Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) strains of Beijing lineage have caused great concern because of their rapid emergence of drug resistance and worldwide spread. DNA mutation rates that reflect evolutional adaptation to host responses and the appearance of drug resistance have not been elucidated in human-infected Beijing strains. We tracked and obtained an original Mtb isolate of Beijing lineage from the 1999 tuberculosis outbreak in Japan, as well as five other isolates that spread in humans, and two isolates from the patient caused recurrence. Three isolates were from patients who developed TB within one year after infection (rapid-progressor, RP), and the other three isolates were from those who developed TB more than one year after infection (slow-progressor, SP). We sequenced genomes of these isolates and analyzed the propensity and rate of genomic mutations. Generation time versus mutation rate curves were significantly higher for RP. The ratio of oxidative versus non-oxidation damages induced mutations was higher in SP than RP, suggesting that persistent Mtb are exposed to oxidative stress in the latent state. Our data thus demonstrates that higher mutation rates of Mtb Beijing strains during human infection is likely to account for the higher adaptability and an emergence ratio of drug resistance.

We previously reported that R. erythropolis PR4 translocated from the aqueous to the alkane phase, and then grew in two phase cultures to which long-chain alkanes had been added. This was considered to be beneficial for bioremediation. In the present study, we investigated the proteins involved in the translocation of R. erythropolis PR4. The results of our proteogenomic analysis suggested that GroEL2 was upregulated more in cells that translocated inside of the pristane (C19) phase than in those located at the aqueous-alkane interface attached to the n-dodecane (C12) surface. PR4 (pK4-EL2-1) and PR4 (pK4-ΔEL2-1) strains were constructed to confirm the effects of the upregulation of GroEL2 in translocated cells. The expression of GroEL2 in PR4 (pK4-EL2-1) was 15.5-fold higher than that in PR4 (pK4-ΔEL2-1) in two phase cultures containing C12. The growth and cell surface lipophilicity of PR4 were enhanced by the introduction of pK4-EL2-1. These results suggested that the plasmid overexpression of groEL2 in PR4 (pK4-EL2-1) led to changes in cell localization, enhanced growth, and increased cell surface lipophilicity. Thus, we concluded that the overexpression of GroEL2 may play an important role in increasing the organic solvent tolerance of R. erythropolis PR4 in aqueous-alkane two phase cultures.

Obesity and related disorders, which are increasing in adults worldwide, are closely linked to childhood diet and are associated with chronic inflammation. Rice endosperm protein (REP) intake during adulthood has been reported to improve lipid metabolism and suppress the progression of diabetic kidney disease in animal models. However, the effects of REP intake during childhood on adulthood health are unclear. Therefore, we used a mouse model to experimentally investigate the preconditioning effects of REP intake during childhood on the development of obesity and related disorders in adulthood. Male C57BL/6J mice were pair-fed a normal-fat diet containing casein or REP during the juvenile period and then a high-fat diet (HFD) containing casein or REP during adulthood. Mice fed REP during the juvenile period showed better body weight, blood pressure, serum lipid profiles, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein levels, and glucose tolerance in adulthood than those fed casein during the juvenile period. HFD-induced renal tubulo-glomerular alterations and hepatic microvesicular steatosis were less evident in REP-fed mice than in casein-fed ones. REP intake during the juvenile period improved HFD-induced dysbiosis (i.e., Escherichia genus proliferation and reduced gut microbiota diversity), thereby suppressing endotoxin-related chronic inflammation. Indeed, REP-derived peptides showed antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, a major producer of LPS. In conclusion, REP supplementation during the juvenile period may regulate the gut microbiota and thus suppress the development of obesity and related disorders in adulthood in mice.

Background Parechovirus (PeV)-A3 and enteroviruses (EV) are the most common viruses causing sepsis and meningoencephalitis in neonates and young infants. Clinical manifestations of PeV-A3 infection are more severe than those of EV infection, and no pleocytosis with a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) result for PeV-A3 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are characteristic findings. We hypothesized that innate immune responses to PeV-A3 and EV are distinct in serum and CSF. Methods We evaluated 22 cytokines/chemokines in serum and CSF from PeV-A3- or EV-infected patients younger than 4 months in Niigata, Japan, from 2015 through 2018. Infection was diagnosed with real-time PCR followed by sequencing. Febrile neonates and infants with sepsis-like syndrome who had negative bacterial culture and viral PCR for both PeV-A and EV were also included (non-PeV-A/EV patients). Results Among 192 febrile patients, we evaluated 16 PeV-A3-infected, 15 EV-infected, and 8 non-PeV-A/EV patients. Serum pro-/anti-inflammatory cytokine/chemokine levels were higher in PeV-A3-infected patients than in EV-infected patients (P < .02). Although most cytokine/chemokine were elevated in CSF from EV-infected patients, levels were low or undetectable in PeV-A3-infected and non-PeV-A/EV patients (P < .001). Conclusions Distinct cytokine/chemokine patterns in serum and CSF may explain the different clinical manifestations of PeV-A3-infected and EV-infected neonates and young infants.

We examined bacteria capable of transforming lignin-derived compounds into industrially or economically valuable substances from the seawater after the Great East Japan Earthquake-caused tsunami. Pseudomonas sp. ITH-SA-1 produced water-soluble fluorescent substances from the lignin-derived aromatic, syringaldehyde (SYAL). They: are polymeric substances derived from 3-O-methyl gallate produced through transformation of SYAL via syringate; are not known compounds reported previously; have excitation/emission peaks at 365/498 nm, respectively; and have an average molecular weight of 7.2 kDa. Despite the fact that aromatic structure generally plays an important role in the planarity and rigidity of organic fluorescent substance, the spectroscopic analyses revealed that aromatic rings were not detected in the molecules. Their activity is particularly rare and the biotransforming capabilities will contribute to the development of new basic techniques for the effective utilization of lignin.