The activities of tobramycin derivatives acetylated and ethylated on the 6'-N,2'-N and 3-N positions were examined. The MICs of these derivatives against tobramycin sensitive strains indicated that 2'-N-ethylated and 6'-N-ethylated derivatives have a fairly good activity, and confirmed that the 3-N position is the most important one for antibiotic activity since 3-N derivatives were less active...

Eighty-six strains encompassing 11 species of coagulase-negative staphylococci were examined for the production of fatty acid modifying enzyme (FAME) and lipase. Staphylococcus schleiferi and S. saprophyticus most closely resembled S. aureus in that 80% of the strains produced both enzymes. In contrast, no strains of S. lugdunensis and S. haemolyticus tested produced these enzymes. S. simulans ...

Background & objective: Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-AB) is an important nosocomial pathogen which is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in high-risk populations. Aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes (AMEs) and 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) methylation are two important mechanisms of resistance to ...

A variety of molecular mechanisms work together to effect strict control of gene transcription in human cells. Paramount among these mechanisms is a collection of post-translational modifications of chromatin that facilitate conformational transitions between transcriptionally permissive and suppressive chromatin structures (Figure 1; refs. 1, 2). Each of these modifications is catalyzed by a s...

Industrial development may result in the increase of environmental risks. The enzymatic transformation of polluting compounds to less toxic or even innocuous products is an alternative to their complete removal. In this regard, a number of different redox enzymes are able to transform a wide variety of toxic pollutants, such as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, phenols, azo dyes, heavy metals,...