Using ameba coculture, we grew a Naegleria endosymbiont. Phenotypic, genetic, and phylogenetic analyses supported its affiliation as Protochlamydia naegleriophila sp. nov. We then developed a specific diagnostic PCR for Protochlamydia spp. When applied to bronchoalveolar lavages, results of this PCR were positive for 1 patient with pneumonia. Further studies are needed to assess the role of Pro...

Regulatory T cells (Treg) are regarded essential components for maintenance of immune homeostasis. Especially CD4(+)CD25(high) T cells are considered to be important regulators of immune reactivity. In humans and rodents these natural Treg are characterized by their anergic nature, defined as a non-proliferative state, suppressive function and expression of Foxp3. In this study the potential fu...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2015/714230.].

The effects of nitrite and ammonium on cultivated methanotrophic bacteria were investigated. Methylomicrobium album ATCC 33003 outcompeted Methylocystis sp. strain ATCC 49242 in cultures with high nitrite levels, whereas cultures with high ammonium levels allowed Methylocystis sp. to compete more easily. M. album pure cultures and cocultures consumed nitrite and produced nitrous oxide, suggesti...

Micromonospora sp. strain WMMA1996 was isolated in 2013 off the coast of the Florida Keys, United States, from a marine sponge as part of bacterial coculture-based drug discovery initiatives. Analysis of the ∼6.44-Mb genome reveals this microbe's potential role in the discovery of new drugs.

We present a novel technique to examine cell-cell interactions and directed cell migration using micropatterned substrates of three distinct regions: an adhesive region, a nonadhesive region, and a dynamically adhesive region switched by addition of a soluble factor to the medium. Combining microcontact printing with avidin-biotin capture chemistry, we pattern nonadhesive regions of avidin that...

In this study the biodegradation of oil by hydrocarbon degrading Pseudomonas putida in the presence of a biosurfactant-producing bacterium was investigated. The co-culture of test organisms exhibited improved degradation capacities, in a reproducible fashion, in aqueous and soil matrix in comparison to the individual bacterium culture. Results indicate that the in situ biosurfactant production ...

Cellular processes are complex and result from the interplay between multiple cell types and their environment. Existing cell biology techniques often do not allow for accurate interpretation of this interplay. Using a quantitative imaging-based approach, we present a high-content protocol for characterizing the dynamic phenotypic responses (i.e. morphology changes, proliferation, apoptosis) of...

Legionella anisa is a gammaproteobacterium from the class Legionellaceae, which is responsible for nosocomial pneumonia. We sequenced the genome from the L. anisa strain Linanisette, which was recovered from a clinical sample using an amoebal coculture procedure but not with standard culture methods.