The resistance to nisin was examined for the vegetative forms and the endospores of 14 strains of 9 species of the genus Bacillus. Bacilli, endospores and culture filtrates were tested for ability to inactivate nisin. Marked antinisin activity was detected in extracts of bacilli and endospores of organisms which have a lytic mechanism for rupture of the spore coat (type L); little or no activit...

Filamentous fungi spontaneously undergo vegetative cell fusion events within but also between individuals. These cell fusions (anastomoses) lead to cytoplasmic mixing and to the formation of vegetative heterokaryons (i.e., cells containing different nuclear types). The viability of these heterokaryons is genetically controlled by specific loci termed het loci (for heterokaryon incompatibility)....

Clostridium perfringens type A is a common source of food poisoning (FP) and non-food-borne (NFB) gastrointestinal diseases in humans. In the intestinal tract, the vegetative cells sporulate and produce a major pathogenic factor, C. perfringens enterotoxin (CPE). Most type A FP isolates carry a chromosomal cpe gene, whereas NFB type A isolates typically carry a plasmid-encoded cpe. In vitro, th...

Zinc-finger domains are found in many nucleic acid-binding proteins in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Proteins carrying zinc-finger domains have important roles in various nuclear transactions, including transcription, mRNA processing and mRNA export; however, for many individual zinc-finger proteins in eukaryotes, the exact function of the protein is not fully understood. Here, we report tha...

Streptomyces has been known to form two types of septa. The data in this research demonstrated that Streptomyces griseus forms another type of septum near the base of sporogenic hyphae (basal septum). To understand the regulation of the septation machinery in S. griseus, we investigated the expression of the ftsZ gene. S1 nuclease protection assays revealed that four ftsZ transcripts were diffe...

The effects of nutritional and environmental conditions on sporulation and the properties of the spore have been extensively studied with the hope that these may provide a clue to the mechanism of dormancy and resistance of the bacterial endospore. However, there is no general agreement and our knowledge of these is still limited. The extensive literature dealing with the various aspects of spo...

Upon germination, pollen forms a tube that elongates dramatically through female tissues to reach and fertilize ovules. While essential for the life cycle of higher plants, the genetic basis underlying most of the process is not well understood. We previously used a combination of flow cytometry sorting of viable hydrated pollen grains and GeneChip array analysis of onethird of the Arabidopsis ...

A freshly prepared aqueous solution of iodine at a pH less than eight will contain mainly two forms of free iodine, namely diatomic iodine, I2, and triiodide, Ii,. The ratio of these two forms is determined by the concentration of iodide which is usually added to bactericidal prepaations for the purpose of increasing the solubility of the iodine. The solubility of diatomic iodine at 25 C is 0.0...

background having a patient in a vegetative state in the family is a complicated and stressful experience. caring for such patients with complete disability at home is very challenging. objectives the present study aimed to explore the outcomes of caring for patients in a vegetative state for families and caregivers at home. patients and methods in this qualitative study, 16 vegetative patients...