Background: Little is known regarding the extent or targets of phosphorylation in mycoplasmas, yet in many other bacterial species phosphorylation is known to play an important role in signaling and regulation of cellular processes. To determine the prevalence of phosphorylation in mycoplasmas, we examined the CHAPS-soluble protein fractions of Mycoplasma genitalium and Mycoplasma pneumoniae by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE), using a combination of Pro-Q Diamond phosphoprotein stain and 33 P labeling. Protein spots that were positive for phosphorylation were identified by peptide mass fingerprinting using MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometry.

The recycling of cellulose from cotton textiles would minimize the use of virgin crop fibers, but recycled polymers are generally inferior in mechanical performance to those made from virgin resins. This challenge prompted the investigation of biobased additives that were capable of improving the mechanical properties of fibers by means of antiplasticizing additives. In this study, regenerated cellulose (RC) fibers were spun from cellulose found in cotton T-shirts, and fibers were mechanically strengthened with glucaric acid (GA), a nontoxic product of fermentation. The recycled pulp was activated using aqueous sodium hydroxide and then followed by acid neutralization, prior to the direct dissolution in lithium chloride/N,N-dimethylacetamide (LiCl/DMAc) at 3 wt.% cellulose. At 10% (w/w) GA, the tensile modulus and strength of regenerated cellulose from recycled cotton fibers increased five-fold in contrast to neat fibers without GA. The highest modulus and tenacity values of 664 cN/dtex and of 9.7 cN/dtex were reported for RC fibers containing GA.

The alarming rise of ciprofloxacin-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been reported in several clinical studies. Though the mutation of resistance genes and their role in drug resistance has been researched, the process by which the bacterium acquires high-level resistance is still not well understood. How does the genomic evolution of P. aeruginosa affect resistance development? Could the exposure of antibiotics to the bacteria enrich genomic variants that lead to the development of resistance, and if so, how are these variants distributed through the genome? To answer these questions, we performed 454 pyrosequencing and a whole genome analysis both before and after exposure to ciprofloxacin. The comparative sequence data revealed 93 unique resistance strain variation sites, which included a mutation in the DNA gyrase subunit A gene. We generated variationdistribution maps comparing the wild and resistant types, and isolated 19 candidates from three discrete resistance-associated high variability regions that had available transposon mutants, to perform a ciprofloxacin exposure assay. Of these region candidates with transposon disruptions, 79% (15/19) showed a reduction in the ability to gain high-level resistance, suggesting that genes within these high variability regions might enrich for certain functions associated with resistance development.

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