A bacterial gene homologous to ABC transporters protect Oenococcus oeni from ethanol and other stress factors in wine.

The wine lactic acid bacteria Oenococcus oeni has to cope with harsh environmental conditions including an acidic pH, a high alcoholic content, non-optimal growth temperatures, and growth inhibitory compounds such as fatty acids, phenolic acids and tannins. We here describe characterisation and cloning of the O. oeni omrA gene encoding a protein belonging to the ATP-binding cassette superfamily of transporters. The OmrA protein displays the highest sequence similarity with the subfamily of ATP-dependent multidrug resistance (MDR) proteins, most notably the bacterial Lactococcus lactis LmrA homologue of the human MDR1 P-glycoprotein. The omrA gene proved to be a stress-responsive gene since its expression was increased at high temperature or under osmotic shock. The OmrA protein function was tested in Escherichia coli, and consistent with the omrA gene expression pattern, OmrA conferred protection to bacteria grown on a high salt medium. OmrA also triggered bacterial resistance to sodium laurate, wine and ethanol toxicity. The homologous LmrA protein featured the same stress-protective pattern than OmrA when expressed in E. coli, and the contribution to resistance of both OmrA and LmrA transporters was decreased by verapamil, a well-known inhibitor of the human MDR1 protein. Genes homologous to omrA were detected in other wine lactic acid bacteria, suggesting that this type of genes might constitute a well-conserved stress-protective molecular device.

[Total hip arthroplasty using the Hardinge approach. Clinical results in 63 cases]. / Arthroplastie totale de hanche par voie de Hardinge. Résultat clinique de 63 cas.

The recently described Hardinge approach is currently widely used for implanting total hip prostheses. It is characterized by a dissociation of the fibers of the mid-gluteal, of which the anterior fibers remain continuous with the vastus lateralis. To assess the functional impact, a series of 63 prostheses implanted with the Hardinge approach was compared with an identical series performed with the posterior approach. Results show a lower frequency of dislocation with the Hardinge approach, but also a 33 p. cent residual functional deficiency of the mid-gluteal at one year, compared with 17 p. cent with the posterior approach. A modification of the technique is proposed to limit this phenomenon.