Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1951. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [31]-33).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1966. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Inaug.-Diss.--Bern. / At head of title: Aus dem Pathologischen institut der Königl. thierärztlichen hochschule zu München. From Monatshefte für prakische thierheikunde, bd. 15, p. 289-236, April 2, 1904. "Literatur": p. 47-48.

Magister Scientiae - MSc / Alternative sources of fuel are required worldwide, and bio-ethanol is the leading candidate. Lignocellulosic biomass, a waste component of the agricultural industry, is a promising renewable source. Due to its complex structure it is highly recalcitrant, requiring the synergistic action of a battery of enzymes to achieve complete digestion. These enzymes include cellulases, hemicellulase and the accessory enzymes acetyl xylan esterase (AXE) and ferulic acid esterase (FAE). Thermpohilic Actinomyces isolates with the ability to hydrolyze xylan were screened for esterase activity. Two isolates (ORS10 and GSIV1), identified as Streptomyces spp, were positive for AXE activity. A cosmid library representative of isolate ORS10 was composed and screened for AXE activity using -naphthyl acetate as substrate. An 18 kb cosmid clone, 18D7, tested positive for AXE activity. Intracellular fractions extracted from ORS10 were precipitated with ammonium sulphate and partially purified 161-fold. Specific activity was measured after dialysis and ion-exchange chromatography. Overall yield of the partially purified enzyme was 34 %. Two protein bands of molecular masses 40 kDa and 60 kDa have been subjected to trypsin digestion and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis. The partially purified AXE displayed optimum activity at pH 9 and at 50°C. AXE activity was stable for at least 1.5 hours between 30°C and 40°C, and for 24 hours between pH 6-9. The kM and Vmax values were 16.93 mg/ml and 1645 units/mg enzyme, respectively. The stability of the partially purified AXE at 30°C-40°C suggests potential for industrial applications that utilise mesophilic fermentations. / South Africa

The impact of different atrazine concentration on a chitinolytic actinomycete and the biodegradation of atrazine by this microbe was examined.Isolates were grown in pure culture in Chitin Mineral Salts Broth with and without addition of atrazine for a two month incubation at room temperature on a rotary shaker. Visual observations, analysis by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and radioisotope methodology were used to determine this impact on chitinolytic activity. Analysis by HPLC and Gas Chromatography with Electron Capture Detector (GC with ECD) were used to determine the breakdown of atrazine.No atrazine derivatives were determined by HPLC and GC analysis. Only the 0.1 ppm atrazine concentration with the actinomycete culture demonstrated tolerance to the atrazine and showed chitinolytic activity in the radioactive assay and chitin derivatives by HPLC. SEM and TEM work determined that the actinomycete was actually a Streptomyces sp. / Department of Biology

Diss. Naturwiss. ETH Zürich, Nr. 6945, 0000. Ref.: Leisinger, T. ; Korref.: Guggenheim, B.

Dental caries, more commonly referred to as cavities or tooth decay, is a widespread disease in humans estimated to directly affect around 3.5 billion people worldwide. Following recent advances in molecular and genetic technologies over the last several decades, it is commonly understood that the human body is inhabited by a diverse and vast quantity of microorganisms, collectively referred to as the microbiome. The microbiome has been increasingly tied to fluctuations in both human health and disease. Current understandings of these interactions have shifted the model for many diseases, especially dental caries, to be the result of complex interplays between the human host and the microscopic organisms living around and within it. The molecular activities of several oral cavity bacteria are specifically significant in the initiation and progression of the caries process. These molecular activities are closely tied to regular fluctuations in the environment of the oral cavity, particularly acidification and dietary intake of carbohydrates, that select for the proliferation of cariogenic species of bacteria. Of particular interest in this thesis are species of the Actinomyces genus and how various environmental fluctuations influence the genetic expression of these bacteria and consequentially lead to the development of plaque on the enamel surface of human teeth. The caries process will be investigated through the lens of the most modern theory of caries progression, the Ecological Plaque Hypothesis, and the role of Actinomyces in this process will be considered. In this thesis, it is hypothesized that the extracellular expression of the common heat-shock protein (Hsp) known as GroEL is upregulated due to an increase in concentration of acidic byproducts produced by neighboring bacteria species as well as other environmental perturbations. The role of extracellular GroEL in attachment to the enamel surface by Actinomyces species was suggested to play an essential role in development of a cariogenic bacterial profile within enamel-associated plaque. This initial Actinomyces attachment and subsequent plaque proliferation is essential for the initiation of the caries process. Environmental and molecular factors such as short-chain fatty acids and variable pH will be considered as they are related to the development of carious lesions on the tooth surface. The impact of diet on this process will also be considered and this will be related to dietary discrepancies across various human populations in America. These factors will be tied together by looking at the oral health interventions being done by Boston University in the surrounding community, and conclusions regarding potential therapeutic practices will close out the discussion.

Marine sponge-associated actinomycetes are considered as promising source for the discovery of novel biologically active compounds. Metabolomics coupled multivariate analysis can efficiently reduce the chemical redundancy of re-isolating known compounds at the very early stage of natural product discovery. This Ph.D. project aimed to isolate biologically active secondary metabolites from actinomycetes associated with different Mediterranean sponges with the assistance of metabolomics tools to implement a rapid dereplication and chemically distinct candidate targeting for further up-scaling compounds isolation. This study first focused on the recovery of actinomycetes from marine sponges by various cultivation efforts. Twelve different media and two separate pre-treatments of each bacterial extract were designed and applied to facilitate actinomycete diversity and richness. A total of 64 actinomycetes were isolated from 12 different marine sponge species. The isolates were affiliated to 23 genera representing 8 different suborders based on nearly full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Four putatively novel species belonging to the genera Geodermatophilus, Microlunatus, Rhodococcus, and Actinomycetospora were identified based on a sequence similarity <98.5% to validly described 16S rRNA gene sequences. 20% of the isolated actinomycetes was shown to exhibit diverse biological properties, including antioxidant, anti-Bacillus sp., anti-Aspergillus sp., and antitrypanosomal activities. The metabolomics approaches combined with the bioassay results identified two candidate strains Streptomyces sp. SBT348 and Streptomyces sp. SBT345 for further up-scaling cultivation and compounds isolation. Four compounds were isolated from Streptomyces sp. SBT348. Three of these compounds including the new cyclic dipeptide petrocidin A were previously highlighted in the metabolomics analyses, corroborating the feasibility of metabolomics approaches in novel compounds discovery. These four compounds were also tested against two pathogen microorganisms since the same activities were shown in their crude extract in the preliminary bioassay screening, however none of them displayed the expected activities, which may ascribe to the insufficient amount obtained. Streptomyces sp. SBT345 yielded 5 secondary metabolites, three of which were identified as new natural products, namely strepthonium A, ageloline A and strepoxazine A. Strepthonium A inhibited the production of Shiga toxin produced by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli at a concentration of 80 μM, without interfering with the bacterial growth. Ageloline A exhibited antioxidant activity and inhibited the inclusion of Chlamydia trachomatis with an IC50 value of 9.54 ± 0.36 μM. Strepoxazine A displayed antiproliferative property towards human promyelocytic HL-60 cells with an IC50 value of 16 μg/ml. 11 These results highlighted marine sponges as a rich source for novel actinomycetes and further exhibited the significance of marine sponge-associated actinomycetes as promising producers of novel biologically active compounds. The chemometrics coupled metabolomics approach also demonstrated its feasibility and efficacy in natural product discovery. / Schwamm-assoziierte Actinomyceten stellen eine vielversprechende Quelle für die Entdeckung neuer, biologisch aktiver Verbindungen dar. Metabolomik gekoppelte multivariate Datenalyse kann die erneute Isolation bekannter chemischer Verbindungen in einem frühen Stadium drastisch reduzieren und der Entdeckung neuer Naturstoffe dadurch effizienter machen. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, biologisch aktive Sekundärmetabolite aus Actinomyceten, welche mit Mittelmeerschwämmen assoziiert sind, zu isolieren. Mithilfe von Werkzeugen aus der Metabolomik soll eine schnelle Dereplikation sowie gezielte Auswahl an chemischen Verbindungen implementiert werden um diese nachfolgend und in hohem Durchsatz isolieren zu können. Diese Promotions-Arbeit konzentriert sich zunächst auf die Isolation von Actinomyceten aus marinen Schwämmen mittels verschiedener Kultivierungsmethoden. Zwölf verschiedene Medien sowie zwei unterschiedliche Vorbehandlungen der bakteriellen Extrakte wurden angewendet, um die Kultivierung diverser Actinomyceten zu ermöglichen. Insgesamt konnten damit 64 Actinomyceten aus 12 unterschiedlichen Schwämmen isoliert worden. Mithilfe der Sequenzierung von 16S rRNA Sequenzen konnten diese bakteriellen Isolate 23 Gattungen und 8 Unterordnungen zugewiesen werden. Aufgrund von Sequenzähnlichkeiten <98.5% wurden 4 neue Arten identifiziert, welche zu den folgenden Gattungen gehören: Geodermatophilus, Microlunatus, Rhodococcus and Actinomycetospora. 20% der isolierten Actinomyceten wurde gezeigt, die verschiedene biologische Eigenschaften aufweisen, einschließlich antixocidativer, antibakterieller, Fungiziden Eigenschaften sowie ihrer anti- Trypanosomen -Aktivitäten. Mithilfe metabolomischer Methoden und Bioassays konnten zwei bakterielle Stämme, Streptomyces sp. SBT348 und Streptomyces sp. SBT345, für deren Kultivierung und Isolierung chemischer Verbindung identifiziert werden. Aus dem Stamm Streptomyces sp. SBT348 konnten vier neue Verbindungen isoliert werden, darunter ein neues, zyklisches Dipeptid Petrocidin A. Drei dieser Verbindungen, einschließlich Petrocidin A, wurden bei der Datenanalyse der Metabolomik hervorgehoben. Das bestätigte die Durchführbarkeit metabolomischer Methoden für die Entdeckung neuer Verbindungen. Allerdings zeigte keine Verbindung die erwarteten Aktivitäten. Das könnte darauf zurückgeführt werden, dass die erhaltenen Mengen unzureichend waren. In Streptomyces sp. SBT345 konnten fünf Sekundärmetabolite identifiziert werden, von welchen drei - Strepthonium A, Ageloline A und Strepoxazine A - als neue Naturstoffe identifiziert werden konnten. Durch Strepthonium A in einer Konzentration von 80 µM konnte die Produktion des Shiga-Toxins in Escherichia coli gehemmt werden, ohne dessen bakterielles Wachstum zu beeinflussen. Ageloline A wirkte antioxidativ und hemmte Chlamydia trachomatis mit einem IC50 Wert von 9.54 ± 0.36 µM. Strepoxazine A zeigte eine wachstumshemmende Wirkung gegenüber HL-60 Zellen (humane Promyelozytenleukämie-Zellen) bei einem IC50 Wert von 16 µg/ml. Die Ergebnisse zeigen auf, dass marine Schwämme viele bisher unbekannte Actinomyceten beherbergen. Diesen Actinomyceten ist eine hohe Bedeutung beizumessen, da sie eine vielversprechende Quelle für neue, biologisch aktive Verbindungen darstellen. Es konnte ebenfalls gezeigt werden, dass der methodische Ansatz via chemometrischer und metabolomischer Methoden gut durchführbar und effizient ist und daher für die Entdeckung von Naturstoffen sehr gut geeignet ist.

Adhesion of bacteria is a key event in biofilm formation and is mediated by bacterial adhesins recognising host or bacterial partner receptors. In oral biofilm formation, primary Actinomyces and Streptococcus colonizers adhere to salivary pellicle proteins such as proline-rich proteins (PRPs) as well as to mucosal surfaces. Subsequently, Actinomyces and Streptococcus strains and other bacteria, such as Veillonella, Fusobacterium and Porphyromonas, adhere to each other. The nature of this community is highly important for the health or disease status, although specific pathogenic species may also have been implicated. The aim of this thesis was to study key players in early oral colonisation, Actinomyces and Streptococcus species, and more specifically the nature of their adhesins and ligands. A further aim was to study the function of the salivary PRP proteins and an innate peptide derived thereof on bacterial adhesion, proliferation and regulation of pH, i.e. key factors in biofilm formation. In paper I and II, adhesion, proliferation and pH affecting features of the RGRPQ (arginine-glycine-arginine-proline-glutamine) peptide, derived from PRP-1, were demonstrated. By use of an alanine-scan (I), motifs for adhesion inhibition and desorption of Actinomyces naeslundii, and proliferation stimulation, ammonia production and inhibition of sucrose induced pH drop by Streptococcus gordonii were indicated. The RGRPQ peptide also stimulated S. gordonii colonisation in vivo. In paper II, a more sophisticated quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) study, using statistical molecular design (SMD) and multivariate modelling (partial least squares projections to latent structures, PLS), further narrowed down the RGRPQ peptide motifs. The R and Q amino acids were crucial for activity. For proliferation a hydrophobic and large size third position amino acid was crucial, while adhesion inhibition and desorption needed a small hydrophilic second position amino acid. All functions depended on a low polarity hydrophobic fourth position. Accordingly, activities could be optimized separately, with decreased function in the others. In paper III and IV, focus was on the bacterial adhesins and their binding epitopes. The genes for FimA major subunit proteins of type-2 fimbriae were sequenced from A. naeslundii genospecies 1 and 2 and Actinomyces odontolyticus, each with unique carbohydrate binding specificities (III). Three major subtypes of FimA proteins were found that correlated with binding specificity, including a novel fimA gene in A. odontolyticus. All subtypes contained a pilin, LPXTG and E box motif. In paper IV, multiple PRP binding patterns for Actinomyces and Streptococcus strains were mapped using a hybrid peptide construct. The two most deviating binding groups deviated in type-1 fimbriae mediated binding to milk and saliva protein ligands. In conclusion, differences in bacterial adhesins and their ability to utilise salivary proteins may render bacteria tropism for different niches. Peptides derived from protein receptors, such as RGRPQ, may be important modulators of biofilm formation, giving commensal bacteria a competitive edge in the bacterial community.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1992. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [183]-191).