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  • 1
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: Many strains of mycobacteria produce two ferric chelating substances that are termed exochelin (an excreted product) and mycobactin (a cell-associated product). These agents may function as iron acquisition siderophores. To examine the genetics of the iron acquisition system in mycobacteria, ultraviolet (UV) and transposon (Tn611 ) mutagenesis techniques were used to generate exochelin-deficient mutants of Mycobacterium smegmatis strains ATCC 607 and LR222 respectively. Mutants were identified on CAS siderophore detection agar plates. Comparisons of the amounts of CAS-reactive material excreted by the possible mutant strains with that of the wild-type strains verified that seven UV mutant strains and two confirmed transposition mutant strains were deficient in exochelin production. Cell-associated mycobactin production in the mutants appeared to be normal. From the two transposon mutants, the mutated gene regions were cloned and identified by colony hybridization with an IS6100 probe, and the DNA regions flanking the transposon insertion sites were then used as probes to clone the wild-type loci from M. smegmatis LR222 genomic DNA. Complementation assays showed that an 8 kb Pst I fragment and a 4.8 kb Pst I/SacI subclone of this fragment complemented one transposon mutant (LUN2) and one UV mutant (R92). A 10.1 kb SacI fragment restored exochelin production to the other transposon mutant (LUN1). The nucleotide sequence of the 15.3 kb DNA region that spanned the two transposon insertion sites overlapped the 5′ region of the previously reported exochelin biosynthetic gene fxbA and contained three open reading frames that were transcribed in the opposite orientation to fxbA. The corresponding genes were designated exiT, fxbB and fxbC. The deduced amino acid sequence of ExiT suggested that it was a member of the ABC transporter superfamily, while FxbB and FxbC displayed significant homology with many enzymes (including pristinamycin I synthetase) that catalyse non-ribosomal peptide synthesis. We propose that the peptide backbone of the siderophore exochelin is synthesized in part by enzymes resembling non-ribosomal peptide synthetases and that the ABC transporter ExiT is responsible for exochelin excretion.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 2
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Oxford, UK : Blackwell Publishing Ltd
    FEMS immunology and medical microbiology 45 (2005), S. 0 
    ISSN: 1574-695X
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: Excess of iron promotes Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, its replication and progression to clinical disease and death from tuberculosis. Chelation of iron may reduce M. tuberculosis replication, restore host defence mechanisms and it could constitute an application in the prevention and treatment strategies where both iron overload and tuberculosis are prevalent. We investigated the effect of iron and iron chelating agents, like desferrioxamine and silybin, individually and in combination with iron on mycobacterial number, viability in culture and after recovery from monocyte-macrophages, together with monocyte-macrophages viability and oxidative defence. Mycobacterial number and viability in culture were assessed using real-time quantitative PCR of H37Rv IS6110 DNA, 16S rRNA and 85B mRNA, whereas the microplate AlamarBlueTM assay was used to detect viability in culture post-infection. Mitochondrial membrane potential and phosphatidyl serine exposure of monocyte-macrophages, detected using Mitotracker Red fluorescence and Annexin V binding, respectively, served as indicators of host cell viability. Superoxide generation served as marker of monocyte-macrophage effector functions. Extracellular H37Rv showed a significant increase in number and viability in presence of excess iron and, by large, a significant decrease in number and viability in presence of the iron chelating agents, silybin and desferrioxamine, compared to cultivation without supplementation. Intracellularly, excess iron increased H37Rv viability significantly but reduced monocyte-macrophages mitochondrial membrane potential and compromised superoxide production. Desferrioxamine had little influence on intracellular parameters, but consistently prevented effects of excess iron, while silybin significantly altered most intracellular parameters and mostly failed to prevent effects of excess iron. These findings suggest that chelation therapy should be considered in conditions of iron overload and that effective chelating agents like desferrioxamine, with limited intracellular access might need to be used in combination with lypophilic chelating agents.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 3
    ISSN: 1365-2958
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Biology , Medicine
    Notes: Changes in the mRNA levels of two Mycobacterium tuberculosis genes (fbpB known as antigen 85B, and hspX known as Acr) were studied in infected human monocytes. Antigen 85B is an enzyme involved in cell wall biosynthesis and is also a major target of the immune response. Acr is a stress protein believed to be involved in the bacillary response to adverse conditions and in non-replicating persistence. During the first 24 h of intracellular infection, the intramonocyte 85B mRNA level increased 54-fold (P = 0.00001) and 14.6 times in comparison with the 16S ribosomal rRNA. In contrast, the Acr mRNA fell 14.3 times. Although monocyte cytokine production was very variable, the 24 h secretion of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α correlated with the 85B−16S RNA ratio at 24 h (r = 0.77, Pcorr 〈 0.01). Furthermore, the addition of exogenous TNF-α to cultures was associated with a twofold increase in the 85B−16S ratio and, conversely, neutralization of endogenous TNF-α reduced the ratio. As antigen 85B also induces TNF-α, the positive feedback implied by our findings suggests a previously unsuspected role for this protein in the immunopathogenesis of tuberculosis.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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