Yokonolide B, a Novel Inhibitor of Auxin Action, Blocks Degradation of AUX/IAA Factors

Yokonolide B (YkB; also known as A82548A), a spiroketal-macrolide, was isolated from Streptomyces diastatochromogenes B59 in a screen for inhibitors of beta-glucoronidase expression under the control of an auxin-responsive promoter in Arabidopsis. YkB inhibits the expression of auxin-inducible genes as shown using native and synthetic auxin promoters as well as using expression profiling of 8300 Arabidopsis gene probes but does not affect expression of an abscisic acid- and a gibberellin A3-inducible gene. The mechanism of action of YkB is to block AUX/IAA protein degradation; however, YkB is not a general proteasome inhibitor. YkB blocks auxin-dependent cell division and auxin-regulated epinastic growth mediated by auxin-binding protein 1. Gain of function mutants such as shy2-2, slr1, and axr2-1 encoding AUX/IAA transcriptional repressors and loss of function mutants encoding components of the ubiquitin-proteolytic pathway such as axr1-3 and tir1-1, which display increased AUX/IAAs protein stability, are less sensitive to YkB, although axr1 and tir1 mutants were sensitive to MG132, a general proteasome inhibitor, consistent with a site of action downstream of AXR1 and TIR. YkB-treated seedlings displayed similar phenotypes as dominant AUX/IAA mutants. Taken together, these results indicate that YkB acts to block AUX/IAA protein degradation upstream of AXR and TIR, links a shared element upstream of AUX/IAA protein stability to auxin-induced cell division/elongation and to auxin-binding protein 1, and provides a new tool to dissect auxin signal transduction

Diversity of Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetase Genes in the AnticancerProducing Actinomycetes Isolated from Marine Sediment in Indonesia

Marine actinomycetes is a group of bacteria that is highly potential in producing novel bioactive compound. It has unique characteristics and is different from other terrestrial ones. Extreme environmental condition is suspected to lead marine actinomycetes produce different types of bioactive compound found previously. The aim of this study was to explore the presence and diversity of NRPS genes in 14 anticancer-producing actinomycetes isolated from marine sediment in Indonesia. PCR amplification and restriction fragment analysis of NRPS genes with HaeIII from 14 marine actinomycetes were done to assess the diversity of NRPS genes. Genome mining of one species of marine actinomycetes (strain GMY01) also was employed towards this goal. The result showed that NRPS gene sequence diversity in 14 marine actinomycetes could be divided into 4 groups based on NRPS gene restriction patterns. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences of representatives from each group showed that all isolates belong to genus of Streptomyces. Genome mining result showed that strain GMY01 harboring 10 different NRPS gene clusters that encode secondary metabolites, as pure NRPS or hybrid between NRPS and other compounds. These results indicated that marine actinomycetes having a high potential to be developed as source of anticancer drugs development

Generation of medaka gene knockout models by target-selected mutagenesis

We have established a reverse genetics approach for the routine generation of medaka (Oryzias latipes) gene knockouts. A cryopreserved library of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) mutagenized fish was screened by high-throughput resequencing for induced point mutations. Nonsense and splice site mutations were retrieved for the Blm, Sirt1, Parkin and p53 genes and functional characterization of p53 mutants indicated a complete knockout of p53 function. The current cryopreserved resource is expected to contain knockouts for most medaka genes

Pneumonia Caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 and Influenza Virus: A Multicenter Comparative Study

Background: Detailed differences in clinical information between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia (CP), which is the main phenotype of SARS-CoV-2 disease, and influenza pneumonia (IP) are still unclear. Methods: A prospective, multicenter cohort study was conducted by including patients with CP who were hospitalized between January and June 2020 and a retrospective cohort of patients with IP hospitalized from 2009 to 2020. We compared the clinical presentations and studied the prognostic factors of CP and IP. Results: Compared with the IP group (n = 66), in the multivariate analysis, the CP group (n = 362) had a lower percentage of patients with underlying asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (P < .01), lower neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (P < .01), lower systolic blood pressure (P < .01), higher diastolic blood pressure (P < .01), lower aspartate aminotransferase level (P < .05), higher serum sodium level (P < .05), and more frequent multilobar infiltrates (P < .05). The diagnostic scoring system based on these findings showed excellent differentiation between CP and IP (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.889). Moreover, the prognostic predictors were different between CP and IP. Conclusions: Comprehensive differences between CP and IP were revealed, highlighting the need for early differentiation between these 2 pneumonias in clinical settings

SECONDARY BIOACTIVE METABOLITE GENE CLUSTERS IDENTIFICATION OF ANTICANDIDA-PRODUCING Streptomyces Sp. GMR22 ISOLATED FROM WANAGAMA FOREST AS REVEALED BY GENOME MINING APPROACH

Streptomyces are a group of Gram-positive bacteria belonging to the Actinobacteria class, which are among the most important bacteria for producing secondary bioactive metabolites such as antibiotics, chemotherapeutics, insecticides and other high-value chemicals. Genome mining of gene clusters that encode the biosynthetic pathways for these metabolites has become a key methodology for novel compound discovery. Recently, we have isolated the Streptomyces sp. GMR22 from Cajuput rhizospheric soil at Wanagama Forest, Indonesia. GMR22 produced secondary metabolite that inhibited Candida albicans with IC50 of 62,5 μg/mL. The objective of this work was to reveal the novel secondary metabolites from GMR22 by genome mining approach. The antiSMASH 3.0 was used to predict gene clusters that encode the biosynthetic pathways of secondary metabolites in the genome of GMR22, and their core chemical structures. The pylogenomic analysis showed that GMR22 was closely related to Streptomyces bingchenggensis BCW1, as well as to the large genome size (9.5-12.7Mbp) groups of Streptomyces. AntiSMASH 3.0 analysis revealed that the genome of Streptomyces sp. GMR22 harbored at least 63 gene clusters that encode the biosynthetic pathways of secondary metabolites. It was the highest number of gene clusters had been observed among the members of Streptomyces groups, with PKS was predicted as the major groups of the identified gene cluster products. The results suggested that GMR22 could be a strong potential candidate of secondary bioactive metabolites source

Critical In-Plane Density of Polyelectrolyte Brush for the Ordered Hydrogen-Bonded Structure of Incorporated Water

ポリマーブラシのポリマー間に形成される狭小空間に閉じ込められた水の構造の空間サイズ依存性を調べるために、ポリマー密度の異なるポリマーブラシを用意し、RIXS を用いて水の水素結合ネットワークを調べた成果について発表する

HYDROCARBONOCLASTIC BACTERIA FROM JAKARTA BAY AND SERIBU ISLANDS

Jakarta Bay has been known as one of the most polluted marine environment in Indonesia, with no exception by oil. Seribu Islands waters, located in the north of Jakarta Bay may have been impacted by this polluted condition.It’s sometimes also hit by oil spillage from pipe leakage. The purpose of this study is to isolate and identify hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria (oil and Polyaromatic Hydrocarbon degrading bacteria) from Jakarta Bay and Seribu Island waters. The bacteria were isolated from water and sediment/sand. Isolation was prepared by enriched samples in SWP medium with Arabian Light Crude Oil (ALCO). Screening for PAH degrading bacteria has been completed by using sublimation plate method in ONR7a medium and screening for oil degrading bacteria were conducted by using oil plated method with the same medium. Bacteria identifications were done based on l6sRNA gene. The results were analyzed using BLAST and showed that 131 potential hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria have been isolated from Jakarta Bay and Seribu Island waters. Most of them were oil degrading bacteria (41.98%) and the rest were PAH degrading bacteria. Oil pollution level may impact the number of strain of hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria isolated. Among the hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria isolated from Jakarta Bay and Seribu Islands, Alcanivorax, Marinobacter, Achromobacter and Bacillus were common hydrocarbonoclastic genera in Jakarta Bay and its surrounding waters. Alcanivorax spp. is important oil and PAH-degrader found not only in temperate waters, but in tropical waters as well

Complete genome sequence of natural rubber-degrading, gram-negative bacterium, Rhizobacter gummiphilus strain NS21T

Gram-negative natural rubber-degrader, Rhizobacter gummiphilus NS21T, which was isolated from soil in the botanical garden in Japan, is a newly proposed species of genus of Rhizobacter. It has been reported that the latA1 gene is involved in the natural rubber degradation in this strain. To gain novel insights into natural rubber degradation pathway, the complete genome sequence of this strain was determined. The genome of strain NS21T consists of 6,398,096 bp of circular chromosome (GenBank accession number CP015118.1) with G + C content of 69.72%. The genome contains 5687 protein-coding and 68 RNA genes. Among the predicted genes, 4810 genes were categorized as functional COGs. Homology search revealed that existence of latA1 homologous gene (latA2) in this genome. Quantitative reverse-transcription-PCR and deletion analyses indicated that natural rubber degradation of this strain requires latA2 as well as latA1. Keywords: Natural rubber, Rubber oxygenase, Gram-negative natural-rubber degrading bacteri