The accumulation of polyols by the yeast Debaryomyces hansenii in response to water stress

1985 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 1061-1064 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Fernanda Nobre ◽  
Milton S. da Costa

Growth of the yeast Debaryomyces hansenii in 1% (w/v) glucose medium containing NaCl or KCl resulted in the accumulation of glycerol during the exponential phase of growth and arabinitol during the stationary phase. Similar results were obtained during growth of the yeast in 12.5% (w/v) glucose, 25% glucose, 25% fructose, and 1% glucose plus 25% polyethylene glycol M.W.200 (PEG 200). The results indicate that the intracellular glycerol concentration increases concomitantly with the solute concentration of the growth medium, while the accumulation of arabinitol is less pronounced. Growth of the yeast in media containing meso-erythritol or D-mannitol as carbon sources without or with 1 M NaCl resulted in the pronounced inhibition of arabinitol accumulation because of the intracellular accumulation of the exogenous polyols. Mannitol accumulated primarily during the stationary phase, while erythritol accumulation occurred primarily during the exponential phase. The erythritol concentration attained very high levels during growth in media containing 1 M NaCl and effectively inhibited the accumulation of glycerol.

1985 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 467-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Fernanda Nobre ◽  
Milton S. da Costa

Culture conditions which lead to the intracellular accumulation of arabinitol were investigated in Debaryomyces hansenii. Arabinitol, detected in very low concentrations during the exponential phase of growth, accumulated during the stationary phase of growth in yeast extract – peptone – 1% (w/v) glucose medium. This polyol was retained intracellularly even after depletion of exogenous glucose, but was rapidly depleted during regrowth in fresh glucose medium. The accumulation of arabinitol was also favoured in media containing 1% (w/v) D-fructose, sucrose, L-arabinose, glycerol, and sodium acetate. High mannitol levels accumulated in stationary phase cells derived from growth in 1% (w/v) D-mannitol, and in these cultures only traces of arabinitol were detectable. Intracellular mannitol was also retained after the extracellular mannitol had been consumed, and was rapidly depleted during regrowth in glucose medium. Arabinitol did not accumulate in basal medium with no added carbon source, nor in media with nonmetabolizable carbon sources (D-arabinose or D-ribose). On the other hand, arabinitol accumulation was independent of the initial glucose concentration between 1% (w/v) and about 9% (w/v).


Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 1367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bogaert ◽  
Perez ◽  
Rumin ◽  
Giltay ◽  
Carone ◽  
...  

Acetate can be efficiently metabolized by the green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The regular concentration is 17 mM, although higher concentrations are reported to increase starch and fatty acid content. To understand the responses to higher acetate concentrations, Chlamydomonas cells were cultivated in batch mode in the light at 17, 31, 44, and 57 mM acetate. Metabolic analyses show that cells grown at 57 mM acetate possess increased contents of all components analyzed (starch, chlorophylls, fatty acids, and proteins), with a three-fold increased volumetric biomass yield compared to cells cultivated at 17 mM acetate at the entry of stationary phase. Physiological analyses highlight the importance of photosynthesis for the low-acetate and exponential-phase samples. The stationary phase is reached when acetate is depleted, except for the cells grown at 57 mM acetate, which still divide until ammonium exhaustion. Surprisal analysis of the transcriptomics data supports the biological significance of our experiments. This allows the establishment of a model for acetate assimilation, its transcriptional regulation and the identification of candidates for genetic engineering of this metabolic pathway. Altogether, our analyses suggest that growing at high-acetate concentrations could increase biomass productivities in low-light and CO2-limiting air-bubbled medium for biotechnology.


1983 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 451-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Hambleton ◽  
M. G. Broster ◽  
P. J. Dennis ◽  
R. Henstridge ◽  
R. Fitzgeorge ◽  
...  

SUMMARYAqueous suspensions of virulentLegionellapneumophilagrown on solid medium retained virulence and aerosol survival characteristics for several months. Significant numbers of viable organisms were recovered from aerosols held at various relative humidities (r.h.) for up to 2 h. The organisms survived best at 65% r.h. and were least stable at 55% r.h.Exponential phase broth-grown organisms survived poorly in aerosols in comparison with stationary phase broth cultures or organisms grown on solid medium, suggesting that the metabolic status ofLegionella pneumophilaorganisms may be an important factor affecting their ability to survive in aerosols and cause respiratory disease.


1980 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 417-424
Author(s):  
Zvi Bar-Shavit ◽  
Rachel Goldman ◽  
Itzhak Ofek ◽  
Nathan Sharon ◽  
David Mirelman

Recently, it was suggested that a mannose-specific lectin on the bacterial cell surface is responsible for the recognition by phagocytic cells of certain nonopsonized Escherichia coli strains. In this study we assessed the interaction of two strains of E. coli at different phases of growth with a monolayer of mouse peritoneal macrophages and developed a direct method with [ 14 C]mannan to quantitate the bacterial mannose-binding activity. Normal-sized bacteria were obtained from logarithmic and stationary phases of growth. Nonseptated filamentous cells were formed by growing the organisms in the presence of cephalexin or at a restrictive temperature. Attachment to macrophages of all bacterial forms was inhibited by methyl α- d -mannoside and mannan but not by other sugars tested. The attachment of stationary phase and filamentous bacteria to macrophages, as well as their mannose-binding activity, was similar, whereas in the exponential-phase bacteria they were markedly reduced. The results show a linear relation between the two parameters ( R = 0.98, P < 0.001). The internalization of the filamentous cells attached to macrophages during 45 min of incubation was much less efficient (20%) compared to that of exponential-phase, stationary-phase, or antibody-coated filamentous bacteria (90%). The results indicate that the mannose-binding activity of E. coli determines the recognition of the organisms by phagocytes. They further suggest that administration of β-lactam antibiotics may impair elimination of certain pathogenic bacteria by inducing the formation of filaments which are inefficiently internalized by the host's phagocytic cells.


Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1194
Author(s):  
Jacob Heinz ◽  
Vita Rambags ◽  
Dirk Schulze-Makuch

The availability of liquid water is a prerequisite for all lifeforms on Earth. In hyperarid subzero environments like the Dry Valleys in Antarctica or the near-subsurface of Mars liquid water might be provided temporarily by hygroscopic substances that absorb water from the atmosphere and lower the freezing point of water. To evaluate the potential of hygroscopic compounds to serve as a habitat, it is necessary to explore the microbial tolerances towards these substances and their life-limiting properties. Here we present a study investigating the tolerances of the halotolerant yeast Debaryomyces hansenii to various solutes. Growth experiments were conducted via counting colony forming units (CFUs) after inoculation of a liquid growth medium containing a specific solute concentration. The lowest water activities (aw) enabling growth were determined to be ~0.83 in glycerol and fructose-rich media. For all other solutes the growth-enabling aw was higher, due to additional stress factors such as chaotropicity and ionic strength. Additionally, we found that the solute tolerances of D. hansenii correlate with both the eutectic freezing point depressions and the deliquescence relative humidities of the respective solutes. Our findings strongly impact our understanding of the habitability of solute-rich low aw environments on Earth and beyond.


1972 ◽  
Vol 129 (2) ◽  
pp. 291-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. A. Abraham ◽  
K. J. Andersen ◽  
A. Rognes

1. RNA polymerase activity of Escherichia coli extracts prepared from cells in exponential and stationary phases of growth, when measured in the presence and absence of external template, showed significant qualitative differences. 2. In both extracts, polymerase activity was higher when assayed with external template, suggesting the presence of a pool of enzyme not bound to cellular DNA. 3. In the crude extract, the fraction of enzyme bound to cellular DNA is higher during the exponential phase of growth. 4. A method is described for the purification of enzyme molecules not tightly bound to cellular DNA from exponential- and stationary-phase cultures. 5. Purified enzyme preparations showed differences in template requirement and subunit composition. 6. On phosphocellulose chromatography of stationary-phase enzyme, a major portion of polymerase activity eluted from the column with 0.25m-KCl. In the case of exponential-phase enzyme, polymerase activity eluted from a phosphocellulose column mainly with 0.35m-KCl. 7. Enzyme assays done with excess of bacteriophage T4 DNA showed a strong inhibition of stationary-phase enzyme by this template. The exponential-phase enzyme was only slightly inhibited by excess of bacteriophage T4 DNA.


mSystems ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideji Yoshida ◽  
Tomohiro Shimada ◽  
Akira Ishihama

ABSTRACTIn the process ofEscherichia coliK-12 growth from exponential phase to stationary, marked alteration takes place in the pattern of overall genome expression through modulation of both parts of the transcriptional and translational apparatus. In transcription, the sigma subunit with promoter recognition properties is replaced from the growth-related factor RpoD by the stationary-phase-specific factor RpoS. The unused RpoD is stored by binding with the anti-sigma factor Rsd. In translation, the functional 70S ribosome is converted to inactive 100S dimers through binding with the ribosome modulation factor (RMF). Up to the present time, the regulatory mechanisms of expression of these two critical proteins, Rsd and RMF, have remained totally unsolved. In this study, attempts were made to identify the whole set of transcription factors involved in transcription regulation of thersdandrmfgenes using the newly developed promoter-specific transcription factor (PS-TF) screening system. In the first screening, 74 candidate TFs with binding activity to both of thersdandrmfpromoters were selected from a total of 194 purified TFs. After 6 cycles of screening, we selected 5 stress response TFs, ArcA, McbR, RcdA, SdiA, and SlyA, for detailed analysisin vitroandin vivoof their regulatory roles. Results indicated that bothrsdandrmfpromoters are repressed by ArcA and activated by McbR, RcdA, SdiA, and SlyA. We propose the involvement of a number of TFs in simultaneous and coordinated regulation of the transcriptional and translational apparatus. By using genomic SELEX (gSELEX) screening, each of the five TFs was found to regulate not only thersdandrmfgenes but also a variety of genes for growth and survival.IMPORTANCEDuring the growth transition ofE. colifrom exponential phase to stationary, the genome expression pattern is altered markedly. For this alteration, the transcription apparatus is altered by binding of anti-sigma factor Rsd to the RpoD sigma factor for sigma factor replacement, while the translation machinery is modulated by binding of RMF to 70S ribosome to form inactive ribosome dimer. Using the PS-TF screening system, a number of TFs were found to bind to both thersdandrmfpromoters, of which the regulatory roles of 5 representative TFs (one repressor ArcA and the four activators McbR, RcdA, SdiA, and SlyA) were analyzed in detail. The results altogether indicated the involvement of a common set of TFs, each sensing a specific environmental condition, in coordinated hibernation of the transcriptional and translational apparatus for adaptation and survival under stress conditions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn Vitale ◽  
Tianhui Ma ◽  
Michael J Solomon ◽  
J. Scott VanEpps

Bacterial infection is known to increase the risk for thromboembolism. The mechanism underlying this correlation remains largely unknown. We recently showed that the common pathogen Staphylococcus epidermidis retards clot formation, increases clot elasticity and generates a heterogeneous clot structure that remodels over time. Here, we elucidate the mechanism of this process by evaluating the capacity for S. epidermidis to bind to fibrinogen as a function of its growth phase. We hypothesized that the effect of S. epidermidis on a fibrin clot is related to its propensity toward biofilm formation. Therefore, stationary phase (biofilm-like) S. epidermidis will have a more robust effect on clot kinetics and elasticity than exponential phase (planktonic). Furthermore, this difference is mediated by increased adhesion to fibrinogen. Rheometry was used to evaluate the formation and resultant elasticity of fibrin clots with exponential or stationary phase S. epidermidis . A functional in vitro model was developed to evaluate adhesion of S. epidermidis to a fibrinogen coated surface in a continuously flowing environment. Fluorescent labeled exponential and stationary phase S. epidermidis were visualized flowing through a parallel plate microfluidic chamber past immobilized fibrinogen. Images were obtained every 3 seconds for 30 min. Bacterial deposition rate and mean adhesion time were quantified by automated image analysis. A paired Student’s t-test was used for statistical analysis. Stationary phase S. epidermidis retards clot formation and increases resultant elasticity while exponential phase only slightly reduces elasticity. The bacterial deposition rate onto fibrinogen was significantly (p=0.03) greater for stationary phase (1741 ± 1513 cells/cm 2 · sec -1 ) vs exponential phase (676 ± 270 cells/cm 2 · sec -1 ). The average adhesion time however was similar for exponential and stationary phase cells. Coagulation proteins can provide a framework for bacterial adhesion, biofilm formation and infection. In turn infected thrombi with (biofilm-like) bacteria are stiffer which correlates to more frequent bacterial binding to fibrinogen. This provides a potential molecular mechanism for infection mediated thromboembolic events.


mSphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuan Chiang-Ni ◽  
He-Jing Chiou ◽  
Huei-Chuan Tseng ◽  
Chih-Yun Hsu ◽  
Cheng-Hsun Chiu

ABSTRACT The control of the virulence response regulator and sensor (CovR-CovS) two-component regulatory system in group A Streptococcus (GAS) strains regulates more than 15% of gene expression and has critical roles in invasive GAS infection. The membrane-embedded CovS has kinase and phosphatase activities, and both are required for modulating the phosphorylation level of CovR. Regulator of Cov (RocA) is a positive regulator of covR and also been shown to be a pseudokinase that interacts with CovS to enhance the phosphorylation level of CovR; however, how RocA modulates the activity of CovS has not been determined conclusively. Although the phosphorylation level of CovR was decreased in the rocA mutant in the exponential phase, the present study shows that phosphorylated CovR in the rocA mutant increased to levels similar to those in the wild-type strain in the stationary phase of growth. In addition, acidic stress, which is generally present in the stationary phase, enhanced the phosphorylation level of CovR in the rocA mutant. The phosphorylation levels of CovR in the CovS phosphatase-inactivated mutant and its rocA mutant were similar under acidic stress and Mg2+ (the signal that inhibits CovS phosphatase activity) treatments, suggesting that the phosphatase activity, but not the kinase activity, of CovS is required for RocA to modulate CovR phosphorylation. The phosphorylation level of CovR is crucial for GAS strains to regulate virulence factor expression; therefore, the growth phase- and pH-dependent RocA activity would contribute significantly to GAS pathogenesis. IMPORTANCE The emergence of invasive group A streptococcal infections has been reported worldwide. Clinical isolates that have spontaneous mutations or a truncated allele of the rocA gene (e.g., emm3-type isolates) are considered to be more virulent than isolates with the intact rocA gene (e.g., emm1-type isolates). RocA is a positive regulator of covR and has been shown to enhance the phosphorylation level of intracellular CovR regulator through the functional CovS protein. CovS is the membrane-embedded sensor and modulates the phosphorylation level of CovR by its kinase and phosphatase activities. The present study shows that the enhancement of CovR phosphorylation is mediated via the repression of CovS’s phosphatase activity by RocA. In addition, we found that RocA acts dominantly on modulating CovR phosphorylation under neutral pH conditions and in the exponential phase of growth. The phosphorylation level of CovR is crucial for group A Streptococcus species to regulate virulence factor expression and is highly related to bacterial invasiveness; therefore, growth phase- and pH-dependent RocA activity and the sequence polymorphisms of rocA gene would contribute significantly to bacterial phenotype variations and pathogenesis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Payal P. Balraadjsing ◽  
Lisbeth D. Lund ◽  
Yuri Souwer ◽  
Sebastian A. J. Zaat ◽  
Hanne Frøkiær ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus has evolved different strategies to evade the immune response, which play an important role in its pathogenesis. The bacteria express and shed various cell wall components and toxins during different stages of growth that may affect the protective T cell responses to extracellular and intracellular S. aureus. However, if and how the dendritic cell (DC)-mediated T cell response against S. aureus changes during growth of the bacterium remain elusive. In this study, we show that exponential-phase (EP) S. aureus bacteria were endocytosed very efficiently by human DCs, and these DCs strongly promoted production of the T cell polarizing factor interleukin-12 (IL-12). In contrast, stationary-phase (SP) S. aureus bacteria were endocytosed less efficiently by DCs, and these DCs produced small amounts of IL-12. The high level of IL-12 production induced by EP S. aureus led to the development of a T helper 1 (Th1) cell response, which was inhibited after neutralization of IL-12. Furthermore, preincubation with the staphylococcal cell wall component peptidoglycan (PGN), characteristically shed during the exponential growth phase, modulated the DC response to EP S. aureus. PGN preincubation appeared to inhibit IL-12p35 expression, leading to downregulation of IL-12 and an increase of IL-23 production by DCs, enhancing Th17 cell development. Taken together, our data indicate that exponential-phase S. aureus bacteria induce a stronger IL-12-dependent Th1 cell response than stationary-phase S. aureus and that this Th1 cell response shifted toward a Th17 cell response in the presence of PGN.


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