Characteristics of the 5' untranslated region of wisent (Bison bonasus) and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) Pestivirus isolates

The 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) of the pestivirus strains isolated from wisent and reindeer suffering from severe diarrhoea in the Duisburg zoo in Germany were amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and sequenced for comparison with those of other pestiviruses from cattle, sheep, goats and swine. Phylogenetic trees constructed from the primary nucleotide sequences of these strains demonstrated that the 5'-UTR of both the wisent and reindeer isolates were identical and suggested that the isolates were allocated to a new cluster of Border disease virus (BDV). The BDV strains were further divided into at least three genotypes or subspecies by phylogenetic analysis and a newly proposed method based on palindromic nucleotide substitutions was used at the variable regions in the 5'-UTR.

Inactivation of the tricarboxylic acid cycle aconitase gene from Streptomyces viridochromogenes Tü494 impairs morphological and physiological differentiation

The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle aconitase gene acnA from Streptomyces viridochromogenes Tü494 was cloned and analyzed. AcnA catalyzes the isomerization of citrate to isocitrate in the TCA cycle, as indicated by the ability of acnA to complement the aconitase-deficient Escherichia coli mutant JRG3259. An acnA mutant was unable to develop aerial mycelium and to sporulate, resulting in a bald phenotype. Furthermore, the mutant did not produce the antibiotic phosphinothricin tripeptide, demonstrating that AcnA also affects physiological differentiation.