Separate structural and functional domains of Tn4430 transposase contribute to target immunity.

Like other transposons of the Tn3 family, Tn4430 exhibits target immunity, a process that prevents multiple insertions of the transposon into the same DNA molecule. Immunity is conferred by the terminal inverted repeats of the transposon and is specific to each element of the family, indicating that the transposase TnpA is directly involved in the process.However, the molecular mechanism whereby this protein promotes efficient transposition into permissive targets while preventing transposition into immune targets remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that both functions of TnpA can be uncoupled from each other by isolating and characterizing mutants that are proficient in transposition (T+) but impaired in immunity (I-). The identified T+/I- mutations are clustered into separate structural and functional domains of TnpA, indicating that different activities of the protein contribute to immunity.Combination of separate mutations had synergistic effects on target immunity but contrasting effects on transposition. One class of mutations was found to stimulate transposition, whereas other mutations appeared to reduce TnpA activity. The data are discussed with respect to alternative models in which TnpA acts as a specific determinant to both establish and respond to immunity.

Control of acute, chronic, and constitutive hyperammonemia by wild-type and genetically engineered Lactobacillus plantarum in rodents.

UNLABELLED: Hyperammonemia is a common complication of acute and chronic liver diseases. Often accompanied with side effects, therapeutic interventions such as antibiotics or lactulose are generally targeted to decrease the intestinal production and absorption of ammonia. In this study, we aimed to modulate hyperammonemia in three rodent models by administration of wild-type Lactobacillus plantarum, a genetically engineered ammonia hyperconsuming strain, and a strain deficient for the ammonia transporter. Wild-type and metabolically engineered L. plantarum strains were administered in ornithine transcarbamoylase-deficient Sparse-fur mice, a model of constitutive hyperammonemia, in a carbon tetrachloride rat model of chronic liver insufficiency and in a thioacetamide-induced acute liver failure mice model. Constitutive hyperammonemia in Sparse-fur mice and hyperammonemia in a rat model of chronic hepatic insufficiency were efficiently decreased by Lactobacillus administration. In a murine thioacetamide-induced model of acute liver failure, administration of probiotics significantly increased survival and decreased blood and fecal ammonia. The ammonia hyperconsuming strain exhibited a beneficial effect at a lower dose than its wild-type counterpart. Improved survival in the acute liver failure mice model was associated with lower blood ammonia levels but also with a decrease of astrocyte swelling in the brain cortex. Modulation of ammonia was abolished after administration of the strain deficient in the ammonium transporter. Intestinal pH was clearly lowered for all strains and no changes in gut flora were observed. CONCLUSION: Hyperammonemia in constitutive model or after acute or chronic induced liver failure can be controlled by the administration of L. plantarum with a significant effect on survival. The mechanism involved in this ammonia decrease implicates direct ammonia consumption in the gut.

Complete sequence and comparative genome analysis of the dairy bacterium Streptococcus thermophilus.

The lactic acid bacterium Streptococcus thermophilus is widely used for the manufacture of yogurt and cheese. This dairy species of major economic importance is phylogenetically close to pathogenic streptococci, raising the possibility that it has a potential for virulence. Here we report the genome sequences of two yogurt strains of S. thermophilus. We found a striking level of gene decay (10% pseudogenes) in both microorganisms. Many genes involved in carbon utilization are nonfunctional, in line with the paucity of carbon sources in milk. Notably, most streptococcal virulence-related genes that are not involved in basic cellular processes are either inactivated or absent in the dairy streptococcus. Adaptation to the constant milk environment appears to have resulted in the stabilization of the genome structure. We conclude that S. thermophilus has evolved mainly through loss-of-function events that remarkably mirror the environment of the dairy niche resulting in a severely diminished pathogenic potential.

New insights in the molecular biology and physiology of Streptococcus thermophilus revealed by comparative genomics.

Streptococcus thermophilus is a major dairy starter used for the manufacture of yoghurt and cheese. The access to three genome sequences, comparative genomics and multilocus sequencing analyses suggests that this species recently emerged and is still undergoing a process of regressive evolution towards a specialised bacterium for growth in milk. Notably, S. thermophilus has maintained a well-developed nitrogen metabolism whereas its sugar catabolism has been subjected to a high level of degeneracy due to a paucity of carbon sources in milk. Furthermore, while pathogenic streptococci are recognised for a high capacity to expose proteins at their cell surface in order to achieve cell adhesion or to escape the host immune system, S. thermophilus has nearly lost this unique feature as well as many virulence-related functions. Although gene decay is obvious in S. thermophilus genome evolution, numerous small genomic islands, which were probably acquired by horizontal gene transfer, comprise important industrial phenotypic traits such as polysaccharide biosynthesis, bacteriocin production, restriction-modification systems or oxygen tolerance.

Involvement of pyruvate oxidase activity and acetate production in the survival of Lactobacillus plantarum during the stationary phase of aerobic growth.

In addition to the previously characterized pyruvate oxidase PoxB, the Lactobacillus plantarum genome encodes four predicted pyruvate oxidases (PoxC, PoxD, PoxE, and PoxF). Each pyruvate oxidase gene was individually inactivated, and only the knockout of poxF resulted in a decrease in pyruvate oxidase activity under the tested conditions. We show here that L. plantarum has two major pyruvate oxidases: PoxB and PoxF. Both are involved in lactate-to-acetate conversion in the early stationary phase of aerobic growth and are regulated by carbon catabolite repression. A strain devoid of pyruvate oxidase activity was constructed by knocking out the poxB and poxF genes. In this mutant, acetate production was strongly affected, with lactate remaining the major end product of either glucose or maltose fermentation. Notably, survival during the stationary phase appeared to be dramatically improved in the poxB poxF double mutant.