Screening of marine resistant strain based on PKS and NRPS genes and the activity of its metabolites / 生物工程学报

Based on polyketide syntheses gene (PKS) and non-ribosomal peptide synthetases gene (NRPS), one strain with high anti-pathogenic activity was screened from 77 strains isolated from Arctic marine sediments and identified. By optimizing the composition of culture medium and fermentation conditions, the production of this strain's active metabolites was improved and the main metabolites were identified by HRMS, 1H NMR and 13C NMR. The antibacterial spectrum of the main metabolites and the effect of the metabolites on cucumber Fusarium wilt were also determined. The results showed that the strain was Bacillus velezensis and it showed growth promoting effect on plants. When the strain was cultured in 5 g/L maltose, 10 g/L tryptone, 10 g/L sodium chloride, at 30 ℃, 150 r/min for 60 h, the diameter of the inhibition zone increased from (16.23±0.42) to (24.42±0.57) mm. The metabolites of this strain mainly contain macrolide compound macrolactin A, which has antagonistic effect on a variety of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Cucumber seedling experiments showed that the metabolites of this strain had a protective effect on cucumber Fusarium wilt, and showed a good potential for development and application as a biocontrol agent.

Advances in engineering non-ribosomal peptide synthetase / 生物工程学报

Non-ribosomal peptide synthetases catalyze the biosynthesis of structurally and functionally diverse non-ribosomal peptide natural products, which have broad applications in pharmaceutical, agricultural, and industrial sectors. Engineered non-ribosomal peptide synthetases can be used to produce novel non-ribosomal peptides through combinatorial biosynthesis. This conforms to the concept of green chemistry, thus attracts increasing attention across the world. Herein, three different engineering strategies were summarized, and recent advances in this field were reviewed.

Antibacterial activity of phytopathogenic Streptomyces strains against bacteria associated to clinical diseases / Atividade antimicrobiana de Streptomyces fitopatogênicas contra bactérias associadas a doenças de importância clínica

The genus Streptomyces is associated with the ability to produce and excrete a variety of bioactive compounds, such as antibiotic, antifungal and antiviral. Biological active polyketide and peptide compounds with applications in medicine, agriculture and biochemical research are synthesized by PKS-I and NRPS genes. The evaluation of the presence of these genes associated with the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites in different phytopathogenic Streptomyces strains were performed using degenerated primers. The positive signal was observed in 58/63 Streptomyces strains for NRPS gene, 43/63 for PKS-I, and for PKS-II all the 63 strains showed positive signal of amplification. These strains also were tested with double layer agar-well technique against bacterial with clinical importance, and it was possible to observe the Streptomyces spp. strains were able to inhibit the growth of 14, 20, 13 and 3 isolates Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Bacillus cereus (ATCC 14579), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 11775) respectively. The Streptomyces sp. strains IBSBF 2019 and IBSBF 2397 showed antibacterial activity against all four bacteria-target tested.(AU)

O gênero Streptomyces apresenta alta capacidade de produzir e excretar uma grande variedade de compostos biologicamente ativos, como antibióticos, antifúngicos e antivirais. Compostos biologicamente ativos de policetídeos e peptídeos com aplicações na medicina, agricultura e pesquisas bioquímicas são sintetizados pelos genes PKS-I e NRPS. A avaliação da presença desses genes associados à biossíntese de metabólitos secundários em diferentes linhagens de Streptomyces fitopatogênicas foi realizada através do uso de primers degenerados. O sinal positivo foi observado em 58/63 linhagens de Streptomyces para o gene NRPS, 43/63 para o gene PKS-I e, para o gene PKS-II, todas as 63 linhagens apesentaram o sinal positivo de amplificação. Essas linhagens também foram testadas através da técnica de dupla camada contra bactérias de importância clínica e foi possível observar que as linhagens de Streptomyces spp. foram capazes de inibir o crescimento de 14, 20, 13 e 3 isolados de bactérias Gram-positivas e Gram-negativas, Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Bacillus cereus (ATCC 14579), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) e Escherichia coli (ATCC 11775), respectivamente. As linhagens de Streptomyces sp. ISBSF 2019 e 2397 apresentaram atividade antibacteriana contra todas as bactérias-alvo testadas.(AU)

Knockdown of PAICS inhibits malignant proliferation of human breast cancer cell lines

BACKGROUND: Phosphoribosylaminoimidazole carboxylase, phosphoribosylaminoimidazole succinocarboxamide synthetase (PAICS), an enzyme required for de novo purine biosynthesis, is associated with and involved in tumorigenesis. This study aimed to evaluate the role of PAICS in human breast cancer, which remains the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death among women in less developed countries. RESULTS: Lentivirus-based short hairpin RNA targeting PAICS specifically depleted its endogenous expression in ZR-75-30 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Depletion of PAICS led to a significant decrease in cell viability and proliferation. To ascertain the mechanisms through which PAICS modulates cell proliferation, flow cytometry was performed, and it was confirmed that G1-S transition was blocked in ZR-75-30 cells through PAICS knockdown. This might have occurred partly through the suppression of Cyclin E and the upregulation of Cyclin D1, P21, and CDK4. Moreover, PAICS knockdown obviously promoted cell apoptosis in ZR-75-30 cells through the activation of PARP and caspase 3 and downregulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl expression in ZR-75-30 cells. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that PAICS plays an essential role in breast cancer proliferation in vitro, which provides a new opportunity for discovering and identifying novel effective treatment strategies.

Detection of Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci using Multiplex Real-time PCR Assay and Melting Curve Analysis / 대한진단검사의학회지

BACKGROUND: We developed and evaluated the utility of a multiplex real-time PCR assay that uses melting curve analysis and allows simultaneous identification of vancomycin-resistant genotypes and clinically relevant enterococci. METHODS: The specificity of the assay was tested using 4 reference strains of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and 2 reference strains of vancomycin-susceptible enterococci. Ninety-three clinical isolates of enterococci with different glycopeptide-resistant phenotypes were genotyped and identified using a multiplex real-time PCR assay and melting curve analysis. RESULTS: Representative melting curves were obtained for Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus faecalis, vanA-containing E. faecium, vanB-containing E. faecalis, Enterococcus gallinarum, and Enterococcus casseliflavus. Phenotypic and genotypic analysis of the isolates revealed same results for 82 enterococcal isolates, while in 4 isolates, the glycopeptide-resistant phenotypes were inconsistent with the glycopeptide-resistant genotypes and in the 4 other isolates, species could not be accurately identified. Three isolates with mixed strains, which were detected by the PCR assay, could not be correctly identified using phenotypic methods. CONCLUSIONS: VRE genotyping and identification of clinically relevant enterococci were rapidly and correctly performed using multiplex real-time PCR assay and melting curve analysis.