Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anran Li, Bethany K. Okada, Paul C. Rosen, Mohammad R. Seyedsayamdost
Summary: Natural products are important sources of therapeutic agents and chemical tools. This study identified beta-lactams, fluoroquinolones, antifungals, and unexpected drugs as potent inducers of biosynthetic genes in Burkholderia thailandensis, shedding light on the regulatory mechanisms of these genes. The work uncovers a diverse array of elicitors and previously unknown regulatory inputs for secondary metabolism in B. thailandensis.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Zhuo Wang, Xiaorong Xie, Daohan Shang, Laigong Xie, Yueyue Hua, Li Song, Yantao Yang, Yao Wang, Xihui Shen, Lei Zhang
Summary: Cellular c-di-GMP levels play an important role in regulating bacterial behaviors such as motility, biofilm formation, and virulence. This study reveals a regulatory cascade in Burkholderia thailandensis that controls the cellular level of c-di-GMP. PdcA, PdcB, and PdcC constitute an operon, and PdcA acts as a diguanylate cyclase (DGC) that is inhibited by phosphorylated PdcC. PdcB dephosphorylates PdcC to derepress the activity of PdcA. This c-di-GMP regulatory model is found to be widespread in the Proteobacteria phylum.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ralf R. Mendel
Summary: Molybdenum (Mo) is an essential micronutrient for plants, animals, and microorganisms, and it plays a crucial role in the biological activity of Mo enzymes through the formation of molybdenum cofactor (Moco). Mo enzymes and Moco are involved in vital transformations in the metabolism of nitrogen, sulfur, and carbon compounds. This review provides a personal perspective on the history, genetics, biochemistry, chemical structure, and biosynthesis of Moco. It also discusses human Moco deficiency and the possibility of life without Moco.
Article
Microbiology
Adam Pattinson, Sandeep Bahia, Gwenaelle Le Gall, Christopher J. Morris, Sarah V. Harding, Michael McArthur
Summary: 12-bis-THA showed antimicrobial activity against B. thailandensis, but the presence of a capsule did not affect its activity. 12-bis-THA altered the central metabolism of the bacteria and suppressed the production of ATP synthase.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Eleanor Porges, Dominic Jenner, Adam W. Taylor, James S. P. Harrison, Antonio De Grazia, Alethia R. Hailes, Kimberley M. Wright, Adam O. Whelan, Isobel H. Norville, Joann L. Prior, Sumeet Mahajan, Caroline A. Rowland, Tracey A. Newman, Nicholas D. Evans
Summary: The research team developed polymersomes (PMs) that can effectively deliver antibiotics to intracellular Burkholderia infection, inhibiting their growth. PMs are a targeted antibiotic treatment approach that can reduce bacterial antibiotic resistance.
Article
Immunology
Carina M. Hall, Nathan E. Stone, Madison Martz, Shelby M. Hutton, Ella Santana-Propper, Lora Versluis, Kieston Guidry, Marielisa Ortiz, Joseph D. Busch, Trevor Maness, Jonathan Stewart, Tom Sidwa, Jay E. Gee, Mindy G. Elrod, Julia K. Petras, Maureen C. Ty, Christopher Gulvik, Zachary P. Weiner, Johanna S. Salzer, Alex R. Hoffmaster, Sarai Rivera-Garcia, Paul Keim, Amanda Kieffer, Jason W. Sahl, Fred Soltero, David M. Wagner
Summary: Burkholderia thailandensis, a bacterium closely related to the pathogen B. pseudomallei, was found in water in Texas and Puerto Rico, as well as soil in Mississippi in the United States. This discovery highlights a potential public health risk, although human infections with B. thailandensis are rare.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Lillian C. Lowrey, Leslie A. Kent, Bridgett M. Rios, Angelica B. Ocasio, Peggy A. Cotter, Arturo Casadevall
Summary: The phase variation mechanism of Burkholderia thailandensis can enable population heterogeneity through genomic rearrangements, allowing the bacteria to adapt to environmental fluctuations. The presence of duplicate DNA regions with varied copy numbers provides selective advantages for growth in different conditions, expanding the species' ecological repertoire.
Article
Cell Biology
Nora Kostow, Matthew D. Welch
Summary: Bacteria use actin-based motility to form protrusions on the host cell plasma membrane, which extend into neighboring cells and promote membrane fusion. The T6SS-5 effectors VgrG5 and TagD5 are essential for promoting cell-cell fusion within the protrusions.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Catia Gil, Ana Teresa Rebocho, Asiyah Esmail, Chantal Sevrin, Christian Grandfils, Cristiana A. Torres, Maria A. M. Reis, Filomena Freitas
Summary: Biosurfactants synthesized by microorganisms are safe and sustainable alternatives to synthetic surfactants. This study characterizes a biopolymer secreted by Burkholderia thailandensis, highlighting its potential as a biosurfactant. The biopolymer is a glycolipopeptide with carbohydrate and protein contents of 33.1% and 23.0%, respectively. It displays good emulsion-stabilizing capacity and can form stable emulsions with hydrophobic compounds.
Article
Microbiology
Mingzhu Huang, Lingfeng Zhu, Lin Feng, Li Zhan, Yue Zhao, Xuelan Chen
Summary: This study successfully engineered C. crenatum to enhance L-arginine production under anaerobic conditions through altering metabolic pathways.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Julia Phenn, Jan Pane-Farre, Nikolai Meukow, Annelie Klein, Anne Troitzsch, Patrick Tan, Stephan Fuchs, Gabriel E. Wagner, Sabine Lichtenegger, Ivo Steinmetz, Christian Kohler
Summary: The RegAB redox sensing two-component signal transduction system is essential for anaerobic growth and full virulence of B. pseudomallei, playing a central role in anaerobic metabolism and the coordination of the response to hypoxic conditions. Further investigations into the regulators NarL and FNR provide insight into the complex regulatory network of anaerobic gene expression in this pathogen, which could be relevant for a broad range of bacteria.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jessica Correia, Eduardo J. Gudina, Zbigniew Lazar, Tomasz Janek, Jose A. Teixeira
Summary: This study reports the first use of agro-industrial by-products as the sole ingredients for rhamnolipid production by Burkholderia thailandensis E264. By combining corn steep liquor and olive mill wastewater, the yield and surface-active properties of rhamnolipids were improved. However, rhamnolipids produced in the CSL + OMW medium exhibited weaker emulsifying activity compared to those produced in other media.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Zong-Jie Wang, Xiaotong Liu, Haibo Zhou, Yang Liu, Qiang Tu, Liujie Huo, Fu Yan, Rolf Mueller, Youming Zhang, Xiaokun Xu
Summary: Engineering the biosynthetic pathways of complex natural products is a significant approach to obtain derivatives with improved properties. Here, we constructed a streamlined engineered biosynthesis system of myxobacterium-derived complex polyketide disorazol in a heterologous host. The inactivation of dehydratase domains led to the production of hydroxylated derivatives, while module deletion allowed the generation of an unnatural derivative with a truncated macrolactone ring. These disorazol derivatives showed different activities against human cancer cell lines, indicating a structure-activity relationship. The PKS engineering enables structural derivatization of disorazol, facilitating the in-depth engineered biosynthesis of polyketides.
ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Shu-Shan Cai, Liu-Qing Zhang, Qian Zhang, Bang-Ce Ye, Ying Zhou
Summary: This study investigates protein translational modifications that influence the regulatory function of NarL, finding that acetylation modification significantly affects DNA-binding abilities and thus affects the anaerobic growth of E. coli. NarL is mainly regulated by acetyl phosphate, not by peptidyl-lysine N-acetyltransferase.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Sinan Al-Attar, Julia Rendon, Marlon Sidore, Jean-Pierre Duneau, Farida Seduk, Frederic Biaso, Stephane Grimaldi, Bruno Guigliarelli, Axel Magalon
Summary: This study reports the mechanistic importance of a set of conserved residues lining the substrate entry tunnel in Escherichia coli nitrate reductase A (Nar), a paradigmatic enzyme of the Mo/W-bisPGD superfamily, and reveals their pivotal role in substrate affinity and proton transfer to the Mo active site. The research suggests that motion of Glu-581 side chain and surrounding polar residues control hydration inside the protein core, proton transfer, and substrate selectivity towards the active site, providing an additional determinant for tuning reactivity and selectivity in Nar. It is proposed that a gating mechanism is at play in several other members of the superfamily.
