PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Compound from soil microbe inhibits biofilm formation

2015-03-30
(Press-News.org) Researchers have shown that a known antibiotic and antifungal compound produced by a soil microbe can inhibit another species of microbe from forming biofilms--microbial mats that frequently are medically harmful--without killing that microbe. The findings may apply to other microbial species, and can herald a plethora of scientific and societal benefits. The research is published online ahead of print on March 30, 2015, in the Journal of Bacteriology, a publication of the American Society for Microbiology. The study will be printed in a special section of the journal that will comprise of papers from the 5th ASM Conference on Cell-Cell Communication in Bacteria.

Many microbes produce antibiotics and antifungals, presumably to compete with other microbes. "Our working hypothesis was that some of the compounds that bacteria secrete might act more subtly, as signals to alter the behavior of their neighboring microbes rather than to kill them," said corresponding author Elizabeth A. Shank, PhD, assistant professor of biology, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. They found that at low concentrations, the compound, DAPG (the acronym stands for 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol), produced by the bacterium Pseudomonas protegens, did not kill the experimental target bacterium, Bacillus subtilis, but merely prevented it from forming biofilms. DAPG also blocked spore formation.

For the study, first author Matthew Powers, an undergraduate student in Shank's lab, used a strain of B. subtilis--a species commonly used in lab experiments--that fluoresces when genes for biofilm formation are being shut off. He grew this "reporter" strain on agar plates, adding a dilute solution of mixed bacterial cells, each of which sprouted a colony on the plate. When one of the B. subtilis colonies fluoresced, he picked a close-lying, non-fluorescing colony off of that plate, regrew it, and then sequenced those cells, determining that the species was P. protegens.

A biofilm is any group of microbes that stick together on a surface. Biofilms are notoriously resistant to antibiotics. They form the plaques that cause tooth decay and gum disease, and can frequently cause complications when they grow on medical implants, such as catheters, and indwelling devices such as joint prostheses. They are frequently implicated in urinary tract infections and middle ear infections, as well as in the rare but oft-permanently damaging heart condition, endocarditis. More than 65 percent of hospital-acquired infections manifest as biofilms.

Biofilms also interfere with industrial processes, for example, by clogging, or corroding pipes, and by instigating corrosion on ships' hulls.

The research may lead to a variety of potential benefits. Both of the bacteria from this study are associated with plant roots, and understanding their interactions using DAPG and other secreted compounds could be important for creating healthy microbial soil communities for plants to grow in, possibly boosting agricultural yields, said Shank. DAPG, or the DAPG-producing P. Protogens as a protobiotic, could be used to inhibit formation of harmful biofilms. Additionally, the experimental approach could be used to discover other, potentially medically important biofilm-inhibiting bacterial, said Shank.

While the more powerful signals produced by many bacteria are well-known, the territory of subtle signals remains poorly mapped, but the results of these early efforts suggest that the importance of such signals may be out of proportion to their relatively subtle modus operandi.

INFORMATION:

The American Society for Microbiology is the largest single life science society, composed of over 39,000 scientists and health professionals. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences as a vehicle for understanding life processes and to apply and communicate this knowledge for the improvement of health and environmental and economic well-being worldwide.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Roll up your screen and stow it away?

2015-03-30
From smartphones and tablets to computer monitors and interactive TV screens, electronic displays are everywhere. As the demand for instant, constant communication grows, so too does the urgency for more convenient portable devices -- especially devices, like computer displays, that can be easily rolled up and put away, rather than requiring a flat surface for storage and transportation. A new Tel Aviv University study, published recently in Nature Nanotechnology, suggests that a novel DNA-peptide structure can be used to produce thin, transparent, and flexible screens. ...

Princess Margaret scientists convert microbubbles to nanoparticles

2015-03-30
(TORONTO, Canada - March 30, 2015) - Biomedical researchers led by Dr. Gang Zheng at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre have successfully converted microbubble technology already used in diagnostic imaging into nanoparticles that stay trapped in tumours to potentially deliver targeted, therapeutic payloads. The discovery, published online today in Nature Nanotechnology, details how Dr. Zheng and his research team created a new type of microbubble using a compound called porphyrin - a naturally occurring pigment in nature that harvests light. In the lab in pre-clinical ...

Mother's diet influences weight-control neurocircuits in offspring

2015-03-30
Maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation may prime offspring for weight gain and obesity later in life, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers, who looked at rats whose mothers consumed a high-fat diet and found that the offsprings' feeding controls and feelings of fullness did not function normally. Previous research shows that obesity compromises the neurocircuits that control how the stomach and intestine work to regulate how much we eat, and that the time around pregnancy and lactation is important in the development of these circuits. In both ...

Study: Worked-based wellness programs reduce weight

2015-03-30
A new study shows that workplace wellness programs can be effective in helping people lose weight by providing healthier food choices and increasing opportunities for physical activity, particularly if these efforts are designed with the input and active participation of employees. The two-year project - the results of which appear in the American Journal of Public Health - successfully reduced the number or people considered overweight or obese by almost 9 percent. "Worksites are self-contained environments with established communication systems where interventions ...

Reviewing online homework at scale

2015-03-30
In computer-science classes, homework assignments consist of writing programs. It's easy to create automated tests that determine whether a given program yields the right outputs to a series of inputs. But those tests say nothing about whether the program code is clear or confusing, whether it includes unnecessary computation, and whether it meets the terms of the assignment. Professors and teaching assistants review students' code to try to flag obvious mistakes, but even in undergraduate lecture courses, they usually don't have time for exhaustive analysis. And that ...

LiDAR studies of the Sept. 2013 Colorado Front Range flooding and debris flows

LiDAR studies of the Sept. 2013 Colorado Front Range flooding and debris flows
2015-03-30
Boulder, Colo., USA - Scott W. Anderson and colleagues use repeat aerial LiDAR to quantify the erosional impact of the heavy rains that inundated the Colorado Front Range in September 2013. The five-day storm triggered more than 1,100 landslides and debris flows in a 3,430-square-kilometer area due to 200-450 mm of heavy, steady rainfall. This number of hillslope failures in a single event represents unprecedented activity for the region in its ~150 years of written history. This study for Geology addresses the role of such large, rare events in shaping landscapes by ...

Promoting maternal interaction improves growth, weight gain in preemies

2015-03-30
An intervention to teach mothers of preterm infants how to interact with their babies more effectively results in better weight gain and growth for the infants, according to a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. A subsequent study showed that infants who had the benefit of a major component of this intervention more rapidly developed the muscle control needed for feeding successfully from a bottle. The initial findings were published on line in the Journal of Perinatology and the subsequent study in Advances in Neonatal Care. Briefly, the intervention ...

Short bouts of high-intensity exercise before a fatty meal best for vascular health

2015-03-30
A short burst of intensive exercise before eating a high fat meal is better for blood vessel function in young people than the currently recommended moderate-intensity exercise, according to a new study from the University of Exeter. Cardiovascular diseases including heart attacks and stroke are the leading cause of death in the UK, and the process underlying these diseases start in youth. An impairment in the function of blood vessels is thought to be the earliest event in this process, and this is known to occur in the hours after consuming a high fat meal. Performing ...

New scientific review suggests some women may benefit from considering use of S-equol to ease menopause symptoms

2015-03-30
Northridge, Calif. (March 30, 2015) - The investigational S-equol nutritional supplement may be a viable agent to alleviate certain menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes, according to a new peer-reviewed article in the March Journal of Women's Health (1). "Current data suggest that women may have benefits with S-equol for menopausal vasomotor symptoms and possibly additional benefits, such as skin health. Given the studies supporting safety of S-equol, physicians and health care professionals may consider the use of S-equol as a future first round option for menopause ...

Endoscopes linked to outbreak of drug-resistant E. coli

2015-03-30
NEW YORK (March 30, 2015) - An outbreak of a novel Escherichia coli (E. coli) strain resistant to antibiotics has been linked to contaminated endoscopes in a Washington state hospital. The study indicates that industry standard cleaning guidelines, which were exceeded by hospital staff, may not be sufficient for sterilizing endoscopes adequately. The research was published online in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. "Although the endoscopes had been reprocessed according to industry standards, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue

UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves

Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed

New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations

Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency

How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads

Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids

Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation

Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria

Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity

Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers

Antibiotic resistance among key bacterial species plateaus over time

‘Some insects are declining but what’s happening to the other 99%?’

Powerful new software platform could reshape biomedical research by making data analysis more accessible

Revealing capillaries and cells in living organs with ultrasound

American College of Physicians awards $260,000 in grants to address equity challenges in obesity care

Researchers from MARE ULisboa discover that the European catfish, an invasive species in Portugal, has a prolonged breeding season, enhancing its invasive potential

Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, FAACR, honored with the 2025 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research

Solar cells made of moon dust could power future space exploration

Deporting immigrants may further shrink the health care workforce

Border region emergency medical services in migrant emergency care

Resident physician intentions regarding unionization

[Press-News.org] Compound from soil microbe inhibits biofilm formation