Economical Production of Phenazine-1-carboxylic Acid from Glycerol by Pseudomonas chlororaphis Using Cost-Effective Minimal Medium.

Phenazine compounds are widely used in agricultural control and the medicine industry due to their high inhibitory activity against pathogens and antitumor activity. The green and sustainable method of synthesizing phenazine compounds through microbial fermentation often requires a complex culture medium containing tryptone and yeast extract, and its cost is relatively high, which greatly limits the large-scale industrial production of phenazine compounds by fermentation. The aim of this study was to develop a cost-effective minimal medium for the efficient synthesis of phenazine compounds by Pseudomonas chlororaphis. Through testing the minimum medium commonly used by Pseudomonas, an ME medium for P. chlororaphis with a high production of phenazine compounds was obtained. Then, the components of the ME medium and the other medium were compared and replaced to verify the beneficial promoting effect of Fe2+ and NH4+ on phenazine compounds. A cost-effective general defined medium (GDM) using glycerol as the sole carbon source was obtained by optimizing the composition of the ME medium. Using the GDM, the production of phenazine compounds by P. chlororaphis reached 1073.5 mg/L, which was 1.3 times that achieved using a complex medium, while the cost of the GDM was only 10% that of a complex medium (e.g., the KB medium). Finally, by engineering the glycerol metabolic pathway, the titer of phenazine-1-carboxylic acid reached the highest level achieved using a minimum medium so far. This work demonstrates how we systematically analyzed and optimized the composition of the medium and integrated a metabolic engineering method to obtain the most cost-effective fermentation strategy.

Description of Erythrobacter mangrovi sp. nov., an aerobic bacterium from rhizosphere soil of mangrove plant (Kandelia candel).

A novel Gram-stain negative, aerobic, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterium, designated as strain EB310T, was isolated from rhizosphere soil of mangrove plant Kandelia candel in Fugong village, Zhangzhou, China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain EB310T belonged to the genus Erythrobacter, clustering with Erythrobacter pelagi JCM 17468T, Erythrobacter lutimaris KCTC 42109T and Erythrobacter marisflavi KCTC 62896T, and showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 97.5% to Erythrobacter pelagi JCM 17468T. The genomic average nucleotide identity and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain EB310T and the reference strains were 71.0-75.5% and 19.8-20.0%, respectively. Growth ranges of the isolate occurred at 10-45 °C (optimum 28-30 °C), pH 5.5-9.5 (optimum pH 7.5) and 0-9.0% NaCl concentrations (optimum 2.0%, w/v). The strain did not produce bacteriochlorophyll a and flexirubin, but produced carotenoids. The strain contained Q-10 as the predominant ubiquinone and summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω7c/C16:1 ω6c) and summed feature 8 (C18:1 ω6c/C18:1 ω7c) as the major fatty acids. The major polar lipids were sphingoglycolipid, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine. Differential phenotypic characteristics, together with chemotaxonomic, phylogenetic and genomic distinctiveness, indicated that strain EB310T is distinguishable from other members of the genus Erythrobacter. On the basis of the data exhibited, strain EB310T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Erythrobacter, for which the name Erythrobacter mangrovi sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is EB310T (= KCTC 72109T = MCCC 1K03690T). The genomic DNA G + C content is 62.9 mol%.

The Complete Genome of Emcibacter congregatus ZYLT, a Marine Bacterium Encoding a CRISPR-Cas 9 Immune System.

Emcibacter congregatus ZYLT was isolated from a sediment sample cultured in situ in a coast located in the East China Sea. The genome of E. congregatus ZYLT was sequenced and assembled into one single circular chromosome with the size of 4,189,011 bp and G+C content of 52.6%. Genomic annotation showed that E. congregatus ZYLT had an intact Type II-C CRISPR-Cas system consists of three cas genes (cas 9, cas 1, and cas 2), 34 direct repeat sequences with the length of 36 bp, and 33 spacers. The predicted Cas 9 protein was smaller than most of existing genome editing tools. This structure might have potential in developing new gene editing system and uncovering the regulatory mechanisms of CRISPR-Cas system. Besides, the comparison between E. congregatus ZYLT and its relative species living in neritic environments unraveled some common traits of the defective strategies of these bacteria to face inshore challenges including the motility, multidrug resistance, and universal efflux pumps.

[Comparison of proteomics between acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoid leukemia].

The aim of this study was to explore the distinct protein profiles of different subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), including M(1), M(2), M(3) and acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) by differential proteomic expression analysis. The proteins of bone marrow leukemia cells from AML and ALL patients were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE). 2-DE patterns were analyzed by PDQuest 7.4 software and the differentially expressed proteins were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and bioinformatics. The results indicated that 21 differentially expressed proteins were found by 2-DE and 15 were identified by MS to be significantly differentially expressed. In AML, seven proteins were highly expressed such as MPO, PRDX3, CALR and ECH1 and so on, and eight proteins were highly expressed in ALL, including ARHGDIB, PFN1 and ACTG1 and so on. It is concluded that the distinct protein profiles between AML and ALL have been proved. It may be helpful for the identification of new targets for specific treatment approaches and the molecular markers for the early diagnosis of leukemia.

[Establishment and optimization of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis technique of proteome from bone marrow leukemia cells].

The aim of this study was to establish and optimize two-dimensional electrophoresis method for human bone marrow leukemia cells in order to obtain the profiles with high resolution and reproducibility. The total protein was extracted and separated by isoelectric focusing (IEF) and SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The gels were stained with silver nitrate or Coomassie brilliant blue, and then scanned and analyzed with PDQuest 7.4 analysis software. The effects of different protein preparation methods and electrophoresis conditions on the profiles were compared. The results indicated that by optimizing preparation of protein sample and electrophoresis protocols, clear profiles with 780 +/- 73 well separated protein spots on an average were obtained and the match rate was 82 +/- 5% between reproducible gels from leukemia cells of different sub-type. It is concluded that the two-dimensional electrophoresis method of proteome from human bone marrow leukemia cells is established successfully and is suitable for the further comparative proteomic research between leukemia of different types.

A T42M substitution in bacterial 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) generates enzymes with increased resistance to glyphosate.

Mutants of class I enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) with resistance to glyphosate were produced in a previous study using the staggered extension process with aroA genes from S. typhimurium and E. coli. Two of these mutants shared a common amino acid substitution, T42M, near the hinge region between the large globular domains of EPSPS. Using site-directed mutagenisis, we produced the T42M mutants without the other amino acid changes of the original mutants. The T42M substitution alone produced enzymes with a 9- to 25-fold decreased K(m)[PEP] and a 21- to 26-fold increased K(i)[glyphosate] compared to the wild-type enzymes. These results provide more testimony for the powerful approach for protein engineering by the combination of directed evolution and rational design.

[Construction of a vector conferring herbicide and pest resistance in tobacco plant].

A binary plant expression vector, pCM12-slm, carrying the aroAM12 mutant gene encoding bacterial 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) and the Bts1m recombinant gene consisting of 331 N-terminal amino acids of CryIAc and 284 C-terminal amino acids of CryIAb has been constructed. The truncated Bts1 gene was fused with the PR1b signal peptide sequence and expressed in tobacco plants under the control of 2E-CaMV35S promoter and the omega (omega) translation enhancer sequence from tobacco mosaic virus. The mutant aroAM12 was fused with the transit sequence of tobacco EPSPS and expressed in tobacco plants under the control of the CaMV35S promoter. Tobacco leaves were transformed with Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA4404 harboring the pCM12-slm plasmid, and the transgenic plants were selected directly on medium containing the herbicide. Forty glyphosate resistant plants were regenerated, with a transformation frequency of 27%. Transgenic plants were initially assessed for glyphosate resistance by placing leaf discs on shoot induction media containing the herbicide. Rooted plantlets, propagated from selected transgenic tobacco, were transferred to soil in a greenhouse and tested for glyphosate resistance by spraying them with Roundup at a commercial recommended dose. The glyphosate resistance assay indicated that all the transgenic plants showed highly resistant to the herbicide. The PCR assay showed that the aroAM12 gene was present in all of the 40 T0 transfer plants, and Bts1m genes present in 28 of 40 of the transgenic plants. Southern blot analysis further confirmed that the copy number of the transgenes varied from one to three copies in different transgenic plants. Northern blot and immunodot blot showed that the aroAM12 and Bts1m genes were expressed at the transcription and translation levels. Transgenic plants containing both the aroA M12 and Bts1m genes were further assessed for insect resistance. Tobacco leaves of T0 transgenic plants were infested with tobacco bollworm H. assulta larvae for 6 days. The result (table 1) showed that the survival rate of insect larvae was between 0-10%, and the growth of insect larvae was seriously inhibited, suggesting pCM12-slm as a dual functional vector with potential application in breeding of glyphosate and insect resistance transgenic plants.