<i>Vibrio neptunius</i> sp. nov., <i>Vibrio brasiliensis</i> sp. nov. and <i>Vibrio xuii</i> sp. nov., isolated from the marine aquaculture environment (bivalves, fish, rotifers and shrimps)

The fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism (FAFLP) groups A5 (21 isolates), A8 (6 isolates) and A23 (3 isolates) distinguished in an earlier paper (Thompson et al., Syst Appl Microbiol 24, 520-538, 2001) were examined in more depth. These three groups were phylogenetically related to Vibrio tubiashii, but DNA-DNA hybridization experiments proved that the three AFLP groups are in fact novel species. Chemotaxonomic and phenotypic analyses further revealed several differences among the 30 isolates and known Vibrio species. It is proposed to accommodate these isolates in three novel species, namely Vibrio neptunius (type strain LMG 20536T; EMBL accession no. AJ316171; G + C content of the type strain 46·0 mol%), Vibrio brasiliensis (type strain LMG 20546T; EMBL accession no. AJ316172; G + C content of the type strain 45·9 mol%) and Vibrio xuii (type strain LMG 21346T; EMBL accession no. AJ316181; G + C content of the type strain 46·6 mol%). These species can be differentiated on the basis of phenotypic features, including fatty acid composition (particularly 14 : 0 iso, 14 : 0 iso 3-OH, 16 : 0 iso, 16 : 0, 17 : 0 and 17 : 1?8c), enzyme activities and utilization and fermentation of various carbon sources

Serum anti-GM2 and anti-GalNAc-GD1a IgG antibodies are biomarkers for acute canine polyradiculoneuritis

Objectives: A previous single-country pilot study indicated serum anti-GM2 and anti-GA1 anti-glycolipid antibodies as potential biomarkers for acute canine polyradiculoneuritis. This study aims to validate these findings in a large geographically heterogenous cohort. Materials and Methods: Sera from 175 dogs clinically diagnosed with acute canine polyradiculoneuritis, 112 dogs with other peripheral nerve, cranial nerve or neuromuscular disorders and 226 neurologically normal dogs were screened for anti-glycolipid antibodies against 11 common glycolipid targets to determine the immunoglobulin G anti-glycolipid antibodies with the highest combined sensitivity and specificity for acute canine polyradiculoneuritis. Results: Anti-GM2 anti-glycolipid antibodies reached the highest combined sensitivity and specificity (sensitivity: 65.1%, 95% confidence interval 57.6 to 72.2%; specificity: 90.2%, 95% confidence interval 83.1 to 95.0%), followed by anti-GalNAc-GD1a anti-glycolipid antibodies (sensitivity: 61.7%, 95% confidence interval 54.1 to 68.9%; specificity: 89.3%, 95% confidence interval 82.0 to 94.3%) and these anti-glycolipid antibodies were frequently present concomitantly. Anti-GA1 anti-glycolipid antibodies were detected in both acute canine polyradiculoneuritis and control animals. Both for anti-GM2 and anti-GalNAc-GD1a anti-glycolipid antibodies, sex was found a significantly associated factor with a female to male odds ratio of 2.55 (P=0.0096) and 3.00 (P=0.0198), respectively. Anti-GalNAc-GD1a anti-glycolipid antibodies were more commonly observed in dogs unable to walk (odds ratio 4.56; P=0.0076). Clinical Significance: Anti-GM2 and anti-GalNAc-GD1a immunoglobulin G anti-glycolipid antibodies represent serum biomarkers for acute canine polyradiculoneuritis

<i>Vibrio neptunius</i> sp. nov., <i>Vibrio brasiliensis</i> sp. nov. and <i>Vibrio xuii</i> sp. nov., isolated from the marine aquaculture environment (bivalves, fish, rotifers and shrimps)

The fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism (FAFLP) groups A5 (21 isolates), A8 (6 isolates) and A23 (3 isolates) distinguished in an earlier paper (Thompson et al., Syst Appl Microbiol 24, 520-538, 2001) were examined in more depth. These three groups were phylogenetically related to Vibrio tubiashii, but DNA-DNA hybridization experiments proved that the three AFLP groups are in fact novel species. Chemotaxonomic and phenotypic analyses further revealed several differences among the 30 isolates and known Vibrio species. It is proposed to accommodate these isolates in three novel species, namely Vibrio neptunius (type strain LMG 20536T; EMBL accession no. AJ316171; G + C content of the type strain 46·0 mol%), Vibrio brasiliensis (type strain LMG 20546T; EMBL accession no. AJ316172; G + C content of the type strain 45·9 mol%) and Vibrio xuii (type strain LMG 21346T; EMBL accession no. AJ316181; G + C content of the type strain 46·6 mol%). These species can be differentiated on the basis of phenotypic features, including fatty acid composition (particularly 14 : 0 iso, 14 : 0 iso 3-OH, 16 : 0 iso, 16 : 0, 17 : 0 and 17 : 1?8c), enzyme activities and utilization and fermentation of various carbon sources

Construction of recombinant industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain with bglS gene insertion into PEP4 locus by homologous recombination*

The bglS gene encoding endo-l,3-1,4-β-glucanase from Bacillus subtilis was cloned and sequenced in this study. The bglS expression cassette, including PGK1 promoter, bglS gene fused to the signal sequence of the yeast mating pheromone α-factor (MFα1S), and ADH1 terminator with G418-resistance as the selected marker, was constructed. Then one of the PEP4 allele of Saccharomyces cerevisiae WZ65 strain was replaced by bglS expression cassette using chromosomal integration of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-mediated homologous recombination, and the bglS gene was expressed simultaneously. The recombinant strain S. cerevisiae (SC-βG) was preliminarily screened by the clearing hydrolysis zone formed after the barley β-glucan was hydrolyzed in the plate and no proteinase A (PrA) activity was measured in fermenting liquor. The results of PCR analysis of genome DNA showed that one of the PEP4 allele had been replaced and bglS gene had been inserted into the locus of PEP4 gene in recombinant strains. Different endo-l,3-1,4-β-glucanase assay methods showed that the recombinant strain SC-βG had high endo-l,3-1,4-β-glucanase expression level with the maximum of 69.3 U/(h·ml) after 60 h of incubation. Meanwhile, the Congo Red method was suitable for the determination of endo-l,3-1,4-β-glucanase activity during the actual brewing process. The current research implies that the constructed yeast strain could be utilized to improve the industrial brewing property of beer