A potential pathway for flippase-facilitated glucosylceramide catabolism in plants

The Aminophospholipid ATPase (ALA) family of plant lipid flippases is involved in the selective transport of lipids across membrane bilayers. Recently, we demonstrated that double mutants lacking both ALA4 and -5 are severely dwarfed. Dwarfism in ala4/5 mutants was accompanied by cellular elongation defects and various lipidomic perturbations, including a 1.4-fold increase in the accumulation of glucosylceramides (GlcCers) relative to total sphingolipid content. Here, we present a potential model for flippase-facilitated GlcCer catabolism in plants, where a combination of ALA flippases transport GlcCers to cytosolic membrane surfaces where they are degraded by Glucosylceramidases (GCDs). GCDs remove the glucose headgroup from GlcCers to produce a ceramide (Cer) backbone, which can be further degraded to sphingoid bases (Sphs, e.g, phytosphingosine) and fatty acids (FAs). In the absence of GlcCer-transporting flippases, GlcCers are proposed to accumulate on extracytoplasmic (i.e., apoplastic) or lumenal membrane surfaces. As GlcCers are potential precursors for Sph production, impaired GlcCer catabolism might also result in the decreased production of the secondary messenger Sph-1-phosphate (Sph-1-P, e.g., phytosphingosine-1-P), a regulator of cell turgor. Importantly, we postulate that either GlcCer accumulation or reduced Sph-1-P signaling might contribute to the growth reductions observed in ala4/5 mutants. Similar catabolic pathways have been proposed for humans and yeast, suggesting flippase-facilitated GlcCer catabolism is conserved across eukaryotes.

Distribution of Aeromonas species in waters with different levels of pollution

Strains of Aeromonas spp. (883) were isolated from 10 stations in the north-west of Spain. Biotyping of the strains gave: 55% Aeromonas caviae, 34% A. hydrophila, 6% A. sobria and 5% Aeromonas spp. Phenotypic characters that have been claimed to be related to virulence such as haemolysis and the Voges-Proskauer reaction were detected mostly in A. hydrophila and A. sobria. The distribution of the species was significantly related to levels of faecal pollution in waters. Aeromonas caviae predominated in sewage and waters with a high degree of faecal pollution. In less polluted waters, either fresh or marine, A. caviae and A. hydrophila were almost equally distributed. In waters with low or no faecal pollution, the proportion of A. sobria to other species increased considerably.

The effect of terrestrial effluents on the incidence of Aeromonas spp. in coastal waters

The numbers of Aeromonas species were monitored for one year at 18 stations on the Barcelona coast. Their concentrations exceed those of faecal coliforms and faecal streptococci in all samples, both on the shoreline and at 500 m from the coast. The mean values of the three bacterial counts reflected the proximity of the terrestrial effluents. There was a positive correlation between aeromonads and faecal indicators on the shoreline but not at 500 m offshore. This reflected their common origin and different survival rates in seawater. When sterile sea water was inoculated with A. hydrophila ATCC 7966, the numbers decreased initially by three orders of magnitude before they began to multiply. The final count was related to the concentration of organic matter in the water.

Relation between Aeromonas and faecal coliforms in fresh waters

A possible correlation between the presence of mesophilic aeromonads and the number of faecal coliforms present in three fresh-water habitats subject to differing levels of faecal pollution was investigated. Concentration of Aeromonas spp. between 10(2)-10(9) cfu/100 ml and faecal coliforms of between 9-10(7) cfu/100 ml were found in the waters. In water free from faecal pollution there was no correlation but in polluted waters there was a significant relationship between the numbers of aeromonads, faecal coliform and the concentration of organic matter measured by biological oxygen demand.

Selective medium for isolation and enumeration of Bifidobacterium spp

A new method was developed for the isolation and enumeration of Bifidobacterium spp. from natural aquatic environments. The method was based on the utilization of a new medium, Bifidobacterium iodoacetate medium 25, and resuscitation techniques were used to isolate injured bifidobacteria. The new medium was tested with a nonselective reference medium on sewage and sewage-polluted surface waters. Relatively little colonial growth of any other bacterial genera occurred; when such colonies did grow, Bifidobacterium could be easily differentiated by its colonial morphology or, after Gram staining, by its typical bifidobacterial morphology.

Enhancement of the humoral immune response and resistance to bacterial infection in mice by the oral administration of a bacterial immunomodulator (OM-89)

We investigated the effects of an Escherichia coli-derived product (OM-89) in mice. The oral administration of OM-89 led to a significant (p less than 0.05, Student's t test) increase in the levels of IgA in intestinal secretions, which was at maximum 25 days after the end of the treatment, when a two-fold increase in IgA levels was observed. The i.p. inoculation of OM-89 induced the stimulation of anti-SRBC plaque-forming cells (PFC) in the spleen. The effect of OM-89 was dose-dependent and produced up to a 9-fold increase in PFC in the treated mice when compared to untreated controls. The oral administration of OM-89 proved to be effective in the enhancement of resistance to challenge i.p. inoculation with E. coli. 32% of OM-89-treated mice showed resistance to this experimental infection at minimal LD100. The combined effects of low environmental temperature and cyclophosphamide (CY) immunosuppression enabled us to enhance differences in survival rates in experiments on the modulation of resistance towards Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. The oral treatment with the immunomodulator induced a significant (p less than 0.05, Student's t test) level of protection in CY-immunosuppressed mice to the intranasal infection with P. aeruginosa, when mice were kept at low environmental temperature right after the bacterial challenge. The protective effect of OM-89 treatment was dependent on both the environmental temperature and the timing of the experiment.

Microbial coagulation of alfalfa green juice

Of the different bacterial strains isolated from alfalfa raw material, nine were able to coagulate the protein fraction of alfalfa green juice. The two strains showing the highest efficiency were further used for coagulation experiments. They were classified as Erwinia carotovora and Escherichia coli. Juice samples inoculated (1:10 to 1:100) with stationary-phase cultures were efficiently coagulated. The amount of protein recovered was equivalent to that obtained when the juice was heat treated. A minimal incubation temperature of 30 degrees C was required. The protein coagulum appeared after 8 to 10 h of incubation. During this period no bacterial growth was apparent, but glucose was actively fermented. For both strains no extracellular enzymatic activity could be shown in the culture supernatants. The fermentative metabolism during the incubation period seems to be responsible for protein coagulation.

A new episomic element controlling fermentative metabolism and excretion of amino acids by Citrobacter intermedium C3

Glutamate excretion by colonies of Citrobacter intermedium C3 was detected by using the auxotrophic strain Leuconostoc mesenteroides P-60. A constant ratio of strain C3 colonies did not excrete glutamate. These colonies were subcultured, and colonial analysis of their descendants established that the change from non-excretor to excretor (Sg(-) --> Sg(+)) is a spontaneous and random process with occurs at a high rate, and that an equilibrium state results from the back-transition Sg(+) --> Sg(-) in large populations. Acridine orange, ethidium bromide, and shaking have a strong influence on Sg(+)-to-Sg(-) interconversion, which suggests that a genetic element like an episome is implicated (S factor). Various auxotrophic mutants of bacterial strain C3 have been cured of the S factor. Strains lacking the S factor (S(-) strains) do not excrete glutamate and lose their fermentative metabolism completely. Consequently, the S factor is different from other extrachromosomal genetic factors whose elimination does not modify central metabolism. The gain of the S factor by infectious transfer has been shown with different C3 auxotrophic mutant strains. Also, the S factor has been transferred to Paracolobactrum intermedium ATCC 11606. These findings suggest that phenotypic changes observed are a consequence of elimination or infectious gain of the S factor, with its autonomous or integrated multiplication.