In vitro and in vivo properties of the bovine antimicrobial peptide, Bactenecin 5

Antimicrobial peptides (AMP), part of the innate immune system, are well studied for their ability to kill pathogenic microorganisms. However, many also possess important immunomodulatory effects, and this area has potential for the development of novel therapies to supplement traditional methods such as the use of antibiotics. Here, we characterise the microbicidal and immunomodulatory potential of the proline-rich bovine AMP, Bactenecin 5 (Bac5). We demonstrate broad antimicrobial activity, including against some mycobacterial species, which are important pathogens of fish, cattle and humans. Bac5 is able to activate macrophage-like THP-1 cells and can synergistically trigger the upregulation of tnf-α when co-stimulated with M. marinum. Furthermore, Bac5 sensitises A549 epithelial cells to stimulation with TNF-α. For the first time, we characterise the activity of Bac5 in vivo, and show it to be a potent chemokine for macrophages in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo model of infection. Bac5 also supports the early recruitment of neutrophils in the presence of M. marinum. In the absence of host adaptive immunity, exogenous injected Bac5 is able to slow, although not prevent, infection of zebrafish with M. marinum.

Sub-lethal concentrations of antibiotics increase mutation frequency in the cystic fibrosis pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Approximately 80% of adult patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) become chronically infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and consequently require antibiotic therapy at intervals throughout their lives. Achieving lethal concentrations of antibiotics in the lung remains a challenge. Recent evidence from Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus suggests that the generation of hydroxyl radicals by sublethal concentrations of antibiotics may induce mutagenesis and confer bacteria with resistance to a wide range of antimicrobials. As Ps. aeruginosa can persist for many years following colonization of the airways and during this time it is repeatedly exposed to bactericidal antibiotics, we tested whether its exposure to sublethal levels increases mutation frequency. We demonstrate that sublethal levels of three classes of bactericidal antibiotics commonly used against Ps. aeruginosa infections, β-lactams, aminoglycosides and quinolones lead to an increase in mutation frequency, varying between c. threefold increase with aminoglycosides and a c. 14-fold increase in mutation frequency with β-lactam antibiotics. These findings could be clinically significant because exposure to sublethal concentrations of antibiotics during chronic infection leading to increased mutation frequency may facilitate adaptive radiation of pathogenic bacteria in the heterogeneous environment of the CF lung.

Differences in strategies to combat osmotic stress in Burkholderia cenocepacia elucidated by NMR-based metabolic profiling

AIMS

To investigate mechanisms of osmotic tolerance in Burkholderia cenocepacia, a member of the B. cepacia complex (Bcc) of closely related strains, which is of clinical as well as environmental importance.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We employed NMR-based metabolic profiling (metabolomics) to elucidate the metabolic consequences of high osmotic stress for five isolates of B. cenocepacia. The strains differed significantly in their levels of osmotic stress tolerance, and we identified three different sets of metabolic responses with the strains least impacted by osmotic stress exhibiting higher levels of the osmo-protective metabolites glycine-betaine and/or trehalose. Strains either increased concentrations or had constitutively high levels of these metabolites.

CONCLUSIONS

Even within the small set of B. cenocepacia isolates, there was a surprising degree of variability in the metabolic responses to osmotic stress.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The metabolic responses, and hence osmotic stress tolerance, vary between different B. cenocepacia isolates. This study provides a first look into the potentially highly diverse physiology of closely related strains of one species of the Bcc and illustrates that physiological or clinically relevant phenotypes are unlikely to be inferable from genetic relatedness within this species group.

Individual Mycobacterium tuberculosis universal stress protein homologues are dispensable in vitro

Mycobacterium tuberculosis has 10 universal stress proteins, whose function is unknown. However, proteomic and transcriptomic analyses have shown that a number of usp genes are significantly upregulated under hypoxic conditions and in response to nitric oxide and carbon monoxide, as well as during M. tuberculosis infection of macrophage cell lines. Six of these USPs are part of the DosR regulon and this, along with their expression pattern and the phenotypes of usp mutants in other bacterial species, suggests a potential role in the persistence and/or intracellular survival of Mtb. Knock-out mutants of individual usp genes encoding the USPs Rv1996, Rv2005c, Rv2026c and Rv2028c were generated and their growth and survival under hypoxic and other stress conditions examined. Although the majority of usp genes are highly induced in hypoxic conditions, mutation did not affect the long term survival of Mtb under these conditions, or in response to a range of stress conditions chosen to represent the environmental onslaughts experienced by the bacillus during an infection, nor during infection of mouse and human - derived macrophage cell lines. The possibility remains that these USPs are functionally redundant in Mtb.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, cyanide accumulation and lung function in CF and non-CF bronchiectasis patients

In patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and non-CF bronchiectasis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most important respiratory pathogen. It is able to synthesise hydrogen cyanide, a potent inhibitor of cellular respiration. The present study investigated whether cyanide is present in the sputum of CF and non-CF bronchiectasis patients infected with P. aeruginosa, and whether the detection of cyanide affected lung function. Cyanide was measured in sputum using a cyanide ion selective electrode. Cyanide was detected in sputum from 15 out of 25 CF and non-CF bronchiectasis patients with current P. aeruginosa infection; however, it was not detected in any of the 10 patients without this organism. Maximum levels were 130 microM (mean+/-SE 72+/-6.6 microM). Concurrent lung function data were available on all 21 P. aeruginosa-infected CF patients; the group with measurable sputum cyanide (n = 11) was not different from those without (n = 10) on the basis of age or sex. However, those with detectable cyanide had significantly poorer lung function than those without (forced expiratory volume in one second (% predicted) 26.8+/-3.8 versus 46.0+/-6.7%; forced vital capacity (% pred) 44.4+/-4.9 versus 60.1+/-7.7%). Cyanide is detectable in sputum from cystic fibrosis and non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis patients infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and is also associated with impaired lung function.

Development of strategies for the use of anti-growth factor treatments

Aberrant signalling through the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is associated with increased cancer cell proliferation, reduced apoptosis, invasion and angiogenesis. Over-expression of the EGFR is seen in a variety of tumours and is a rational target for antitumour strategies. Among the classes of agent targeting the EGFR are small-molecule inhibitors, which include gefitinib (IRESSA), which acts by preventing EGFR phosphorylation and downstream signal transduction. De novo and acquired resistance, however, have been reported to gefitinib and here we describe evidence which indicates that the type II receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) and/or insulin receptor (InsR) play important roles in the mediation of responses to gefitinib in the de novo- and acquired-resistance phenotypes in several cancer types. Moreover, combination strategies that additionally target the IGF-IR/InsR can enhance the antitumour effects of gefitinib.

Methods for assaying cyanide in bacterial culture supernatant

AIMS

To find an easy, rapid and direct method for the quantitation of cyanide in a moderate number of bacterial culture supernatants.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Culture supernatant from stationary phase cultures of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, grown in LB media, were analysed for cyanide content using the Merckoquant and Spectroquant cyanide detection kits as well as a cyanide ion-selective electrode (ISE) and a cyanide micro-ISE. The Merckoquant kit, designed for detection of low quantities of cyanide in water systems, proved not to be sufficiently reliable, providing poor comparison with previous assessments of cyanide levels in Ps. aeruginosa. The Spectroquant kit, and the two ISEs all provided very similar results, in agreement with previous data; however, it was the ISEs that fulfilled all the criteria for a rapid, direct test in a moderate number of samples.

CONCLUSIONS

Cyanide ISEs can be used for easy assessment of the cyanide quantity in cultures grown in LB medium.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The use of a cyanide ISE allows for an easy, direct and reproducible method for assaying cyanide in bacterial culture supernatant, which is of significant advantage over the currently accepted methods. This is especially important in an era of high-output genomic studies for assessing the phenotypic significance of data relating to the cyanide synthetic genes.

Cell density-dependent starvation survival of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. phaseoli: identification of the role of an N-acyl homoserine lactone in adaptation to stationary-phase survival

The cell density dependence of stationary-phase survival of Rhizobium leguminosarum has been investigated. Following starvation by exhaustion of carbon or nitrogen, but not of phosphorus, the survival of cultures was dependent on the cell density at entry into stationary phase. High-density cultures survived with little or no loss of viability over a 20-day period in stationary phase. In contrast, low-density cultures lost viability rapidly but consisted of a heterogeneous population, a small fraction of which successfully adapted and eventually formed a stable, surviving population. The threshold density above which the cultures survived successfully in stationary phase was dependent on the growth conditions and the strain used. We took advantage of the fact that R. leguminosarum survives poorly following starvation by resuspension in carbon-free medium to demonstrate that cell density-dependent survival was mediated by a component accumulating in the growth medium. The effects of this medium component on survival in resuspension assays could be mimicked by an N-acyl homoserine lactone, N-(3R-hydroxy-7-cis-tetradecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone, previously demonstrated to have a role in controlling cell density-dependent phenomena in R. leguminosarum. The Sym plasmids pRP2JI and pRL1JI were found to be essential for the production of the extracellular factor, which could also be made in Escherichia coli carrying the cosmid clone pIJ1086 containing a specific region of pRL1JI.

Adaptation of Mycobacterium smegmatis to stationary phase

Mycobacterium tuberculosis can persist for many years within host lung tissue without causing clinical disease. Little is known about the state in which the bacilli survive, although it is frequently referred to as dormancy. Some evidence suggests that cells survive in nutrient-deprived stationary phase. Therefore, we are studying stationary-phase survival of Mycobacterium smegmatis as a model for mycobacterial persistence. M. smegmatis cultures could survive 650 days of either carbon, nitrogen, or phosphorus starvation. In carbon-limited medium, cells entered stationary phase before the carbon source (glycerol) had been completely depleted and glycerol uptake from the medium continued during the early stages of stationary phase. These results suggest that the cells are able to sense when the glycerol is approaching limiting concentrations and initiate a shutdown into stationary phase, which involves the uptake of the remaining glycerol from the medium. During early stationary phase, cells underwent reductive cell division and became more resistant to osmotic and acid stress and pool mRNA stabilized. Stationary-phase cells were also more resistant to oxidative stress, but this resistance was induced during late exponential phase in a cell-density-dependent manner. Upon recovery in fresh medium, stationary-phase cultures showed an immediate increase in protein synthesis irrespective of culture age. Colony morphology variants accumulated in stationary-phase cultures. A flat colony variant was seen in 75% of all long-term-stationary-phase cultures and frequently took over the whole population. Cryo scanning electron microscopy showed that the colony organization was different in flat colony strains, flat colonies appearing less well organized than wild-type colonies. Competition experiments with an exponential-phase-adapted wild-type strain showed that the flat strain had a competitive advantage in stationary phase, as well a providing evidence that growth and cell division occur in stationary-phase cultures of M. smegmatis. These results argue against stationary-phase M. smegmatis cultures entering a quiescent state akin to dormancy but support the idea that they are a dynamic population of cells.

The effects of mutation of the anr gene on the aerobic respiratory chain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The anr gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes a transcriptional regulator of anaerobic gene expression, homologous to the Fnr protein of Escherichia coli. We report here that Anr has a role in regulating the activity of the aerobic respiratory chain of P. aeruginosa. Strains with internal deletions in their anr gene had lowered levels of membrane bound cytochromes whilst the activity of the cytochrome c oxidase, cytochrome co (likely to be a cytochrome cbb3-type oxidase), and the cyanide-insensitive respiratory pathway was markedly higher than in the wild-type strains. These data, and the finding that provision of multiple copies of the anr gene led to severe repression of these respiratory activities, suggest that Anr is a repressor of aerobic respiratory pathways and possibly the terminal oxidases themselves. In contrast, Anr activated cytochrome c peroxidase, a respiratory chain linked enzyme induced under low oxygen conditions.

Adaptation to nutrient starvation in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. phaseoli: analysis of survival, stress resistance, and changes in macromolecular synthesis during entry to and exit from stationary phase

The nitrogen-fixing bacterium Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. phaseoli often has to survive long periods of starvation in the soil, when not in a useful symbiotic relationship with leguminous plants. We report that it can survive carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus starvation for at least 2 months with little loss of viability. Upon carbon starvation, R. leguminosarum cells were found to undergo reductive cell division. During this period, they acquired the potential for long-term starvation-survival, levels of protein, DNA, and RNA synthesis were decreased to base levels, and pool mRNA was stabilized. The starved cells are ready to rapidly restart growth when nutrients become available. Upon addition of fresh nutrients, there is an immediate increase in the levels of macromolecular synthesis, pool mRNA destabilizes, and the cultures enter exponential growth within 5 to 8 h. The starved cells were cross-protected against pH, heat, osmotic, and oxidative shock. These results provide evidence for a general starvation response in R. leguminosarum similar to that previously found in other bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Vibrio sp.

The cioAB genes from Pseudomonas aeruginosa code for a novel cyanide-insensitive terminal oxidase related to the cytochrome bd quinol oxidases

The structural genes for the cyanide-insensitive terminal oxidase (CIO) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were sequenced. The locus comprised two open reading frames, cioA and cioB, coding for gene products of 488 and 335 amino acid residues with predicted molecular masses of 54241 and 37016 Da respectively. These genes were encoded by a 2.7 kb transcript and probably comprise an operon. Upstream of a major transcriptional start site is a -10 promoter region and, approximately at nucleotides -50 and +13, there are sequences homologous to the binding site of the transcriptional regulator Anr. The deduced amino acid sequences of CioA and CioB are homologous to the cytochrome bd quinol oxidases of Escherichia coli and Azotobacter vinelandii. However, no cytochrome d-like signals were found in wild-type P. aeruginosa strains. An atypical cytochrome d-like signal was seen under low-aeration growth conditions but only in strains in which the cioAB genes were present on a high-copy-number plasmid. The appearance of these cytochrome d-like signals was not paralleled by a concomitant increase in CIO activity. These data support the hypothesis that the CIO of P. aeruginosa does not contain haem d. This raises the possibility that there is a family of bacterial quinol oxidases related to the cytochrome bd of E. coli that can differ in their haem composition from the E. coli paradigm.

A mutant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that lacks c-type cytochromes has a functional cyanide-insensitive oxidase

Using transposon mutagenesis and screening for the loss of the ability to oxidise the artificial electron donor N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine, we have isolated a mutant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that lacks all c-type cytochromes. This mutant is unable to grow anaerobically with nitrate as a terminal electron acceptor. Analysis of its respiratory function indicates that the mutant has lost its cytochrome c oxidase-terminated respiratory pathway but the cyanide-insensitive oxidase-terminated branch remains functional. Complementation of the mutant by in vivo cloning led to recovery of the wild-type characteristics. These data are consistent with the idea that the cyanide-insensitive respiratory pathway does not contain haem c and that the pathway's terminal oxidase is a quinol oxidase.

Isolation and characterization of mutants defective in the cyanide-insensitive respiratory pathway of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The branched respiratory chain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa contains at least two terminal oxidases which are active under normal physiological conditions. One of these, cytochrome co, is a cytochrome c oxidase which is completely inhibited by concentrations of the respiratory inhibitor potassium cyanide as low as 100 microM. The second oxidase, the cyanide-insensitive oxidase, is resistant to cyanide concentrations in excess of 1 mM as well as to sodium azide. In this work, we describe the isolation and characterization of a mutant of P. aeruginosa defective in cyanide-insensitive respiration. This insertion mutant was isolated with mini-D171 (a replication-defective derivative of the P. aeruginosa phage D3112) as a mutagen and by screening the resulting tetracycline-resistant transductants for the loss of ability to grow in the presence of 1 mM sodium azide. Polarographic studies on the NADH-mediated respiration rate of the mutant indicated an approximate 50% loss of activity, and titration of this activity against increasing cyanide concentrations gave a monophasic curve clearly showing the complete loss of cyanide-insensitive respiration. The mutated gene for a mutant affected in the cyanide-insensitive, oxidase-terminated respiratory pathway has been designated cio. We have complemented the azide-sensitive phenotype of this mutant with a wild-type copy of the gene by in vivo cloning with another mini-D element, mini-D386, carried on plasmid pADD386. The complemented cio mutant regained the ability to grow on medium containing 1 mM azide, titration of its NADH oxidase activity with cyanide gave a biphasic curve similar to that of the wild-type organism, and the respiration rate returned to normal levels. Spectral analysis of the cytochrome contents of the membranes of the wild type, the cio mutant, and the complemented mutant suggests that the cio mutant is not defective in any membrane-bound cytochromes and that the complementing gene does not encode a heme protein.

Investigation of the role of the cydD gene product in production of a functional cytochrome d oxidase in Escherichia coli

The cydD gene is needed for the formation of a functional cytochrome d oxidase in the aerobic respiratory chain of Escherichia coli. In this paper we demonstrate that transcription from a cydA-lacZ gene fusion is not significantly affected in a cydD mutant. This, together with the finding that subunit I of cytochrome d is present in cytoplasmic membranes of a cydD mutant, rules out a role for CydD in the regulation of cytochrome d expression or the assembly of its polypeptides into the membrane. The activity of the haem d-containing catalase HP II was found to be similar in a cydD mutant and the wild-type. Therefore, if CydD has a role in haem d biosynthesis it must be in a unique step only associated with the synthesis of the haem d prosthetic group of cytochrome d.

Mutants of Escherichia coli affected in respiration: the cloning and nucleotide sequence of ubiA, encoding the membrane-bound p-hydroxybenzoate:octaprenyltransferase

A mutant of Escherichia coli has been isolated that is unable to grow aerobically on non-fermentable substrates, but able to grow anaerobically on glycerol with alternative electron acceptors such as fumarate. Nitrate as electron acceptor supports anaerobic growth on glycerol, but not on succinate or lactate. Oxygen consumption rates by cell-free extracts with succinate, lactate or glycerol 3-phosphate as substrates were low relative to activities in an isogenic control strain but were restored in vitro by adding ubiquinone-1. Transformation of the mutant with a cloned 2.6 kb ClaI-PvuII fragment of chromosomal DNA restored cellular quinone levels and growth on succinate. The plasmid also complemented a previously isolated ubiA mutant for aerobic growth on non-fermentable substrates. The nucleotide sequence of the cloned fragment revealed a fragment of plsB (91.7 min on the E. coli chromosome map) and three open reading frames (ORFs), one of which (ORF3) encodes a protein with a predicted molecular mass of 32511 Da. The hydrophobicity profile of the ORF3 protein is characteristic of a membrane protein with five hydrophobic regions and is very similar to that of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae COQ2 gene product (p-hydroxybenzoate:polyprenyltransferase, required for the second step of ubiquinone biosynthesis) and to the product of the E. coli cyoE gene. Complementation of ubi mutants with various deletion derivatives of the cloned DNA fragment confirms that ORF3 is ubiA. ORF3 is closely linked to ubiC (ORF2), which encodes chorismate lyase.

The effect of low dose aspirin on bleeding times

This double-blind, controlled study assessed the effect of low-dose aspirin on bleeding times. Thirty patients, in the last trimester of their first pregnancy, who were also taking part in a trial to evaluate the effect of low-dose aspirin on the development and progress of pregnancy-induced hypertension, had their bleeding times measured using the Simplate 11 Bleeding Device. Our study showed there was no significant difference between the bleeding times of the two groups and all measurements fell within the normal range.

Isolation and characterization of Escherichia coli mutants affected in aerobic respiration: the cloning and nucleotide sequence of ubiG. Identification of an S-adenosylmethionine-binding motif in protein, RNA, and small-molecule methyltransferases

We report the isolation and characterization of a mutant of Escherichia coli unable to grow aerobically on non-fermentable substrates, except for very slow growth on glycerol. The mutant contains cytochrome oxidases o and d, and grows anaerobically with alternative electron acceptors. Oxygen consumption rates of cell-free extracts were low relative to activities in an isogenic control strain, but were restored in vitro by adding ubiquinone-1 to cell-free extracts. Transformation with a cloned 2.8 kb ClaI-EcoRV fragment of chromosomal DNA restored the ability of this mutant (AN2571) to grow on succinate and also restored cellular quinone levels in this strain. The plasmid also complemented a previously isolated ubiG mutant (AN151) for aerobic growth on succinate. The nucleotide sequence revealed a 0.7 kb portion of gyrA. Unidirectional nested deletions from this fragment and complementation analysis identified an open reading frame encoding a protein with a predicted molecular mass of 26.5 kDa. This gene (ubiG) encodes the enzyme 2-octaprenyl-3-methyl-5-hydroxy-6-methoxy-1,4-benzoquinone methyltransferase, which catalyses the terminal step in the biosynthesis of ubiquinone. The open reading frame is preceded by a putative Shine-Dalgarno sequence and followed by three palindromic unit sequences. Comparison of the inferred amino acid sequence of UbiG with the sequence of other S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet)-dependent methyltransferases reveals a highly conserved AdoMet-binding region. The cloned 2.8 kb fragment also contains a sequence encoding the C-terminus of a protein with 42-44% identity to fungal acetyl-CoA synthetases.

Functional size measurements of the ubiquinol oxidase activity of the cytochrome o terminal oxidase complex of Escherichia coli

The functional molecular mass for ubiquinol-1 oxidation by the Escherichia coli terminal oxidase, cytochrome o, was determined by radiation-inactivation analysis of membranes from a cytochrome d-deficient mutant. The functional molecular mass for ubiquinol-l oxidase activity was found to be 38.3 +/- 2.65 kDa.

Mutations affecting the cytochrome d-containing oxidase complex of Escherichia coli K12: identification and mapping of a fourth locus, cydD

A mutant of Escherichia coli K12 has been isolated affected in a gene, designated cydD, distinct from the three previously described loci involved in the synthesis of assembly of the cytochrome bd oxidase complex. The mutant, obtained by nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis, lacks the spectroscopically detectable components of this oxidase, namely cytochromes b558, b595 and d. Cytochrome oxidase o is the sole CO-binding cytochrome in membranes of the mutant, but the soluble haemoprotein b-590 and catalase activity appear unaffected. Discrimination between Cyd+ and Cyd- strains is facilitated by the development of a defined low-phosphate medium that allows the inclusion of Zn2+ as well as azide, inhibitors of respiratory electron transfer particularly via cytochrome o. Mapping with F-prime factors and by P1 cotransductional frequencies shows the mutation to map near 19.3 min on the E. coli chromosome, distinct from cydC, which maps at 18.9 min. The gene order in this region was tested in a three-factor cross and demonstrates the order zbj::Tn10(YYC199)-cydD-aroA, consistent with cotransduction frequencies.

Isolation of a Rhizobium phaseoli cytochrome mutant with enhanced respiration and symbiotic nitrogen fixation

Cultured cells of a Rhizobium phaseoli wild-type strain (CE2) possess b-type and c-type cytochromes and two terminal oxidases: cytochromes o and aa3. Cytochrome aa3 was partially expressed when CE2 cells were grown on minimal medium, during symbiosis, and in well-aerated liquid cultures in a complex medium (PY2). Two cytochrome mutants of R. phaseoli were obtained and characterized. A Tn5-mob-induced mutant, CFN4201, expressed diminished amounts of b-type and c-type cytochromes, showed an enhanced expression of cytochrome oxidases, and had reduced levels of N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine, succinate, and NADH oxidase activities. Nodules formed by this strain had no N2 fixation activity. The other mutant, CFN4205, which was isolated by nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis, had reduced levels of cytochrome o and higher succinate oxidase activity but similar NADH and N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine oxidase activities when compared with the wild-type strain. Strain CFN4205 expressed a fourfold-higher cytochrome aa3 content when cultured on minimal and complex media and had twofold-higher cytochrome aa3 levels during symbiosis when compared with the wild-type strain. Nodules formed by strain CFN4205 fixed 33% more N2 than did nodules formed by the wild-type strain, as judged by the total nitrogen content found in plants nodulated by these strains. Finally, low-temperature photodissociation spectra of whole cells from strains CE2 and CFN4205 reveal cytochromes o and aa3. Both cytochromes react with O2 at -180 degrees C to give a light-insensitive compound. These experiments identify cytochromes o and aa3 as functional terminal oxidases in R. phaseoli.

Formation of the 680 nm-absorbing form of the cytochrome bd oxidase complex of Escherichia coli by reaction of hydrogen peroxide with the ferric form

Reduced minus aerated difference spectra of membranes from Escherichia coli (grown under oxygen-limited conditions) show, in addition to the 650 nm trough attributed to the oxygenated form of cytochrome d, a smaller trough centred at about 680 nm of unknown origin. When the reference spectrum is that of a sample oxidized with ferricyanide and to which hydrogen peroxide was added, the trough proportions changed, the 680 nm species being more dominant. Similarly, when 8.8 mM hydrogen peroxide is added to a persulphate-oxidized sample, a peak at 680 nm is immediately formed. No such compound is observed when peroxide is added to persulphate-oxidized membranes from a cytochrome d-deficient mutant. It is concluded that the 680 nm species represents a peroxy form of haem d, which is stable at room temperature and is probably an intermediate in the reaction mechanism of this oxidase.

Proposal that the function of the membrane-bound cytochrome a1-like haemoprotein (cytochrome b-595) in Escherichia coli is a direct electron donation to cytochrome d

The cytochrome d-containing oxidase of oxygen-limited Escherichia coli comprises cytochromes d, cytochrome b-558 and cytochrome b-595, previously called cytochrome a1. The reaction of the fully reduced complex with oxygen involves ligand binding to the ferrous haem d to form an oxygenated species, followed by oxidation of two b-type cytochromes, whose identity is unclear. Here we report kinetic studies on cytochrome b-595 oxidation and suggest that these results, together with optical and EPR data on the oxidase complex and its reaction with oxygen, are consistent with the hypothesis that the role of cytochrome b-595 is further reduction of the oxygen bound to cytochrome d.

Haemoprotein b-590 (Escherichia coli); redesignation of a bacterial 'cytochrome a1'

A 'soluble' fraction from anaerobically grown Escherichia coli contains a haemoprotein with spectral properties, notably an alpha-band in the reduced form at 585 to 595 nm, similar to cytochrome a1. Haem extraction of either the soluble preparation or whole cells yields haem b, but not haem a. In view of this, and the spectral similarities of the a1-like component to well-known high-spin haem b proteins, we propose that the name 'haemoprotein b-590' be used to describe cytochrome a1-like pigments in bacteria.

Oxygenated fluorocarbon nutrient solution in the treatment of experimental spinal cord injury

We employed an extravascular perfusion system through the subarachnoid space of the traumatized spinal cord of the cat for the delivery of oxygen utilizing a fluorocarbon emulsion containing essential nutrients, termed the oxygenated fluorocarbon nutrient solution (OFNS). Animals perfused for 2 hours with saline after impact injury of the spinal cord had significantly less edema at 1 cm below this site of injury than injured, untreated animals. However, in injured animals perfused with OFNS there was significant protection from spinal cord edema at both 1 and 2 cm below the site of injury. OFNS perfusion reduced the magnitude of hemorrhagic necrosis in both the gray and the white matter and protected the anterior horn cells against lysis at the site of injury. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is decreased within 1 minute and remains suppressed for 1 hour in gray and white matter of unperfused, injured animals. The level of ATP in both gray and white matter was significantly higher in injured OFNS-perfused animals than in saline-treated animals at the site below the spinal cord injury. Our data show that OFNS perfusion of the injured spinal cord reduced necrosis and edema and tended to normalize the levels of high energy ATP and intact anterior horn cells. These results demonstrate the feasibility of treating ischemic hypoxia of the spinal cord after trauma through an extravascular perfusion route that utilizes a fluorocarbon emulsion as a vehicle for the delivery of oxygen and other cellular nutrients.

Severe cerebral ischemia treatment by ventriculosubarachnoid perfusion with an oxygenated fluorocarbon emulsion

Global hemispheric ischemia was produced in cats by bilateral carotid ligation and bleeding to a mean arterial pressure of 30 +/- 2 (SE) mm Hg. Total electrocerebral silence, as determined by computer-based power analysis, was obtained and maintained for 15 minutes. After this severe cerebral ischemic episode, the heparinized blood was reinfused and the carotid clamps were removed. After the cerebral ischemia, the ventriculosubarachnoid space was perfused with an oxygenated fluorocarbon nutrient solution (OFNS) or modified Elliott's B solution (ES) (control perfusion). The OFNS perfusate contained 400 to 640 mm Hg pO2 (produced by means of a bubble oxygenator pump system) as well as electrolytes, glucose, and amino acids, all of which are known to be important in cerebral metabolism. Flow rates of the perfusion were maintained at either 3 or 6 ml/minute and intracranial pressures were never permitted to exceed 10 mm Hg. During passage through the ventriculosubarachnoid space, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and electrolytes were exchanged between the brain and the OFNS perfusate. In addition, the OFNS perfusate was capable of picking up pCO2, lactate, and pyruvate. This produced a significant return of electrocerebral activity (P less than 0.01) and oxidative metabolism (P less than 0.01), as evidenced by a decline in the lactate/pyruvate ratio in the OFNS-treated cats, but not in nonperfused animals or those perfused with ES. In this study the ventriculosubarachnoid system served as an alternate vascular tree and enabled the perfusate to accomplish many of the functions of blood. Substantial penetration of the perfusate products into the brain occurred, enabling oxidative metabolism, removal of waste products, and electrocerebral activity to be reestablished.

Catecholamine alterations attending spinal cord injury: a reanalysis

The catecholamine response of injured tissue after severe spinal cord injury (SPI) remains a puzzling controversy. This study was undertaken in an attempt to resolve that controversy. The influence of the biochemical assay method, the magnitude of injury, and the spinal cord region injured on catecholamine levels was determined in the cat spinal cord. It was found that the concentration of norepinephrine (NE) in the traumatized spinal cord is dependent on both the magnitude and the region of injury. The relatively large tissue samples necessitated by the older, less sensitive assay methodology show little or no change in NE levels after a 500-g/cm injury in the cat. When regional samples are analyzed with more sensitive methods, a net depression in the NE level of local tissue is observed. The results of earlier studies from this laboratory indicating an increase in tissue NE after trauma were apparently artifactual, presumably due to the nonselective nature of the biochemical assay used at that time. Dopamine levels were not elevated after SCI, and previous reports from other laboratories indicating an increase in dopamine levels were probably also errant due to methodology-related problems.