Lactobacillus plantarum LMG P-26358 isolated from a soft French artisanal cheese produces a potent class IIa bacteriocin with 100% homology to plantaricin 423 and bacteriocidal activity against Listeria innocua and Listeria monocytogenes. The bacteriocin was found to be highly stable at temperatures as high as 100°C and pH ranges from 1-10. While this relatively narrow spectrum bacteriocin also...

Selection imposed by coinfection may vary with the mechanism of within-host competition between parasites. Exploitative competition is predicted to favor more virulent parasites, whereas interference competition may result in lower virulence. Here, we examine whether exploitative or interference competition determines the outcome of competition between two nematode species (Steinernema spp.), w...

In Escherichia coli uptake and catabolism of organophosphonates are governed by the phnCDEFGHIJKLMNOP operon. The phnO cistron is shown to encode aminoalkylphosphonate N-acetyltransferase, which utilizes acetylcoenzyme A as acetyl donor and aminomethylphosphonate, (S)- and (R)-1-aminoethylphosphonate, 2-aminoethyl- and 3-aminopropylphosphonate as acetyl acceptors. Aminomethylphosphonate, (S)-1-...

The relatively rapid development of microbial resistance after the entry of every new antimicrobial into the marketplace necessitates a constant supply of new agents to maintain effective pharmacotherapy. Despite extensive efforts to identify novel lead compounds from molecular targets, only the peptide deformylase inhibitors (PDIs) have shown any real promise, with some advancing to phase I hu...

The gut of Drosophila melanogaster includes a proximal acidic region (~pH 2), however the genome lacks the H(+)/K(+) ATPase characteristic of the mammalian gastric parietal cell, and the molecular mechanisms of acid generation are poorly understood. Here, we show that maintenance of the low pH of the acidic region is dependent on H(+) V-ATPase, together with carbonic anhydrase and five further ...

Agarose, a naturally occurring biopolymer is used for the stabilization of metal, semiconductor nanoparticles. Ag and Cu nanoparticles stabilized in agarose matrix show excellent antibacterial activity against E. coli bacteria. The well dispersed metal nanoparticles within the agarose composite films can be readily converted to carbon–metal composites of catalytic importance.