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Current Biology : CB Feb 2014Many bacteria glide smoothly on surfaces, despite having no discernable propulsive organelles on their surface. Recent experiments with Myxococcus xanthus and... (Review)
Review
Many bacteria glide smoothly on surfaces, despite having no discernable propulsive organelles on their surface. Recent experiments with Myxococcus xanthus and Flavobacterium johnsoniae show that both of these distantly related bacterial species glide using proteins that move in helical tracks, albeit with significantly different motility mechanisms. Both species utilize proton-motive force for movement. Although the motors that power gliding in M. xanthus have been identified, the F. johnsoniae motors remain to be discovered.
Topics: Bacterial Proteins; Biological Transport; Cell Membrane; Flavobacterium; Myxococcus xanthus
PubMed: 24556443
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.12.034 -
Current Opinion in Microbiology Dec 2015Cells of Flavobacterium johnsoniae, a rod-shaped bacterium about 6 μm long, do not have flagella or pili, yet they move over surfaces at speeds of about 2 μm/s. This... (Review)
Review
Cells of Flavobacterium johnsoniae, a rod-shaped bacterium about 6 μm long, do not have flagella or pili, yet they move over surfaces at speeds of about 2 μm/s. This motion is called gliding. Recent advances in F. johnsoniae research include the discovery of mobile cell-surface adhesins and rotary motors. The puzzle is how rotary motion leads to linear motion. We suggest a possible mechanism, inspired by the snowmobile.
Topics: Adhesins, Bacterial; Bacterial Proteins; Flavobacterium; Locomotion; Models, Biological; Off-Road Motor Vehicles
PubMed: 26476806
DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2015.07.018 -
Microbiology Spectrum Oct 2021Flavobacterium psychrophilum, the etiological agent of bacterial coldwater disease (BCWD) and rainbow trout fry syndrome, causes great economic losses in salmonid...
Flavobacterium psychrophilum, the etiological agent of bacterial coldwater disease (BCWD) and rainbow trout fry syndrome, causes great economic losses in salmonid aquaculture worldwide. Recent molecular studies have uncovered important epidemiological and ecological aspects of this pathogen; however, such data are lacking for F. psychrophilum populations affecting aquaculture in China. Herein, F. psychrophilum phenotype, genotype, and virulence were characterized for isolates recovered from epizootics in multiple salmonid aquaculture facilities across China. Thirty-one F. psychrophilum isolates, originating from four provinces and three host fish species, were predominantly homogeneous biochemically but represented 5 sequence types (STs) according to multilocus sequence typing (MLST) that belonged to clonal complex CC-ST10 or 3 newly recognized singleton STs. PCR-based serotyping classified 19 and 12 F. psychrophilum isolates into molecular serotypes 1 and 0, respectively, showing an obvious relationship with host species. Antimicrobial susceptibility analysis via broth microdilution revealed reduced susceptibility to enrofloxacin, flumequine, and oxolinic acid, moderate susceptibility to gentamicin, erythromycin, and florfenicol, and variable susceptibility to ampicillin and oxytetracycline. challenge experiments confirmed the ability of two representative Chinese F. psychrophilum isolates to induce typical signs of BCWD and mortality in 1-year-old rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Findings collectively demonstrate (i) that BCWD outbreaks in China studied thus far are caused by F. psychrophilum lineages that are common on other continents (e.g., CC-ST10) and others that have not been reported elsewhere (e.g., ST355, ST356, ST357), (ii) that F. psychrophilum molecular serotypes distinguish isolates from different host fish species, even within STs, and (iii) reduced F. psychrophilum antimicrobial susceptibility against compounds used for BCWD control in China. Flavobacterium psychrophilum causes substantial economic losses in salmonid aquaculture worldwide. Although this bacterium is also believed to be a disease source in China, published reports of its presence do not yet exist. Herein, F. psychrophilum was linked to multiple disease outbreaks in several salmonid aquaculture facilities within four Chinese provinces, and polyphasic characterization revealed that most isolates were genetically distinct from strains recovered on other continents. Analyses further revealed the predominating molecular serotypes, antimicrobial susceptibility profiles, and pathogenic potential of two representative recovered isolates. Collectively, the results presented here provide important data on the epidemiology and disease ecology of F. psychrophilum in China and pave the way for targeted prevention and control methods to be pursued in the future.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Aquaculture; China; Fish Diseases; Flavobacterium; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Multilocus Sequence Typing; Oncorhynchus kisutch; Oncorhynchus mykiss; Osmeriformes; Virulence Factors
PubMed: 34523994
DOI: 10.1128/Spectrum.00330-21 -
PloS One 2018In this study, a Flavobacterium sp. is isolated from natural spring, and identified using molecular techniques. Extracellular and intracellular secondary metabolites are...
In this study, a Flavobacterium sp. is isolated from natural spring, and identified using molecular techniques. Extracellular and intracellular secondary metabolites are identified using solid phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and ultra performance liquid chromatography. Cytotoxic activity of the extracellular compounds produced by the Flavobacterium sp. and quercetin as the standard are measured using ECV304 human endothelial cells in vitro. Our results show that Flavobacterim sp. isolate has the highest percentage of similarity with Flavobacterium cheonhonense strain ARSA-15 (99%). Quercetin is detected as the major extracellular compound produced by the Flavobacterium sp. Methanol extract of Flavobacterium sp. resulted in a higher cell viability results when compared to DMSO extracts. Computational chemistry approach was used and it has been found that polar solvent (methanol) contributed to higher antioxidant activity. In conclusion, Flavobacterium sp. can be used to produce quercetin for industrial purposes.
Topics: Bacterial Typing Techniques; Base Composition; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Computer Simulation; DNA, Bacterial; Endothelial Cells; Fatty Acids; Flavobacterium; Fresh Water; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Humans; Phylogeny; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Secondary Metabolism; Sequence Analysis, DNA
PubMed: 30332474
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205817 -
Viruses Jan 2020Viruses in aquatic environments play a key role in microbial population dynamics and nutrient cycling. In particular, bacteria of the phylum are known to participate in...
Viruses in aquatic environments play a key role in microbial population dynamics and nutrient cycling. In particular, bacteria of the phylum are known to participate in recycling algal blooms. Studies of phage-host interactions involving this phylum are hence important to understand the processes shaping bacterial and viral communities in the ocean as well as nutrient cycling. In this study, we isolated and sequenced three strains of flavobacteria-LMO6, LMO9, LMO8-and 38 virulent phages infecting them. These phages represent 15 species, occupying three novel genera. Additionally, one temperate phage was induced from LMO6 and was found to be competent at infecting LMO9. Functions could be predicted for a limited number of phage genes, mainly representing roles in DNA replication and virus particle formation. No metabolic genes were detected. While the phages isolated on LMO8 could infect all three bacterial strains, the LMO6 and LMO9 phages could not infect LMO8. Of the phages isolated on LMO9, several showed a host-derived reduced efficiency of plating on LMO6, potentially due to differences in DNA methyltransferase genes. Overall, these phage-host systems contribute novel genetic information to our sequence databases and present valuable tools for the study of both virulent and temperate phages.
Topics: Bacteriophages; DNA Replication; DNA, Viral; Flavobacterium; Genome, Bacterial; Genome, Viral; Host Microbial Interactions; Host Specificity; Phylogeny; Seawater; Sequence Analysis, DNA
PubMed: 32019073
DOI: 10.3390/v12020158 -
Journal of Bacteriology Jun 2023Flavobacterium johnsoniae is a free-living member of the phylum that is found in soil and water. It is frequently used as a model species for studying a type of gliding...
Flavobacterium johnsoniae is a free-living member of the phylum that is found in soil and water. It is frequently used as a model species for studying a type of gliding motility dependent on the type IX secretion system (T9SS). -Glycosylation has been reported in several species, and the -glycosylation of S-layer proteins in Tannerella forsythia was shown to be important for certain virulence features. In this study, we characterized the -glycoproteome of F. johnsoniae and identified 325 -glycosylation sites within 226 glycoproteins. The structure of the major glycan was found to be a hexasaccharide with the sequence Hex-(Me-dHex)-Me-HexA-Pent-HexA-Me-HexNAcA. Bioinformatic localization of the glycoproteins predicted 68 inner membrane proteins, 60 periplasmic proteins, 26 outer membrane proteins, 57 lipoproteins, and 9 proteins secreted by the T9SS. The glycosylated sites were predominantly located in the periplasm, where they are postulated to be beneficial for protein folding/stability. Six proteins associated with gliding motility or the T9SS were demonstrated to be -glycosylated. Flavobacterium johnsoniae is a Gram-negative bacterium that is found in soil and water. It is frequently used as a model species for studying gliding motility and the T9SS. In this study, we characterized the -glycoproteome of F. johnsoniae and identified 325 -glycosylation sites within 226 glycoproteins. The glycosylated domains were mainly localized to the periplasm. The function of -glycosylation is likely related to protein folding and stability; therefore, the finding of the glycosylation sites has relevance for studies involving expression of the proteins. Six proteins associated with gliding motility or the T9SS were demonstrated to be -glycosylated, which may impact the structure and function of these components.
Topics: Bacterial Proteins; Flavobacterium; Polysaccharides; Glycosylation; Proteome
PubMed: 37162352
DOI: 10.1128/jb.00093-23 -
Nihon Saikingaku Zasshi. Japanese... 2015Bacteria have various way to move over solid surfaces, such as glass, agar, and host cell. These movements involve surface appendages including flagella, type IV pili... (Review)
Review
Bacteria have various way to move over solid surfaces, such as glass, agar, and host cell. These movements involve surface appendages including flagella, type IV pili and other "mysterious" nano-machineries. Gliding motility was a term used various surface movements by several mechanisms that have not been well understood in past few decades. However, development of visualization techniques allowed us to make much progress on their dynamics of machineries. It also provided us better understanding how bacteria move over surfaces and why bacteria move in natural environments. In this review, I will introduce recent studies on the gliding motility of Flavobacteium and Mycoplasma based on the detail observation of single cell and its motility machinery with micro-nano scales.
Topics: Bacterial Translocation; Fimbriae, Bacterial; Flagella; Flavobacterium; Mycoplasma
PubMed: 26632217
DOI: 10.3412/jsb.70.375 -
Marine Drugs Aug 2022Fucoidans represent a type of polyanionic fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides (FCSPs) that are cleaved by fucoidan-degrading enzymes, producing...
Fucoidans represent a type of polyanionic fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides (FCSPs) that are cleaved by fucoidan-degrading enzymes, producing low-molecular-weight fucoidans with multiple biological activities suitable for pharmacological use. Most of the reported fucoidan-degrading enzymes are glycoside hydrolases, which have been well studied for their structures and catalytic mechanisms. Little is known, however, about the rarer fucoidan lyases, primarily due to the lack of structural information. FdlA from sp. SA-0082 is an endo-type fucoidan-degrading enzyme that cleaves the sulfated fuco-glucuronomannan (SFGM) through a lytic mechanism. Here, we report nine crystal structures of the catalytic N-terminal domain of FdlA (FdlA-NTD), in both its wild type (WT) and mutant forms, at resolutions ranging from 1.30 to 2.25 Å. We show that the FdlA-NTD adopts a right-handed parallel β-helix fold, and possesses a substrate binding site composed of a long groove and a unique alkaline pocket. Our structural, biochemical, and enzymological analyses strongly suggest that FdlA-NTD utilizes catalytic residues different from other β-helix polysaccharide lyases, potentially representing a novel polysaccharide lyase family.
Topics: Flavobacterium; Lyases; Polysaccharide-Lyases; Polysaccharides; Sulfates
PubMed: 36005536
DOI: 10.3390/md20080533 -
MSystems Jun 2022Microbial communities in the rhizosphere are distinct from those in soils and are influenced by stochastic and deterministic processes during plant development. These...
Microbial communities in the rhizosphere are distinct from those in soils and are influenced by stochastic and deterministic processes during plant development. These communities contain bacteria capable of promoting growth in host plants through various strategies. While some interactions are characterized in mechanistic detail using model systems, others can be inferred from culture-independent methods, such as 16S amplicon sequencing, using machine learning methods that account for this compositional data type. To characterize assembly processes and identify community members associated with plant growth amid the spatiotemporal variability of the rhizosphere, we grew in a greenhouse time series with amended and reduced microbial treatments. Inoculation with a native soil community increased plant leaf area throughout the time series by up to 28%. Despite identifying spatially and temporally variable amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) in both treatments, inoculated communities were more highly connected and assembled more deterministically overall. Using a generalized linear modeling approach controlling for spatial variability, we identified 43 unique ASVs that were positively or negatively associated with leaf area, biomass, or growth rates across treatments and time stages. ASVs of the genus dominated rhizosphere communities and showed some of the strongest positive and negative correlations with plant growth. Members of this genus, and growth-associated ASVs more broadly, exhibited variable connectivity in networks independent of growth association (positive or negative). These findings suggest host-rhizobacterial interactions vary temporally at narrow taxonomic scales and present a framework for identifying rhizobacteria that may work independently or in concert to improve agricultural yields. The rhizosphere, the zone of soil surrounding plant roots, is a hot spot for microbial activity, hosting bacteria capable of promoting plant growth in ways like increasing nutrient availability or fighting plant pathogens. This microbial system is highly diverse and most bacteria are unculturable, so to identify specific bacteria associated with plant growth, we used culture-independent community DNA sequencing combined with machine learning techniques. We identified 43 specific bacterial sequences associated with the growth of the plant in different soil microbial treatments and at different stages of plant development. Most associations between bacterial abundances and plant growth were positive, although similar bacterial groups sometimes had different effects on growth. Why this happens will require more research, but overall, this study provides a way to identify native bacteria from plant roots that might be isolated and applied to boost agricultural yields.
Topics: Brassica rapa; Soil; Agriculture; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Flavobacterium
PubMed: 35575562
DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00060-22 -
Journal of Applied Microbiology Apr 2021Comparative genomics analyses indicated that the Flavobacterium columnare genome has unique denitrification genes relative to Flavobacterium psychrophilum and...
AIMS
Comparative genomics analyses indicated that the Flavobacterium columnare genome has unique denitrification genes relative to Flavobacterium psychrophilum and Flavobacterium johnsoniae, including nasA (nitrate reductase), nirS (nitrite reductase), norB (nitric oxide reductase) and nosZ (nitrous oxide reductase). The current study determines the roles of nasA, nirS, norB and nosZ in anaerobic growth, nitrate reduction, biofilm formation and virulence.
METHODS AND RESULTS
Four in-frame deletion mutants in virulent F. columnare strain 94-081 were constructed by allelic exchange using pCP29 plasmid. Compared with parent strain 94-081, FcΔnasA,FcΔnirS and FcΔnosZ mutants did not grow as well anaerobically, whereas the growth of FcΔnorB strain was similar to the parent strain (FcWT). Exogenous nitrate was not significantly consumed under anaerobic conditions in FcΔnasA, FcΔnirS and FcΔnosZ compared to parent strain 94-081. Under anaerobic conditions, Fc∆nasA, Fc∆norB and Fc∆nosZ formed significantly less biofilm than the wild type strain at 24 and 96 h, but FcΔnirS was not significantly affected. The nitrite reductase mutant FcΔnirS was highly attenuated in catfish, whereas FcΔnasA, FcΔnorB and FcΔnosZ had similar virulence to FcWT.
CONCLUSIONS
These results show, for the first time, that denitrification genes enable F. columnare to grow anaerobically using nitrate as an electron acceptor, and nitrite reductase contributes to F. columnare virulence.
SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY
These findings indicate potential for F. columnare to grow in nitrate-rich anaerobic zones in catfish production ponds, and they suggest that a Fc∆nirS strain could be useful as a safe live vaccine if it protects catfish against columnaris disease.
Topics: Anaerobiosis; Animals; Bacterial Proteins; Biofilms; Catfishes; Denitrification; Fish Diseases; Flavobacteriaceae Infections; Flavobacterium; Virulence
PubMed: 32955778
DOI: 10.1111/jam.14855