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Query: UMLS:C0026936 (Mycoplasma)
 14,761 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The genetic code, formerly thought to be frozen, is now known to be in a state of evolution. This was first shown in 1979 by Barrell et al. (G. Barrell, A. T. Bankier, and J. Drouin, Nature [London] 282:189-194, 1979), who found that the universal codons AUA (isoleucine) and UGA (stop) coded for methionine and tryptophan, respectively, in human mitochondria. Subsequent studies have shown that UGA codes for tryptophan in Mycoplasma spp. and in all nonplant mitochondria that have been examined. Universal stop codons UAA and UAG code for glutamine in ciliated protozoa (except Euplotes octacarinatus) and in a green alga, Acetabularia. E. octacarinatus uses UAA for stop and UGA for cysteine. Candida species, which are yeasts, use CUG (leucine) for serine. Other departures from the universal code, all in nonplant mitochondria, are CUN (leucine) for threonine (in yeasts), AAA (lysine) for asparagine (in platyhelminths and echinoderms), UAA (stop) for tyrosine (in planaria), and AGR (arginine) for serine (in several animal orders) and for stop (in vertebrates). We propose that the changes are typically preceded by loss of a codon from all coding sequences in an organism or organelle, often as a result of directional mutation pressure, accompanied by loss of the tRNA that translates the codon. The codon reappears later by conversion of another codon and emergence of a tRNA that translates the reappeared codon with a different assignment. Changes in release factors also contribute to these revised assignments. We also discuss the use of UGA (stop) as a selenocysteine codon and the early history of the code.
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PMID:Recent evidence for evolution of the genetic code. 157 11

Isogenic populations of Mycoplasma hyorhinis undergo in vitro high-frequency phase variation in the expression of surface lipoproteins; these products also vary markedly in size through changes in periodic protein structure (R. Rosengarten and K.S. Wise, Science 247:315-318, 1990). In this report, we rigorously define three distinct translation products comprising the Vlp (variable lipoprotein) system of M. hyorhinis SK76 and establish parameters of Vlp structural diversity and expression that distinguish the Vlp system from previously described examples of antigenic variation. VlpA, VlpB, and VlpC are prominent amphiphilic membrane lipoproteins characterized by detergent-phase fractionation and metabolic labeling with [35S]cysteine and [3H]palmitate. VlpA is distinguished from VlpB and VlpC by its selective labeling with [35S]methionine; VlpB and VlpC are distinguished by specific epitopes defined by surface-binding monoclonal antibodies (MAbs); a third MAb defines a surface epitope shared by VlpB and VlpC (but absent from VlpA). Each Vlp displays 12 to 30 spontaneous size variant forms comprising a periodic ladder that could also be generated by partial trypsin digestion of individual Vlp size variants. Different periodic intervals within VlpB and VlpC further distinguish these two products structurally. Mycoplasma colony opacity correlates inversely with Vlp size. Each Vlp undergoes independent, oscillating high-frequency phase variation in isogenic populations and can be expressed individually or concomitantly with other Vlps in a noncoordinate manner. All seven possible combinations of these three products were observed; however, no variants were found that lacked a Vlp. High-frequency size variation of each Vlp superimposed on combinatorial diversity in Vlp expression yields greater than 10(4) possible structurally distinct Vlp mosaics, of which 104 were documented along with 24 of 42 possible transitions among the seven Vlp combinations. In addition to these features, VlpA, VlpB, and VlpC were specifically recognized by serum antibodies from swine with experimental M. hyorhinis SK76-induced arthritis, indicating expression and immunogenicity of Vlps in the natural host. The structure and variation of Vlps and their known involvement in MAb-mediated modulation of mycoplasma-infected host cell properties and mycoplasma killing are discussed in relation to the surface architecture and adaptive potential of the wall-less mycoplasmas.
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PMID:The Vlp system of Mycoplasma hyorhinis: combinatorial expression of distinct size variant lipoproteins generating high-frequency surface antigenic variation. 185 72

The specific attachment of Mycoplasma pneumoniae to the respiratory ciliated epithelium is mediated by a surface protein designated P1. The nucleotide (nt) sequence of the P1 attachment-protein gene has been determined and the amino acid (aa) sequence deduced. mRNA and cDNA sequencing confirm that this gene is transcribed in M. pneumoniae. The predicted amino acid sequence matches the N-terminal 12 aa residues of P1 protein from M. pneumoniae [Jacobs et al., J. Gen. Microbiol. 133 (1987) 2233-2236] beginning with Asn at aa position 60, where aa 1 represents the first codon of the open reading frame (ORF). Notably, the Trp at aa position 69 aligns with a UGA codon deduced from the nucleotide sequence, providing supporting evidence that UGA is read as Trp rather than stop in M. pneumoniae. Analysis of the first 59 aa suggests that it is probably a leader sequence that is processed to yield the mature protein. The codons of the mature P1 protein sequence represent 1568 aa with a calculated Mr of 169,758. A unique feature of this protein sequence is the lack of cysteine, and this was confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of M. pneumoniae proteins metabolically labeled with radioactive cysteine or methionine. This study has revealed that the 4881 nt of the P1 structural gene are flanked by ORFs, and there are no obvious ribosome-binding sites or transcription termination sequences in the immediately adjacent regions. This suggests that the P1 gene is transcribed as part of a larger polycistronic message. In addition, a number of untranscribed and therefore nonfunctional P1 epitope sequences were found in the M. pneumoniae genome; their purpose remains unknown.
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PMID:Nucleotide sequence of the P1 attachment-protein gene of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. 284 Nov 95

Gram-negative bacteria are surrounded by two membranes. In these bacteria, a class of high affinity transport systems for concentrating substrates from the medium into the cell, involves a binding protein located between the outer and inner membranes, in the periplasmic region. These 'periplasmic binding-proteins' are thought to bind the substrate in the vicinity of the inner membrane, and to transfer it to a complex of inner membrane proteins for concentration into the cytoplasm. We report evidence leading us to propose that a Gram-positive bacterium, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and a mycoplasma, Mycoplasma hyorhinis, which are surrounded by a single membrane and have therefore no periplasmic region, possess an equivalent to the high affinity periplasmic binding-protein dependent transport systems, i.e. extra-cytoplasmic binding lipoprotein dependent transport systems. The 'binding lipoproteins' would be maintained at proximity of the inner membrane by insertion of their N-terminal glyceride-cysteine into this membrane.
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PMID:Evidence for high affinity binding-protein dependent transport systems in gram-positive bacteria and in Mycoplasma. 320 57

The aminopeptidase which had been shown to be present in Mycoplasma salivarium was found to be associated with the cell membranes of the organism. The enzyme was solubilized in water by papain digestion of the membranes pretreated with Triton X-100 and purified approximately 130-fold by ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50, affinity chromatography on L-leucylglycine-AH-Sepharose 4B, and gel filtration on Sepharose CL-6B. The purified enzyme had a molecular mass of 397 kilodaltons, estimated by gel filtration through Sepharose CL-6B, and gave two bands of activity in analytical disc polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis: a dense, diffuse band and a less dense, narrow one, accounting for 90 and 5% of stained proteins in the gel, respectively. The purified protein revealed two bands with molecular masses of 50 and 46 kilodaltons by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme catalyzed selectively the cleavage of the N-terminal arginine and leucine residues of peptides; had a pH optimum at 8.5; and was inhibited remarkably by bestatin, o-phenanthroline, EDTA, and L-cysteine, but was activated nine- and twofold by MnCl2 and MgCl2, respectively. The enzyme pretreated with MnCl2 had much higher maximum velocity (Vmax) for L-leucine-p-nitroanilide than the one not treated. That is, the Michaelis constant (Km) and Vmax values of the pretreated enzyme were 10.5 mM and 12.1 microM/min, respectively, whereas those of the untreated enzyme were 5.8 mM and 1.6 microM/min, respectively.
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PMID:Purification and characterization of an aminopeptidase from Mycoplasma salivarium. 361 Oct 18

The thiopeptins are a new group of sulfur-containing peptide antibiotics produced by Streptomyces tateyamensis. The antibiotic consists of a major component (designated as thiopeptin B) and four minor ones (thiopeptins A(1) to A(4)). These components were isolated by solvent extraction from mycelium followed by chromatography on silica gel with various ratios of chloroform and methanol as elution solvents. Acid hydrolysis of each of the thiopeptin components yielded 1 mole of valine, 1 of threonine, 1 of cysteine, and 2 of alanine as amino acids. Each component of the thiopeptin A group has chemical and biological properties closely similar to those of thiopeptin B, but detailed characterization has established that thiopeptins A(1), A(3), and A(4) are new antibiotics. We could not obtain accurate data for determination of the uniqueness of A(2) because of insufficient sample. Thiopeptin has strong antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria and Mycoplasma, and exhibits no cross-resistance to major human-use antibiotics.
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PMID:Thiopeptin, a new feed additive antibiotic: microbiological and chemical studies. 504 67

A semiautomated approach for the characterization of subgingival bacterial isolates which economizes in media preparation, inoculation, reading, recording, and interpretation of results was tested. Test ingredients were added to a basal medium consisting of Mycoplasma broth supplemented with 5 micrograms of hemin, 0.5 mg of NaHCO3, and 0.5 mg of L-cysteine per ml. Sterile test media were aseptically dispensed into wells of sterile microtiter plates with a MIC 2000 dispenser. Inocula were grown in broth or scraped from agar plates, dispersed, and inoculated with a MIC 2000 inoculator. After 2 to 4 days of incubation, the optical density of growth was determined with an Artek 210 vertical beam reader at 580 nm and stored on a floppy disk. Reagents were added to each well, and the changes in optical density were determined. Thresholds for positive reactions were determined after extensive preliminary studies for each test. The tests were run in duplicate on each plate and interpreted with an Artek vertical beam reader. Tests that were run in this system included: fermentation of carbohydrates, decarboxylase reactions, reduction of nitrate and nitrite, ammonia production, hydrolysis of esculin, growth in the presence of inhibitory or stimulatory substances, and indole production. Approximately 80% of all isolates from subgingival samples could be characterized by this technique. Comparisons were made between the semiautomated and conventional identification techniques. Overall reproducibility of 2,980 strains by the semiautomated and conventional techniques were 95 and 90%, respectively. There was an 86% similarity of results by the semiautomated and conventional methods. The semiautomated technique was more rapid, less expensive, and as reproducible as the conventional method of identification.
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PMID:Semiautomated technique for identification of subgingival isolates. 637 36

From 15 to 21 August 1981, Pontiac fever affected 317 automobile assembly plant workers. Results of serologic tests were negative for Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, respiratory tract viruses, and previously described legionellae. A gram-negative, rod-shaped organism (WO-44C) that did not grow on blood agar, required L-cysteine for growth, and contained large amounts of branched-chain fatty acids was isolated from a water-based coolant. The organism did not react with antisera against other legionellae, and on DNA hybridization the organism was less than 10% related to other Legionella species. Geometric mean titers found by indirect fluorescent antibody testing to WO-44C were significantly higher in ill employees than in controls (p = 0.0001). Attack rates by department decreased linearly with the department's distance from the implicated coolant system. The etiologic agent apparently was a new Legionella species; we propose the name Legionella feeleii species nova (AATC 35072). This is the first outbreak of nonpneumonic legionellosis in which the etiologic agent is not L. pneumophila, serogroup 1.
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PMID:A new Legionella species, Legionella feeleii species nova, causes Pontiac fever in an automobile plant. 669 54

Mycoplasma fermentans, a wall-less prokaryote, is currently under investigation as a potential human pathogen. Recently, several surface lipoproteins have been shown to vary in expression between M. fermentans strains. Using specific antibodies to these lipoproteins, we investigated the extent and nature of antigenic variation within this species. Immunoscreening of type strain PG18 agar-grown colonies revealed marked heterogeneity in expression of distinct surface lipoproteins. Subsequent isolation and propagation of clonal isolates established isogenic lineages which displayed high-frequency (10(-2) to 10(-5) per generation) antigenic phase variation. [35S]cysteine-labeled protein profiles and Western immunoblots of phase-variant clones showed that several distinct integral membrane proteins undergo noncoordinate variation in expression. In addition to differential expression of epitope-bearing lipoproteins, differential accessibility of epitopes to antibodies was also documented as a mechanism generating surface phenotypic variation. Examination of one strain-variant antigen showed high-frequency phase variation to underlie previously observed antigenic differences between strains of this species. Thus, M. fermentans has a complex system capable of creating rapid changes in surface mosaics. This may profoundly affect mycoplasma-host interactions and may limit the methods by which populations of M. fermentans may be studied in vivo.
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PMID:Differential protein expression and surface presentation generate high-frequency antigenic variation in Mycoplasma fermentans. 769 94

The region of the genome of Mycoplasma capricolum encompassing the genes for Enzymes I and IIAglc of the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS) was cloned and sequenced. Examination of the sequence revealed a unique arrangement of the pts operon. In all other bacterial species characterized thus far, the gene encoding Enzyme I (ptsI) in the pts operon is located immediately downstream of the gene (ptsH) encoding HPr, a general energy coupling protein of the PTS. In M. capricolum, ptsH and ptsI reside on 2 distinct operons at separate loci on the chromosome (Zhu PP, Reizer J, Reizer A, Peterkofsky A, 1993, J Biol Chem 268:26531-26540). In the present work, it is shown that the Mycoplasma Enzyme I gene is preceded by an open reading frame homologous to the product of the Escherichia coli kdtB gene and is followed by the gene (crr) encoding Enzyme IIAglc. Northern blot analysis indicated that ptsI and crr constitute a dicistronic operon that includes an independent promoter for the crr gene. Primer extension studies established the transcription start sites for the ptsI and crr genes. The products of the ptsI and crr genes are homologous to previously sequenced Enzymes I and IIAglc proteins but are more similar to the counterpart proteins from gram-positive than to those from gram-negative organisms. The deduced amino acid sequence of the Mycoplasma Enzyme I shows that it differs from other Enzymes I by having fewer acidic amino acids and more basic, amidated, and aromatic amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence of the Mycoplasma Enzyme IIAglc indicates that it is the shortest (154 residues) of the proteins in this class and it is the only Enzyme IIAglc with a tryptophan and a cysteine residue. In vitro sugar phosphorylation studies with extracts from E. coli and Bacillus subtilis and purified proteins indicated that the Mycoplasma HPr is not a phosphoacceptor from the E. coli Enzyme I, whereas the Mycoplasma Enzyme IIAglc accepts and transfers phosphate from both E. coli and B. subtilis PTS components.
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PMID:Unique dicistronic operon (ptsI-crr) in Mycoplasma capricolum encoding enzyme I and the glucose-specific enzyme IIA of the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system: cloning, sequencing, promoter analysis, and protein characterization. 770 58


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