Fluorescein efflux from S. cerevisiae cells was measured to study the peculiarities of fluorescein transport system, which is important for yeast resistance to certain drugs and weak organic acid preservatives. Glucose-independent and glucose-stimulated fluorescein effluxes were characterized using iodoacetate, cyanide and orthovanadate, inhibitors of glycolysis, electron transport chain, and ATPases, respectively. It is supposed that in glucose-free medium fluorescein extrusion is ATP-dependent and the energy for this efflux is mainly provided by respiration. In glucose-containing medium, glycolysis plays a critical role for extrusion of fluorescein. The results indicate that acetic acid inhibits the fluorescein efflux from yeast cells. The inhibition constant of glucose-stimulated fluorescein efflux is significantly lower in parental strain than in two mutants defective in PDR12 (ABC-transporter Pdr12p) or WAR1 (transcription factor of Pdr12p). It can be suggested that the membrane protein Pdr12 is involved in fluorescein extrusion from the yeast cells, but component(s) other than Pdr12p is (are) also important.
A yeast isolate revealing unique enzymatic activities and substrate-dependent polymorphism was obtained from autochthonous microflora of soil heavily polluted with oily slurries. By means of standard yeast identification procedures the strain was identified as Trichosporon cutaneum. Further molecular PCR product analyses of ribosomal DNA confirmed the identity of the isolate with the genus Trichosporon. As it grew on methanol as a sole carbon source, the strain appeared to be methylotrophic. Furthermore, it was also able to utilize formaldehyde. A multi-substrate growth potential was shown with several other carbon sources: glucose, glycerol, ethanol as well as petroleum derivatives and phenol. Optimum growth temperature was determined at 25°C, and strong inhibition of growth at 37°C together with the original soil habitat indicated lack of pathogenicity in warm-blooded animals and humans. The unusually high tolerance to xenobiotics such as diesel oil (>30 g/l), methanol (50 g/l), phenol (2 g/l) and formaldehyde (7.5 g/l) proved that the isolate was an extremophilic organism. With high-density cultures, formaldehyde was totally removed at initial concentrations up to 7.5 g/l within 24 h, which is the highest biodegradation capability ever reported. Partial biodegradation of methanol (13 g/l) and diesel fuel (20 g/l) was also observed. Enzymatic studies revealed atypical methylotrophic pathway reactions, lacking alcohol oxidase, as compared with the conventional methylotroph Hansenula polymorpha. However, the activities of glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase, formaldehyde reductase, formate dehydrogenase and unspecific aldehyde dehydrogenase(s) were present. An additional glutathione-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenase activity was also detected. Metabolic and biochemical characteristics of the isolated yeast open up new possibilities for environmental biotechnology. Some potential applications in soil bioremediation and wastewater decontamination are discussed.
The importance of nosocomial infections caused by coagulase-negative staphylococci is constantly growing. The threat primarily affects immunocompromised patients, the elderly and neonates, particularly after invasive surgery. The problem is fundamentally exacerbated by expanding antibacterial drug resistance. A case report is presented of an 86-year-old patient who underwent a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery and developed septicaemia upon surgical wound infection. The causal agent was likely a carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, however, daptomycin-resistant Staphylococcus pettenkoferi was identified in blood cultures in the absence of daptomycin treatment. To the authors' knowledge, the case study presented is the first published episode of daptomycin-resistant S. pettenkoferi strain.
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