Community proteomics provides functional insight into polyhydroxyalkanoate production by a mixed microbial culture cultivated on fermented dairy manure.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are bio-based, biodegradable polyesters that can be produced from organic-rich waste streams using mixed microbial cultures (MMCs). To maximize PHA production, MMCs are enriched for bacteria with a high polymer storage capacity through the application of aerobic dynamic feeding (ADF) in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR), which consequently induces a feast-famine metabolic response. Though the feast-famine response is generally understood empirically at a macro-level, the molecular level is less refined. The objective of this study was to investigate the microbial community composition and proteome profile of an enriched MMC cultivated on fermented dairy manure. The enriched MMC exhibited a feast-famine response and was capable of producing up to 40 % (wt. basis) PHA in a fed-batch reactor. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed a microbial community dominated by Meganema, a known PHA-producing genus not often observed in high abundance in enrichment SBRs. The application of the proteomic methods two-dimensional electrophoresis and LC-MS/MS revealed PHA synthesis, energy generation, and protein synthesis prominently occurring during the feast phase, corroborating bulk solution variable observations and theoretical expectations. During the famine phase, nutrient transport, acyl-CoA metabolism, additional energy generation, and housekeeping functions were more pronounced, informing previously under-determined MMC functionality under famine conditions. During fed-batch PHA production, acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase and PHA granule-bound phasin proteins were in increased abundance relative to the SBR, supporting the higher PHA content observed. Collectively, the results provide unique microbial community structural and functional insight into feast-famine PHA production from waste feedstocks using MMCs.

Proteomic profiling of an undefined microbial consortium cultured in fermented dairy manure: Methods development.

The production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA; bioplastics) from waste or surplus feedstocks using mixed microbial consortia (MMC) and aerobic dynamic feeding (ADF) is a growing field within mixed culture biotechnology. This study aimed to optimize a 2DE workflow to investigate the proteome dynamics of an MMC synthesizing PHA from fermented dairy manure. To mitigate the challenges posed to effective 2DE by this complex sample matrix, the bacterial biomass was purified using Accudenz gradient centrifugation (AGC) before protein extraction. The optimized 2DE method yielded high-quality gels suitable for quantitative comparative analysis and subsequent protein identification by LC-MS/MS. The optimized 2DE method could be adapted to other proteomic investigations involving MMC in complex organic or environmental matrices.

Physiological levels of glucose induce membrane vesicle secretion and affect the lipid and protein composition of Yersinia pestis cell surfaces.

Yersinia pestis grown with physiologic glucose increased cell autoaggregation and deposition of extracellular material, including membrane vesicles. Membranes were characterized, and glucose had significant effects on protein, lipid, and carbohydrate profiles. These effects were independent of temperature and the biofilm-related locus pgm and were not observed in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis.

Fungal laccase, manganese peroxidase and lignin peroxidase: gene expression and regulation.

Extensive research efforts have been dedicated to characterizing expression of laccases and peroxidases and their regulation in numerous fungal species. Much attention has been brought to these enzymes broad substrate specificity resulting in oxidation of a variety of organic compounds which brings about possibilities of their utilization in biotechnological and environmental applications. Research attempts have resulted in increased production of both laccases and peroxidases by the aid of heterologous and homologous expression. Through analysis of promoter regions, protein expression patterns and culture conditions manipulations it was possible to compare and identify common pathways of these enzymes' production and secretion. Although laccase and peroxidase proteins have been crystallized and thoroughly analyzed, there are still a lot of questions remaining about their evolutionary origin and the physiological functions. This review describes the present understanding of promoter sequences and correlation between the observed regulatory effects on laccase, manganese peroxidase and lignin peroxidase genes transcript levels and the presence of specific response elements.

Protection of Bacillus pumilus spores by catalases.

Bacillus pumilus SAFR-032, isolated at spacecraft assembly facilities of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is difficult to kill by the sterilization method of choice, which uses liquid or vapor hydrogen peroxide. We identified two manganese catalases, YjqC and BPUM_1305, in spore protein extracts of several B. pumilus strains by using PAGE and mass spectrometric analyses. While the BPUM_1305 catalase was present in six of the B. pumilus strains tested, YjqC was not detected in ATCC 7061 and BG-B79. Furthermore, both catalases were localized in the spore coat layer along with laccase and superoxide dismutase. Although the initial catalase activity in ATCC 7061 spores was higher, it was less stable over time than the SAFR-032 enzyme. We propose that synergistic activity of YjqC and BPUM_1305, along with other coat oxidoreductases, contributes to the enhanced resistance of B. pumilus spores to hydrogen peroxide. We observed that the product of the catalase reaction, gaseous oxygen, forms expanding vesicles on the spore surface, affecting the mechanical integrity of the coat layer, resulting in aggregation of the spores. The accumulation of oxygen gas and aggregations may play a crucial role in limiting further exposure of Bacilli spore surfaces to hydrogen peroxide or other toxic chemicals when water is present.

Maximizing microbial degradation of perchlorate using a genetic algorithm: Media optimization.

Microbial communities are under constant influence of physical and chemical components in ecosystems. Shifts in conditions such as pH, temperature or carbon source concentration can translate into shifts in overall ecosystem functioning. These conditions can be manipulated in a laboratory setup using evolutionary computation methods such as genetic algorithms (GAs). In work described here, a GA methodology was successfully applied to define sets of environmental conditions for microbial enrichments and pure cultures to achieve maximum rates of perchlorate degradation. Over the course of 11 generations of optimization using a GA, we saw a statistically significant 16.45 and 16.76-fold increases in average perchlorate degradation rates by Dechlorosoma sp. strain KJ and Dechloromonas sp. strain Miss R, respectively. For two bacterial consortia, Pl6 and Cw3, 5.79 and 5.75-fold increases in average perchlorate degradation were noted. Comparison of zero-order kinetic rate constants for environmental conditions in GA-determined first and last generations of all bacterial cultures additionally showed marked increases.

Sterilization of biological pathogens using supercritical fluid carbon dioxide containing water and hydrogen peroxide.

Novel noninvasive techniques for the removal of biological contaminants to generate clean or sterile materials are in demand by the medical, pharmaceutical and food industries. The sterilization method described here uses supercritical fluid carbon dioxide (SF-CO(2)) containing 3.3% water and 0.1% hydrogen peroxide (v/v/v) to achieve from four to eight log viability reduction of all tested microbial species, including vegetative cells, spores and biofilms. The sterilization method employs moderate pressure and temperature (80 atm, 50°C) and a short (30-minute) treatment time. The procedure kills various opportunistic pathogens that often persist in biofilm structures, fungal spores commonly associated with nosocomial infections, and Bacillus pumilus SAFR-032 endospores that are notoriously hard to eradicate by conventional sterilization techniques.

Proteomic and targeted qPCR analyses of subsurface microbial communities for presence of methane monooxygenase.

The Test Area North (TAN) site at the Idaho National Laboratory near Idaho Falls, ID, USA, sits over a trichloroethylene (TCE) contaminant plume in the Snake River Plain fractured basalt aquifer. Past observations have provided evidence that TCE at TAN is being transformed by biological natural attenuation that may be primarily due to co-metabolism in aerobic portions of the plume by methanotrophs. TCE co-metabolism by methanotrophs is the result of the broad substrate specificity of microbial methane monooxygenase which permits non-specific oxidation of TCE in addition to the primary substrate, methane. Arrays of experimental approaches have been utilized to understand the biogeochemical processes driving intrinsic TCE co-metabolism at TAN. In this study, aerobic methanotrophs were enumerated by qPCR using primers targeting conserved regions of the genes pmoA and mmoX encoding subunits of the particulate MMO (pMMO) and soluble MMO (sMMO) enzymes, respectively, as well as the gene mxa encoding the downstream enzyme methanol dehydrogenase. Identification of proteins in planktonic and biofilm samples from TAN was determined using reverse phase ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with a quadrupole-time-of-flight (QToF) mass spectrometer to separate and sequence peptides from trypsin digests of the protein extracts. Detection of MMO in unenriched water samples from TAN provides direct evidence of intrinsic methane oxidation and TCE co-metabolic potential of the indigenous microbial population. Mass spectrometry is also well suited for distinguishing which form of MMO is expressed in situ either soluble or particulate. Using this method, pMMO proteins were found to be abundant in samples collected from wells within and adjacent to the TCE plume at TAN.

C5-functionalized DNA, LNA, and α-L-LNA: positional control of polarity-sensitive fluorophores leads to improved SNP-typing.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are important markers in disease genetics and pharmacogenomic studies. Oligodeoxyribonucleotides (ONs) modified with 5-[3-(1-pyrenecarboxamido)propynyl]-2'-deoxyuridine monomer X enable detection of SNPs at non-stringent conditions due to differential fluorescence emission of matched versus mismatched nucleic acid duplexes. Herein, the thermal denaturation and optical spectroscopic characteristics of monomer X are compared to the corresponding locked nucleic acid (LNA) and α-L-LNA monomers Y and Z. ONs modified with monomers Y or Z result in a) larger increases in fluorescence intensity upon hybridization to complementary DNA, b) formation of more brightly fluorescent duplexes due to markedly larger fluorescence emission quantum yields (Φ(F)=0.44-0.80) and pyrene extinction coefficients, and c) improved optical discrimination of SNPs in DNA targets. Optical spectroscopy studies suggest that the nucleobase moieties of monomers X-Z adopt anti and syn conformations upon hybridization with matched and mismatched targets, respectively. The polarity-sensitive 1-pyrenecarboxamido fluorophore is, thereby, either positioned in the polar major groove or in the hydrophobic duplex core close to quenching nucleobases. Calculations suggest that the bicyclic skeletons of LNA and α-L-LNA monomers Y and Z influence the glycosidic torsional angle profile leading to altered positional control and photophysical properties of the C5-fluorophore.

Peptide biomarkers as evidence of perchlorate biodegradation.

Perchlorate is a known health hazard for humans, fish, and other species. Therefore, it is important to assess the response of an ecosystem exposed to perchlorate contamination. The data reported here show that a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based proteomics approach for the detection of perchlorate-reducing enzymes can be used to measure the ability of microorganisms to degrade perchlorate, including determining the current perchlorate degradation status. Signature peptides derived from chlorite dismutase (CD) and perchlorate reductase can be used as biomarkers of perchlorate presence and biodegradation. Four peptides each derived from CD and perchlorate reductase subunit A (PcrA) and seven peptides derived from perchlorate reductase subunit B (PcrB) were identified as signature biomarkers for perchlorate degradation, as these sequences are conserved in the majority of the pure and mixed perchlorate-degrading microbial cultures examined. However, chlorite dismutase signature biomarker peptides from Dechloromonas agitata CKB were found to be different from those in other cultures used and should also be included with selected CD biomarkers. The combination of these peptides derived from the two enzymes represents a promising perchlorate presence/biodegradation biomarker system. The biomarker peptides were detected at perchlorate concentrations as low as 0.1 mM and at different time points both in pure cultures and within perchlorate-reducing environmental enrichment consortia. The peptide biomarkers were also detected in the simultaneous presence of perchlorate and an alternate electron acceptor, nitrate. We believe that this technique can be useful for monitoring bioremediation processes for other anthropogenic environmental contaminants with known metabolic pathways.

Proteogenomic and functional analysis of chromate reduction in Acidiphilium cryptum JF-5, an Fe(III)-respiring acidophile.

Acidiphilium cryptum JF-5, an acidophilic iron-respiring Alphaproteobacterium, has the ability to reduce chromate under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, making it an intriguing and useful model organism for the study of extremophilic bacteria in bioremediation applications. Genome sequence annotation suggested two potential mechanisms of Cr(VI) reduction, namely, a number of c-type cytochromes, and a predicted NADPH-dependent Cr(VI) reductase. In laboratory studies using pure cultures of JF-5, an NADPH-dependent chromate reductase activity was detected primarily in soluble protein fractions, and a periplasmic c-type cytochrome (ApcA) was also present, representing two potential means of Cr(VI) reduction. Upon further examination, it was determined that the NADPH-dependent activity was not specific for Cr(VI), and the predicted proteins were not detected in Cr(VI)-grown cultures. Proteomic data did show measureable amounts of ApcA in cells grown with Cr(VI). Purified ApcA is reducible by menadiol, and in turn can reduce Cr(VI), suggesting a means to obtain electrons from the respiratory chain and divert them to Cr(VI). Electrochemical measurements confirm that Cr reduction by ApcA is pH dependent, with low pH being favored. Homology modeling of ApcA and comparison to a known Cr(VI)-reducing c-type cytochrome structure revealed basic amino acids which could interact with chromate ion. From these studies, it can be concluded that A. cryptum has the physiologic and genomic capability to reduce Cr(VI) to the less toxic Cr(III). However, the expected chromate reductase mechanism may not be the primary means of Cr(VI) reduction in this organism.

Pyrene-functionalized triazole-linked 2'-deoxyuridines-probes for discrimination of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

Oligonucleotides modified with pyrene-functionalized triazole-linked 2'-deoxyuridines display remarkable hybridization-induced increases in fluorescence emission and enable efficient fluorescent discrimination of SNPs via G-specific quenching.

A method for assaying perchlorate concentration in microbial cultures using the fluorescent dye resazurin.

Low concentrations (microg/L) of the perchlorate anion, ClO(4)(-), have been measured in surface and ground water supplies in many locations throughout the United States. Perchlorate is known to affect the function of the thyroid gland in mammals and its toxicity primarily results from its inhibition of thyroid hormone output. The major sources of perchlorate contamination in surface and ground waters are defense contractors, military installations, propellant manufacturers and agriculture. The currently accepted method of perchlorate analysis, recommended by the US EPA, is neither fast nor easy to use and requires purchase of an expensive high performance ion chromatograph (IC). The novel method described here uses dye resazurin to measure perchlorate reduction by bacterial cultures and bacterial consortia in a high-throughput, multi-well, culture plate format. The method is based on the observation that perchlorate reduction and the decrease of resazurin fluorescence occur simultaneously in perchlorate degrading cultures. The bioassays were performed in anaerobic serum bottles or 96-well plates with constant shaking, using a minimal ATCC medium with 10 mM acetate as electron donor/carbon source and 200 ppm perchlorate as an electron acceptor. Fluorescence measurements with excitation at 570 nm and emission at 590 nm were taken in 20 min intervals. Changes in perchlorate concentration were confirmed using IC. Based on the experimental data, a simple model showing the correlation between perchlorate concentration in microbial culture and resazurin fluorescence level was proposed. Other dyes including redox indicators, reactive azo dyes and electron shuttle chemicals were also tested for comparison and were found less useful.

Proteomic detection of proteins involved in perchlorate and chlorate metabolism.

Mass spectrometry and a time-course cell lysis method were used to study proteins involved in perchlorate and chlorate metabolism in pure bacterial cultures and environmental samples. The bacterial cultures used included Dechlorosoma sp. KJ, Dechloromonas hortensis, Pseudomonas chloritidismutans ASK-1, and Pseudomonas stutzeri. The environmental samples included an anaerobic sludge enrichment culture from a sewage treatment plant, a sample of a biomass-covered activated carbon matrix from a bioreactor used for treating perchlorate-contaminated drinking water, and a waste water effluent sample from a paper mill. The approach focused on detection of perchlorate (and chlorate) reductase and chlorite dismutase proteins, which are the two central enzymes in the perchlorate (or chlorate) reduction pathways. In addition, acetate-metabolizing enzymes in pure bacterial samples and housekeeping proteins from perchlorate (or chlorate)-reducing microorganisms in environmental samples were also identified.

Pyridine-2,6-bis(thiocarboxylic acid) produced by Pseudomonas stutzeri KC reduces chromium(VI) and precipitates mercury, cadmium, lead and arsenic.

Interactions of the Pseudomonas stutzeri KC siderophore pyridine-2,6-bis(thiocarboxylic acid) (pdtc) with chromium(VI), mercury(II), cadmium(II), lead(II), and arsenic(III) are described. Pdtc was found to reduce Cr(VI) to Cr(III) in both bacterial cultures and in abiotic reactions with chemically synthesized pdtc. Cr(III) subsequently formed complexes with pdtc and pdtc hydrolysis products, and their presence was confirmed using electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Cr(III):pdtc complexes were found to slowly release Cr(III) as chromium sulfide and possibly Cr(III) oxides. Pdtc also formed poorly soluble complexes with Hg, Cd, Pb, and As(III). Hydrolysis of those complexes led to the formation of their respective metal sulfides as confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) elemental analysis. The pdtc-producing strain P. stutzeri KC showed higher tolerance to most of these metals as compared to a pdtc-negative mutant. A novel role of pdtc is postulated as its involvement in providing an extracellular pool of thiols that are used for redox processes in detoxification of the bacterial extracellular environment. These redox processes can be mediated by transition metal:pdtc complexes.

Expression proteomics to p53 mutation reactivation with PRIMA-1 in breast cancer cells.

PRIMA-1 has emerged as a small molecule that restores the wild type function to mutant p53. To identify molecular targets that are involved in PRIMA-1-induced apoptosis, we used a proteomics approach with two-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for protein identification. By comparing the proteome of the PRIMA-1-treated MDA-231 breast carcinoma cells with that of MCF-7 cells, we have identified seven proteins that upregulated only in MDA-231 cells as a result of PRIMA-1-induced apoptosis. The identified proteins are involved in anaerobic glycolysis and in mitochondrial intrinsic apoptosis. Treatment of MDA-231 cells with PRIMA-1 resulted in the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c as well as the activation of caspase-3, which are essential for the execution of apoptosis. We present evidence to suggest that PRIMA-1-induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells with mutated p53 function involved the expression of proteins required for the activation of mitochondrial intrinsic pathway that is glycolysis-relevant.

Pyridine-2,6-bis(thiocarboxylic acid) produced by Pseudomonas stutzeri KC reduces and precipitates selenium and tellurium oxyanions.

The siderophore of Pseudomonas stutzeri KC, pyridine-2,6-bis(thiocarboxylic acid) (pdtc), is shown to detoxify selenium and tellurium oxyanions in bacterial cultures. A mechanism for pdtc's detoxification of tellurite and selenite is proposed. The mechanism is based upon determination using mass spectrometry and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry of the chemical structures of compounds formed during initial reactions of tellurite and selenite with pdtc. Selenite and tellurite are reduced by pdtc or its hydrolysis product H(2)S, forming zero-valent pdtc selenides and pdtc tellurides that precipitate from solution. These insoluble compounds then hydrolyze, releasing nanometer-sized particles of elemental selenium or tellurium. Electron microscopy studies showed both extracellular precipitation and internal deposition of these metalloids by bacterial cells. The precipitates formed with synthetic pdtc were similar to those formed in pdtc-producing cultures of P. stutzeri KC. Culture filtrates of P. stutzeri KC containing pdtc were also active in removing selenite and precipitating elemental selenium and tellurium. The pdtc-producing wild-type strain KC conferred higher tolerance against selenite and tellurite toxicity than a pdtc-negative mutant strain, CTN1. These observations support the hypothesis that pdtc not only functions as a siderophore but also is involved in an initial line of defense against toxicity from various metals and metalloids.

Identification of siderophores of Pseudomonas stutzeri.

We have identified two types of siderophores produced by Pseudomonas, one of which has never before been found in the genus. Twelve strains of Pseudomonas stutzeri belonging to genomovars 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 9 produced proferrioxamines, the hydroxamate-type siderophores. Pseudomonas stutzeri JM 300 (genomovar 7) and DSM 50238 (genomovar 8) and Pseudomonas balearica DSM 6082 produced amonabactins, catecholate-type siderophores. The major proferrioxamines detected were the cyclic proferrioxamines E and D2. Pseudomonas stutzeri KC also produced cyclic (X1 and X2) and linear (G1 and G2a-c) proferrioxamines. Our data indicate that the catecholate-type siderophores belong to amonabactins P 750, P 693, T 789, and T 732. A mutant of P. stutzeri KC (strain CTN1) that no longer produced the secondary siderophore pyridine-2,6-dithiocarboxylic acid continued to produce all other siderophores in its normal spectrum. Siderophore profiles suggest that strain KC (genomovar 9) belongs to the proferrioxamine-producing P. stuzeri. Moreover, a putative ferrioxamine outer membrane receptor gene foxA was identified in strain KC, and colony hybridization showed the presence of homologous receptor genes in all P. stutzeri and P. balearica strains tested.

The determination of the stability constant for the iron(II) complex of the biochelator pyridine-2,6-bis(monothiocarboxylic acid).

Pyridine-2,6-bis(monothiocarboxylic acid), also known as pyridine-2,6-dithiocarboxylic acid (pdtc), is a unique and powerful metal chelator produced by Pseudomonas stutzeri and Pseudomonas putida. The actual physiological roles of pdtc in these pseudomonads are not known with certainty, though it is likely that the compound acts as a siderophore, an antibiotic, or both. The stability constant of Fe(III)(pdtc)2(2-) was determined in previous work to be 10(33.36). Here we determined that the stability constant of FeII(pdtc)2(2-) is 10(12). We determined this stability constant through potentiometric and spectrophotometric measurements of a ligand-ligand competition study using 2,6-pyridine dicarboxylic acid as the competitor for iron. Comparing the stability constant for Fe(II)(pdtc)2(2-) to the constant for Fe(III)(pdtc)2(2-) shows that the stability constant of Fe(II)(pdtc)2(2-) is approximately 21 orders of magnitude smaller. This represents a very significant decrease in the binding strength of pdtc toward iron. Thus, if the host cell produces pdtc as a siderophore for sequestering Fe(III), it is likely that a second metabolite or a membrane protein of the host cell is used for reduction of the chelated iron at or near the cell membrane in order to facilitate its release from pdtc for cellular use.