Aquabacter cavernae sp. nov., a bacterium isolated from cave soil.

A Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, non-motile, aerobic, catalase-negative and oxidase-positive bacterium, designated strain Sn-9-2T, was isolated from a cave soil sample collected from Tiandong cave, Guizhou Province, south-west PR China. Growth occurred at 15-40 °C (optimum, 30 °C), at pH 5.0-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0-8.0) and with 0-1 % NaCl (w/v). The predominant respiration quinone was ubiquinone-10 (Q-10). The major cellular fatty acids were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c or C18 : 1ω6c; 83.9 %) and C16 : 0 (5.8 %). The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, three unidentified phospholipids, two unidentified glycolipids, two unidentified polar lipids and one unidentified aminolipid. The DNA G+C content of strain Sn-9-2T was 67.5 mol%. Based on the results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the nearest phylogenetic neighbours of strain Sn-9-2T (MF958452) were identified as Aquabacter spiritensis (FR733686) DSM 9035T (97.5 %), Xanthobacter autorophicus (jgi.1053054) DSM 432T (97.2 %) and Xanthobacter tagetidis ATCC 700314T RCTF01000015 (96.9 %). The average nucleotide identity values were 78.0, 77.4 and 77.6 % and the digital DNA-DNA hybridization values were 21.8, 22.0 and 18.8 % between strain Sn-9-2T and A. spiritensis DSM 9035T, X. autotrophicus DSM 432T and X. tagetidis DSM 11105T, respectively. The DNA-DNA hybridization data indicated that strain Sn-9-2T represented a novel genomic species. On the basis of the results of phylogenetic analysis, chemotaxonomic data, physiological characteristics and DNA-DNA hybridization data, strain Sn-9-2T should represent a novel species of the genus Aquabacter, for which the name Aquabactercavernae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Sn-9-2T (=KCTC 62308T=CCTCC AB 2018270T).

Interaction between HIV-1 Tat and DNA-PKcs modulates HIV transcription and class switch recombination.

HIV-1 tat targets a variety of host cell proteins to facilitate viral transcription and disrupts host cellular immunity by inducing lymphocyte apoptosis, but whether it influences humoral immunity remains unclear. Previously, our group demonstrated that tat depresses expression of DNA-PKcs, a critical component of the non-homologous end joining pathway (NHEJ) of DNA double-strand breaks repair, immunoglobulin class switch recombination (CSR) and V(D)J recombination, and sensitizes cells to ionizing radiation. In this study, we demonstrated that HIV-1 Tat down-regulates DNA-PKcs expression by directly binding to the core promoter sequence. In addition, Tat interacts with and activates the kinase activity of DNA-PKcs in a dose-dependent and DNA independent manner. Furthermore, Tat inhibits class switch recombination (CSR) at low concentrations (≤ 4 µg/ml) and stimulates CSR at high concentrations (≥ 8 µg/ml). On the other hand, low protein level and high kinase activity of DNA-PKcs promotes HIV-1 transcription, while high protein level and low kinase activity inhibit HIV-1 transcription. Co-immunoprecipitation results revealed that DNA-PKcs forms a large complex comprised of Cyclin T1, CDK9 and Tat via direct interacting with CDK9 and Tat but not Cyclin T1. Taken together, our results provide new clues that Tat regulates host humoral immunity via both transcriptional depression and kinase activation of DNA-PKcs. We also raise the possibility that inhibitors and interventions directed towards DNA-PKcs may inhibit HIV-1 transcription in AIDS patients.

[Phylogenic diversity of soil chemotatic bacteria in a phosphorous-rich area around Dianchi Lake of Yunnan Province, Southwest China].

Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) were isolated from 100 soil samples collected from a phosphorous-rich area around the Dianchi Lake of Yunnan Province, Southwest China. The chemotatic PSB strains were screened by cheA gene detection, and their chemotaxis was verified by the method of soft agar plate. The tricalcium phosphate (TCP)-solubilizing activities of PSB were determined with molybdenum blue spectrophotometry. Based on 16S rRNA sequences, the phylogenic relationships of the PSB were analyzed. A total of 145 PSB strains with a diameter of phosphate-solubilizing halo zone ranged from 0.5 cm to 2 cm were isolated, among which, 37 strains were chemotactic. The 37 chemotactic strains showed chemotaxis towards four test attractants, and exhibited TCP-solubilizing activity. Phylogenic analysis revealed that the 37 chemotatic strains were belonged to 17 species of 10 genera, in which, Pseudomonas was dominant (9 strains of 5 species), followed by Enterobacter (8 strains of 3 species). Only one species (Bacillus aryabhattai) was isolated from Bacillus, but 9 strains were identified.