luminous strain of Photobacterium damselae, BT-6, were closely related to the lux genes of the lux-rib(2) operon of Photobacterium leiognathi; and (iv) a strain of the luminous bacterium Photobacterium mandapamensis was found to be merodiploid for the lux genes, and the second set of lux genes was closely related to the lux genes of the lux-rib(2) operon of P. leiognathi. In none of these cases of apparent HGT, however, did acquisition of the lux genes correlate with phylogenetic divergence of the recipient strain from other members of its species. The results indicate that horizontal transfer of the lux genes in nature is rare and that horizontal acquisition of the lux genes apparently has not contributed to speciation in recipient taxa.
Topics: Bacterial Proteins; DNA, Bacterial; Gene Transfer, Horizontal; Luminescent Measurements; Multigene Family; Operon; Oxidoreductases; Phylogeny; Repressor Proteins; Trans-Activators; Vibrionaceae
PubMed: 18359809
DOI: 10.1128/JB.00101-08 -
Marine Drugs Dec 2016Chitinolytic microorganisms secrete a range of chitin modifying enzymes, which can be exploited for production of chitin derived products or as fungal or pest control...
Chitinolytic microorganisms secrete a range of chitin modifying enzymes, which can be exploited for production of chitin derived products or as fungal or pest control agents. Here, we explored the potential of 11 marine bacteria (, ) for chitin degradation using in silico and phenotypic assays. Of 10 chitinolytic strains, three strains, S2753, S2040 and S2724, produced large clearing zones on chitin plates. All strains were antifungal, but against different fungal targets. One strain, S2040, had a pronounced antifungal activity against all seven fungal strains. There was no correlation between the number of chitin modifying enzymes as found by genome mining and the chitin degrading activity as measured by size of clearing zones on chitin agar. Based on in silico and in vitro analyses, we cloned and expressed two ChiA-like chitinases from the two most potent candidates to exemplify the industrial potential.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Chitin; Chitinases; Marine Biology; Pseudoalteromonas; Vibrionaceae
PubMed: 27999269
DOI: 10.3390/md14120230 -
Microbial Ecology Aug 2007Relatively little is known about large-scale spatial and temporal fluctuations in bacterioplankton, especially within the bacterial families. In general, however, a...
Relatively little is known about large-scale spatial and temporal fluctuations in bacterioplankton, especially within the bacterial families. In general, however, a number of abiotic factors (namely, nutrients and temperature) appear to influence distribution. Community dynamics within the Vibrionaceae are of particular interest to biologists because this family contains a number of important pathogenic, commensal, and mutualist species. Of special interest to this study is the mutualism between sepiolid squids and Vibrio fischeri and Vibrio logei, where host squids seed surrounding waters daily with their bacterial partners. This study seeks to examine the spatial and temporal distribution of the Vibrionaceae with respect to V. fischeri and V. logei in Hawaii, southeastern Australia, and southern France sampling sites. In particular, we examine how the presence of sepiolid squid hosts influences community population structure within the Vibrionaceae. We found that abiotic (temperature) and biotic (host distribution) factors both influence population dynamics. In Hawaii, three sites within squid host habitat contained communities of Vibrionaceae with higher proportions of V. fischeri. In Australia, V. fischeri numbers at host collection sites were greater than other populations; however, there were no spatial or temporal patterns seen at other sample sites. In France, host presence did not appear to influence Vibrio communities, although sampled populations were significantly greater in the winter than summer sampling periods. Results of this study demonstrate the importance of understanding how both abiotic and biotic factors interact to influence bacterial community structure within the Vibrionaceae.
Topics: Animals; Australia; Decapodiformes; France; Hawaii; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; Seasons; Seawater; Temperature; Vibrionaceae
PubMed: 17345129
DOI: 10.1007/s00248-006-9204-z -
Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi = Chinese... May 1991Although Plesiomonas shigelloides is considered to be a cause of diarrhea in the Orient, it has infrequently been noted to be associated with diarrhea in Taiwan. Six... (Review)
Review
Although Plesiomonas shigelloides is considered to be a cause of diarrhea in the Orient, it has infrequently been noted to be associated with diarrhea in Taiwan. Six cases of various extent of diarrhea were found to be associated with P. shigelloides in stool culture in this department between January 1987 and December 1988. Only two of them had history of chronic diarrhea and the others had mild or even no symptom. All six strains of this organism were susceptible to most commonly used antibiotics, but resistant to ampicillin, carbenicillin, clindamycin, oxacillin, penicillin, and vancomycin. Those which required least minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) were cefazolin, ceftazidime, cefuroxime, ciprofloxacin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Our experiences showed that P. shigelloides may cause mild diarrhea in normal hosts. It sometimes is an incidental finding. An oxidase test for this organism should be included as routine culture of the stool specimen, but treatment is not always necessary.
Topics: Adult; Bacterial Infections; Diarrhea; Feces; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Vibrionaceae; Water Microbiology
PubMed: 1649680
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal of Hazardous Materials Feb 2019Synthetic monorhamnolipids differ from biologically produced material because they are produced as single congeners, depending on the β-hydroxyalkanoic acid used during...
Synthetic monorhamnolipids differ from biologically produced material because they are produced as single congeners, depending on the β-hydroxyalkanoic acid used during synthesis. Each congener is produced as one of four possible diastereomers resulting from two chiral centers at the carbinols of the lipid tails [(R,R), (R,S), (S,R) and (S,S)]. We compare the biodegradability (CO respirometry), acute toxicity (Microtox assay), embryo toxicity (Zebrafish assay), and cytotoxicity (xCELLigence and MTS assays) of synthetic rhamnosyl-β-hydroxydecanoyl-β-hydroxydecanoate (Rha-C10-C10) monorhamnolipids against biosynthesized monorhamnolipid mixtures (bio-mRL). All Rha-C10-C10 diastereomers and bio-mRL were inherently biodegradable ranging from 34 to 92% mineralized. The Microtox assay showed all Rha-C10-C10 diastereomers and bio-mRL are slightly toxic according to the US EPA ecotoxicity categories with 5 min EC values ranging from 39.6 to 87.5 μM. The zebrafish assay showed that of 22 developmental endpoints tested, only mortality was observed at 120 h post fertilization; all Rha-C10-C10 diastereomers and bio-mRL caused significant mortality at 640 μM, except the Rha-C10-C10 (R,R) which showed no developmental effects. xCELLigence and MTS showed IC values ranging from 103.4 to 191.1 μM for human lung cell line H1299 after 72 h exposure. These data provide key information regarding Rha-C10-C10 diastereomers that is pertinent when considering potential applications.
Topics: Animals; Biodegradation, Environmental; Cell Line; Embryo, Nonmammalian; Embryonic Development; Glycolipids; Humans; Luminescent Measurements; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Stereoisomerism; Surface-Active Agents; Vibrionaceae; Zebrafish
PubMed: 30390580
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2018.10.050 -
Journal of Bacteriology Mar 2000In the arginine biosynthetic pathway of the vast majority of prokaryotes, the formation of ornithine is catalyzed by an enzyme transferring the acetyl group of...
Evolution of arginine biosynthesis in the bacterial domain: novel gene-enzyme relationships from psychrophilic Moritella strains (Vibrionaceae) and evolutionary significance of N-alpha-acetyl ornithinase.
In the arginine biosynthetic pathway of the vast majority of prokaryotes, the formation of ornithine is catalyzed by an enzyme transferring the acetyl group of N-alpha-acetylornithine to glutamate (ornithine acetyltransferase [OATase]) (argJ encoded). Only two exceptions had been reported-the Enterobacteriaceae and Myxococcus xanthus (members of the gamma and delta groups of the class Proteobacteria, respectively)-in which ornithine is produced from N-alpha-acetylornithine by a deacylase, acetylornithinase (AOase) (argE encoded). We have investigated the gene-enzyme relationship in the arginine regulons of two psychrophilic Moritella strains belonging to the Vibrionaceae, a family phylogenetically related to the Enterobacteriaceae. Most of the arg genes were found to be clustered in one continuous sequence divergently transcribed in two wings, argE and argCBFGH(A) ["H(A)" indicates that the argininosuccinase gene consists of a part homologous to known argH sequences and of a 3' extension able to complement an Escherichia coli mutant deficient in the argA gene, encoding N-alpha-acetylglutamate synthetase, the first enzyme committed to the pathway]. Phylogenetic evidence suggests that this new clustering pattern arose in an ancestor common to Vibrionaceae and Enterobacteriaceae, where OATase was lost and replaced by a deacylase. The AOase and ornithine carbamoyltransferase of these psychrophilic strains both display distinctly cold-adapted activity profiles, providing the first cold-active examples of such enzymes.
Topics: Acetyltransferases; Amidohydrolases; Arginine; Base Sequence; Cloning, Molecular; Culture Media; Enzyme Repression; Evolution, Molecular; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; Genes, Bacterial; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Recombinant Proteins; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Temperature; Transcription, Genetic; Vibrionaceae; Water Microbiology
PubMed: 10692366
DOI: 10.1128/JB.182.6.1609-1615.2000