3. Statistical analyses were performed with graphpad Prism software version 5.00 (GraphPad Software, San Diego, CA). Unless otherwise Cyclopamine concentration indicated, the threshold level chosen for comparison of means was P < 0.01 by Student's t-test (one-tailed, nonpaired, equal variance), corrected for multiple comparisons (Šidák, 1967). To test the sensitivity

of the double mutant to different stressors, WT, Δchap1, Δskn7, and Δchap1-Δskn7 (ΔΔ) were grown on solid CMX containing either 0.75 M sorbitol – hyperosmotic stress, 0.4 M KCl – hyperosmotic and salt (ionic) stress, 20 mM H2O2 – oxidative stress, 30 μM menadione – superoxide stress or 25 mM CWS – interference with cell wall integrity (Ram & Klis, 2006) (Fig. 1). Growth of Δchap1, Δskn7, and ΔΔ in the presence of 20 mM H2O2 was completely inhibited compared with WT which showed about 40% growth relative to control (solid CMX without additives). On 0.4 M KCl, growth of the ΔΔ mutant was also inhibited compared with WT, but not completely, and it showed similar growth rate to the Δskn7 mutant. On 0.75 M sorbitol, the double mutant showed almost

complete inhibition, but again similar to the Δskn7 mutant; WT and Δchap1 were also inhibited, Δchap1 more than WT, but both less than Δskn7 and the double mutant. CWS affected the growth of Δchap1 (55%) and the double mutant (47%), whereas growth of the WT and Δskn7 was less inhibited (about 65%). On menadione, the double mutant was inhibited more than the WT and Δskn7 but as much as Δchap1 (Fig. 1a). 17-AAG The double mutant (ΔΔ) is sensitive to oxidative and osmotic stresses, as well as to stressors that compromise cell wall integrity, but to the same extent as each single mutant, and there is no evidence for an additive effect on inhibition of growth. The only additive effect on growth rate was found with

the cell wall stressor CWS, where the double mutant was more sensitive than either single mutant (significant at P < 0.01). WT and the mutants were also grown on liquid CMX with lower concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (0.625–10 mM) Niclosamide to test whether the double mutant is more sensitive than each single mutant (Fig. 1b). WT grew normally on all concentrations; apparently at these oxidant levels, WT can overcome the stress by expression of antioxidant genes, as shown previously (Lev et al., 2005). All three mutants show lower growth percentages than WT, but similar to each other. We tested the expression of antioxidant genes shown previously (Lev et al., 2005) to be under regulation by the transcription factor ChAP1: glutathione reductase, GLR1; thioredoxin, TRX2; thioredoxin reductase, TRR1; γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase, GSH1. In addition, we followed the expression of a superoxide dismutase gene, SOD1, and three catalase-encoding genes CAT1,2,3 (Robbertse et al., 2003).

lugdunensis implicated buy Enzalutamide in cell separation, in stress-induced autolysis and in bacterial pathogenesis. “
“We determined the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the compactin-producing fungus Penicillium solitum strain 20-01. The 28 601-base pair circular-mapping DNA molecule encodes a characteristic set of mitochondrial proteins and RNA genes and is intron-free. All 46 protein- and RNA-encoding genes are located on one strand and apparently transcribed in one direction. Comparative analysis of this mtDNA and previously sequenced but unannotated mitochondrial genomes of several medically and industrially

important species of the Aspergillus/Penicillium group revealed their extensive similarity in terms of size, gene content and sequence, which is also reflected in the almost perfect conservation

of mitochondrial gene order in Penicillium and Aspergillus. Phylogenetic analysis based on concatenated mitochondrial protein sequences confirmed the monophyletic origin of Eurotiomycetes. Fungal mitochondrial genomics is a rapidly evolving field initiated to a large extent by the efforts of organelle genome sequencing programs (Korab-Laskowska et al., 1998; O’Brien et al.,1998 ) and fungal mitochondrial genome project (Paquin et al., 1997). More than 80 fungal mitogenomes have been sequenced and analysed up to now, providing invaluable information on mitochondrial genome organization, evolution, replication and expression, while phylogenetic and taxonomic Erismodegib order studies have also been conducted in all major fungal lineages (Paquin & Lang, 1996; Kouvelis et al., 2004; Bullerwell & Lang, 2005; Nosek et al., 2006; Juhasz et al., 2008; Lee & Young, 2009; Wu et al., 2009). The standard approach for mitochondrial genome sequencing involves isolation of mitochondria, library construction and sequencing of individual clones, and gap closure using PCR. This others labour-intensive

approach is surpassed by next-generation sequencing technologies, such as pyrosequencing (Margulies et al., 2005). The vast amount of sequencing data generated by these platforms is usually sufficient to provide several-fold coverage of 10–30-MB size fungal nuclear genomes and simultaneously sequence mitochondrial genomes as ‘by-products’ of whole genome shotgun (WGS) sequencing approach. Because of their high copy number and topological independence, mitochondrial (mt) genomes are readily assembled as separate contigs, covered by multiple sequence reads. This strategy has been successfully applied to sequence Glomus mitochondrial genomes (Lee & Young, 2009), Pichia farinosa mt genome (Jung et al., 2010) and, by us, mitochondrial genomes of the diatom algae Synedra acus (Ravin et al., 2010) and the methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha (Eldarov et al., 2011). WGS does not provide information on mtDNA topology in vivo (circular versus linear) or the presence of alternative mtDNA isoforms (Williamson, 2002; Valach et al.

, 1999). Additionally, the Sec system translocates proteins in a linear state while the Tat pathway exports folded proteins. Tat substrates from different bacteria participate, among other selleckchem functions, in anaerobic metabolism, biofilm formation, cell envelope biogenesis, detoxification and virulence (Lee et al., 2006; De Buck et al., 2008b). The minimal set of components in the Escherichia coli Tat system are three proteins belonging to TatA, TatB and TatC families. The number and copies of each component may differ among bacteria (Dilks et al., 2003). Analysis of the Tat system from an increasing number of bacteria has revealed its

importance for many properties, particularly related to bacteria–eukaryotic host interactions such as plant and animal pathogenesis (De Buck et al., 2008b) and symbiosis between Rhizobium and legumes (Meloni et al., 2003). In this work, we have studied the relevance of the D. dadantii 3937 Tat system for the adaptation of this bacterium to different growth conditions, motility behaviour and interaction with the host plant. The D. dadantii reference strain 3937 (Kotoujansky et al., 1982) was cultivated at 28 °C in nutrient broth (Difco), King’s B medium (KB; King et al., 1954) or basal

medium A (Torriani, 1960). Anaerobic growth was performed using filled screw-cap tubes with medium A with glucose (2 g L−1) instead of glycerol for fermentation, or medium

A plus nitrate (0.5 g L−1) for nitrate respiration. Antibiotics were added to the media at the following concentrations buy RG7204 (μg mL−1): ampicillin, 100; carbenicillin, 100; tetracycline, 10 and kanamycin, 20. The D. dadantii 3937 tatABC operon was amplified by PCR with the oligonucleotides TatSense 5′-GGCTGGGTTCCGCAAGACAC-3′ and TatAntisense 5′-CCGTAGTAACAGGACGCATA-3′ corresponding to positions 4626756 and 4622930, respectively, from D. dadantii 3937 genome. The amplified fragment (3846 bp) was cloned in pGEM-T Easy Vector (Promega), resulting in plasmid pTat. Tn7 in vitro mutagenesis was performed on pTat using the genome-priming system kit GPS-1 (New England Biolabs). A mutagenized plasmid bearing the Tn7 transposon within the tatC gene was selected and marker-exchanged Y 27632 into the chromosome as described previously (Hugouvieux-Cotte-Pattat & Robert-Baudouy, 1992). The marker exchange was verified by PCR using the former oligonucleotides combined with oligos N and S flanking Tn7 (data not shown). The corresponding D. dadantii tatC mutant (tatC∷Tn7) was named Mtat. Standard molecular cloning techniques used in this study were performed as described previously (Sambrook & Russell, 2001). DNA sequencing of both strands of cloned tatABC was performed using the chain termination method on double-stranded DNA templates using an ABI Prism dye terminator cycle sequencing kit in a Perkin-Elmer 3100 DNA sequencer.

1b and c). This suggested that mutation of the vemR gene strongly affects Xcc virulence to cabbage. Decreased exopolysaccharide production has been correlated with loss of virulence in many plant pathogens (Coplin & Cook, 1990; Dharmapuri & Sonti, 1999; Kumar et al., 2003), including Xcc (Katzen et al., 1998; Dow & Daniels, 2000). Colonies of the ΔvemR mutant strain displayed rough edges, implying an exopolysaccharide deficiency. Thus, we performed exopolysaccharide analysis. The results showed that mutation of the vemR gene decreased exopolysaccharide production significantly, whereas

the complemented Cabozantinib cost strain ΔvemR(vemR) exhibited full exopolysaccharide synthesis ability (Fig. 2a). To further investigate the effects of mutation of the vemR gene on exopolysaccharide synthesis, expression of the gum gene cluster (Katzen et al., 1998; Dow & Daniels, 2000) was examined by promoter–GUS fusion

analysis. As shown in Fig. 2b, gum gene expression was significantly decreased in the ΔvemR mutant strain. These data suggest that the lack of exopolysaccharide production was due to the lower expression of exopolysaccharide biosynthetic genes in the ΔvemR mutant and this can lead to reduced virulence. Motility is also important for pathogenesis in a number of pathogenic plant Enzalutamide concentration species (Swings & Civerolo, 1993). The vemR gene is located in an operon flanked by fleQ and rpoN2 (Fig. 1a), which are involved in the regulation of flagellum synthesis (Hu et al., 2005). To test whether VemR participates in the regulation of motility, the mutant, the complemented Loperamide strain and the wild-type strain were grown on TYGS motility plates for swimming and swarming assays. The ΔvemR mutant strain displayed a four- to sixfold decrease in net migration compared with the wild type and the complemented strain for both types of motility (Fig. 2c–e), demonstrating that VemR is involved in the regulation of motility of Xcc. Extracellular enzymes are very important virulence factors of Xcc. Attenuated cellulase and proteinase production in this organism (e.g. by mutation of the rpfG or the ravR gene) has been shown to cause a low infection

rate (Dow et al., 1993; Dow & Daniels, 1994; Slater et al., 2000; He et al., 2009). In this study, the production of extracellular enzymes was assayed in the ΔvemR mutant strain. The production of extracellular cellulase, proteinase and amylase in the ΔvemR mutant was slightly less than that in the wild-type strain and the complemented strain (Fig. 3), suggesting that VemR plays a role in the regulation of these extracellular enzymes. One previous study indicated that insertional inactivation of the vemR gene did not affect Xcc virulence significantly (Qian et al., 2008), which is not consistent with the effects of vemR deletion observed here. Insertional mutation of the vemR gene could affect expression of the downstream gene fleQ.

Fifty nanograms of cDNA was the template for the RT-PCR, with primer concentrations of 250 μM. 2× SYBR Green master mix (Applied Biosystems) and H2O were added to a final reaction volume of 50 μL per well in a MicroAmp Optical 96-well reaction plate (Applied Biosystems). RG7204 purchase Thermal cycler settings were programmed for 52 °C for 2 min, 95 °C for 10 min, then 45 cycles of the following: 95 °C for 15 s, 51 °C for 15 s, and 60 °C for 1 min, which was the data collection point. Ideally, a csrA partial deletion strain would have been used for experiments as has been possible

in other systems (Liu et al., 1995; Lenz et al., 2005). However, repeated attempts failed to generate the desired construct. Therefore, an alternative strategy was employed to modulate CsrA levels whereby either csrA (pJW3) or csrB1 (pJW4) was overexpressed from a stable plasmid construct in two V. fischeri strains, ES114 (wild type) and PMF8 (ΔlitR). This approach was followed, because in factorial design just two selleck chemicals llc levels of each experimental factor are permitted and they should be as far apart from one another as possible. A 20 nM level of AHL was chosen for experiments because it permitted for detection of luminescence from ES114 strains without fully

saturating the system. The amount of csrA transcript was measured to ensure that there were significantly different levels expressed from pJW3 and pJW4. As anticipated, there were higher levels of csrA transcripts in cells overexpressing csrA (pJW3) in the presence Sclareol of 20 nM AHL in comparison with the cells overexpressing csrB1 (pJW4) (Fig. 2). Further, because CsrB1 post-translationally sequesters CsrA (Romeo, 1998; Timmermans & Van Melderen, 2010), the actual decrease in the cellular activity of CsrA in strains overexpressing csrB1 is likely greater than what is observed by simply measuring differences in csrA transcript levels. The V. fischeri ES114 (wild type) and PMF8 (ΔlitR) strains carrying pJW3, pJW4, or the control pVSV104 were next examined for luminescence expression. LitR was chosen as the quorum-sensing factor to be examined because of the fact that it is a critical link between the upstream

quorum-sensing regulatory network, and the downstream luminescence response regulated by LuxR (Fig. 1). The level of luminescence in the wild-type strain V. fischeri ES114 was independent of the expression level of CsrA (over the range studied) (Fig. 3a). In contrast, the ∆litR strain of V. fischeri (PMF8) produced the lowest level of luminescence when CsrA activity was depressed [strain PMF8 (pJW4)], an intermediate level for the control [strain PMF8 (pVSV104)], and the highest level when csrA was overexpressed (strain PMF8 (pJW3) (Fig. 3b). The results showed that there was a significant interaction between litR and the CsrA level (P < 0.0001). Thus, CsrA did not affect the luminescence level in V. fischeri ES114 (Fig. 3a), but in the absence of LitR luminescence was dependent on CsrA (Fig. 3b).

The rest gave various reasons for missing their drugs (Table 2).

Among both groups, ART failure was observed on returning for follow-up in 20 participants, whereas successful ART was observed in 38 participants. The median change (and inter-quartile ranges) in CD4 counts among those who failed and succeeded on ART (as defined) during the period were − 16.5 (232) and + 86.5 (164.5) cells/µL, respectively (Wilcoxon-rank-sum, z = − 1.96; p = 0.0496). Changes in weight were similar between groups. At follow-up the proportions who failed ART among HP compared with NP were 15/31 (48.4%) and 5/27 (18.5%), respectively, with odds ratio (OR) (95% CI) 4.13 (1.10–17.21) (Table 2). Two illustrative patients are presented below. Patient 1 is a 48-year-old housewife who has been HIV infected and on ART for over 5 years. She was healthy, weighed 43 kg, and her VL was <400/mL with CD4 counts IWR-1 purchase of 606 cells/µL (on October 10, 2008) on daily Tenofovir/Emtricitabine/ritonavir–Lopinavir which she has been taking for nearly a year. Her past ART included Zidovudine/Lamivudine/Efavirenz and Zidovudine/Lamivudine/ritonavir–Indinavir.

She spent 35 days at the Hajj. However, there she had gastroenteritis necessitating 2-day hospitalization in Mecca. She was advised to stop all medications at discharge from the hospital and was off ART for a total of 50 days. Prior Selleck DAPT to the Hajj she was fully adherent with her medications with no complaints prior to her click here departure. Her husband, also HIV infected and on ART, serves as her treatment partner (TP) for adherence facilitation. On return she came for follow-up and weighed 40 kg with VL of 27,900/mL and CD4

counts of 579 cells/µL (January 9, 2009), falling further to 471 cells/µL (on February 12, 2009) on Tenofovir/Emtricitabine/ritonavir–Lopinavir. These were stopped and patient was reevaluated. Patient 2 is a 29-year-old widow who is HIV infected on ART (Zidovudine/Lamivudine/Nevirapine) for over 2 years. Prior to the Hajj she was healthy, weighed 62 kg, and had CD4 counts of 202 cells/µL (on November 7, 2008). She was adherent before travel and spent 36 days away without ART. She claimed that she was not allowed to travel with her medications from the airport of departure. On returning she weighed 60 kg and had CD4 counts of 132 cells/µL with a VL of 26,420/mL (on January 22, 2009). Following re-commencement of the same ART regimen, she remained healthy with subsequent VL of < 400/mL (on May 28, 2009). Despite a shorter period of follow-up, HP compared with NP patients who traveled within the country had poorer adherence and higher ART failures. Their adherence to ART, pre-Hajj and post-Hajj, was better than during it. Failure to take medications was responsible although other reasons and the challenges of crossing international boundaries with ART medications were also contributory.

Adherence to medication decreases with increasing age, and with decreasing cognitive ability, thus elderly, cognitively-impaired patients have poorer control of blood pressure. Good control of blood pressure is associated with decreased prevalence of dementia and Alzheimer’s Etoposide disease. This study assessed the evidence that antihypertensive medications have effects on the prevalence or severity of mild cognitive impairment, dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Methods  The ISI Web of Knowledge database was searched; including replicates, the nine searches identified 14 400 publications since 1952, of which 9.9% had been

published in 2009. This review considers the 18 studies meeting the set criteria published in 2009 or later. Key findings  Not all antihypertensive medications are equivalent in their positive cognitive effects, with brain-penetrating angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors and possibly angiotensin receptor antagonists being the most effective. Conclusions  Based on evidence of blood-pressure control and cost, UK National Institute for Health Ganetespib cell line and Clinical Excellence guidelines recommend calcium-channel blockers or thiazide-type diuretics for the treatment of hypertension in patients over 55 years. These guidelines take no account of the potential cognitive effects

of the antihypertensive therapies, consideration of which might lead to a review. There may be benefit in stressing that adherence to antihypertensive medication not only decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease and death, but may also decrease the risk or severity of mild cognitive impairment, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Patient adherence to health-related advice and

to medication is a major area of concern ROS1 to healthcare providers in general, and to pharmacists in particular. Estimates of adherence to medication vary drastically depending on clinical condition and patient characteristics, but one might expect adherence to be lowest in a chronic, symptomless condition such as hypertension, and in a population with sub-optimal cognitive ability, for example the very young, the very old or the poorly educated. Turner et al.[1] studied 202 hypertensive patients aged over 70 years; 20% of the patients between 70 and 79 years were classed as being non-adherent to their medication, which increased to 26% in those aged 80 or above. ‘Among respondents who admitted to non-adherence, at least 25% reported it was due to: simply forgot, ran out, too busy with other things and a change in routine such as a weekend’[1]. These reasons bear a striking resemblance to the features of mild cognitive impairment; that is, impairment of memory, even in the presence of semantic clues, but otherwise normal cognitive function.[2] Vinyoles et al.,[3] in a similar study, looked at the relationship between cognitive impairment in hypertensive patients and adherence to medication.

A detailed discussion of meningococcal disease vaccination travel requirements and recommendations is presented in the article Alectinib datasheet by R. Steffen in this supplement. The incidence and distribution of the Neisseria meningitidis bacteria serogroups that cause the majority of invasive meningococcal disease—A, B, C, W-135, and Y—vary widely from region to region and country to country and change over time.6,10 The change in distribution of disease-causing N meningitidis serogroups, even over relatively

short periods of time, is quite unpredictable. In Europe, serogroups B and C cause the majority of disease; in Africa, serogroup A is predominant, along with C and W-135; and, in recent years, a growing proportion of meningococcal disease in the United States is attributable to serogroup Y.1,6,11 A meningococcal vaccine that provides broad protection against multiple serogroups is required to ensure the highest level of protection against meningococcal disease for travelers. Currently available vaccines to protect against meningococcal disease consist

of two major classes, quadrivalent unconjugated polysaccharide vaccines (MPSV4) and quadrivalent polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines Selleck BI6727 (MCV4). Although both types of vaccines provide protection against four serogroups, conjugate vaccines for meningococcal disease have several advantages over polysaccharide vaccines (Table 1).10 Polysaccharide vaccines are safe and have good short-term immunogenicity in older children and adults.6 However, polysaccharide vaccines also have several limitations in terms of duration and wide applicability.

Polysaccharide vaccines are known to have AMP deaminase poor immunogenicity and lack of effectiveness in children less than 2 years of age.10 Their mechanism of action involves a T cell-independent response; therefore, they do not induce immunologic memory. There exists the potential to induce hyporesponsiveness with repeated doses, protection is of limited duration, usually 3 to 5 years, and they show little or no protection against nasopharyngeal carriage.6,10 In contrast, the immune response to a conjugate meningococcal vaccine is T cell dependent, potentially increasing antibody levels and serum bactericidal activity (SBA) in all age groups, as well as inducing the formation of memory B cells. This population of long-lasting B cells allows the body to mount an anamnestic response after antigen reexposure.12 This provides a booster effect on subsequent vaccination or exposure and overcomes hyporesponsiveness. In addition, unlike polysaccharide meningococcal vaccines, conjugate vaccines have been shown to reduce nasopharyngeal carriage of N meningitidis and, therefore, to reduce disease transmission and contribute to herd immunity in populations.

Recently, a regimen consisting

of rituximab and mycophenolate mofetil without oral corticosteroids was reported to be effective in lupus nephritis. While the efficacy of this regimen has to be confirmed, future controlled trials should focus on the efficacy of rituximab in refractory lupus manifestations and its synergistic effect with other immunosuppressive agents such as cyclophosphamide. In short-term randomized controlled trials, a non-significant increase in serious adverse events was observed in SLE patients treated with rituximab. Long-term safety data of rituximab in SLE, in particular the incidence of hypogammaglobulinemia and serious/opportunistic infections, have to be continuously surveyed. “
“Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the sequestration of various Mitomycin C order leukocyte subpopulations within both the developing pannus and synovial space. The chronic nature of this disease results in inflammation of multiple joints, with subsequent destruction of the joint cartilage and erosion of bone. Identification

of selleck T helper (Th)17 cells led to breaking the dichotomy of the Th1/Th2 axis in immunopathogenesis of autoimmune diseases such as RA, and its experimental model, collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). Th17 cells produce cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-17, IL-6, IL-21, IL-22 and tumor necrosis factor

(TNF)-α, with pro-inflammatory effects, which appear to have a role in immunopathogenesis of RA. Regarding the wide ranging production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines by Th17 cells, it is expected that Th17 cell could be a potent pathogenic Mirabegron factor in disease immunopathophysiology. Thus the identification of effector mechanisms used by Th17 cells in induction of disease lesions may open new prospects for designing a new therapeutic strategy for treatment of RA. The newly identified CD4+ T helper (Th) cell subtype, Th17 cells, are characterized by production of a distinct profile of effector cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-17F, IL-6, IL-9, IL-21, IL-22, IL-26 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. They have probably evolved to promote host clearance of a range of pathogens distinct from those targeted by Th1 and Th2.[1, 2] Th17 produces cytokine profiles, including IL-17, IL-6, IL-21, IL-22 and TNF-α, which have pro-inflammatory functions, suggesting an important factor in immunopathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), because the main feature of RA pathophysiology is the inflammatory reaction.[3-5] The first sign of Th17 cells identification relates to the role of these cells in host immune response to Borrelia burgdorferi which induced the production of IL-17 by Th17.

Cells failed to respire on o-phthalic acid and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (Table 1). The cell-free extract prepared from phenanthrene-grown cells showed activities of 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid hydroxylase, 1,2-dihydroxynaphthalene dioxygenase, salicylate-1-hydroxylase and catechol-2,3-dioxygenase (Table 2), while salicylic acid-grown cells showed comparatively reduced activities for all enzymes and significantly lower activity of 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic

acid hydroxylase (Table 2). The cell-free extract prepared from naphthalene-grown cells of P. putida strain CSV86 (this strain does not degrade phenanthrene or 1-H2NA, Mahajan et al., 1994) showed sevenfold less activity of salicylate-1-hydroxylase with 1-H2NA (53 nmol min−1 mg−1) as compared with salicylic acid (362 nmol min−1 mg−1) as substrate. The enzyme preparation from strain PPH failed to show activity of gentisic- and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid dioxygenase selleck chemicals llc (Table 2). Time-dependent spectral changes of catechol dioxygenase reaction showed an increase in A375 nm (Deveryshetty, 2009), indicating the formation of 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde due to meta-ring cleavage of catechol by catechol-2,3-dioxygenase (Kojima et al., 1961; Nozaki et al., 1963). Specific activity versus growth profiles showed maximum activity of 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid hydroxylase and 1,2-dihydroxynaphthalene dioxygenase at

18 h, and maximum activity of catechol-2,3-dioxygenase at 21 h (Deveryshetty, 2009). Salicylate-1-hydroxylase activity was detectable, U0126 purchase but at low levels. Cells grown on glucose showed neither O2 uptake nor enzyme activities in the cell-free extract (Deveryshetty, 2009), indicating that the enzymes of the pathway are inducible. 1-Hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid hydroxylase

in the cell-free extract was stabilized by 1-H2NA (0.1 mM), FAD (5 μM), dithiothreitol (2 mM) and glycerol (5%). Interestingly, the enzyme showed stability at 60 °C for 5 min in the presence of 1-H2NA, while the activity of salicylate-1-hydroxylase was lost, suggesting the presence of two distinct enzymes PRKD3 in the strain PPH. Using heat treatment, ammonium sulfate fractionation and DEAE anion-exchange chromatography, 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid hydroxylase was partially purified (81-fold, with a 48% yield and a specific activity of 1518 nmol min−1 mg−1 protein) from phenanthrene-grown cells of Alcaligenes sp. strain PPH (Table 3). Native-PAGE analysis showed a prominent band of lower mobility and two minor contaminating bands with higher mobility (Fig. 1a). SDS-PAGE analysis showed a progressive enrichment of a protein band of ∼34 kDa (Fig. 1b). Additional purification steps such as hydrophobic (Phenyl- and Octyl-Sepharose) or gel filtration chromatography led to the total or a significant (∼70%) loss of activity, respectively, without achieving any further purification.