| characterization of the dihydroorotase from methanococcus jannaschii. | the gene that codes for the putative dihydroorotase in the hyperthermophilic archaeon methanococcus jannaschii was subcloned in pet-21a and expressed in escherichia coli. a purification protocol was devised. the purity of the protein was evaluated by sds-page and the protein was confirmed by sequencing using lc-ms. the calculated molecular mass is 48104 da. sec-ls suggested that the protein is a monomer in solution. icp-ms showed that there are two zn ions per monomer. kinetic analysis of the re ... | 2017 | 28660315 |
| correction: comparison of french and worldwide bacillus anthracis strains favors a recent, post-columbian origin of the predominant north-american clade. | [this corrects the article doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146216.]. | 2017 | 28654701 |
| ser/thr protein kinase prkc-mediated regulation of groel is critical for biofilm formation in bacillus anthracis. | prkc is a conserved ser/thr protein kinase encoded in bacillus anthracis genome. prkc is shown to be important for b. anthracis pathogenesis, but little is known about its other functions and phosphorylated substrates. systemic analyses indicate the compelling role of prkc in phosphorylating multiple substrates, including the essential chaperone groel. through mass spectrometry, we identified that prkc phosphorylates groel on six threonine residues that are distributed in three canonical regions ... | 2017 | 28649408 |
| milk-originated bacillus cereus sensu lato strains harbouring bacillus anthracis-like plasmids are genetically and phenotypically diverse. | bacillus cereus sensu lato is widely distributed in food products, including raw and processed milk. plasmids often determine bacterial virulence and toxicity, but their role in the evolution of b. cereus sensu lato is only partly known. here, we observed that nearly 8% of b. cereus sensu lato isolates were positive for pxo1-like plasmids and 12% for pxo2-like plasmids in raw and ultra-heat-treated (uht) milk from one dairy plant. however, pxo1-like plasmids were significantly more frequent in r ... | 2017 | 28648290 |
| inactivation of bacillus spores in wash waters using dilute chlorine bleach solutions at different temperatures and ph levels. | inactivation of bacillus globigii spores in wash water was studied to simulate chlorine inactivation of bacillus anthracis spores in water generated in during biological clean ups. eight waters were studied, with six containing detergent. chlorine levels were approximately 3,000 mg/l. results across different waters showed decreasing inactivation with increasing ph. inactivation did not appear to be influenced by chemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, turbidity, or dissolved solids. inactivat ... | 2017 | 28646570 |
| in defense of bacillus thuringiensis, the safest and most successful microbial insecticide available to humanity - a response to efsa. | the bacillus cereus group contains vertebrate pathogens such as bacillus anthracis and bacillus cereus and the invertebrate pathogen bacillus thuringiensis. microbial biopesticides based on b. thuringiensis (bt) are widely recognized as being among the safest and least environmentally damaging insecticidal products available. nevertheless, a recent food poisoning incident prompted a european food safety authority review which argued that b. thuringiensis poses a health risk equivalent to b. cere ... | 2017 | 28645183 |
| assembly and function of the bacillus anthracis s-layer. | bacillus anthracis, the anthrax agent, is a member of the bacillus cereus sensu lato group, which includes invasive pathogens of mammals or insects as well as nonpathogenic environmental strains. the genes for anthrax pathogenesis are located on two large virulence plasmids. similar virulence plasmids have been acquired by other b. cereus strains and enable the pathogenesis of anthrax-like diseases. among the virulence factors of b. anthracis is the s-layer-associated protein bsla, which endows ... | 2017 | 28622090 |
| green tea and epigallocatechin-3-gallate are bactericidal against bacillus anthracis. | bacillus anthracis, the etiological agent of anthrax, is listed as a category a biothreat agent by the united states centers for disease control and prevention. the virulence of the organism is due to expression of two exotoxins and capsule, which interfere with host cellular signaling, alter host water homeostasis, and inhibit phagocytosis of the pathogen, respectively. concerns regarding the past and possible future use of b. anthracis as a bioterrorism agent have resulted in an impetus to dev ... | 2017 | 28605495 |
| the pag gene of pxo1 is involved in capsule biosynthesis of bacillus anthracis pasteur ii strain. | the poly-γ-d-glutamic acid capsule and anthrax toxins are major virulence factors of bacillus anthracis. genes responsible for capsule biosynthesis are located on pxo2, whereas genes encoding the toxins, which are composed of edema factors, lethal factors, and protective antigens (pa), are located on pxo1. in this study, we found that the pag null mutation not only eliminated the production of the protective antigen, it also eliminated the ability of the b. anthracis pasteur ii strain to form ca ... | 2017 | 28603695 |
| functional analysis of bas2108-2109 two component system: evidence for protease regulation in bacillus anthracis. | bacillus anthracis (ba) is a major bioterrorism concern which has evolved complex regulatory mechanisms for its virulence factors. secreted proteases play an imperative role in the pathogenesis of ba, however their regulation remains elusive. two component systems (tcs) are often employed by bacteria to sense and adapt to the environmental perturbations. in several pathogens, tcs are commonly associated with the regulation of virulence factors including proteases. the genome of ba encodes 41 tcs ... | 2017 | 28602714 |
| targeting bacillus anthracis toxicity with a genetically selected inhibitor of the pa/cmg2 protein-protein interaction. | the protein-protein interaction between the human cmg2 receptor and the bacillus anthracis protective antigen (pa) is essential for the transport of anthrax lethal and edema toxins into human cells. we used a genetically encoded high throughput screening platform to screen a siclopps library of 3.2 million cyclic hexapeptides for inhibitors of this protein-protein interaction. unusually, the top 3 hits all contained stop codons in the randomized region of the library, resulting in linear rather ... | 2017 | 28596569 |
| evaluation of commercial-off-the-shelf materials for the preservation of bacillus anthracis vegetative cells for forensic analysis. | environmental surface sampling is crucial in determining the zones of contamination and overall threat assessment. viability retention of sampled material is central to such assessments. a systematic study was completed to determine viability of vegetative cells under nonpermissive storage conditions. despite major gains in nucleic acid sequencing technologies, initial positive identification of threats must be made through direct culture of the sampled material using classical microbiological m ... | 2017 | 28585764 |
| recombinant protein expression, crystallization, and biophysical studies of a bacillus-conserved nucleotide pyrophosphorylase, bcmazg. | to overcome safety restrictions and regulations when studying genes and proteins from true pathogens, their homologues can be studied. bacillus anthracis is an obligate pathogen that causes fatal inhalational anthrax. bacillus cereus is considered a useful model for studying b. anthracis due to its close evolutionary relationship. the gene cluster ba1554 - ba1558 of b. anthracis is highly conserved with the bc1531- bc1535 cluster in b. cereus, as well as with the bt1364-bt1368 cluster in bacillu ... | 2017 | 28570540 |
| draft genome sequences of bacillus cereus e41 and bacillus anthracis f34 isolated from algerian salt lakes. | two strains of bacillus, b. cereus e41 and b. anthracis f34, were isolated from a salt lake in aïn m'lila-oum el bouaghi, eastern algeria, and ain baida-ouargla, southern algeria, respectively. their genomes display genes for the production of several bioactive secondary metabolites, including polyhydroxyalkanoate, iron siderophores, lipopeptides, and bacteriocins. | 2017 | 28522726 |
| metal homeostasis in bacteria: the role of arsr-smtb family of transcriptional repressors in combating varying metal concentrations in the environment. | bacterial infections cause severe medical problems worldwide, resulting in considerable death and loss of capital. with the ever-increasing rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the lack of development of new antibiotics, research on metal-based antimicrobial therapy has now gained pace. metal ions are essential for survival, but can be highly toxic to organisms if their concentrations are not strictly controlled. through evolution, bacteria have acquired complex metal-management systems tha ... | 2017 | 28512703 |
| identification of beta-lactamases and beta-lactam-related proteins in human pathogenic bacteria using a computational search approach. | a systematic analysis of beta-lactamases based on comparative proteomics has not been performed thus far. in this report, we searched for the presence of beta-lactam-related proteins in 591 bacterial proteomes belonging to 52 species that are pathogenic to humans. the amino acid sequences for 19 different types of beta-lactamases (act, carb, cifa, cmy, ctx, fox, ges, gob, imp, ind, kpc, len, okp, oxa, oxy, shv, tem, ndm, and vim) were obtained from the arg-annot database and were used to constru ... | 2017 | 28508147 |
| evaluation of personal inhalable aerosol samplers with different filters for use during anthrax responses. | risk of inhalation exposure to viable bacillus anthracis (b. anthracis) spores has primarily been assessed using short-term, stationary sampling methods which may not accurately characterize the concentration of inhalable-sized spores reaching a person's breathing zone. while a variety of aerosol sampling methods have been utilized during previous anthrax responses, no consensus has yet been established for personal air sampling. the goal of this study was to determine the best sampler-filter co ... | 2017 | 28506101 |
| lethal factor antibodies contribute to lethal toxin neutralization in recipients of anthrax vaccine precipitated. | a major difference between two currently licensed anthrax vaccines is presence (united kingdom anthrax vaccine precipitated, avp) or absence (united states anthrax vaccine adsorbed, ava) of quantifiable amounts of the lethal toxin (lt) component lethal factor (lf). the primary immunogen in both vaccine formulations is protective antigen (pa), and lt-neutralizing antibodies directed to pa are an accepted correlate of vaccine efficacy; however, vaccination studies in animal models have demonstrate ... | 2017 | 28504191 |
| bacillus anthracis peptidoglycan integrity is disrupted by the chemokine cxcl10 through the ftse/x complex. | the antimicrobial activity of the chemokine cxcl10 against vegetative cells of bacillus anthracis occurs via both bacterial ftse/x-dependent and-independent pathways. previous studies established that the ftse/x-dependent pathway was mediated through interaction of the n-terminal region(s) of cxcl10 with a functional ftse/x complex, while the ftse/x-independent pathway was mediated through the c-terminal α-helix of cxcl10. both pathways result in cell lysis and death of b. anthracis. in other ba ... | 2017 | 28496437 |
| ten genome sequences of human and livestock isolates of bacillus anthracis from the country of georgia. | bacillus anthracis causes the acute fatal disease anthrax, is a proven biological weapon, and is endemic in georgia, where human and animal cases are reported annually. here, we present whole-genome sequences of 10 historical b. anthracis strains from georgia. | 2017 | 28495766 |
| high stringency evaluation of the inactivation / exclusion efficacy of a maldi-tof ms chemical extraction method, with filtration of extract through 0.1 µm filters, on bacillus anthracis vollum vegetative cells and spores. | a previous report indicated that a formic acid chemical extraction method for the preparation of protein extracts for matrix-assisted laser desorption time-of-flight mass spectrometry (maldi-tof ms) identification, with filtration of extracts through 0.2 μm regenerated cellulose (rc) filters, would not reliably inactivate or exclude bacillus anthracis vollum cells or spores when tested under high stringency conditions. b. anthracis was recovered from 13/36 extracts (3/18 from vegetative cell ext ... | 2017 | 28481931 |
| elucidation of the recognition sequence of sortase b from bacillus anthracis by using a newly developed liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based method. | sortases are enzymes that are responsible for the attachment of secreted proteins to the cell wall of gram-positive bacteria. hereby, the sortases recognize short, five-residue amino acid sequences present in the target proteins and fuse them to the peptidoglycan layer via a transpeptidation reaction, creating a new peptide bond between the c-terminus of the recognition sequence and the cell wall. the transpeptidation activity of sortases is widely used in protein engineering for modification of ... | 2017 | 28475305 |
| biochemical characterization of the gtp-sensing protein, cody of bacillus anthracis. | the pleiotropism of the gtp-sensing transcriptional regulator cody is evident by the gamut of processes that it regulates in almost all low g+c gram-positive bacteria, including general metabolism, biosynthesis of some amino acids and transport systems, nitrogen uptake, sporulation, biofilm formation, motility and virulence. the role of cody in virulence has been established in bacillus anthracis, the top rated bioterrorism agent. in this study, we investigated the biochemical attributes of this ... | 2017 | 28472295 |
| comparative analysis of the sensitivity of metagenomic sequencing and pcr to detect a biowarfare simulant (bacillus atrophaeus) in soil samples. | to evaluate the sensitivity of high-throughput dna sequencing for monitoring biowarfare agents in the environment, we analysed soil samples inoculated with different amounts of bacillus atrophaeus, a surrogate organism for bacillus anthracis. the soil samples considered were a poorly carbonated soil of the silty sand class, and a highly carbonated soil of the silt class. control soil samples and soil samples inoculated with 10, 103, or 105 cfu were processed for dna extraction. about 1% of the d ... | 2017 | 28472119 |
| unexpected relations of historical anthrax strain. | in 1998, it was claimed that an 80-year-old glass tube intentionally filled with bacillus anthracis and embedded in a sugar lump as a wwi biological weapon still contained viable spores. today, genome sequencing of three colonies isolated in 1998 and subjected to phylogenetic analysis surprisingly identified a well-known b. anthracis reference strain isolated in the united states in 1981, pointing to accidental laboratory contamination.importance next-generation sequencing and subsequent phyloge ... | 2017 | 28442608 |
| bacillus anthracis edema toxin increases fractional free water and sodium reabsorption in an isolated perfused rat kidney model. | bacillus anthracis edema toxin (et) consists of protective antigen (pa), necessary for host cell toxin uptake, and edema factor (ef), the toxic moiety which increases host cell cyclic amp (camp). since vasopressin stimulates renal water and sodium reabsorption via increased tubular cell camp levels, we hypothesized the et would also do so. to test this hypothesis, we employed an isolated perfused rat kidney model. kidneys were isolated and perfused with modified krebs-henseleit buffer. perfusate ... | 2017 | 28438974 |
| draft genome sequence of bacillus cereus la2007, a human-pathogenic isolate harboring anthrax-like plasmids. | we present the genome sequence of bacillus cereus la2007, a strain isolated in 2007 from a fatal pneumonia case in louisiana. sequence-based genome analysis revealed that la2007 carries a plasmid highly similar to bacillus anthracis pxo1, including the genes responsible for the production and regulation of anthrax toxin. | 2017 | 28428293 |
| response to letter on immunoassays for field screening of bacillus anthracis and ricin. | | 2017 | 28426247 |
| immunoassays for field screening of bacillus anthracis and ricin. | | 2017 | 28418740 |
| anthrax cases associated with animal-hair shaving brushes. | during the first world war, anthrax cases in the united states and england increased greatly and seemed to be associated with use of new shaving brushes. further investigation revealed that the source material and origin of shaving brushes had changed during the war. cheap brushes of imported horsehair were being made to look like the preferred badger-hair brushes. unfortunately, some of these brushes were not effectively disinfected and brought with them a nasty stowaway: bacillus anthracis. a ... | 2017 | 28418302 |
| anti-proliferative role of recombinant lethal toxin of bacillus anthracis on primary mammary ductal carcinoma cells revealing its therapeutic potential. | bacillus anthracis secretes three secretary proteins; lethal factor (lf), protective antigen (pa) and edema factor (ef). the lf has ability to check proliferation of mammary tumors, chiefly depending on mitogen activated protein kinase (mapk) signaling pathway. evaluation of therapeutic potential of recombinant lf (rlf), recombinant pa (rpa) and lethal toxin (rlf + rpa = letx) on the primary mammary ductal carcinoma cells revealed significant (p < 0.01) reduction in proliferation of tumor cells ... | 2017 | 28415766 |
| preparation and characterization of expanded graphite/metal oxides for antimicrobial application. | composite materials based on expanded graphite (eg) and metal oxide (mo) particles was prepared by an explosive combustion and blending method. the objective of the study was to develop eg impregnated with metal oxide particulates (ag2o, cuo and zno) and evaluate the level of protection the materials conferred against biological agents. the physical properties of the eg/mo composites were examined using sem, edx and xrd spectroscopy, and the results indicated that the mo particles were incorpora ... | 2017 | 28415384 |
| tlr sensing of bacterial spore-associated rna triggers host immune responses with detrimental effects. | the spores of pathogenic bacteria are involved in host entry and the initial encounter with the host immune system. how bacterial spores interact with host immunity, however, remains poorly understood. here, we show that the spores of bacillus anthracis (ba), the etiologic agent of anthrax, possess an intrinsic ability to induce host immune responses. this immunostimulatory activity is attributable to high amounts of rna present in the spore surface layer. rna-sensing tlrs, tlr7, and tlr13 in mi ... | 2017 | 28400473 |