J Bacteriol. 2009 January; 191(1): 152160. Published online 2008 October 17. doi: 10.1128/JB.

01105-08 Copyright 2009, American Society for Microbiology

PMCID: PMC2612442

Macroamphiphilic Components of Thermophilic Actinomycetes: Identification of Lipoteichoic Acid inThermobifida fusca

Obaidur Rahman,1 Markus Pfitzenmaier,2 Oxana Pester,1 Siegfried Morath,3 Stephen P. Cummings,1 Thomas Hartung,4 and Iain C. Sutcliffe1*
School of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, United Kingdom,1 Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany, 2 EU Joint Research Centre, Institute for Health and Consumer Protection In-Vitro Toxicology Unit/European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM), T.P. 580, Via E. Fermi 2749, I-21027 Ispra,3 EU Joint Research Centre, Institute for the Protection and the Security of the Citizen (IPSC), Traceability, Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Unit (TRiVA), 21027 Ispra, Italy4 * Corresponding author. Mailing address: Biomolecular and Biomedical Research Centre, School of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 191 227 4071. Fax: 44 191 227 3519. E-mail: iain.sutcliffe@unn.ac.uk Present address: Technische Universitt Mnchen, Lehrstuhl fr Chemie der Biopolymere, Weihenstephaner Berg 3, D-85354 Freising, Germany. Received August 7, 2008; Accepted October 13, 2008. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.
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ABSTRACT
The cell envelopes of gram-positive bacteria contain structurally diverse membraneanchored macroamphiphiles (lipoteichoic acids and lipoglycans) whose functions are poorly understood. Since regulation of membrane composition is an important feature of adaptation to life at higher temperatures, we have examined the nature of the macroamphiphiles present in the thermophilic actinomycetes Thermobifida fuscaand Rubrobacter xylanophilus. Following hot-phenol-water extraction and purification by hydrophobic interaction chromatography, Western blotting with a monoclonal antibody against lipoteichoic acid strongly suggested the presence of a polyglycerophosphate lipoteichoic acid in T. fusca. This structure was confirmed by chemical and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses, which confirmed that the lipoteichoic acid is substituted with -glucosyl residues, in common with the teichoic acid of this organism. In contrast, several extraction methods failed to recover significant macroamphiphilic carbohydrate- or phosphate-containing material from R. xylanophilus, suggesting that this actinomycete most likely lacks a membrane-anchored macroamphiphile. The finding of a polyglycerophosphate lipoteichoic acid in T. fusca suggests that lipoteichoic acids may be more widely present in the cell envelopes of actinomycetes than was previously assumed. However, the apparent absence of macroamphiphiles in the cell envelope of R. xylanophilus is highly unusual and suggests that macroamphiphiles may not always be essential for cell envelope homeostasis in gram-positive bacteria.

Cadmium Ion Biosorption by the Thermophilic BacteriaGeobacillus stearothermophilus and G. thermocatenulatus

Adrian Hetzer,1* Christopher J. Daughney,2 and Hugh W. Morgan1
Thermophile Research Unit, University of Waikato, Te Whare Wananga o Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand,1 Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, Lower Hutt, New Zealand 2 * Corresponding author. Mailing address: Thermophile Research Unit, University of Waikato, Te Whare Wananga o Waikato, Gate 1 Knighton Road, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand. Phone: (64) 7-838 4466-8265. Fax: (64) 7-838-4324. E-mail: hetzer.adrian@web.de. Received February 6, 2006; Accepted March 30, 2006. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.
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ABSTRACT
This study reports surface complexation models (SCMs) for quantifying metal ion adsorption by thermophilic microorganisms. In initial cadmium ion toxicity tests, members of the genus Geobacillus displayed the highest tolerance to CdCl2 (as high as 400 to 3,200 M). The thermophilic, gram-positive bacteria Geobacillus stearothermophilus and G. thermocatenulatus were selected for further electrophoretic mobility, potentiometric titration, and Cd2+ adsorption experiments to characterize Cd2+ complexation by functional groups within and on the cell wall. Distinct one-site SCMs described the extent of cadmium ion adsorption by both studied Geobacillus sp. strains over a range of pH values and metal/bacteria concentration ratios. The results indicate that a functional group with a deprotonation constant pK value of approximately 3.8 accounts for 66% and 80% of all titratable sites for G. thermocatenulatus and G. stearothermophilus, respectively, and is dominant in Cd2+ adsorption reactions. The results suggest a different type of functional group may be involved in cadmium biosorption for both thermophilic strains investigated here, compared to previous reports for mesophilic bacteria.

Appl Environ Microbiol. 2005 January; 71(1): 169174. doi: 10.1128/AEM.71.1.169-174.2005 Copyright 2005, American Society for Microbiology

PMCID: PMC544228

Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance of ThermophilicCampylobacter spp. from Cattle Farms in Washington State
Wonki Bae,1,2 Katherine N. Kaya,3 Dale D. Hancock,3 Douglas R. Call,2Yong Ho Park,1 and Thomas E. Besser2*

Department of Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea,1 Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology,2 Field Disease Investigation Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington3 * Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7040. Phone: (509) 335-6075. Fax: (509) 3358529. E-mail: tbesser@vetmed.wsu.edu. Received April 20, 2004; Accepted August 23, 2004. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.
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ABSTRACT
The prevalence of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. was investigated in cattle on Washington State farms. A total of 350 thermophilic Campylobacter isolates were isolated from 686 cattle sampled on 15 farms (eight dairies, two calf rearer farms, two feedlots, and three beef cow-calf ranches). Isolate species were identified with a combination of phenotypic tests, hipO colony blot hybridization, and multiplex lpxAPCR. Breakpoint resistance to four antimicrobials (ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid, erythromycin, and doxycycline) was determined by agar dilution. Campylobacter jejuni was the most frequent species isolated (34.1%), followed by Campylobacter coli (7.7%) and other thermophilic campylobacters (1.5%). The most frequently detected resistance was to doxycycline (42.3% of 350 isolates). Isolates from calf rearer facilities were more frequently doxycycline resistant than isolates from other farm types. C. jejuni was most frequently susceptible to all four of the antimicrobial drugs studied (58.8% of 272 isolates). C. coli isolates were more frequently resistant than C. jejuni, including resistance to quinolone antimicrobials (89.3% of isolates obtained from calves on calf rearer farms) and to erythromycin (72.2% of isolates obtained from feedlot cattle). Multiple drug resistance was more frequent in C. coli(51.5%) than in C. jejuni (5.1%). The results of this study demonstrate that C. jejuni is widely distributed among Washington cattle farms, while C. coli is more narrowly distributed but significantly more resistant.