14 research outputs found
Implementation of a multi-disciplinary liaison psychiatric team (MLPT) in a university hospital: a new development of consultation-liaison psychiatry in Belgium
Use of green fluorescent protein to visualize rice root colonization by Azospirillum irakense and A. brasilense
Missed opportunities and lessons learned, evaluation of the initiative on B30 biodiesel in the CIVITAS project of the Belgian City Ghent
Lipase-catalyzed enantiotoposelective hydrolysis of meso-compounds derived from 2-cyclohexene-l,4-diol: Synthesis of (-)-conduritol C, (-)-conduritol E, (-)-conduritol F and a homochiral derivative of conduritol A.
Production of Acylated Homoserine Lactones by Aeromonas and Pseudomonas Strains Isolated from Municipal Activated Sludge
Up to now, the production and role of N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) in activated sludge have been poorly understood. In this study, cross-feeding assays with the reporter strains Agrobacterium tumefaciens NTL4 and Chromobacterium violaceum CV026 were used to investigate AHL signal production by municipal activated sludge samples. AHL signal production was consistently detected from municipal activated sludge when different samples were incubated on nutrient media. From one municipal activated sludge sample, 10 strains producing AHL-like auto-inducers were isolated by an overlay technique. 16S rDNA-based phylogenetic analysis showed that eight of the isolates belonged to Aeromonas spp. and two to Pseudomonas spp. Box-PCR indicated that six of these Aeromonas isolates were different strains and the two Pseudomonas strains were identical. The production of AHL or AHL-like compounds by these strains was confirmed by thin layer chromatography and biosensor overlays. The six different Aeromonas strains were found to produce the same set of AHLs, including N-hexanoyl-L-homoserine lactone. These results may indicate the possible presence of AHLs in municipal activated sludge. The potential roles of AHL in this ecosystem are briefly discussed