The Tn551 insertion site of the autolysis-deficient Staphylococcus aureus mutant RUSAL2 was cloned and used to identify the autolysis gene atl in the parent strain, RN450. The open reading frame for atl was 3768 bp in length, encoding a deduced protein of 1256 amino acids and molecular size of 137,381 Da. The atl gene product is a bifunctional protein that has an amidase domain and an endo-beta...

The histidine brace (His-brace) is a copper-binding motif that associated with both oxidative enzymes and proteinaceous copper chaperones. Here, we used biochemical structural methods to characterize mutants of His-brace-containing chaperone from Pseudomonas fluorescens (PfCopC). A total 15 amino acid variants in primary second sphere residues were produced characterised terms their redox prope...

The aim of this study is to isolate a new bacteriophage with lytic effect against several serogroups Escherichia coli that were isolated from different samples submitted the local hospital laboratory. These are main causative agents bloodstream and urinary tract infections (UTIs) among Gram-negative bacteria. Three isolates E. used as host phages wastewater treatment plant. Eight only three the...

Fungi in the genus Trichoderma have been used for the production of lytic enzymes and to control a wide range of plant pathogenic fungi. In the last years, much progress has been made in elucidating the molecular biology of Trichoderma spp. The objective of this chapter is to provide a summary of data concerning size and organization of the genome and gene structure in Trichoderma spp., mainly ...

Infectious diseases currently kill more than 15 million people annually, and the WHO estimates that every year 1.6 million people die from pneumococcal diseases. Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), a bacterium with a long biological pedigree, best illustrates the rapid evolution of antibiotic resistance, which has led to major public health concern. This article discusses the molecular bas...

Two structurally similar compounds were found to inhibit sporulation in Bacillus subtilis 168. A dye, acridine orange, and an antischizophrenic drug, promethazine, blocked spore formation at concentrations subinhibitory to vegetative growth, while allowing synthesis of serine protease, antibiotic, and certain catabolite-repressed enzymes. The sporulation process was sensitive to promethazine th...

Peptidoglycan (PG), the mighty miniwall, is the main structural component of practically all bacterial cell envelopes and has been the subject of a wealth of research over the past 60 years, if only because its biosynthesis is the target of many antibiotics that have successfully been used in the treatment of bacterial infections. This review is mainly focused on the most recent achievements in...

The antibacterial activity of BK-218 was similar to that of cefamandole when it was tested against several laboratory strains. The inhibiting effect of BK-218 was greater than that of cephalexin and cefoxitin on penicillin-binding proteins of Escherichia coli HB101. This result was in close correlation with the relative inhibition of radiolabeled glucosamine incorporation (greatest with BK-218)...