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Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Jun 2017Photobacterium species are Gram-negative coccobacilli which are distributed in marine habitats worldwide. Some species are unique because of their capability to produce... (Review)
Review
Photobacterium species are Gram-negative coccobacilli which are distributed in marine habitats worldwide. Some species are unique because of their capability to produce luminescence. Taxonomically, about 23 species and 2 subspecies are validated to date. Genomes from a few Photobacterium spp. have been sequenced and studied. They are considered a special group of bacteria because some species are capable of producing essential polyunsaturated fatty acids, antibacterial compounds, lipases, esterases and asparaginases. They are also used as biosensors in food and environmental monitoring and detectors of drown victim, as well as an important symbiont.
Topics: Bacterial Proteins; Biosensing Techniques; DNA, Bacterial; Ecosystem; Genome, Bacterial; Luminescence; Photobacterium; Phylogeny; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Symbiosis
PubMed: 28497204
DOI: 10.1007/s00253-017-8300-y -
Computational and Structural... 2018Bioluminescence refers to the production of light by living organisms. Bioluminescent bacteria with a variety of bioluminescence emission characteristics have been... (Review)
Review
Bioluminescence refers to the production of light by living organisms. Bioluminescent bacteria with a variety of bioluminescence emission characteristics have been identified in , and . Bioluminescent bacteria are mainly found in marine habitats and they are either free-floating, sessile or have specialized to live in symbiosis with other marine organisms. On the molecular level, bioluminescence is enabled by a cascade of chemical reactions catalyzed by enzymes encoded by the operon with the gene order . The and genes encode the α- and β- subunits, respectively, of the enzyme luciferase producing the light emitting species. , and constitute the fatty acid reductase complex, responsible for the synthesis of the long-chain aldehyde substrate and encodes a flavin reductase. In bacteria, the heterodimeric luciferase catalyzes the monooxygenation of long-chain aliphatic aldehydes to the corresponding acids utilizing reduced FMN and molecular oxygen. The energy released as a photon results from an excited state flavin-4a-hydroxide, emitting light centered around 490 nm. Advances in the mechanistic understanding of bacterial bioluminescence have been spurred by the structural characterization of protein encoded by the operon. However, the number of available crystal structures is limited to LuxAB (), LuxD () and LuxF (). Based on the crystal structure of LuxD and homology models of LuxC and LuxE, we provide a hypothetical model of the overall structure of the LuxCDE fatty acid reductase complex that is in line with biochemical observations.
PubMed: 30546856
DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2018.11.003 -
FEMS Microbiology Reviews Mar 2011Photobacterium comprises several species in Vibrionaceae, a large family of Gram-negative, facultatively aerobic, bacteria that commonly associate with marine animals.... (Review)
Review
Photobacterium comprises several species in Vibrionaceae, a large family of Gram-negative, facultatively aerobic, bacteria that commonly associate with marine animals. Members of the genus are widely distributed in the marine environment and occur in seawater, surfaces, and intestines of marine animals, marine sediments and saline lake water, and light organs of fish. Seven Photobacterium species are luminous via the activity of the lux genes, luxCDABEG. Much recent progress has been made on the phylogeny, genomics, and symbiosis of Photobacterium. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrates a robust separation between Photobacterium and its close relatives, Aliivibrio and Vibrio, and reveals the presence of two well-supported clades. Clade 1 contains luminous and symbiotic species and one species with no luminous members, and Clade 2 contains mostly nonluminous species. The genomes of Photobacterium are similar in size, structure, and organization to other members of Vibrionaceae, with two chromosomes of unequal size and multiple rrn operons. Many species of marine fish form bioluminescent symbioses with three Photobacterium species: Photobacterium kishitanii, Photobacterium leiognathi, and Photobacterium mandapamensis. These associations are highly, but not strictly species specific, and they do not exhibit symbiont-host codivergence. Environmental congruence instead of host selection might explain the patterns of symbiont-host affiliation observed from nature.
Topics: Animals; Fishes; Genomics; Molecular Sequence Data; Photobacterium; Phylogeny; Symbiosis; Water Microbiology
PubMed: 20883503
DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2010.00250.x -
International Microbiology : the... Mar 2017The genus Photobacterium, one of the eight genera included in the family Vibrionaceae, contains 27 species with valid names and it has received attention because of the... (Review)
Review
The genus Photobacterium, one of the eight genera included in the family Vibrionaceae, contains 27 species with valid names and it has received attention because of the bioluminescence and pathogenesis mechanisms that some of its species exhibit. However, the taxonomy and phylogeny of this genus are not completely elucidated; for example, P. logei and P. fischeri are now considered members of the genus Aliivibrio, and previously were included in the genus Vibrio. In addition, P. damselae subsp. piscicida was formed as a new combination for former Vibrio damsela and Pasteurella piscicida. Moreover, P. damselae subsp. damselae is an earlier heterotypic synonym of P. histaminum. To avoid these incovenences draft and complete genomic sequences of members of Photobacterium are increasingly becoming available and their use is now routine for many research laboratories to address diverse goals: species delineation with overall genomic indexes, phylogenetic analyses, comparative genomics, and phenotypic inference. The habitats and isolation source of the Photobacterium species include seawater, sea sediments, saline lake waters, and a variety of marine organisms with which the photobacteria establish different relationships, from symbiosis to pathogenic interactions. Several species of this genus contain bioluminescent strains in symbiosis with marine fish and cephalopods; in addition, other species enhance its growth at pressures above 1 atmosphere, by means of several high-pressure adaptation mechanisms and for this, they may be considered as piezophilic (former barophilic) bacteria. Until now, only P. jeanii, P. rosenbergii, P. sanctipauli, and the two subspecies of P. damselae have been reported as responsible agents of several pathologies on animal hosts, such as corals, sponges, fish and homeothermic animals. In this review we have revised and updated the taxonomy, ecology and pathogenicity of several members of this genus. [Int Microbiol 20(1): 1-10 (2017)].
Topics: Animals; Fish Diseases; Fishes; Photobacterium; Phylogeny; Symbiosis
PubMed: 28581017
DOI: 10.2436/20.1501.01.280 -
Biochemistry. Biokhimiia Jun 2015The scientific basis for producing luminescent biosensors containing free and immobilized luminescent bacteria is discussed. Modern technologies for engineering target... (Review)
Review
The scientific basis for producing luminescent biosensors containing free and immobilized luminescent bacteria is discussed. Modern technologies for engineering target objects, procedures used to immobilize bacteria in different carriers, as well as procedures for integral and specific biodetection of toxins are presented. Data regarding generation and application of biomonitoring for ecotoxicants derived from natural and genetically engineered photobacterial strains are analyzed. Special attention is given to immobilization of photobacteria in polyvinyl alcohol-containing cryogel. The main physicochemical, biochemical, and technological parameters for stabilizing luminescence in immobilized bacteria are described. Results of the application of immobilized photobacterial preparations both during discrete and continuous biomonitoring for different classes of ecotoxicants are presented.
Topics: Biosensing Techniques; Luminescent Measurements; Luminescent Proteins; Photobacterium
PubMed: 26531018
DOI: 10.1134/S0006297915060085 -
Journal of Immunology Research 2014Photobacteriosis or fish pasteurellosis is a bacterial disease affecting wild and farm fish. Its etiological agent, the gram negative bacterium Photobacterium damselae... (Review)
Review
Photobacteriosis or fish pasteurellosis is a bacterial disease affecting wild and farm fish. Its etiological agent, the gram negative bacterium Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida, is responsible for important economic losses in cultured fish worldwide, in particular in Mediterranean countries and Japan. Efforts have been focused on gaining a better understanding of the biology of the pathogenic microorganism and its natural hosts with the aim of developing effective vaccination strategies and diagnostic tools to control the disease. Conventional vaccinology has thus far yielded unsatisfactory results, and recombinant technology has been applied to identify new antigen candidates for the development of subunit vaccines. Furthermore, molecular methods represent an improvement over classical microbiological techniques for the identification of P. damselae subsp. piscicida and the diagnosis of the disease. The complete sequencing, annotation, and analysis of the pathogen genome will provide insights into the pathogen laying the groundwork for the development of vaccines and diagnostic methods.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacterial Vaccines; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Fish Diseases; Fishes; Genome, Bacterial; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections; Photobacterium; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Vaccination; Vaccines, Subunit; Vaccines, Synthetic
PubMed: 24982922
DOI: 10.1155/2014/793817 -
Marine Drugs Nov 2010Sialyltransferases transfer N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) from the common donor substrate of these enzymes, cytidine 5'-monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid... (Review)
Review
Sialyltransferases transfer N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) from the common donor substrate of these enzymes, cytidine 5'-monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid (CMP-Neu5Ac), to acceptor substrates. The enzymatic reaction products including sialyl-glycoproteins, sialyl-glycolipids and sialyl-oligosaccharides are important molecules in various biological and physiological processes, such as cell-cell recognition, cancer metastasis, and virus infection. Thus, sialyltransferases are thought to be important enzymes in the field of glycobiology. To date, many sialyltransferases and the genes encoding them have been obtained from various sources including mammalian, bacterial and viral sources. During the course of our research, we have detected over 20 bacteria that produce sialyltransferases. Many of the bacteria we isolated from marine environments are classified in the genus Photobacterium or the closely related genus Vibrio. The paper reviews the sialyltransferases obtained mainly from marine bacteria.
Topics: Animals; Bacteria; Cytidine Monophosphate N-Acetylneuraminic Acid; Humans; Marine Biology; N-Acetylneuraminic Acid; Photobacterium; Sialyltransferases; Vibrio
PubMed: 21139844
DOI: 10.3390/md8112781 -
International Journal of Molecular... Apr 2022The marine bacterium subsp. () causes photobacteriosis in fish and important financial losses in aquaculture, but knowledge of its virulence factors is still scarce....
The marine bacterium subsp. () causes photobacteriosis in fish and important financial losses in aquaculture, but knowledge of its virulence factors is still scarce. We here demonstrate that an unstable plasmid (pPHDPT3) that encodes a type III secretion system (T3SS) is highly prevalent in strains from different geographical origins and fish host species. We found that pPHDPT3 undergoes curing upon in vitro cultivation, and this instability constitutes a generalized feature of pPHDPT3-like plasmids in strains. pPHDPT3 markers were detected in tissues of naturally-infected moribund fish and in the colonies grown directly from the fish tissues but were undetectable in a fraction of the colonies produced upon the first passage of the primeval colonies on agar plates. Notably, cured strains exhibited a marked reduction in virulence for fish, demonstrating that pPHDPT3 is a major virulence factor of . The attempts to stabilize pPHDPT3 by insertion of antibiotic resistance markers by allelic exchange caused an even greater reduction in virulence. We hypothesize that the existence of a high pressure to shed pPHDPT3 plasmid in vitro caused the selection of clones with off-target mutations and gene rearrangements during the process of genetic modification. Collectively, these results show that pPHDPT3 constitutes a novel, hitherto unreported virulence factor of that shows a high instability in vitro and warn that the picture of virulence genes has been historically underestimated, since the loss of the T3SS and other plasmid-borne genes may have occurred systematically in laboratories for decades.
Topics: Animals; Fish Diseases; Fishes; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections; Photobacterium; Plasmids; Type III Secretion Systems; Virulence; Virulence Factors
PubMed: 35563122
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23094729 -
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Jan 2016Scombrotoxin fish poisoning (SFP) remains the main contributor of fish poisoning incidents in the United States, despite efforts to control its spread. Psychrotrophic...
Scombrotoxin fish poisoning (SFP) remains the main contributor of fish poisoning incidents in the United States, despite efforts to control its spread. Psychrotrophic histamine-producing bacteria (HPB) indigenous to scombrotoxin-forming fish may contribute to the incidence of SFP. We examined the gills, skin, and anal vents of yellowfin (n = 3), skipjack (n = 1), and albacore (n = 6) tuna for the presence of indigenous HPB. Thirteen HPB strains were isolated from the anal vent samples from albacore (n = 3) and yellowfin (n = 2) tuna. Four of these isolates were identified as Photobacterium kishitanii and nine isolates as Photobacterium angustum; these isolates produced 560 to 603 and 1,582 to 2,338 ppm histamine in marine broth containing 1% histidine (25°C for 48 h), respectively. The optimum growth temperatures and salt concentrations were 26 to 27°C and 1% salt for P. kishitanii and 30 to 32°C and 2% salt for P. angustum in Luria 70% seawater (LSW-70). The optimum activity of the HDC enzyme was at 15 to 30°C for both species. At 5°C, P. kishitanii and P. angustum had growth rates of 0.1 and 0.2 h(-1), respectively, and the activities of histidine decarboxylase (HDC) enzymes were 71% and 63%, respectively. These results show that indigenous HPB in tuna are capable of growing at elevated and refrigeration temperatures. These findings demonstrate the need to examine the relationships between the rate of histamine production at refrigeration temperatures, seafood shelf life, and regulatory limits.
Topics: Animals; Bacterial Proteins; Food Contamination; Foodborne Diseases; Histamine; Histidine Decarboxylase; Marine Toxins; Photobacterium; Phylogeny; Seafood; Tuna
PubMed: 26826233
DOI: 10.1128/AEM.02833-15 -
Microbiology Spectrum Oct 2015Similar to other genera and species of bacteria, whole genomic sequencing has revolutionized how we think about and address questions of basic Vibrio biology. In this... (Review)
Review
Similar to other genera and species of bacteria, whole genomic sequencing has revolutionized how we think about and address questions of basic Vibrio biology. In this review we examined 36 completely sequenced and annotated members of the Vibrionaceae family, encompassing 12 different species of the genera Vibrio, Aliivibrio, and Photobacterium. We reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships among representatives of this group of bacteria by using three housekeeping genes and 16S rRNA sequences. With an evolutionary framework in place, we describe the occurrence and distribution of primary and alternative sigma factors, global regulators present in all bacteria. Among Vibrio we show that the number and function of many of these sigma factors differs from species to species. We also describe the role of the Vibrio-specific regulator ToxRS in fitness and survival. Examination of the biochemical capabilities was and still is the foundation of classifying and identifying new Vibrio species. Using comparative genomics, we examine the distribution of carbon utilization patterns among Vibrio species as a possible marker for understanding bacteria-host interactions. Finally, we discuss the significant role that horizontal gene transfer, specifically, the distribution and structure of integrons, has played in Vibrio evolution.
Topics: Aliivibrio; Animals; Bacterial Typing Techniques; DNA, Bacterial; DNA, Ribosomal; Evolution, Molecular; Gene Transfer, Horizontal; Genes, Essential; Genes, Regulator; Genetic Variation; Genome, Bacterial; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Photobacterium; Phylogeny; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Sigma Factor; Vibrio
PubMed: 26542048
DOI: 10.1128/microbiolspec.VE-0009-2014