Penigrisacids A-D, Four New Sesquiterpenes from the Deep-Sea-Derived Penicillium griseofulvum.

Four new (penigrisacids A-D, 1-4) and one known (5) carotane sesquiterpenoids were isolated from the deep-sea-derived fungus Penicillium griseofulvum, along with four known compounds (6-9). The planar structures and relative configurations of the new compounds were determined by extensive analysis of the NMR and HRESIMS data. The absolute configurations were established by comparison of the experimental and calculated ECD (electronic circular dichroism) spectra or OR (optical rotation) value. Compound 9 exhibited potent anti-food allergic activity with IC50 value of 28.7 µM, while 4 showed weak cytotoxicity against ECA-109 tumor cells (IC50 = 28.7 µM).

Proposal of nine novel species of the Bacillus cereus group.

Nine novel Gram-stain-positive bacteria were investigated by a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Based on the analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences, these strains belonged to the Bacillus cereus group, sharing over 97 % similarity with the known species of this group, and less than 95 % similarity with other species of the genus Bacillus. Multilocus sequence typing analysis showed that they formed nine robust and well-separated branches from the known species. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) and average nucleotide identity (ANI) values between the nine strains were, respectively, below the 70 and 96 % threshold values for species definition, and between each strain and the known type strains of this group were also below the two threshold values. On the basis of the phenotypic and phylogenetic data, along with low dDDH and ANI values among these strains, these bacteria are assigned to the following nine novel species of the B. cereus group: Bacillus paranthracis sp. nov., type strain Mn5T (=MCCC 1A00395T=KCTC 33714T=LMG 28873T); Bacillus pacificus sp. nov., type strain EB422T (=MCCC 1A06182T=KCTC 33858T); Bacillus tropicus sp. nov., type strain N24T (=MCCC 1A01406T=KCTC 33711T=LMG 28874T); Bacillus albus sp. nov., type strain N35-10-2T (=MCCC 1A02146T=KCTC 33710T=LMG 28875T); Bacillus mobilis sp. nov., type strain 0711P9-1T (=MCCC 1A05942T=KCTC 33717T=LMG 28877T); Bacillus luti sp. nov., type strain TD41T (=MCCC 1A00359T=KCTC 33716T=LMG 28872T); Bacillus proteolyticus sp. nov., type strain TD42T (=MCCC 1A00365T=KCTC 33715T=LMG 28870T); Bacillus nitratireducens sp. nov., type strain 4049T (=MCCC 1A00732T=KCTC 33713T=LMG 28871T); and Bacillus paramycoides sp. nov., type strain NH24A2T (=MCCC 1A04098T=KCTC 33709T=LMG 28876T).

Pseudoalteromonas xiamenensis sp. nov., a marine bacterium isolated from coastal surface seawater.

A Gram-negative, oxidase- and catalase-positive, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming, motile, aerobic bacterium, designated Y2(T), was isolated from surface seawater of Yundang Lake, Xiamen, China. The strain was able to grow in the presence of 0.5-6.0% NaCl (optimum 1.0-1.5%), at pH 5-10 (optimum pH 8) and at 10-40 °C (optimum 25 °C). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain Y2(T) belongs to the genus Pseudoalteromonas, with the highest sequence similarity of 94.9% to Pseudoalteromonas tunicata D2(T); within the genus Pseudoalteromonas, it showed the lowest similarity of 92.8% to Pseudoalteromonas denitrificans ATCC 43337(T). The G+C content of the chromosomal DNA of strain Y2(T) was 45.1 mol%. The predominant fatty acids were summed feature 3 (C(16 : 1)ω6c and/or C(16 : 1)ω7c), C(16 : 0), C(12 : 0) 3-OH and summed feature 8 (C(18 : 1)ω6c and/or C(18 : 1)ω7c). The only respiratory quinone detected was Q-8. Based on the phylogenetic and phenotypic characteristics, strain Y2(T) represents a novel species of the genus Pseudoalteromonas, for which the name Pseudoalteromonas xiamenensis sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is Y2(T) ( = CGMCC 1.12157(T) = JCM 18779(T)).

Isolation and characterization of five lytic bacteriophages infecting a Vibrio strain closely related to Vibrio owensii.

Vibrio owensii is a potential bacterial pathogen in marine aquaculture system. In this study, five lytic phages specific against Vibrio strain B8D, closely related to V. owensii, were isolated from seawater of an abalone farm. The phages were characterized with respect to morphology, genome size, growth phenotype, as well as thermal, and pH stability. All phages were found to belong to the family Siphoviridae with long noncontractile tails and terminal fibers. Restriction analysis indicated that the five phages were dsDNA viruses with molecular weights ranging from c. 30 to 48 kb. One-step growth experiments revealed that the phages were heterogeneous in latent periods (10-70 min), rise periods (40-70 min), and burst sizes [23-331 plaque-forming units (PFU) per infected cell] at the same host strain. All phages were thermal stable and were tolerant to a wide range of pH. The results indicated that these phages could be potential candidates of a phage cocktail for biological control of V. owensii in aquaculture systems.

A sterol and spiroditerpenoids from a Penicillium sp. isolated from a deep sea sediment sample.

A new polyoxygenated sterol, sterolic acid (1), three new breviane spiroditerpenoids, breviones I-K (2-4), and the known breviones (5-8), were isolated from the crude extract of a Penicillium sp. obtained from a deep sea sediment sample that was collected at a depth of 5115 m. The structures of 1-4 were elucidated primarily by NMR experiments, and 1 was further confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The absolute configurations of 2 and 3 were deduced by comparison of their CD spectra with those of the model compounds. Compounds 2 and 5 showed significant cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cells, which is comparable to the positive control cisplatin.

Breviane spiroditerpenoids from an extreme-tolerant Penicillium sp. isolated from a deep sea sediment sample.

Breviones F-H (1-3), three new bioactive breviane spiroditerpenoids, have been isolated from the crude extract of an extreme-tolerant Penicillium sp. obtained from a deep sea sediment sample that was collected at a depth of 5115 m. The structures of these compounds were elucidated primarily by NMR spectroscopy. The absolute configurations of 1 and 3 were assigned by application of the modified Mosher method, and 3 is further confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis of its S-MTPA ester. Compound 2 could be the precursor for 3, which features a previously undescribed skeleton of mixed biogenesis.

[Isolation and physiological characteristics of lytic bacteriophages of Vibrio].

OBJECTIVE: Vibrio is a widely distributed pathogen in aquatic environment. Our study aimed at searching for possible biological control of pathogenic vibrio. METHODS: We collected natural samples from coast and lakes in spring of 2006 and autumn of 2005; and isolated lytic phages by double-layer plate method. We identified the hosts with 16S rDNA sequencing and observed their morphology with phages under electron microscopy. We also tested the physiological characteristics of phages. RESULTS: We isolated 96 bacteria and 2 phages (Vibio/XM/P1, Vibio/XM/P2). Their hosts belonged to Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio anguillarum. Both phages were hexagonal-headed and one with a tail. Physiological tests show that their optimum grow condition were pH7, 25 degrees C and pH8, 30 degrees C. Both phages were sensitive to high temperature and UV light. Vibrio/XM/P2 was sensitive to aether and chloroform whereas Vibrio/XM/P1 not.

OmpW and OmpV are required for NaCl regulation in Photobacterium damsela.

Photobacterium damsela is a marine pathogen to both fish and human beings. The bacterium can shift between the ambient seawater and hosts, suggesting the existence of proteins rapidly responding to salt concentration. In the current study, proteomic methodologies were applied to screen the outer membrane proteins (OMPs) related to salt stress. OmpW and OmpV were determined in the response in this bacterium as OmpC and OmpF did in E. coli. Furthermore, the two genes were overexpressed in E. coli Top10F and complemented in V. paraheamolyticus mutants. The ability in salt-tolerance was elevated in the E. coli overexpressed OmpW and reduced in the cells overexpressed OmpV. These V. paraheamolyticus mutants could recover their response to environmental salt concentration when they were complemented by P. damsela OmpW and OmpV. These findings indicate that OmpW and OmpV are required for environmental salt regulation in P. damsela, in which OmpW and OmpV, respectively, elevate and reduce the ability in salinity-tolerance.