Contribution of the von Willebrand factor/ADAMTS13 imbalance to COVID-19 coagulopathy.

The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Although this infection has been shown to affect the respiratory system, a high incidence of thrombotic events has been observed in severe cases of COVID-19 and in a significant portion of COVID-19 nonsurvivors. Although prior literature has reported on both the coagulopathy and hypercoagulability of COVID-19, the specifics of coagulation have not been fully investigated. Observations of microthrombosis in patients with COVID-19 have brought attention to potential inflammatory endothelial injury. Von Willebrand factor (VWF) and its protease, A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13 (ADAMTS13), play an important homeostatic role in responding to endothelial injury. This report provides an overview of the literature investigating the role the VWF/ADAMTS13 axis may have in COVID-19 thrombotic events and suggests potential therapeutic strategies to prevent the progression of coagulopathy in patients with COVID-19.

Isolation and characterization of a novel Sphingobium yanoikuyae strain variant that uses biohazardous saturated hydrocarbons and aromatic compounds as sole carbon sources.

Background: Green micro-alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (a Chlorophyte), can be cultured in the laboratory heterotrophically or photo-heterotrophically in Tris- Phosphate- Acetate (TAP) medium, which contains acetate as the carbon source. Chlamydomonas can convert acetate in the TAP medium to glucose via the glyoxylate cycle, a pathway present in many microbes and higher plants. A novel bacterial strain, CC4533, was isolated from a contaminated TAP agar medium culture plate of a Chlamydomonas wild type strain. In this article, we present our research on the isolation, and biochemical and molecular characterizations of CC4533. Methods: We conducted several microbiological tests and spectrophotometric analyses to biochemically characterize CC4533. The 16S rRNA gene of CC4533 was partially sequenced for taxonomic identification. We monitored the growth of CC4533 on Tris-Phosphate (TP) agar medium (lacks a carbon source) containing different sugars, aromatic compounds and saturated hydrocarbons, to see if CC4533 can use these chemicals as the sole source of carbon. Results: CC4533 is a Gram-negative, non-enteric yellow pigmented, aerobic, mesophilic bacillus. It is alpha-hemolytic and oxidase-positive. CC4533 can ferment glucose, sucrose and lactose, is starch hydrolysis-negative, resistant to penicillin, polymyxin B and chloramphenicol. CC4533 is sensitive to neomycin. Preliminary spectrophotometric analyses indicate that CC4533 produces b-carotenes. NCBI-BLAST analyses of the partial 16S rRNA gene sequence of CC4533 show 99.55% DNA sequence identity to that of Sphingobium yanoikuyae strain PR86 and S. yanoikuyae strain NRB095. CC4533 can use cyclo-chloroalkanes, saturated hydrocarbons present in car motor oil, polyhydroxyalkanoate, and mono- and poly-cyclic aromatic compounds, as sole carbon sources for growth. Conclusions: Taxonomically, CC4533 is very closely related to the alpha-proteobacterium S. yanoikuyae, whose genome has been sequenced. Future research is needed to probe the potential of CC4533 for environmental bioremediation. Whole genome sequencing of CC4533 will confirm if it is a novel strain of S. yanoikuyae or a new Sphingobium species.

Isolation and characterization of a novel bacterial strain from a Tris-Acetate-Phosphate agar medium plate of the green micro-alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that can utilize common environmental pollutants as a carbon source.

Background:Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a green micro-alga can be grown at the lab heterotrophically or photo-heterotrophically in Tris-Phosphate-Acetate (TAP) medium which contains acetate as the sole carbon source. When grown in TAP medium, Chlamydomonas can utilize the exogenous acetate in the medium for gluconeogenesis using the glyoxylate cycle, which is also present in many bacteria and higher plants. A novel bacterial strain, LMJ, was isolated from a contaminated TAP medium plate of Chlamydomonas. We present our work on the isolation and physiological and biochemical characterizations of LMJ. Methods: Several microbiological tests were conducted to characterize LMJ, including its sensitivity to four antibiotics. We amplified and sequenced partially the 16S rRNA gene of LMJ. We tested if LMJ can utilize cyclic alkanes, aromatic hydrocarbons, poly-hydroxyalkanoates, and fresh and combusted car motor oil as the sole carbon source on Tris-Phosphate (TP) agar medium plates for growth. Results: LMJ is a gram-negative rod, oxidase-positive, mesophilic, non-enteric, pigmented, salt-sensitive bacterium. LMJ can ferment glucose, is starch hydrolysis-negative, and is very sensitive to penicillin and chloramphenicol. Preliminary spectrophotometric analyses indicate LMJ produces pyomelanin. NCBI-BLAST analyses of the partial 16S rRNA gene sequence of LMJ showed that it matched to that of an uncultured bacterium clone LIB091_C05_1243. The nearest genus relative of LMJ is an Acidovorax sp. strain. LMJ was able to use alkane hydrocarbons, fresh and combusted car motor oil, poly-hydroxybutyrate, phenanthrene, naphthalene, benzoic acid and phenyl acetate as the sole carbon source for growth on TP-agar medium plates. Conclusions: LMJ has 99.14% sequence identity with the Acidovorax sp. strain A16OP12 whose genome has not been sequenced yet. LMJ's ability to use chemicals that are common environmental pollutants makes it a promising candidate for further investigation for its use in bioremediation and, provides us with an incentive to sequence its genome.

Genome Sequences of Six Cluster N Mycobacteriophages, Kevin1, Nenae, Parmesanjohn, ShrimpFriedEgg, Smurph, and SpongeBob, Isolated on Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155.

The annotation of six cluster N Mycobacterium smegmatis phages (Kevin1, Nenae, Parmesanjohn, ShrimpFriedEgg, Smurph, and SpongeBob) reveals regions of genomic diversity, particularly within the central region of the genome. The genome of Kevin1 includes two orphams (genes with no similarity to other phage genes), with one predicted to encode an AAA-ATPase.