Phylogeny in Aid of the Present and Novel Microbial Lineages: Diversity in Bacillus

Bacillus represents microbes of high economic, medical and biodefense importance. Bacillus strain identification based on 16S rRNA sequence analyses is invariably limited to species level. Secondly, certain discrepancies exist in the segregation of Bacillus subtilis strains. In the RDP/NCBI databases, out of a total of 2611 individual 16S rDNA sequences belonging to the 175 different species of the genus Bacillus, only 1586 have been identified up to species level. 16S rRNA sequences of Bacillus anthracis (153 strains), B. cereus (211 strains), B. thuringiensis (108 strains), B. subtilis (271 strains), B. licheniformis (131 strains), B. pumilus (83 strains), B. megaterium (47 strains), B. sphaericus (42 strains), B. clausii (39 strains) and B. halodurans (36 strains) were considered for generating species-specific framework and probes as tools for their rapid identification. Phylogenetic segregation of 1121, 16S rDNA sequences of 10 different Bacillus species in to 89 clusters enabled us to develop a phylogenetic frame work of 34 representative sequences. Using this phylogenetic framework, 305 out of 1025, 16S rDNA sequences presently classified as Bacillus sp. could be identified up to species level. This identification was supported by 20 to 30 nucleotides long signature sequences and in silico restriction enzyme analysis specific to the 10 Bacillus species. This integrated approach resulted in identifying around 30% of Bacillus sp. up to species level and revealed that B. subtilis strains can be segregated into two phylogenetically distinct groups, such that one of them may be renamed

Modified Cold Percolation Method for Extracting Oil from Oil Seeds

630-634Oil extraction by different methods like soxhlet, automated soxhlet, sonication, microwave, Super Critical Fluid Extraction (SFE), Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE) consume 15 to 500 mL of solvent and average extraction time per sample varies from 12 min to 48 h. Such methods are inconvenient to follow, where a large number of small sized samples are to be processed, in order to detect the small effects of enzymatic treatment. For this purpose, a simplified cold percolation method is quite effective and suitable. However, the extraction period is too small (2 to 3 min) to allow manipulation of oil extraction quantities and rates. In this paper, we present a modified cold percolation method for regulating extraction of oil from oil seeds, particularly suitable for enzymatic studies

Using Enzymes for Oil Recovery from Edible Seeds

298-310Oilseeds and their products are the most valuable agricultural crops in the world trade with, ever-increasing demand for oil from edible oilseeds all over the world. India accounts for 9.6 per cent of the world's oilseeds production. The demand for vegetable oils is increasing at 5 lakh t/y while the production is increasing at 2 lakh t/y only. The present demand over supply gap, in edible oils, is 1.8 million t needing to produce additional 5.4 million t oilseeds/y. Hydraulic, and expeller pressing, and solvent extraction are the three most common processes for oil recovery from oil seeds. Enzyme based oilseed processing technologies emerge as one of the most eco-friendly processing methods. The enzymes have specific mode of action, therefore, cellulase, hemicellulase and pectinase and even proteases are the most favourable enzymes for degrading the cell wall in oilseeds to loosen oil sacs embedded in the structures. The enzyme treatment has been found useful in conventional solvent extraction process also. Different factors like temperature, pH, moisture, grinding and size reduction of oilseeds are required by enzymatic processes which influence the efficiency of extraction, recovery of oil, that also helps maintain higher nutritive value. The usage of enzymes reduces environmental pollution with consequent reduction in BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand) and COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) of the residues and wastewaters along with reduction in acid development and oxidation during further processing and storage. High cost and specificity of enzymes limit the enzyme usage for different oilseeds

Abdominal lymphatic malformation: Spectrum of imaging findings

Lymphatic malformations are congenital vascular malformations with lymphatic differentiation. Although the most common locations for lymphatic malformation are the neck and axilla, they can occur at several locations in the body including the abdomen. The abdominal location is rather rare and accounts for approximately 5% of all lymphatic malformation. Abdominal lymphatic malformation can arise from mesentery, omentum, gastrointestinal tract, and retroperitoneum. Clinical presentation includes an abdominal lump, vague abdominal discomfort, and secondary complications including intestinal obstruction, volvulus, ischemia, and bleeding. There is a broad spectrum of radiological manifestation. In the present review, we discuss the imaging appearance of abdominal lymphatic malformation. The diagnosis of lymphatic malformation in our series was based on the histopathological examination (in cases who underwent surgery) and fine needle aspiration cytology

Analysis of carbohydrate-active enzymes in Thermogemmatispora sp. strain T81 reveals carbohydrate degradation ability

International audienceThe phylum Chloroflexi is phylogenetically diverse and is a deeply branching lineage of bacteria that express a broad spectrum of physiological and metabolic capabilities. Members of the order Ktedonobacteriales, including the families Ktedonobacteriaceae, Thermosporotrichaceae, and Thermogemmatisporaceae, all have flexible aerobic metabolisms capable of utilizing a wide range of carbohydrates. A number of species within these families are considered cellulolytic and are capable of using cellulose as a sole carbon and energy source. In contrast, Ktedonobacter racemifer, the type strain of the order, does not appear to possess this cellulolytic phenotype. In this study, we confirmed the ability of Thermogemmatispora sp. strain T81 to hydrolyze cellulose, determined the whole-genome sequence of Thermogemmatispora sp. T81, and using comparative bioinformatics analyses, identified genes encoding putative carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) in the Thermogemmatispora sp. T81, Thermogemmatispora onikobensis, and Ktedonobacter racemifer genomes. Analyses of the Thermogemmatispora sp. T81 genome identified 64 CAZyme gene sequences belonging to 57 glycoside hydrolase families. The genome of Thermogemmatispora sp. T81 encodes 19 genes for putative extracellular CAZymes, similar to the number of putative extracellular CAZymes identified in T. onikobensis (17) and K. racemifer (17), despite K. racemifer not possessing a cellulolytic phenotype. These results suggest that these members of the order Ktedonobacteriales may use a broader range of carbohydrate polymers than currently described

Telomere Architecture Correlates with Aggressiveness in Multiple Myeloma

The prognosis of multiple myeloma (MM), an incurable B-cell malignancy, has significantly improved through the introduction of novel therapeutic modalities. Myeloma prognosis is essentially determined by cytogenetics, both at diagnosis and at disease progression. However, for a large cohort of patients, cytogenetic analysis is not always available. In addition, myeloma patients with favorable cytogenetics can display an aggressive clinical course. Therefore, it is necessary to develop additional prognostic and predictive markers for this disease to allow for patient risk stratification and personalized clinical decision-making. Genomic instability is a prominent characteristic in MM, and we have previously shown that the three-dimensional (3D) nuclear organization of telomeres is a marker of both genomic instability and genetic heterogeneity in myeloma. In this study, we compared in a longitudinal prospective study blindly the 3D telomeric profiles from bone marrow samples of 214 initially treatment-naïve patients with either monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM), or MM, with a minimum follow-up of 5 years. Here, we report distinctive 3D telomeric profiles correlating with disease aggressiveness and patient response to treatment in MM patients, and also distinctive 3D telomeric profiles for disease progression in smoldering multiple myeloma patients. In particular, lower average intensity (telomere length, below 13,500 arbitrary units) and increased number of telomere aggregates are associated with shorter survival and could be used as a prognostic factor to identify high-risk SMM and MM patients.Medicine, Faculty ofNon UBCMedicine, Department ofReviewedFacult