Leptolyngbya sp. strain Heron Island is a cyanobacterium exhibiting chromatic acclimation. However, this strain has strong interactions with other bacteria, making it impossible to obtain axenic cultures for sequencing. A protocol involving an analysis of tetranucleotide frequencies, G+C content, and BLAST searches has been described for separating the cyanobacterial scaffolds from those of its...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the in vitro leishmanicidal activity of nine flavonoid derivatives from Delphinium staphisagria against L. infantum and L. braziliensis. DESIGN AND METHODS The in vitro activity of compounds 1-9 was assayed on extracellular promastigote and axenic amastigote forms and on intracellular amastigote forms of the parasites. Infectivity and cytotoxicity tests were carried on ...

The current interest in microalgae as a sustainable source of next generation biofuels and other valuable substances is driving exploration of their use as unique biotechnological production systems. To design and optimise appropriate production strategies, the behaviour of particular microalgal species should be well characterised under different culture conditions. Thus, flow cytometric (FCM)...

Trypanosoma minasense was isolated for the first time in blood axenic culture from a naturally infected marmoset, Callithrix penicillata, from Brazil. The parasite grew profusely in an overlay of Roswell Park Memorial Institute medium plus 20% foetal bovine serum, on Novy, McNeal and Nicolle medium (NNN), at 27 degrees C, with a peak around 168 hr. The morphometry of cultural forms of T. minase...

1. The specific activities of fl-N-acetylglucosaminidase, acid phosphatase, ac-mannosidase, P-glucosidase, UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and alkaline phosphatase have been determined in myxamoebae of the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum Ax-2 grown on different media and in different phases of the growth cycle. 2. Variations in enzymic composition occur with changes in growth medium...

Microorganisms inhabiting human gastro-intestinal tract exceed the overall number of eukaryotic cells of about one order of magnitude [1–4]. Among the estimated 500–1,000 species [3], the majority has an unknown function, is neither beneficial nor harmful to host and represents the so-called ‘‘normal flora’’ or ‘‘microbiota’’ [5]. Noteworthy, the development of ‘‘next-generation’’ sequencing te...

Benthic diatoms and bacteria often co-operatively build up phototrophic epilithic biofilms. Studying the properties and contributions of the individual partners requires the establishment and maintenance of axenic cultures of the involved organisms. Axenification of biofilm organisms is often challenging, because bacteria as well as diatom cells are embedded in a matrix of extracellular polymer...

In an effort at developing an active indigenous bacterial consortium that could be of relevance in bioremediation of petroleum contaminated systems in Nigeria, four hydrocarbon degrading bacteria strains were isolated. Partial sequencing of the 16S rDNA of the isolates suggests that they are all strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Axenic cultures of the isolates biodegraded Bonny light crude oil...

Cells use phagocytosis and macropinocytosis to internalise bulk material, which in phagotrophic organisms supplies the nutrients necessary for growth. Wildtype Dictyostelium amoebae feed on bacteria, but for decades laboratory work has relied on axenic mutants that can also grow on liquid media. We used forward genetics to identify the causative gene underlying this phenotype. This gene encodes...