The Genome of a Pathogenic Rhodococcus: Cooptive Virulence Underpinned by Key Gene Acquisitions

We report the genome of the facultative intracellular parasite Rhodococcus equi, the only animal pathogen within the biotechnologically important actinobacterial genus Rhodococcus. The 5.0-Mb R. equi 103S genome is significantly smaller than those of environmental rhodococci. This is due to genome expansion in nonpathogenic species, via a linear gain of paralogous genes and an accelerated genetic flux, rather than reductive evolution in R. equi. The 103S genome lacks the extensive catabolic and secondary metabolic complement of environmental rhodococci, and it displays unique adaptations for host colonization and competition in the short-chain fatty acid–rich intestine and manure of herbivores—two main R. equi reservoirs. Except for a few horizontally acquired (HGT) pathogenicity loci, including a cytoadhesive pilus determinant (rpl) and the virulence plasmid vap pathogenicity island (PAI) required for intramacrophage survival, most of the potential virulence-associated genes identified in R. equi are conserved in environmental rhodococci or have homologs in nonpathogenic Actinobacteria. This suggests a mechanism of virulence evolution based on the cooption of existing core actinobacterial traits, triggered by key host niche–adaptive HGT events. We tested this hypothesis by investigating R. equi virulence plasmid-chromosome crosstalk, by global transcription profiling and expression network analysis. Two chromosomal genes conserved in environmental rhodococci, encoding putative chorismate mutase and anthranilate synthase enzymes involved in aromatic amino acid biosynthesis, were strongly coregulated with vap PAI virulence genes and required for optimal proliferation in macrophages. The regulatory integration of chromosomal metabolic genes under the control of the HGT–acquired plasmid PAI is thus an important element in the cooptive virulence of R. equi

Disease: A Hitherto Unexplored Constraint on the Spread of Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) in Pre-Columbian South America

Although debate continues, there is agreement that dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) were first domesticated in Eurasia, spreading from there to other parts of the world. However, while that expansion already extended as far as Europe, China, and North America by the early Holocene, dogs spread into (and south of) the tropics only much later. In South America, for example, the earliest well attested instances of their presence do not reach back much beyond 3000 cal. BC, and dogs were still absent from large parts of the continent – Amazonia, the Gran Chaco, and much of the Southern Cone – at European contact. Previous explanations for these patterns have focused on cultural choice, the unsuitability of dogs for hunting certain kinds of tropical forest prey, and otherwise unspecified environmental hazards, while acknowledging that Neotropical lowland forests witness high rates of canine mortality. Building on previous work in Sub-Saharan Africa (Mitchell 2015) and noting that the dog’s closest relatives, the grey wolf (C. lupus) and the coyote (C. latrans), were likewise absent from South and most of Central America in Pre- Columbian times, this paper explores instead the possibility that infectious disease constrained the spread of dogs into Neotropical environments. Four diseases are considered, all likely to be native and/or endemic to South America: canine distemper, canine trypanosomiasis, canine rangeliosis, and canine visceral leishmaniasis caused by infection with Leishmania amazonensis and L. colombiensis. The paper concludes by suggesting ways in which the hypothesis that disease constrained the expansion of dogs into South America can be developed further

Sorption behaviour of uranium(VI) with N,N-dibutyl-N '-benzoylthiourea Impregnated in Amberlite XAD-16

The sorption of U(VI) by N, N-dibutyl, N'-benzoylthiourea (DBBT) impregnated resin has been studied. DBBT impregnated resin was prepared by direct adsorption of chelating ligand onto macroporous support, Amberlite XAD-16. The adsorption of DBBT on the macroporous support is shown by FTIR spectroscopy to be the result of only weak chelating ligand-support interactions. Parameters such as the pH effect on the sorption of uranium, the sorption capacity of the impregnated resin, the stripping of uranium and the effect of coexisting ions were investigated by batch experiments. The results demonstrated that uranium(VI) ions, at pH 4.5-7 could be sorbed completely using 0.1 g Amberlite XAD-16 resin loaded with DBBT. The sorption capacity of the impregnated resin is 0.90 mmol uranium(VI) g(-1). Quantitative recovery of U(VI) is achieved by stripping with 0.1 M HNO3. The method was applied to the determination of uranium in synthetic samples. The precision of the method was 2.4 RSD% in a concentration of 1.20 mug ml(-1) for ten replicate analysis. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

Formation and characterization of humic acids from low rank anatolian coals by air oxidation

The results of this study are aimed at evaluating the effects of air oxidation time, temperature and demineralization on humic acid production from two low-rank Anatolian coals. Two Anatolian low rank coals were studied at 120 and 200degreesC up to 10 days with and without demineralization. The best results for humic acid formation were obtained at a high temperature for longer times. Demineralization effect is negligible for studied coals. The rate of humic acid formation increased at first with increase in oxidation time, reached a maximum, and then decreased at high oxidation time. Also, a detailed study of the elemental composition, the characterization by FTIR, and the acidity of humic acids are reported

Effect of molten caustic leaching on demineralization and desulfurization of asphaltite

Molten caustic leaching process is effective in reducing significant amounts of ash-forming minerals, pyritic sulfur, and organic sulfur from solid fossil fuels. The effect of leaching asphaltite samples from Seguruk and Harbul collieries of Sirnak and Silopi asphaltite fields (situated in the Southeast Anatolia region of Turkey) with molten sodium hydroxide and followed by mild acid on demineralization and desulfurization was investigated. The effects of alkali/asphaltite ratio, time, and temperature on the leaching efficiency were detailed, and the experimental results are presented here. Chemical demineralization and desulfurization of asphaltite samples using molten sodium hydroxide were investigated in the temperature range of 200 degrees C-400 degrees C. The percentage of demineralization and desulfurization increased with the increase in alkali/asphaltite ratio. The removal of total sulfur and ash increased with increasing leaching temperature and time. Most of the inorganic sulfur and a significant portion of the organic sulfur were removed