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© 2014 Holland-Moritz et al. Here we present the draft genome of Synergistes jonesii 78-1, ATCC 49833, a member of the Synergistes phylum. This organism was isolated from the rumen of a Hawaiian goat and ferments pyridinediols. The assembly contains 2,747,397 bp in 61 contigs.

Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf-5 is a plant commensal bacterium that inhabits the rhizosphere and produces secondary metabolites that suppress soilborne plant pathogens. The complete sequence of the 7.1-Mb Pf-5 genome was determined. We analyzed repeat sequences to identify genomic islands that, together with other approaches, suggested P. fluorescens Pf-5's recent lateral acquisitions include six secondary metabolite gene clusters, seven phage regions and a mobile genomic island. We identified various features that contribute to its commensal lifestyle on plants, including broad catabolic and transport capabilities for utilizing plant-derived compounds, the apparent ability to use a diversity of iron siderophores, detoxification systems to protect from oxidative stress, and the lack of a type III secretion system and toxins found in related pathogens. In addition to six known secondary metabolites produced by P. fluorescens Pf-5, three novel secondary metabolite biosynthesis gene clusters were also identified that may contribute to the biocontrol properties of P. fluorescens Pf-5.

1. Three synthetic substrates of cathepsin B (EC 3.4.22.1) with various amino acid residues at the P2 position (Cbz-Phe-Arg-NH-Mec, Cbz-Arg-Arg-NH-Mec and Cbz-Cit-Arg-NH-Mec, where Cbz represents benzyloxycarbonyl and NH-Mec represents 4-methylcoumarin-7-ylamide) were used to investigate the pH-dependency of cathepsin B-catalysed hydrolyses and to obtain information on the nature of enzyme-substrate interactions. 2. Non-linear-regression analysis of pH-activity profiles for these substrates indicates that at least four ionizable groups on cathepsin B with pKa values of 3.3, 4.55, 5.46 and greater than 7.3 can affect the rate of substrate hydrolysis. 3. Ionization of the residue with a pKa of 5.46 has a strong effect on activity towards the substrate with an arginine in P2 (8.4-fold increase in activity) but has only a moderate effect on the rate of hydrolysis with Cbz-Cit-Arg-NH-Mec (2.3-fold increase in activity) and virtually no effect with Cbz-Phe-Arg-NH-Mec. The kinetic data are consistent with this group being an acid residue with a side chain able to interact with the side chains of an arginine or a citrulline in the P2 position of a substrate. Amino acid sequence alignment and model building with the related enzyme papain (EC 3.4.22.2) suggest that Glu-245 of cathepsin B is a likely candidate. The relative importance of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions in the S2 subsite of cathepsin B is discussed. 4. For all three substrates, activity appears after ionization of a group with a pKa of 3.3, believed to be the active-site Cys-29 of cathepsin B. The identity of the groups with pKa values of 4.55 and greater than 7.3 remains unknown.

Bacteria in the genus Chlamydia are globally widespread ; represent pathogens that infect a wide range of animals as well as humans C. psittaci and C. gallinacea were found to be associated with chickens, turkey and ducks Zoonotic potential and pathogenicity C. psittaci is well documented for a long time. C. Gallinacea is an new serotipe of emerging potential pathogen in chickens. Only a few studies showed its impact on poultry health and production performances, and its zoonotic potential. To assess the extent of research so far on C. gallinacea in chickens based on our investigations and the published scientific literatures from 2014 to present.

The 2,272,351–base pair genome ofNeisseria meningitidisstrain MC58 (serogroup B), a causative agent of meningitis and septicemia, contains 2158 predicted coding regions, 1158 (53.7%) of which were assigned a biological role. Three major islands of horizontal DNA transfer were identified; two of these contain genes encoding proteins involved in pathogenicity, and the third island contains coding sequences only for hypothetical proteins. Insights into the commensal and virulence behavior ofN. meningitidiscan be gleaned from the genome, in which sequences for structural proteins of the pilus are clustered and several coding regions unique to serogroup B capsular polysaccharide synthesis can be identified. Finally,N. meningitidiscontains more genes that undergo phase variation than any pathogen studied to date, a mechanism that controls their expression and contributes to the evasion of the host immune system.

Salmonella enterica serovar Entertitidis (SE) is one of the main causes of food borne diseases, transmitted by eggs or egg products. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of SE in specimens collected from experimentally infected laying hens. In the two trials two lines of commercial laying hens at onset of the lay were orally inoculated with a single dose of 1.2x109 CFU of highly pathogenic SE. After infection the inoculated bacteria were recovered in all hens. Despite the fact that all hens became infected, we found a low number of positive eggs.