Moleculer dynamics simulaiton revealed reciever domain of Acinetobacter baumannii BfmR enzyme as the hot spot for future antibiotics designing

Acinetobacter baumannii is an alarming nosocomial pathogen that is resistant to multiple drugs. The pathogen is forefront of scientific attention because of high mortality and morbidity found for its complications in the past decade. As a consequence, identification of novel drug candidates and subsequent designing of novel chemical scaffolds is an imperative need of time. In the present study, we used a recently reported structure of BfmR enzyme and performed structure based virtual screening, MD simulation and binding free energies calculations. MD simulation revealed a profound movement of the best-characterized inhibitor towards the α4-β5-α5 face of the enzyme receiver domain, thus indicating its high affinity for this site compared to phosphorylation. Furthermore, it was observed that the enzyme and enzyme-inhibitor complex have high structure stability with mean RMSD of 1.2 and 1.1 Å, respectively. Binding free energy calculations for the complex unraveled high stability with MMGBSA score of ?26.21?kcal/mol and MMPBSA score of ?1.47?kcal/mol. Van der Waal energy was found highly favorable with value of ?30.25?kcal/mol and dominated significantly the overall binding energy. Furthermore, a novel WaterSwap assay was used to circumvent the limitations of MMGB/PBSA that complements the inhibitor affinity for enzyme active pocket as depicted by the low convergence of Bennett, TI and FEP algorithms. Results yielded from this study will not only give insight into the phenomena of inhibitor movement towards the enzyme receiver domain, but will also provide a useful baseline for designing derivatives with improved biological and pharmacokinetics profiles.

Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma     

Purification and properties of pyrophosphatase of Acinetobacter johnsonii 210A and its involvement in the degradation of polyphosphate

Inorganic pyrophosphatase (E.C. 3.6.1.1) of Acinetobacter johnsonii210A was purified 200-fold to apparent homogeneity. The enzyme catalyzedthe hydrolysis of inorganic pyrophosphate and triphosphate to orthophosphate.No activity was observed with other polyphosphates and a wide variety oforganic phosphate esters. The molecular mass of the enzyme was estimatedto be 141 kDa by gelfiltration. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gelelectrophoresis indicated a subunit composition of six identical polypeptideswith a molecular mass of 23 kDa. The cation Mg² was required foractivity, the activity with Mn², Co² and Zn² was 48, 48 and 182% of the activity observed with Mg², respectively. The enzyme was heat-stable and inhibited by fluoride and iodoacetamide. The analysis of the kinetic properties of the enzyme revealed an apparent K_m for pyrophosphate of 0.26 mM. In A. johnsonii 210A, pyrophosphatase may be involved in the degradation of high-molecular polyphosphates under anaerobic conditions: (i) it catalyses the further hydrolysis of pyrophosphate and triphosphate formed from high-molecular weight polyphosphates by the action of exopolyphosphatase, and (ii) it abolishes the inhibition of polyphosphate: AMP phosphotransferase-mediated degradation by pyrophosphate and triphosphate.     

Enhanced detection and characterization of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase in Acinetobacter lwoffii K24 by proteomics using a column separation

Acinetobacter lwoffii K24 known as an aniline degrading bacterium has also been found to utilize p-hydroxybenzoate as a sole carbon source. In this study, 2-DE using Q-Sepharose column separation was attempted for fast screening of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase for catabolism of p-hydroxybenzoate in A. lwoffii K24. Two protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase subunits, pcaG and pcaH were detected and identified with N-terminal and internal sequencing, suggesting proteomics using a column separation may be helpful for the identification of specific protein spots and maximizing the detectable protein spots on the 2-DE gel. The PCR process using degenerate primers for protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase and sequence analyses of the PCR products revealed the existence of pcaH and pcaG in A. lwoffii K24. These two subunits were found to be closely located and share extensive homology with pcaH and pcaG of Pseudomonas marginata or Pseudomonas cepacia, providing the evidence that A. lwoffi K24 has the protocatechuate branches as well as catechol branches of beta-ketoadipate pathway.     

呼吸机相关性肺炎鲍氏不动杆菌感染的临床特征分析

目的：研究呼吸机相关性肺炎鲍氏不动杆菌感染的临床特征。方法：选取2010 年1 月到2015 年1 月我院收治的应用呼吸 机患者130 例,根据是否合并肺炎鲍氏不动杆菌感染将患者分为研究组（86 例）和对照组（44 例）,分析呼吸机相关性肺炎鲍氏不 动杆菌的临床特征,然后根据药敏实验选择应用药物进行治疗,并观察治疗效果。结果：呼吸机相关性肺炎鲍氏不动杆菌感染的 分布科室主要以ICU 为主,大约为76.74％,神经外科次之,大约为8.14％;研究组呼吸机应用时间（18.72± 3.15）天显著长于对照 组（6.18± 0.02）天,两组比较差异具有统计学意义（P＜0.05）;研究组经舒巴坦联合左氧氟沙星或者亚胺培南治疗后总有效率为 91.86％。结论：呼吸机相关性肺炎鲍氏不动杆菌多发生于ICU,且感染者呼吸机应用时间较长,联合治疗效果显著。     

热稳定碱性脂肪酶产生菌的筛选及发酵条件的优化

从渤海湾盐碱地被油污染的土样中分离筛选出6株产热稳定碱性脂肪酶菌株。其中菌株1-7产脂肪酶能力较强,其最高酶活为8.67U/mL。根据其16S rDNA序列分析和Biolog生理生化分析,初步鉴定为醋酸钙不动杆菌(Acinetobacter calcoaceticus)。初步酶学性质研究表明该菌所产脂肪酶具有较好的热稳定性,最适作用pH为9.0。摇瓶实验表明,该菌株最适产酶培养基为(g/L):玉米粉10,黄豆饼粉20,K_2HPO_4 1,NaNO_3 5,橄榄油10。最适产酶条件为:初始pH 8.0,培养温度37℃,培养时间29 h。接种量为2%,250 mL摇瓶装液量为30 mL。     

Bacterial growth kinetics estimation by fluorescence in situ hybridization and spectrofluorometric quantification

AIMS: The aim of this study was to develop a specific and rapid method to identify and quantify relevant bacterial populations in mixed biomass by spectrofluorometric quantification (SQ) of whole cells hybridized with fluorescently labelled oligonucleotide probes targeting mature 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA). Probe targeting the precursor of rRNA synthesis was also employed because it was being suggested as more indicative of the activity state of the micro-organisms. METHODS AND RESULTS: Original fluorescence in situ hybridization protocol was modified to be applied to liquid samples and the fluorescence emission from the Cy3-labelled cells was measured by spectrofluorometry. The method was calibrated on an exponentially growing cell suspension of Acinetobacter johnsonii and was successfully applied to generate kinetic data. No substantial difference in the estimated maximum specific growth rate (mu(max)) values was found between the SQ method and the classical method, using absorbance at 420 nm (6.2 d(-1)). The preliminary validation tests showed their direct applicability to target enriched cultures. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the validity of the SQ method to easily quantify the concentration and to determine the growth rate of specific micro-organisms present in mixed cultures. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The proposed method can be directly utilized for quantification and kinetic characterization of microbial enrichments. It has the advantage of being easily applicable using simple, inexpensive equipment suitable for routine analysis.     

306株鲍曼不动杆菌的临床分布及耐药性监测

目的调查杭州市某医院鲍曼不动杆菌感染的临床分布及其耐药性现状。方法监测该院2004年1月至2006年12月临床分离的306株鲍曼不动杆菌的临床感染分布及耐药性,药物敏感试验采用琼脂纸片扩散法,耐药性数据分析采用WHONET 5软件。结果2004年至2006年3年间,鲍曼不动杆菌的检出率呈逐年增加趋势(从1.60%增至2.40%);临床分布以重症监护室(ICU)最高(84/306),老年患者多见(131/306);有184株(60.13%)来源于痰液标本。药敏试验结果显示鲍曼不动杆菌对美罗培南最敏感,耐药率为4.6%;其次是亚胺培南/西司他丁和头孢哌酮/舒巴坦,耐药率分别为7.2%及8.5%;对3代头孢菌素及环丙沙星的耐药率均>50.0%;同时发现185株(60.5%)为多重耐药菌株。结论鲍曼不动杆菌对碳青霉烯类抗生素及头孢哌酮/舒巴坦较敏感,临床医师应注意合理使用抗菌药物,以减少多重耐药菌株的产生。     

危重病房耐碳青霉烯酶鲍曼不动杆菌同源性研究

目的探讨杭州市第一医院危重病房耐碳青霉烯酶鲍曼不动杆菌之间的同源性,进行分子流行病学调查,旨在为制定预防和控制其院内感染的措施提供依据。方法收集该院危重病房2005年1月至12月分离到的34株亚胺培南耐药鲍曼不动杆菌。采用全自动微生物分析系统VITEK-AMS60对34株耐碳青霉烯酶鲍曼不动杆菌进行鉴定及药敏;用琼脂稀释法和E-test法测定14种抗菌药物的最低抑菌浓度(MIC),脉冲场凝胶电泳(PF-GE)分析其耐药株的同源性,对碳青霉烯类基因OXA-23型、OXA-24型、IMP型、VIM型基因进行PCR扩增及序列分析。结果PFGE发现34株鲍曼不动杆菌菌株为同一耐药克隆株,在危重病房呈爆发流行。所有对亚胺培南耐药鲍曼不动杆菌明确产OXA-23型碳青霉烯酶,未检出OXA-24、IMP、VIM基因型。34株菌株质粒提取未成功。结论该院同一个耐药克隆株在危重病房不同患者身上流行,可能与行气管插管、呼吸机、氧气湿化瓶、护士手操作有关。     

ε-聚赖氨酸发酵过程污染微生物的分离与鉴定

【目的】研究ε-聚赖氨酸发酵过程中污染微生物的种类。【方法】采用稀释涂布法、划线法、环境胁迫法和液体营养富集法等对污染样本进行微生物的分离与纯化,通过菌落形态和显微观察,再结合16S rRNA基因序列分析,确定分离菌株的系统发育地位,并对分离菌株的ε-聚赖氨酸耐受性进行考察。【结果】液体营养富集法实现了污染微生物的分离,通过16S rRNA基因序列分析鉴定其为一株Acinetobacter bereziniae,并证实该菌能在高浓度ε-聚赖氨酸条件下生长。【结论】Acinetobacter bereziniae是ε-聚赖氨酸发酵过程中的主要污染微生物,这为后期发酵污染防治提供了一定的指导作用。     

Structural and Functional Characterization of Acinetobacter baumannii Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase

近年来,鲍曼不动杆菌(Acinetobacter baumannii)在医院里越来越受到人们的关注,尤其是在重症监护病房(ICUs)．它以强大的多重耐药性(multiresistance)而闻名．核苷二磷酸激酶(nucleoside diphosphate kinase,NDK)是一种进化上非常保守的酶,它能催化核苷之间磷酸基团的转移．我们解析了鲍曼不动杆菌NDK野生型和C端氨基酸残基Arg141-Thr142-Arg143(RTR)截短突变体的结构．通过和黄色黏菌(Myxococcus xanthus)NDK的三维结构进行比较,推断鲍曼不动杆菌NDK的催化机制和黄色黏菌类似．通过激酶活性实验和圆二色谱实验,发现鲍曼不动杆菌NDK E28A突变体二级结构发生了改变,从而导致蛋白催化活性降低,说明Glu28是鲍曼不动杆菌NDK结构中非常关键的氨基酸残基．鲍曼不动杆菌NDK C端RTR截短突变体显示出催化活性极大的降低,这可能与C端RTR残基介导的二体间相互作用有关．虽然RTR截短突变体中的Lys33伸向了和野生型中不同的方向,和Val15产生相互作用弥补了一部分因为RTR截短丢失的相互作用,维持了RTR截短突变体和野生型类似的结构．但是,Lys33产生的相互作用依然太弱,不足以维持蛋白在催化的动态过程中整体结构的高效转换．我们解析的鲍曼不动杆菌NDK晶体高分辨率结构将有助于科学家设计针对鲍曼不动杆菌的药物．