ABSTRACT
In 2006, monophasic, multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica spp. enterica serovar 4,[5],12:i:- strains appeared as a novel serotype in Germany, associated with large diffuse outbreaks and increased need for hospitalisation. The emerging 4,[5],12:i:- strains isolated from patients in Germany belong mainly to phage type DT193 according to the Anderson phage typing scheme for S. Typhimurium (STM) and exhibit at least a tetra-drug resistance. The strains have been shown to harbour STM-specific Gifsy-1, Gifsy-2, and ST64B prophages. Furthermore, the extensive sequence similarity of the tRNA regions between one characterised 4,[5],12:i:- phage type DT193 and the S. Typhimurium LT2 strain as well as the STM-specific position of an IS200 element within the fliA-fliB intergenic region (Echeita et al., 2001) prompted us to classify them as a monophasic variant of S. Typhimurium. In 2008, the monophasic variant represented 42.2% of all S. Typhimurium isolates from human analysed at the National Reference Centre. Searching for insertions in tRNA sites resulted in the detection of an 18.4-kb fragment adjacent to the thrW tRNA locus, exhibiting a lower G+C content compared to the LT2 genome. Sequence analysis identified 17 potential ORFs. Some of them showed high similarity to enterobacterial phage sequences and sequences from Shigella boydii, Sh. dysenteriae, avian pathogenic Escherichia coli and other Escherichia spp. The biological function of this novel island with respect to virulence properties and metabolic functions is under investigation.
Subject(s)
Disease Outbreaks , Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial , Genomic Islands , RNA, Transfer/genetics , Salmonella Infections/epidemiology , Salmonella typhimurium/drug effects , Salmonella typhimurium/genetics , Bacteriophage Typing , Base Composition , DNA Transposable Elements , DNA, Bacterial/chemistry , DNA, Bacterial/genetics , Escherichia coli/genetics , Germany/epidemiology , Humans , Molecular Sequence Data , Prophages/isolation & purification , Salmonella Infections/microbiology , Salmonella Phages/isolation & purification , Salmonella typhimurium/classification , Salmonella typhimurium/isolation & purification , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Sequence Homology , Serotyping , Shigella boydii/genetics , Shigella dysenteriae/geneticsABSTRACT
While critical steps in the regulation of leukemia cell development have been intensively studied in recent years, less is known about the interactions of leukemic cells with their stroma. Previously, we have shown that human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells differentiate upon injection into murine blastocysts. We here describe that human AML Kasumi-1 cells, cocultured with murine aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) region-derived DAS104-4 stromal cells, decrease proliferation and colony formation efficiency; and up-regulate myelo-monocytic cell surface markers. Gene expression analysis showed decreased transcription of the AML1-ETO fusion gene and increased transcription of p16 (INK4A), p21 (WAF1) and C/EBPalpha genes. Coculture can induce myeloid differentiation also in patient-derived AML cells. Our findings strengthen the notion that the embryonic milieu can regulate the proliferation and differentiation of leukemic cells.
