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Bile acid resistance is crucial to allow probiotic strains to survive in the gastrointestinal tract and exert health-promoting effects on their hosts. Our aim here was to determine the mechanism of this resistance via a genetic approach by identifying the genes essential for bile acid resistance in Lacticaseibacillus paracasei strain Shirota (LcS). We generated 4649 transposon-inserted lines of L. paracasei YIT 0291, which has the same genome sequence as LcS but lacks the pLY101 plasmid, and we screened them for bile-acid-sensitive mutants. The growth of 14 mutated strains was strongly inhibited by bile acid, and we identified 10 genes that could be involved in bile acid resistance. Expression of these genes was not markedly induced by bile acid, suggesting that their homeostatic expression is important for exerting bile acid resistance. Two mutants, in which the transposon was independently inserted into cardiolipin synthase genes, showed strong growth inhibition. Disruption of the cardiolipin synthase genes in LcS caused decreased cardiolipin production and accumulation of the precursor phosphatidylglycerol in bacterial cells. These data suggest that LcS possesses several mechanisms for exerting bile acid resistance, and that homeostatic cardiolipin production is among the factors most essential for this resistance.

Bifidobacterium bifidum possesses two extracellular sialidases (SiaBb1 and SiaBb2) that release free sialic acid from mucin sialoglycans, which can be utilized via cross-feeding by Bifidobacterium breve that, otherwise, is prevented from utilizing this nutrient source. Modification of sialic acids with O-acetyl esters is known to protect mucin glycans from degradation by bacterial sialidases. Compared to SiaBb2, SiaBb1 has an additional O-acetylesterase (Est) domain. We aimed to elucidate the role of the SiaBb1 Est domain from B. bifidum in sialic acid cross-feeding within Bifidobacterium. Pre-treatment of mucin secreted from bovine submaxillary glands (BSM) using His

Long-chain-fatty-acid (LCFA) metabolism is a fundamental cellular process in bacteria that is involved in lipid homeostasis, energy production, and infection. However, the role of LCFA metabolism in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Tm) gut infection remains unclear. Here, using a murine gastroenteritis infection model, we demonstrate involvement of LCFA metabolism in S. Tm gut colonization. The LCFA metabolism-associated transcriptional regulator FadR contributes to S. Tm gut colonization. fadR deletion alters the gene expression profile and leads to aberrant flagellar motility of S. Tm. Colonization defects in the fadR mutant are attributable to altered swimming behavior characterized by less frequently smooth swimming, resulting from reduced expression of the phase 2 flagellin FljB. Notably, changes in lipid LCFA composition by fadR deletion lead to reduced expression of fljB, which is restored by exogenous LCFA. Therefore, LCFA homeostasis may maintain proper flagellar motility by activating fljB expression, contributing to S. Tm gut colonization. Our findings improve the understanding of the effect of luminal LCFA on the virulence of enteric pathogens.

There are numerous bacteria reside within the mammalian gastrointestinal tract. Among the intestinal bacteria, Akkermansia, Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, and Ruminococcus closely interact with the intestinal mucus layer and are, therefore, known as mucosal bacteria. Mucosal bacteria use host or dietary glycans for colonization via adhesion, allowing access to the carbon source that the host’s nutrients provide. Cell wall or membrane proteins, polysaccharides, and extracellular vesicles facilitate these mucosal bacteria-host interactions. Recent studies revealed that the physiological properties of Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium significantly change in the presence of co-existing symbiotic bacteria or markedly differ with the spatial distribution in the mucosal niche. These recently discovered strategic colonization processes are important for understanding the survival of bacteria in the gut. In this review, first, we introduce the experimental models used to study host-bacteria interactions, and then, we highlight the latest discoveries on the colonization properties of mucosal bacteria, focusing on the roles of the cell surface architecture regarding Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium.

Several bacterial moonlighting proteins act as adhesion factors, which are important for bacterial colonization of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. However, little is known about the adherence properties of moonlighting proteins in the GI tract. Here, we describe a new approach for visualizing the localization of moonlighting protein-coated fluorescent microbeads in the whole GI tract by using a tissue optical clearing method, using elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) as an example. As a bacterial cell surface-localized protein mimic, recombinant EF-Tu from Lactobacillus reuteri was immobilized on microbeads. EF-Tu-coating promoted the interaction of the microbeads with a Caco-2 cell monolayer. Next, the microbeads were orally administered to mice. GI whole tissues were cleared in aqueous fructose solutions of increasing concentrations. At 1 h after administration, the microbeads were diffused from the stomach up to the cecum, and after 3 h, they were diffused throughout the intestinal tract. In the lower digestive tract, EF-Tu-beads were significantly more abundant than non-coated control beads, suggesting that EF-Tu plays an important role in the persistence of the microbeads in the GI tract. The new approach will help in evaluating how moonlighting proteins mediate bacterial colonization.

Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) plays a critical role in the host defense against microbial pathogens. Many pathogens modulate NF-κB signaling to establish infection in their host. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) possesses two type III secretion systems (T3SS-1 and T3SS-2) and directly injects many effector proteins into host cells. It has been reported that some effectors block NF-κB signaling, but the molecular mechanism of the inactivation of NF-κB signaling in S. Typhimurium is poorly understood. Here, we identified seven type III effectors—GogA, GtgA, PipA, SseK1, SseK2, SseK3, and SteE—that inhibited NF-κB activation in HeLa cells stimulated with TNF-α. We also determined that only GogA and GtgA are involved in regulation of the activation of NF-κB in HeLa cells infected with S. Typhimurium. GogA, GtgA, and PipA are highly homologous to one another and have the consensus zinc metalloprotease HEXXH motif. Our experiments demonstrated that GogA, GtgA, and PipA each directly cleaved NF-κB p65, whereas GogA and GtgA, but not PipA, inhibited the NF-κB activation in HeLa cells infected with S. Typhimurium. Further, expressions of the gogA or gtgA gene were induced under the SPI-1-and SPI-2-inducing conditions, but expression of the pipA gene was induced only under the SPI-2-inducing condition. We also showed that PipA was secreted into RAW264.7 cells through T3SS-2. Finally, we indicated that PipA elicits bacterial dissemination in the systemic stage of infection of S. Typhimurium via a T3SS-1-independent mechanism. Collectively, our results suggest that PipA, GogA and GtgA contribute to S. Typhimurium pathogenesis in different ways.

Extracellular proteins are important factors in host-microbe interactions; however, the specific factors that enable bifidobacterial adhesion and survival in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are not fully characterized. Here, we discovered that Bifidobacterium longum NCC2705 cultured in bacterium-free supernatants of human fecal fermentation broth released a myriad of particles into the extracellular environment. The aim of this study was to characterize the physiological properties of these extracellular particles. The particles, approximately 50 to 80 nm in diameter, had high protein and double-stranded DNA contents, suggesting that they were extracellular vesicles (EVs). A proteomic analysis showed that the EVs primarily consisted of cytoplasmic proteins with crucial functions in essential cellular processes. We identified several mucin-binding proteins by performing a biomolecular interaction analysis of phosphoketolase, GroEL, elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu), phosphoglycerate kinase, transaldolase (Tal), and heat shock protein 20 (Hsp20). The recombinant GroEL and Tal proteins showed high binding affinities to mucin. Furthermore, the immobilization of these proteins on microbeads affected the permanence of the microbeads in the murine GI tract. These results suggest that bifidobacterial exposure conditions that mimic the intestine stimulate B. longum EV production. The resulting EVs exported several cytoplasmic proteins that may have promoted B. longum adhesion. This study improved our understanding of the Bifidobacterium colonization strategy in the intestinal microbiome. IMPORTANCEBifidobacterium is a natural inhabitant of the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Morphological observations revealed that extracellular appendages of bifidobacteria in complex microbial communities are important for understanding its adaptations to the GI tract environment. We identified dynamic extracellular vesicle (EV) production by Bifidobacterium longum in bacterium-free fecal fermentation broth that was strongly suggestive of differing bifidobacterial extracellular appendages in the GI tract. In addition, export of the adhesive moonlighting proteins mediated by EVs may promote bifidobacterial colonization. This study provides new insight into the roles of EVs in bifidobacterial colonization processes as these bacteria adapt to the GI environment.

Small intestinal mononuclear cells that express CX3CR1 (CX3CR1+ cells) regulate immune responses1-5. CX3CR1+ cells take up luminal antigens by protruding their dendrites into the lumen1-4,6. However, it remains unclear how dendrite protrusion by CX3CR1+ cells is induced in the intestine. Here we show in mice that the bacterial metabolites pyruvic acid and lactic acid induce dendrite protrusion via GPR31 in CX3CR1+ cells. Mice that lack GPR31, which was highly and selectively expressed in intestinal CX3CR1+ cells, showed defective dendrite protrusions of CX3CR1+ cells in the small intestine. A methanol-soluble fraction of the small intestinal contents of specific-pathogen-free mice, but not germ-free mice, induced dendrite extension of intestinal CX3CR1+ cells in vitro. We purified a GPR31-activating fraction, and identified lactic acid. Both lactic acid and pyruvic acid induced dendrite extension of CX3CR1+ cells of wild-type mice, but not of Gpr31b-/- mice. Oral administration of lactate and pyruvate enhanced dendrite protrusion of CX3CR1+ cells in the small intestine of wild-type mice, but not in that of Gpr31b-/- mice. Furthermore, wild-type mice treated with lactate or pyruvate showed an enhanced immune response and high resistance to intestinal Salmonella infection. These findings demonstrate that lactate and pyruvate, which are produced in the intestinal lumen in a bacteria-dependent manner, contribute to enhanced immune responses by inducing GPR31-mediated dendrite protrusion of intestinal CX3CR1+ cells.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is an important foodborne pathogen that causes diarrhea. S. Typhimurium elicits inflammatory responses and colonizes the gut lumen by outcompeting the microbiota. Although evidence is accumulating with regard to the underlying mechanism, the infectious stage has not been adequately defined. Peptidoglycan amidases are widely distributed among bacteria and play a prominent role in peptidoglycan maintenance by hydrolyzing peptidoglycans. Amidase activation is required for the regulation of at least one of two cognate activators, NlpD or EnvC (also called YibP). Recent studies established that the peptidoglycan amidase AmiC-mediated cell division specifically confers a fitness advantage on S. Typhimurium in the inflamed gut. However, it remains unknown which cognate activators are involved in the amidase activation and how the activators influence Salmonella sp. pathogenesis. Here, we characterize the role of two activators, NlpD and EnvC, in S. Typhimurium cell division and gut infection. EnvC was found to contribute to cell division of S. Typhimurium cells through the activation of AmiA and AmiC. The envC mutant exhibited impairments in gut infection, including a gut colonization defect and reduced ability to elicit inflammatory responses. Importantly, the colonization defect of the envC mutant was unrelated to the microbiota but was conferred by attenuated motility and chemotaxis of S. Typhimurium cells, which were not observed in the amiA amiC mutant. Furthermore, the envC mutant was impaired in its induction of mucosal inflammation and sustained gut colonization. Collectively, our findings provide a novel insight into the peptidoglycan amidase/cognate activator circuits and their dependent pathogenesis.

The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) system is involved in not only a wide array of cellular processes but also pathogenesis in many bacterial pathogens; thus, this system is expected to become a novel therapeutic target to treat infections. To the best of our knowledge, involvement of the Tat system has not been reported in the gut infection caused by Citrobacter rodentium. Here, we studied the role of Tat in C. rodentium gut infection, which resembles human infection with enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC). A C. rodentium Tat loss-of-function mutant displayed prolonged gut colonization, which was explained by reduced inflammatory responses and, particularly, neutrophil infiltration. Further, the Tat mutant had colonization defects upon coinfection with the wild-type strain of C. rodentium. The Tat mutant also became hypersensitive to bile acids, and an increase in fecal bile acids fostered C. rodentium clearance from the gut lumen. Finally, we show that the chain form of C. rodentium cells, induced by a Tat-dependent cell division defect, exhibits impaired resistance to bile acids. Our findings indicate that the Tat system is involved in gut colonization by C. rodentium, which is associated with neutrophil infiltration and resistance to bile acids. Interventions that target the Tat system, as well as luminal bile acids, might thus be promising therapeutic strategies to treat human EHEC and EPEC infections.

Summary Bifidobacterium bifidum YIT 10347 (BF-1) is adhesive in vitro. Here we studied the molecular aspects of the BF-1 adhesion process. We identified and characterized non-adhesive mutants and found that a class E housekeeping sortase was critical for the adhesion to mucin. These mutants were significantly less adhesive to GCIY cells than was the wild type (WT), which protected GCIY cells against acid treatment more than did a non-adhesive mutant. The non-adhesive mutants aberrantly accumulated precursors of putative sortase-dependent proteins (SDPs). Recombinant SDPs bound to mucin. Disruption of the housekeeping sortase influenced expression of SDPs and pilus components. Mutants defective in a pilin or in an SDP showed the same adhesion properties as WT. Therefore, multiple SDPs and pili seem to work cooperatively to achieve adhesion, and the housekeeping sortase is responsible for cell wall anchoring of its substrates to ensure their proper biological function., Graphical abstract, Highlights • Non-adhesive mutants of B. bifidum lack a functional housekeeping sortase • A non-adhesive mutant is less protective for cultured cells against acid stress • The housekeeping sortase is important for anchoring adhesion factors to cell wall • B. bifidum has species-specific sortase-dependent proteins, Microbiology; Microbiome; Evolutionary ecology

In the inflamed gut, the bactericidal lectin RegIIIβ is massively produced by intestinal mucosa. RegIIIβ binds peptidoglycan and lipid A respectively, and thus can kill certain Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including the gut commensal microbiota and enteropathogenic bacteria. Considering the expression pattern and bactericidal activity, RegIIIβ is believed to be a host defense factor for protecting against the infection with enteropathogenic bacteria. However, it was poorly understood how RegIIIβ recognizes the target bacteria and kill them, and how RegIIIβ plays role(s) in infectious diarrhea. Therefore, our recent study has focused on RegIIIβ-target recognition, killing of Gram-negative bacteria, and host protective functions of RegIIIβ for infectious diarrhea inflicted by Salmonella Typhimurium. Here, we discuss novel insights into the protective role of RegIIIβ in infectious diarrhea, and propose avenues towards novel therapeutic interventions for Salmonella diarrhea., Gut Microbes, 9 (2), ISSN:1949-0976, ISSN:1949-0984

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) induces inflammatory changes in the ceca of streptomycin-pretreated mice. In this mouse model of colitis, the type III secretion system 1 (T3SS-1) has been shown to induce rapid inflammatory change in the cecum at early points, 10 to 24 h after infection. Five proteins, SipA, SopA, SopB, SopD, and SopE2, have been identified as effectors involved in eliciting intestinal inflammation within this time range. In contrast, a T3SS-1-deficient strain was shown to exhibit inflammatory changes in the cecum at 72 to 120 h postinfection. However, the effectors eliciting T3SS-1-independent inflammation remain to be clarified. In this study, we focused on two T3SS-2 phenotypes, macrophage proliferation and cytotoxicity, to identify the T3SS-2 effectors involved in T3SS-1-independent inflammation. We identified a mutant strain that could not induce cytotoxicity in a macrophage-like cell line and that reduced intestinal inflammation in streptomycin-pretreated mice. We also identified five T3SS-2 effectors, SifA, SpvB, SseF, SseJ, and SteA, associated with T3SS-1-independent macrophage cytotoxicity. We then constructed a strain lacking T3SS-1 and all the five T3SS-2 effectors, termed T1S5. The S. Typhimurium T1S5 strain significantly reduced cytotoxicity in macrophages in the same manner as a mutant invA spiB strain (T1T2). Finally, the T1S5 strain elicited no inflammatory changes in the ceca of streptomycin-pretreated mice. We conclude that these five T3SS-2 effectors contribute to T3SS-1-independent inflammation.

We report a resected case of basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (BSC). BSC is a rare type of malignant lung tumor. A 79-year-old woman had a 13 mm tumor in the left upper lobe on chest computed tomography (CT). On fluorodeoxyglucose-position emission tomography (FDG-PET), the tumor showed the accumulation of FDG with an SUVmax of 14.7. A left upper lobectomy with lymph node dissection was performed by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. The pathological diagnosis was BSC (pT2aN0M0, stage IB). There was no recurrence following lung cancer resection for 12 months. BSC is generally poor prognosis.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Tm) is a cause of food poisoning accompanied with gut inflammation. Although mucosal inflammation is generally thought to be protective against bacterial infection, S. Tm exploits the inflammation to compete with commensal microbiota, thereby growing up to high densities in the gut lumen and colonizing the gut continuously at high levels. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effect of gut inflammation on S. Tm competitive growth are poorly understood. Notably, the twin-arginine translocation (Tat) system, which enables the transport of folded proteins outside bacterial cytoplasm, is well conserved among many bacterial pathogens, with Tat substrates including virulence factors and virulence-associated proteins. Here, we show that Tat and Tat-exported peptidoglycan amidase, AmiA- and AmiC-dependent cell division contributes to S. Tm competitive fitness advantage in the inflamed gut. S. Tm tatC or amiA amiC mutants feature a gut colonization defect, wherein they display a chain form of cells. The chains are attributable to a cell division defect of these mutants and occur in inflamed but not in normal gut. We demonstrate that attenuated resistance to bile acids confers the colonization defect on the S. Tm amiA amiC mutant. In particular, S. Tm cell chains are highly sensitive to bile acids as compared to single or paired cells. Furthermore, we show that growth media containing high concentrations of NaCl and sublethal concentrations of antimicrobial peptides induce the S. Tm amiA amiC mutant chain form, suggesting that gut luminal conditions such as high osmolarity and the presence of antimicrobial peptides impose AmiA- and AmiC-dependent cell division on S. Tm. Together, our data indicate that Tat and the Tat-exported amidases, AmiA and AmiC, are required for S. Tm luminal fitness in the inflamed gut, suggesting that these proteins might comprise effective targets for novel antibacterial agents against infectious diarrhea., Author summary For proteins residing outside the bacterial cytoplasm, transport is an essential step for adequate function. The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) system enables the transport of folded proteins across the cytoplasmic membrane in prokaryotes. It has recently become clear that this system plays a pivotal role in the detrimental effects of many bacterial pathogens, suggesting Tat as a novel therapeutic target against their infection. In particular, the bacterial enteropathogen Salmonella Typhimurium causes foodborne diarrhea by colonizing the gut interior space. Here, we describe that the S. Typhimurium Tat system contributes to intestinal infection by facilitating colonization of the gut by this pathogen. We also identify that two Tat-exported enzymes, peptidoglycan amidase AmiA and AmiC, are responsible for the Tat-dependent colonization. S. Typhimurium strains having nonfunctional Tat systems or lacking these enzymes undergo filamentous growth in the gut interior owing to defective cell division. Notably, this chain form of S. Typhimurium cells is highly sensitive to bile acids, rendering it less competitive with native bacteria in the gut. The data presented here suggest that the Tat system and associated amidases may comprise promising therapeutic targets for Salmonella diarrhea, and that controlling bacterial shape might be new strategy for regulating intestinal enteropathogen infection.

We report a resected case of fetal adenocarcinoma. Fetal adenocarcinoma is a rare type of malignant lung tumor. A 53-year-old man had a 25 mm tumor in the right upper lobe on chest computed tomography. On fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography( FDG-PET), the tumor showed the accumulation of FDG with a standardized uptake value( SUV) max of 5.63. He underwent bronchoscopic examination, but a diagnosis was not established. We suspected that the tumor was primary lung cancer or metastatic lung tumor of rectal cancer which was resected prior to the treatment for pulmonary lesion. A right upper lobectomy with lymph node dissection was performed and the pathological diagnosis was high-grade fetal adenocarcinoma, stage IB (pT2aN0M0). The patient was treated with postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. There has been no recurrence after surgery resection for 9 months.

Salmonella enterica , a common cause of diarrhea, has to colonize the gut lumen to elicit disease. In the gut, the pathogen encounters a vast array of environmental stresses that cause perturbations in the bacterial envelope. The CpxRA two-component system monitors envelope perturbations and responds by altering the bacterial gene expression profile. This allows Salmonella to survive under such harmful conditions. Therefore, CpxRA activation is likely to contribute to Salmonella gut infection. However, the role of the CpxRA-mediated envelope stress response in Salmonella -induced diarrhea is unclear. Here, we show that CpxRA is dispensable for the induction of colitis by S. enterica serovar Typhimurium, whereas it is required for gut colonization. We prove that CpxRA is expressed during gut infection and that the presence of antimicrobial peptides in growth media activates the expression of CpxRA-regulated genes. In addition, we demonstrate that a S . Typhimurium strain lacking the cpxRA gene is able to cause colitis but is unable to continuously colonize the gut. Finally, we show that CpxRA-dependent gut colonization requires the host gut inflammatory response, while DegP, a CpxRA-regulated protease, is dispensable. Our findings reveal that the CpxRA-mediated envelope stress response plays a crucial role in Salmonella gut infection, suggesting that CpxRA might be a promising therapeutic target for infectious diarrhea.

Small intestinal mononuclear cells that express CX3CR1 (CX3CR1

We investigated the roles of extracellular sialidases (SiaBb1 and SiaBb2) in cross-feeding between sialidase-carrying Bifidobacterium bifidum and sialic acid-utilizing Bifidobacterium breve. Using 6ʹ sialyllactose (6ʹSL) as a carbon source, the number of wild-type B. bifidum cells increased while that of a siabb2-inactivated strain (Δsiabb2) did not. Coculture of these two strains in the presence of 6ʹSL resulted in similar increase in cell numbers. Coculture of wild-type B. bifidum, but not the Δsiabb2 strain, with sialic acid-utilizing Bifidobacterium breve, which cannot release sialic acids from carbohydrates, in the presence of 6ʹSL increased the number of B. breve cells. Moreover, when mucin was used as a carbon source, B. breve growth was increased in cocultures with B. bifidum wild-type and Δsiabb2 strains, suggesting that SiaBb1 may be involved. Additionally, B. breve cell numbers increased during cultivation with recombinant SiaBb1-and SiaBb2-treated mucin as the sole carbon source. These results indicated that B. bifidum SiaBb2 liberated sialic acid from sialyl-human milk oligosaccharides and -mucin glycans, supporting the growth of B. breve through sialic acid cross-feeding. SiaBb1 may assist in the degradation of mucin glycan. Collectively, our results revealed that both the B. bifidum extracellular sialidases promote the utilization of sialylated carbohydrates and supply free sialic acid to other Bifidobacterium strains.

Background and aims Patients with pneumonia, a common cause of empyema, are stratified based on their risk factors, and the treatment of empyema might benefit from this risk stratification. Methods The etiology, bacteriologic profile and outcome of patients diagnosed with empyema in Shinko Hospital between May 2005 and October 2013 were retrospectively studied. The patients were stratified according to whether they had community-acquired empyema (CAE), health-care-associated empyema (HCAE) or hospital-acquired empyema (HAE). Results The study included 81 patients, 25 CAE, 40 HCAE and 16 HAE. The comorbidity rate was highest among HAE patients (100%), followed by 95% of HCAE and 72% of CAE patients (P = 0.005). The rates of cancer and central nervous system (CNS) disease were higher in patients with HCAE and HAE than in patients with CAE (P = 0.030, P = 0.018, respectively). Pleural fluid cultures were positive in 58/81 patients. Streptococcus species were the most common organisms cultured from CAE (12/15) and HCAE patients (17/30), but not from HAE patients (3/13). Anaerobic organisms were cultured from 3 CAE, 5 HCAE and 3 HAE patients. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were only cultured from HCAE and HAE patients. The mortality rates were higher in HCAE (18%) and HAE (50%) than in CAE (4%) patients (log-rank test: P = 0.0012). Conclusions Half of patients with empyema were HCAE patients, who had comorbidities, bacteriological profile and outcome different from CAE patients. The patient with HCAE should be differentiated from CAE patient, and the stratification of patients based on risk factors may be useful for treatment strategy.

Ten specific primer sets, for Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus crispatus, Atopobium vaginae, Gardnerella vaginalis, Mobiluncus curtisii, Chlamydia trachomatis/muridarum, Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum, Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis, Bifidobacterium adolescentis, and Bifidobacterium angulatum, were developed for quantitative analysis of vaginal microbiota. rRNA-targeted reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis of the vaginal samples from 12 healthy Japanese volunteers using the new primer sets together with 25 existing primer sets revealed the diversity of their vaginal microbiota: Lactobacilli such as L. crispatus, L. gasseri, Lactobacillus jensenii, Lactobacillus iners, and Lactobacillus vaginalis, as the major populations at 10(7) cells/ml vaginal fluid, were followed by facultative anaerobes such as Streptococcus and strict anaerobes at lower population levels of 10(4) cells/ml or less. Certain bacterial vaginosis (BV)-related bacteria, such as G. vaginalis, A. vaginae, M. curtisii, and Prevotella, were also detected in some subjects. Especially in one subject, both G. vaginalis and A. vaginae were detected at high population levels of 10(8.8) and 10(8.9) cells/ml vaginal fluid, suggesting that she is an asymptomatic BV patient. These results suggest that the RT-qPCR system is effective for accurate analysis of major vaginal commensals and diagnosis of several vaginal infections.

Here, we report a case of pneumonia possibly caused by the aspiration of runoff water containing Chromobacterium haemolyticum. A 69-year-old man became intoxicated with alcohol, fell into a ditch, and lost consciousness after suffering a blow to the head. The lower half of his body was completely paralyzed because of damage to his spinal cord, and he aspirated runoff water from the ditch. Chest computed tomography scans revealed consolidation in the right upper lobe and bilateral lower lobes. A sputum culture detected gram-negative bacteria that was identified as C. haemolyticum. Antibacterial chemotherapy was initiated, and the clinical course was favorable. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of C. haemolyticum pneumonia in the literature.

Mucosal barrier formed by cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) is believed to be crucial for host protection from pathogenic gut infection. However, some pathogens can develop resistance to the CAMPs to survive in hosts. Salmonella enterica is a common cause of acute diarrhea. During the course of this disease, the pathogen must continuously colonize the gut lumen, which contains CAMPs. However, it is incompletely understood whether the resistance of Salmonella strains to CAMPs contributes to the development of gut infections. PhoPQ two-component system-dependent lipid A modifications confer resistance to CAMPs in S. enterica serovar Typhimurium. Therefore, we introduced mutations into the PhoPQ-regulated genes in an S. Typhimurium strain, obtaining pagP ugtL and pmrA mutant strains. Each mutant strain demonstrated a distinct spectrum of the resistance to CAMPs. Using streptomycin mouse model for Salmonella diarrhea, we show that the pagP ugtL, but not pmrA, mutant strain had a gut colonization defect. Furthermore, the pagP ugtL, but not pmrA, mutant strain had decreased outer membrane integrity and susceptibility to magainin 2, an alpha-helical CAMP. Taken together, the PagP- and UgtL-dependent resistance to CAMPs was demonstrated to contribute to sustained colonization in the gut. This may be due to the robust outer membrane of S. Typhimurium, inducing the resistance to alpha-helical CAMPs such as α-defensins. Our findings indicate that the development of resistance to CAMPs is required for the S. Typhimurium gut infection.

Cell Host & Microbe, 21 (2), ISSN:1931-3128, ISSN:1934-6069

Background: Autoimmune involvement in the pathogenesis of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been proposed, and autoantibodies are a hallmark of autoimmunity. Autoantibody assessment may help to better characterize asthma and COPD. Aims: Determine autoantibody profiles, and the relationship between autoantibodies and features of asthma and COPD. Methods: We recruited 102 asthma patients and 88 COPD patients prospectively. Six autoantibody types were evaluated: antinuclear antibody (ANA), anti-cytoplasmic antibodies, rheumatoid factor (RF); anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibody; myeloperoxidase-anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA); proteinase 3–ANCA. Results: ANA prevalence was significantly higher in asthma than in COPD (24% vs . 10%, p=0.01). Low eosinophil counts in blood (ECB) were related to positive ANA in asthma and COPD. Conversely, high ECB and high levels of immunoglobulin-E were associated with RF in asthma but not in COPD. There was no relationship between ANA or RF and disease severity, including asthma control test, COPD assessment test, exacerbations in 1 % predicted. Prevalence of anti-cytoplasmic antibodies and anti-CCP antibody was low, and no patient harbored ANCA. Conclusions: It is possible asthma tends to involve autoimmunity more frequently than COPD because the prevalence of ANA is higher in asthma than in COPD. ANA and RF are associated with eosinophilic responses, but they do not work as biomarkers for disease severity.

Background Autoimmune involvement in the pathogenesis of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been proposed, and autoantibodies are a hallmark of autoimmunity. This study aimed to compare the autoantibody profiles of asthma and COPD, and the relationship between autoantibodies and features of these diseases. Methods We recruited 110 asthma patients and 92 COPD patients for a prospective study. Six autoantibody types were evaluated: antinuclear antibody, anti-cytoplasmic antibodies, rheumatoid factor, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody, myeloperoxidase–anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (MPO-ANCA) and proteinase 3-ANCA. Other clinical data were also recorded concurrently. Results An antinuclear antibody titre of ≥1:160 presented only in asthma but not in COPD (10% vs . 0%, p = 0.0002). Eosinophil counts in blood were negative predictors of antinuclear antibody in asthma. Conversely, eosinophil counts in blood and immunoglobulin-E levels of ≥100 IU/mL were positively associated with rheumatoid factor in asthma but not in COPD. There was no relationship between antinuclear antibody or rheumatoid factor and disease severity. Conclusions It is possible that asthma tends to involve autoimmunity associated with antinuclear antibody more frequently than COPD because asthma is the more robust factor for antinuclear antibody positivity. Antinuclear antibody and rheumatoid factor are associated with eosinophilic responses, but they do not work as biomarkers for disease severity.

Salmonella phosphothreonine lyase SpvC inactivates the dual-phosphorylated host mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) through β-elimination. While SpvC can be secreted in vitro by both Salmonella pathogenicity island (SPI)-1 and SPI-2 type III secretion systems (T3SSs), translocation of this protein into the host cell cytosol has only been demonstrated by SPI-2 T3SS. In this study, we show that SpvC can be delivered into the host cell cytoplasm by both SPI-1 and SPI-2 T3SSs. Dephosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (ERK) was detected in an SPI-1 T3SS-dependent manner 2 h post infection. Using a mouse model for Salmonella enterocolitis, which was treated with streptomycin prior to infection, we observed that mice infected with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strains lacking the spvC gene showed pronounced colitis when compared with mice infected with the wild-type strain 1 day after infection. The effect of SpvC on the development of colitis was characterized by reduced mRNA levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and reduced inflammation with less infiltration of neutrophils. Furthermore, the reduction in inflammation by SpvC resulted in increased bacterial dissemination in spleen of mice infected with Salmonella. Collectively, our findings suggest that SpvC exerts as an anti-inflammatory effector and the attenuation of intestinal inflammatory response by SpvC is involved in systemic infection of Salmonella.

SlyA protein plays a key role in virulence in Salmonella enterica. In this study, we evaluated the ability of the slyA mutant strain of S. enterica serovar Choleraesuis (S. choleraesuis) to protect against swine salmonellosis. Using a murine model infected with S. enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. typhimurium), we showed that the Salmonella strain with a deletion of slyA could be used as a highly immunogenic, effective and safe vaccine in mice. Based on these data, a slyA mutant of S. enterica serovar Choleraesuis strain RF-1 was constructed, and the ability of this mutant to protect immunized pigs from S. choleraesuis infection was examined. As with the S. typhimurium slyA mutant, immunization of pigs with the S. choleraesuis slyA mutant strain provided significant protection against subsequent challenge by the wild-type RF-1. These results demonstrate that SlyA is a potential target in the development of a novel live attenuated vaccine against S. enterica.

The type III secretion system (T3SS) encoded by Chromobacterium pathogenicity islands 1 and 1a (Cpi-1/-1a) is critical for Chromobacterium violaceum pathogenesis. T3SS-dependent virulence is commonly characterized by type III effector virulence function, but the full repertoire of the effector proteins of Cpi-1/-1a T3SS is unknown. In this study, we showed that expression of Cpi-1/-1a T3SS is controlled by the master regulator CilA. We used transcriptional profiling with DNA microarrays to define CilA regulon and identified genes encoding T3SS effectors whose translocation into host cells was dependent on Cpi-1/-1a T3SS. From these effectors, we found that CopE (CV0296) has similarities to a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for Rho GTPases in its C-terminal portion. The N-terminal portions (1-81 amino acids) of CopE and a CivB as a putative chaperone were required for its translocation. CopE specifically activates Rac1 and Cdc42 followed by the induction of actin cytoskeletal rearrangement. Interestingly, C. violaceum invades human epithelial HeLa cells in a Cpi-1/-1a-encoded T3SS- and CopE-dependent manner. Finally, C. violaceum strains lacking copE and expressing a CopE-G168V deficient in GEF activity were attenuated for virulence in mice, suggesting that CopE contributes to the virulence of this pathogen.

Hydrothermal experiment of woody biomass was carried out in an autoclave, and a property change of the woody slurry associated with hydrothermal reaction was analyzed. The reaction conditions, such...

バイオマスの工業的糖化処理を目的として連続水熱処理装置の開発を行った．開発した装置は，木粉–水スラリー流通式の連続水熱装置である．本実験ではまず連続装置実験での操作条件を決定するため，木粉粒径およびスラリー濃度に対するスラリー見かけ粘度について測定を行った．また従来より高い濃度のスギ木粉–水スラリーを原料として連続水熱実験を実施し，処理温度および処理時間に対する木粉の可溶化率および処理溶液中のグルコース濃度測定を行った．さらにスラリーの急速昇温可能な連続装置に対して昇温に時間を要する回分装置を用いて同様の水熱処理実験を行い，水熱反応実験結果の比較を行うことで連続装置の性能評価を行った．スラリーの見かけ粘度は木粉粒径が異なると大幅に変化し，粒径が大きい場合には低せん断速度領域において高い見かけ粘度を示した．固体残渣を含む水熱処理後のスラリー見かけ粘度は処理温度により異なり，原料スラリーの見かけ粘度よりも小さくなることが分かった．連続装置を用いたスギ木粉の水熱反応実験では，スギ木粉の水溶液中への可溶化率は，回分装置の可溶化率とほとんど差が見られなかった．しかしながら，水溶液中のグルコース濃度には，処理装置により大きな違いが見られ，高温，短時間処理において連続装置におけるグルコース濃度は回分装置よりも高いグルコース濃度が得られた．また槽型反応器よりも短時間の熱水処理が可能な連続管型反応器においては，槽型反応器よりも高温で高いグルコース濃度が得られた．

Hydrolysis experiment of woody biomass in hot compressed water (HCW) was conducted in a batch-type reactor and the characteristics of solid residue after the HCW hydrolysis treatment were measured to understand the hydrolysis mechanism of woody biomass. Woody slurry of Douglas fir was used in this HCW experiment. Reaction temperature was controlled from 423 to 523 K, and the reaction time was set at 1 min. After separation of solid residues from the hydrolysis liquid material, the solid residue characteristics, such as proximate and ultimate analysis, particle size distribution, particle shape, surface area, pore size distribution, chemical composition, and equilibrium moisture content ratio, were measured and then the decomposition mechanism of woody biomass in HCW was discussed. It was found that the solid residue characteristics yielded in HCW changed drastically depending on the reaction temperature. For example, cellulose crystallinity decreased with increasing reaction temperature, and the physical ...

Listeria monocytogenes, the causative agent of listeriosis, has strong osmotolerance and is able to grow in severe circumstances. Many studies of the mechanisms of listerial osmotolerance have been performed. However, there is much which remains unknown. In previous studies we constructed two kinds of mutant in L. monocytogenes EGD strain to analyse the mechanisms of osmotolerance in L. monocytogenes by molecular genetic methods. In this paper, we summarized the genetical studies of osmotolerance in this bacterium by many researchers and ourselves. First, a transposon-insertional mutant strain was constructed that showed reduced growth in high osmotic agar compared with the parental strain. The results of cloning and sequencing analysis showed that the rel gene, which encodes guanosine tetra- and pentaphosphate synthesis and hydrolysis protein, is involved in osmotolerance in L. monocytogenes. Next, the expression levels of five sigma factor coding genes in L. monocytogenes were examined using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and it was found that the rpoN gene (the alternative sigma factor RpoN (sigma54)-encoding gene) was activated under high osmotic conditions. A deletion mutant of rpoN was constructed and its response to osmotic stress was analysed. In minimal medium with NaCl and carnitine, an osmoprotectant, the mutant showed deficient growth to that of the parental strain when the starting optical density was high, though the expression level of carnitine transporter operon, opuC, and the rate of carnitine uptake in the mutant was similar to that of EGD. These results suggest that the rpoN mutant may need larger amounts of carnitine which might be needed for its growth under high osmolarity. Through the analysis of these mutants, new insights have been obtained into osmotolerance in L. monocytogenes.

Properties of wood powder pulverized by a vibration were evaluated. In the previous paper, it was clarified that the wood biomass was able to be pulverized into micron order particle by a vibration mill equipped with rods and balls. In this paper, characteristics of wood powder, such as particle diameter, particle shape, aspect ratio, specific surface area, crystallnity and equilibrium moisture content, was measured. As the results, it was found that the vibration mill was available for the production of wood powder, which has big surface area and low crystallnity.