Radiation-sensitive mutant of hypertoxinogenic strain 569B of Vibrio cholerae

A radiation-sensitive mutant of the hypertoxinogenic strain 569B of Vibrio cholerae was isolated and characterized. The mutant, designated V. cholerae 569Bs, lacks both excision- and medium-dependent dark-repair mechanisms of UV-induced DNA damage while retaining the wild-type photoreactivating capability. Analysis of the UV-irradiated cell DNA by velocity sedimentation in alkaline sucrose gradient suggests that UV-induced pyrimidine dimers may not be incised in these cells. In contrast to the wild-type cells, the mutant cell DNA was degraded after treatment with nalidixic acid. The mutant cells failed to produce any detectable amount of cholera toxin as measured by ileal-loop assay.

Continuous telemetric monitoring of bladder function

Preliminary investigations with telemetric urodynamic equipment permit us to describe the following indications for this technique: (1) repeated pressure/flow studies, both in obstruction and in experimental work; (2) when urge incontinence is expected on the grounds of the patient's history but standard cystometry reveals a stable bladder; (3) enuresis nocturna and psychogenic voiding dysfunctions; (4) in the therapy of incontinence. Some examples are presented.

Replication of mycoplasma virus L51. VII. Effect of chloramphenicol on the synthesis of DNA replicative intermediates

Chloramphenicol affects several steps in the DNA replication of mycoplasma virus L51, a noncytocidal, naked, bullet-shaped virion containing circular single-stranded (SS) DNA of 1.5 X 10(6) daltons (4.5 kilobases). In the presence of chloramphenicol, adsorption was normal and parental SS DNA was converted to double-stranded replicative forms (RF), but subsequent RF leads to RF replication was inhibited. Chloramphenicol added late in infection, when most viral nascent DNA is in progeny SS molecules, inhibited SS synthesis, but nascent RF molecules were formed. However, a chase experiment showed that these RF molecules could not be converted to SS DNA. Therefore, viral RF molecules made in the presence of chloramphenicol are not functional as SS DNA precursors.

Monomeric alkaline phosphatase of Vibrio cholerae

Alkaline phosphatase has been purified to homogeneity from two strains of Vibrio cholerae. The enzymes from both strains are single polypeptides of molecular weight 60,000. Both of the enzymes have pH optima around 8.0 and can act on a variety of organic phosphate esters, glucose-1-phosphate being the best substrate. The enzymes are unable to hydrolyze ATP and AMP. Although they have identical Km values, the two enzymes differ significantly in Vmax with p-nitrophenyl phosphate as substrate. The enzymes from the two strains also differ in their sensitivity to EDTA, Pi, and metal ions and activities of the apoenzymes. Ca2+ reactivated the apoenzymes most.

Repression of the alkaline phosphatase of Vibrio cholerae

The synthesis of alkaline phosphatase by two strains of Vibrio cholerae belonging to the Inaba and Ogawa serotypes has been examined in relation to the phosphate concentration of the culture medium. The synthesis of the enzyme in both strains was repressed in cells grown in the presence of a high concentration of inorganic phosphate. Lowering the phosphate content of the growth medium led to a derepression of enzyme activity. The presence of glucose in low phosphate medium stimulated the degree of derepression. The synthesis of the enzyme by strain Inaba 569B was more sensitive to inorganic phosphate than that of strain Ogawa 154. The enzyme was presumably located in the periplasmic space since it was released when the organisms were converted to spheroplasts.

Repair of ultraviolet-light-induced DNA damage in vibrio cholerae

Repair of ultraviolet-light-induced DNA damage in a highly pathogenic Gram-negative bacterium, Vibrio cholerae, has been examined. All three strains of V. cholerae belonging to two serotypes, Inaba and Ogawa, are very sensitive to ultraviolet irradiation, having inactivation cross-sections ranging from 0.18 to 0.24 m2/J. Although these cells are proficient in repairing the DNA damage by a photoreactivation mechanism, they do not possess efficient dark repair systems. The mild toxinogenic strain 154 of classical Vibrios presumably lacks any excision repair mechanism and studies of irradiated cell DNA indicate that the ultraviolet-induced pyrimidine dimers may not be excised. Ultraviolet-irradiated cells after saturation of dark repair can be further photoreactivated.

Photodynamic inactivation and its repair in mycoplasmas

Photodynamic inactivation is the loss in viability observed when organic dye-treated cells are exposed to visible light and molecular oxygen. The photodynamic inactivation of mycoplasmas, the smallest free living cells, has been studied. Depending on the extent of inactivation in Acholeplasma laidlawii, photodynamic induced damage can be repaired if the irradiated cells are incubated in the dark in buffer. Analysis of the DNA of these cells shows that photodynamic inactivation induces single strand breaks which can be repaired during liquid holding. To examine possible damage to the cell membrane, glucose uptake was studied as a permeability measure. Neither acriflavine nor photodynamic inactivation had any measurable effect on membrane permeability.

Effect of acriflavine on ultraviolet inactivation of Acholeplasma laidlawii

An increased sensitivity to inactivation was observed when ultraviolet light-irradiated Acholeplasma laidlawii cells were plated on medium containing either acriflavine or chloramphenicol. Chloramphenicol reduced liquid holding recovery (dark repair) to about 10% of that in untreated irradiated cells. In acriflavine treated cells no dark repair could be observed and there was a progressive degradation of cell DNA during holding. While the primary effect of acriflavine may be to inhibit excision repair, since ultraviolet-irradiated Mycoplasma gallisepticum (cells which lack an excision repair mechanism) show a slight increase in inactivation when plated on medium containing acriflavine the dye must also have some other effects on ultraviolet repair processes. Acriflavine treatment of A. laidlawii cells before ultraviolet irradiation has a protective effect, as seen by an increased cell survival.

Endotoxin-induced changes in human platelet membranes: morphologic evidence

Interaction between human platelets and bacterial endotoxin was studied in vitro with transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Washed human platelets, whose aggregation was blocked with apyrase, were incubated in a plasma-free medium containing crude endotoxin that had previously been complexed with copper. Thirty minutes of incubation resulted in adherence of endotoxin particles to the platelet surface, breaks in the platelet plasma membrane with apparent attempts at repair, pseudoped formation, and centralization of platelet organelles. Copper appeared to potentiate these phenomena, since neither Cu2+ at low concentrations nor endotoxin alone altered the morphology of the platelet membrane. This platelet-endotoxin interaction may be an intermediary step in the detoxification and clearance of endotoxin from the plasma.

Host cell and ultraviolet reactivation of ultraviolet-irradiated Mycoplasmaviruses

The mycoplasma Acholeplasma laidlawii was shown to have mechanisms for both host cell and ultraviolet (UV) reactivation of UV-irradiated mycoplasmaviruses. Host cell reactivation was examined by comparing the survival abilities of UV-irradiated double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid mycoplasmavirus plated on both untreated and on acriflavine-treated cells. Acriflavine treatment inhibited cell exision repair. Decreased survival on the acriflavine-treated cells demonstrated host cell reactivation. UV reactivation was studied by comparing the survival of UV-irradiated virus plated on untreated cells with its survival on cells that received a small UV dose before plating. The UV-irradiated cells gave increased virus survival, showing UV reactivation. Similar experiments with a single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid mycoplasmavirus showed that this virus could be UV reactivated, but not host cell reactivated.

Characterization of an Acholeplasma laidlawii variant with a REP- phenotype

An Acholeplasma laidlawii variant has been isolated that has a REP- phenotype. The properties of this variant, relative to parental cells, are: (i) it exhibits no change in cell growth kinetics; (ii) it does not propagate single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) mycoplasmaviruses but does propagate double-stranded DNA mycoplasmaviruses; (iii) it converts parental circular single-stranded mycoplasmavirus DNA to double-stranded replicative forms that are not replicated further; (iv) it exhibits no change in host modification and restriction; and (v) it has an increased ultraviolet light sensitivity. The REP- isolate is the first stable mycoplasma variant to which a physiological defect has been attributed.

Replication of mycoplasmavirus MVL51. IV. Inhibition of viral synthesis by rifampin

The effect of rifampin on the replication of MVL51, a bullet-shaped mycoplasmavirus with single-stranded circular DNA of molecular weight 2 X 10(6), has been examined in a rifampin-resistant host cell. Rifampin does not block the early steps in MVL51 infection but does decrease the total amount of parental viral DNA taken up. The single-stranded parental viral DNA that enters the cell is found in membrane-associated, double-stranded DNA replicative forms I and II. Rifampin had no significant effect on the synthesis of progeny viral DNA RFI and RFII early in infection and SSI (single-stranded progeny viral chromosomes) later in infection. The rifampin block in virus synthesis was found to be in the step converting SSI into assembled virions. Rifampin was shown to affect the synthesis of virus-specific RNA, Which suggests that viral transcription is necessary for virion assembly.

Replication of mycoplasmavirus MVL51: attachment of MVL51 parental DNA to host cell membrane

The replication of the single-stranded circular DNA of MVL51 mycoplasmavirus has been studied with respect to the roles of free and membrane-associated viral DNA intermediates. Replication involves the formation of parental replicative intermediate (RF) molecules on, at most, two to three membrane sites per cell, symmetric RF replication at the membrane and apparent asymmetric RF replication in the cytoplasm leading to single-stranded progeny chromosomes.