Toxins convert the hepatocellular response to tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) stimulation from proliferation to cell death, suggesting that hepatotoxins somehow sensitize hepatocytes to TNF-α toxicity. Because nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation confers resistance to TNF-α cytotoxicity in nonhepatic cells, the possibility that toxin-induced sensitization to TNF-α killing results from inhibition of NF-κB-dependent gene expression was examined in the RALA rat hepatocyte cell line sensitized to TNF-α cytotoxicity by actinomycin D (ActD). ActD did not affect TNF-α-induced hepatocyte NF-κB activation but decreased NF-κB-dependent gene expression. Expression of an IκB superrepressor rendered RALA hepatocytes sensitive to TNF-α-induced apoptosis in the absence of ActD. Apoptosis was blocked by caspase inhibitors, and TNF-α treatment led to activation of caspase-2, caspase-3, and caspase-8 only when NF-κB activation was blocked. Although apoptosis was blocked by the NF-κB-dependent factor nitric oxide (NO), inhibition of endogenous NO production did not sensitize cells to TNF-α-induced cytotoxicity. Thus NF-κB activation is the critical intracellular signal that determines whether TNF-α stimulates hepatocyte proliferation or apoptosis. Although exogenous NO blocks RALA hepatocyte TNF-α cytotoxicity, endogenous production of NO is not the mechanism by which NF-κB activation inhibits this death pathway.

A new environmental bacterial strain exhibited strong antimicrobial characteristics against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant strains of Enterococcus faecalis and Lactobacillus plantarum, and other Gram-positive bacteria. The producer strain, designated OSY-I 1 , was determined to be Brevibacillus laterosporus via morphological, biochemical, and genetic analyses. The antimicrobial agent was extracted from cells of OSY-I 1 with isopropanol, purified by high-performance liquid chromatography, and structurally analyzed using mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The MS and NMR results, taken together, uncovered a linear lipopeptide consisting of 13 amino acids and an N-terminal C 6 fatty acid (FA) chain, 2-hydroxy-3-methylpentanoic acid. The lipopeptide (FA-Dhb-Leu-Orn-Ile-Ile-Val-Lys-Val-Val-Lys-Tyr-Leu-valinol, where Dhb is ␣,␤-didehydrobutyric acid and valinol is 2-amino-3-methyl-1-butanol) has a molecular mass of 1,583.0794 Da and contains three modified amino acid residues: ␣,␤-didehydrobutyric acid, ornithine, and valinol. The compound, designated brevibacillin, was determined to be a member of a cationic lipopeptide antibiotic family. In addition to its potency against drugresistant bacteria, brevibacillin also exhibited low MICs (1 to 8 g/ml) against selected foodborne pathogenic and spoilage bacteria, such as Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, and Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris. Purified brevibacillin showed no sign of degradation when it was held at 80°C for 60 min, and it retained at least 50% of its antimicrobial activity when it was held for 22 h under acidic or alkaline conditions. On the basis of these findings, brevibacillin is a potent antimicrobial lipopeptide which is potentially useful to combat drug-resistant bacterial pathogens and foodborne pathogenic and spoilage bacteria. U nregulated access to antibiotics is one of the main reasons for the spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogens and their resistance genes through migration, travel, and trade (1). It was reported that in Europe alone, 25,000 patients die annually because of bacterial infections which cannot be treated with common antibiotics (2). Examples of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus spp., carbapenem-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and highly virulent multidrug-resistant Clostridium difficile strains (2-5). Therefore, the discovery and development of new antimicrobial agents are of paramount importance. Despite their natural scarcity, new antimicrobial agents can be discovered by subjecting microorganisms that potentially produce such agents to screening and isolation processes (6, 7).The current study led to the discovery of a new strain of Brevibacillus sp. with promising antimicrobial activity. The genus Brevibacillus was established in 1996 on the basis of a genetic reclassification of strains previously recognized to be Bacillus brevis (8). Many bioactive compounds have been...

Summary:Ex vivo purging of contaminating tumor cells may reduce the incidence of relapse in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. In this study we demonstrate that resveratrol, a phytoalexin with anti-oxidant and chemopreventive activity, exhibits anti-leukemic activity against mouse (32Dp210, L1210) and human (U937, HL-60) leukemic cell lines by inhibiting cell proliferation. Long-term exposure to resveratrol also inhibits the clonal growth of normal hematopoietic progenitor cells but at a higher IC 50

No abstract

Species that are currently listed under the genus Brevibacillus (formerly, Bacillus brevis cluster) have been a rich source of antimicrobial peptides for many decades. The first known peptide antibiotic, gramicidin, is presumed to be produced by a Brevibacillus sp. Members of the genus are widely spread in nature. They can be found in a variety of environments including intestinal tracts of animals, seawater, and soil. Some Brevibacillus strains have been used commercially as probiotics. Bioactive peptides produced by Brevibacillus spp. include antibacterial, antifungal and anti-invertebrate agents. Brevibacillus antimicrobial peptides are synthesized through ribosomal or nonribosomal pathway; these two groups can be further categorized based on specific structural features such as cyclization and presence of lipid chain. Some of the antimicrobial compounds produced by this genus share structural similarities that were overlooked previously. For example, the structural similarity between BT peptide, brevibacillin, and bogorol was revealed only recently. Here we review and classify Brevibacillus antimicrobial peptides and summarize their bioactivities and potential applications.

A new method using nonthermal plasma to add Cl active sites on activated carbon was proposed to improve the efficiency of activated carbon (AC) for removal of mercury from flue gas. The experiments were conducted via a lab-scale dielectric barrier discharge nonthermal plasma system and a vertical adsorption reactor. The results showed that the nonthermal plasma treatment with a small amount of Cl successfully added Cl active sites on AC and greatly increased the mercury removal efficiency of AC by chemisorption in a very short treatment time. The increase in Cl concentration for AC treatment promoted the efficiency of AC. The capacity of mercury adsorption positively correlated with the content of Cl for AC treatment, which depends on the number of Cl active sites on activated carbon. The treated AC maintained a high mercury removal efficiency within a temperature range of 30-210 °C. SO and HO in flue gas inhibited the removal of mercury by AC, while HCl had a promotional effect. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicated the chemisorption of mercury was attributed to the C-Cl groups generated on AC surfaces during Cl nonthermal plasma treatment. The C-Cl groups as active sites had strong adsorption energy for mercury, which converted elemental mercury to HgCl.

Brevibacillin is a newly-discovered antimicrobial lipopeptide produced by Brevibacillus laterosporus OSY-I. It is active against Gram-positive bacteria, including antibiotic resistant strains. This research was initiated to investigate the mechanism of action of brevibacillin against an indicator strain, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538. Results of the study proved that brevibacillin binds to lipoteichoic acid (LTA) on cell wall before interacting with cell membrane. Additionally, brevibacillin disrupts S. aureus cytoplasmic membrane by increasing its permeability, depolarization and potassium leakage. Therefore, cytoplasmic membrane serves as a major target for brevibacillin. Despite the presence of multiple sites on S. aureus cell envelope, scanning electron microscope observation didn't reveal evidence of cell lysis or any morphological defects in cells treated with brevibacillin. Based on the results of this study, we propose that the electrostatic interaction between the cationic brevibacillin and the anionic LTA helped the accumulation of the antimicrobial agent at cell surface; this was followed by translocation of the lipopeptide to the cytoplasmic membrane and disrupting its vital functions.

No abstract