Anaerobic Respiration of \u3cem\u3eEscherichia coli\u3c/em\u3e in the Mouse Intestine

The intestine is inhabited by a large microbial community consisting primarily of anaerobes and, to a lesser extent, facultative anaerobes, such as Escherichia coli, which we have shown requires aerobic respiration to compete successfully in the mouse intestine (S. A. Jones et al., Infect. Immun. 75:4891-4899, 2007). If facultative anaerobes efficiently lower oxygen availability in the intestine, then their sustained growth must also depend on anaerobic metabolism. In support of this idea, mutants lacking nitrate reductase or fumarate reductase have extreme colonization defects. Here, we further explore the role of anaerobic respiration in colonization using the streptomycin-treated mouse model. We found that respiratory electron flow is primarily via the naphthoquinones, which pass electrons to cytochrome bd oxidase and the anaerobic terminal reductases. We found that E. coli uses nitrate and fumarate in the intestine, but not nitrite, dimethyl sulfoxide, or trimethylamine N-oxide. Competitive colonizations revealed that cytochrome bd oxidase is more advantageous than nitrate reductase or fumarate reductase. Strains lacking nitrate reductase outcompeted fumarate reductase mutants once the nitrate concentration in cecal mucus reached submillimolar levels, indicating that fumarate is the more important anaerobic electron acceptor in the intestine because nitrate is limiting. Since nitrate is highest in the absence of E. coli, we conclude that E. coli is the only bacterium in the streptomycin-treated mouse large intestine that respires nitrate. Lastly, we demonstrated that a mutant lacking the NarXL regulator (activator of the NarG system), but not a mutant lacking the NarP-NarQ regulator, has a colonization defect, consistent with the advantage provided by NarG. The emerging picture is one in which gene regulation is tuned to balance expression of the terminal reductases that E. coli uses to maximize its competitiveness and achieve the highest possible population in the intestine

Variation and inheritance of the Xanthomonas raxX-raxSTAB gene cluster required for activation of XA21-mediated immunity

The rice XA21-mediated immune response is activated on recog-nition of the RaxX peptide produced by the bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). The 60-residue RaxX pre-cursor is post-translationally modified to form a sulfated tyrosine peptide that shares sequence and functional similarity with the plant sulfated tyrosine (PSY) peptide hormones. The 5-kb raxX-raxSTAB gene cluster of Xoo encodes RaxX, the RaxST tyrosyl-protein sulfotransferase, and the RaxA and RaxB components of a predicted type I secretion system. To assess raxX-raxSTAB gene cluster evolution and to determine its phylogenetic distribution, we first identified rax gene homologues in other genomes. We detected the complete raxX-raxSTAB gene cluster only in Xanthomonas spp., in five distinct lineages in addition to X.ory-zae. The phylogenetic distribution of the raxX-raxSTAB gene cluster is consistent with the occurrence of multiple lateral (hori-zontal) gene transfer events during Xanthomonas speciation. RaxX natural variants contain a restricted set of missense substi-tutions, as expected if selection acts to maintain peptide hor-mone-like function. Indeed, eight RaxX variants tested all failed to activate the XA21-mediated immune response, yet retained peptide hormone activity. Together, these observations support the hypothesis that the XA21 receptor evolved specifically to rec-ognize Xoo RaxX.This study was supported by Public Health Service research grants GM059962 and GM122968 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded to P.C.R

Molybdenum cofactor (chlorate-resistant) mutants of Klebsiella pneumoniae M5al can use hypoxanthine as the sole nitrogen source

Selection for chlorate resistance yields mol (formerly chl) mutants with defects in molybdenum cofactor synthesis. Complementation and genetic mapping analyses indicated that the Klebsiella pneumoniae mol genes are functionally homologous to those of Escherichia coli and occupy analogous genetic map positions. Hypoxanthine utilization in other organisms requires molybdenum cofactor as a component of xanthine dehydrogenase, and thus most chlorate-resistant mutants cannot use hypoxanthine as a sole source of nitrogen. Surprisingly, the K. pneumoniae mol mutants and the mol+ parent grew equally well with hypoxanthine as the sole nitrogen source, suggesting that K. pneumoniae has a molybdenum cofactor-independent pathway for hypoxanthine utilization.Departamento de Genética, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain.Versión del edito

Participation in environmental enhancement and conservation activities for health and well-being in adults: a review of quantitative and qualitative evidence

PUBHLT

Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

On-Chip Integration of Functional Hybrid Materials and Components in Nanophotonics and Optoelectronics

[No abstract available

Final Technical Report: Genetic Control of Nitrogen Assimilation in Klebsiella oxytoca.

Klebsiella oxytoca, an enterobacterium closely related to Escherichia coli and amenable to molecular genetic analysis, is a long-established model organism for studies of bacterial nitrogen assimilation. Our work concerned utilization of purines, nitrogen-rich compounds that are widespread in the biosphere. This project began with our observation that molybdenum cofactor (chlorate-resistant) mutants can use (hypo)xanthine as sole nitrogen source (Garzón et al., J. Bacteriol. 174:6298, 1992). Since xanthine dehydrogenase is a molybdoenzyme, Klebsiella must use an alternate route for (hypo)xanthine catabolsim. We identified and characterized a cluster of 22 genes that encode the enzymes, permeases and regulators for utilizing hypoxanthine and xanthine as sole nitrogen source. (Hypoxanthine and xanthine arise from deamination of adenine and guanine, respectively.) Growth and complementation tests with insertion mutants, combined with protein sequence comparisons, allow us to assign probable functions for the products of these genes and to deduce the overall pathway. We present genetic evidence that the first two enzymes for the Klebsiella purine utilization pathway have been recruited from pathways involved in catabolism of aromatic compounds. The first, HxaAB enzyme catalyzing (hypo)xanthine oxidation, is related to well-studied aromatic ring hydroxylating oxygenases such as phthalate dioxygenase. The second, HxbA enzyme catalyzing urate hydroxylation, is related to single-component monooxygenases. Thus, the Klebsiella purine utilization pathway has likely experienced non-orthologous gene displacement, substituting these oxygenases for the conventional enzymes, xanthine dehydrogenase and uricase. We also present evidence that transcription of the hxaAB operon is subject to dual regulation: global general nitrogen regulation (Ntr) through an unknown mechanism, and (hypo)xanthine induction mediated by a LysR-type activator