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P Gouet

Publications and source records attributed to P Gouet.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Effects of a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Levucell SC1), a microbial additive for ruminants, on lactate metabolism in vitro.

The effect of Levucell SC, a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae marked as a feed additive for ruminants, was investigated in vitro on lactate metabolism by the ruminal bacteria Streptococcus bovis and Megasphaera elsdenii. The coculture between 10(7) live cells x mL(-1) of SC and a Streptococcus bovis strain in the presence of glucose reduced lactate production by the bacterial strain. Live yeast cells were able to compete with Streptococcus bovis for glucose utilization in strictly anaerobic conditions, so less glucose was available for the bacterium. SC also stimulated L-lactate utilization by a strain of M. elsdenii. The effect depended on the concentration of yeast cells added. Bacterial growth and fermentation end-product concentrations were also increased in the presence of SC. Some amino acids and vitamins, but not dicarboxylic acids, stimulated the bacterial specific activity of L-lactate uptake. SC was able to provide amino acids to M. elsdenii. In a coculture of Streptococcus bovis and M. elsdenii on glucose, the reduction of lactate concentration was improved by SC, the same trend being observed when maltose or soluble starch were used as carbon and energy source. These results indicate that SC can be a very useful tool to reduce lactate accumulation in vitro during fermentation of soluble sugars.

Acetates↗
PubMed1995

Simulations of electron transfer in the NADPH-bound catalase from Proteus mirabilis PR.

Catalase-bound NADPH both prevents and reverses the accumulation of compound II, an inactive form of catalase that is generated from the normal active intermediate form (compound I) when catalase is exposed to a steady flow of hydrogen peroxide. The mechanism for the regeneration reaction is unknown although NADPH could act either as a one-electron or a two-electron donor. Recently, a reaction scheme has been proposed in which the formation of compound II from compound I generates a neighboring radical species within the protein. NADPH would then donate two electrons, one to compound II for reduction of the iron and the other to the protein free radical. In this paper, we report calculations to find the dominant electron tunneling pathways between NADPH and the heme iron in the catalase from the peroxide-resistant mutant of Proteus mirabilis. Two major tunneling pathways are found which fuse together on Ser-196. It is suggested that the sequence Gly-Ser of the loop that divides the beta 5-strand is the key element for shielding a radical amino acid.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1995

Most probable number enumeration of H2-utilizing acetogenic bacteria from the digestive tract of animals and man.

A method is proposed that allows the enrichment and most probable number estimation of H2/CO2(-)utilizing acetogenic bacteria. It is based on the difference in acetate production for serial dilutions incubated under either a test H2/CO2 (4:1), or a control N2/CO2 (4:1) headspace atmosphere. A nutritionally non-selective medium was used, containing bromoethane-sulfonic acid as inhibitor of methanogenic archaea and 10% pre-incubated clarified rumen fluid. Acetogenic bacteria were enumerated in rumen and hindgut contents of animals and in human feces. They ranged from below 10(2) to above 10(8) per gram wet weight gut content and their population levels were the highest in the absence of methanogenesis. The method described therein should prove useful to better understand the diversity and ecological importance of dominant gut acetogens.

Acetates↗
PubMed1995

Viral envelope glycoproteins swing into action.

Analysis of tick-borne encephalitis virus E protein reveals considerable structural diversity in the glycoproteins that clothe enveloped viruses and hints at the conformational gyrations in this molecule that lead to viral fusion.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Crystal structure of Proteus mirabilis PR catalase with and without bound NADPH.

A catalase from a peroxide resistant mutant of Proteus mirabilis binds NADPH tightly. Interestingly, this enzyme can be stripped of NADPH without loss of the catalatic activity. It is the only known non-mammalian catalase able to bind NADPH. The structure without cofactor was solved by molecular replacement using the structure of beef liver catalase as a model. The structure was refined to an R-factor of 19.3% in the range 8 to 2.2 A resolution. According to the sequence, a methionine sulphone was positioned in the haem active site. This oxidized form of methionine is particular to Proteus mirabilis catalase and likely to produce some steric hindrance in the active site. Two important water molecules are positioned in the haem distal site. These two water molecules are not located in the structure of beef liver catalase, but are supposed to account for the catalytic mechanism. The liganded form was obtained by soaking crystals of the unliganded form into an NADPH solution. The structure was refined to an R-factor of 15.9% in the range of 8 to 3.1 A resolution using the unliganded structure as a model. The NADPH was clearly located in the electron density map with the same conformation as in beef liver catalase. The NADPH binding induces slight structural changes. However, the imidazole ring of a histidine residue (His284) rotates about 50 degrees to accommodate the cofactor. The electron transfer from NADPH to the haem molecule was examined and several pathways are proposed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Effects of live Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells on zoospore germination, growth, and cellulolytic activity of the rumen anaerobic fungus, Neocallimastix frontalis MCH3.

The effects of a live yeast strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been investigated on zoospore germination, metabolism, and cellulolytic activity of the anaerobic rumen fungus Neocallimastix frontalis MCH3. The addition of yeast cells to a vitamin-deficient medium stimulated the germination of fungal zoospores, increased cellulose degradation and hydrogen, formate, lactate, and acetate production. Responses depended on the concentration of yeast cells added and on their viability. Yeast supplementation provided vitamins such as thiamine, which is essential for fungal growth and activity. These results demonstrate that yeasts could enhance plant cell wall colonization by N. frontalis. With certain diets, yeasts could therefore be a good tool to optimize the microbial degradation of lignocellulosic materials, but more research is needed to understand their mechanisms of action, so that they can be used with maximum efficiency as feed supplements.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Effect of anaerobic fungi on glycoside hydrolase and polysaccharide depolymerase activities, in sacco straw degradation and volatile fatty acid concentrations in the rumen of gnotobiotically reared lambs.

Four naturally born lambs were placed in sterile isolators 24 h after birth, before the natural establishment of the cellulolytic microorganisms. At the age of 4 weeks, a cellulolytic bacterial population of approximately 10(8) cells g-1 of rumen contents was established by inoculation with a 10(-6) dilution of ruminal contents taken from an adult sheep. A pure culture of Neocallimastix frontalis MCH3 and Piromyces communis FL was inoculated into the rumen 5 months after birth and a stable population of 10(3)-10(4) zoospores g-1 developed; the cellulolytic bacteria and fungi established populations in the 4 lambs that were similar to those observed in conventional animals. The presence of fungi led to an increase in the activity of most of the glycoside and polysaccharide hydrolases of the particle-associated microbial populations. However, this effect was not accompanied by an increase in the in sacco degradation of wheat straw or an increase in the volatile fatty acid concentration in the rumen contents.

Anaerobiosis↗
PubMed1995

In vitro H2 utilization by a ruminal acetogenic bacterium cultivated alone or in association with an archaea methanogen is stimulated by a probiotic strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The effects of a live strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on hydrogen utilization and acetate and methane production by two hydrogenotrophic ruminal microorganisms, an acetogenic bacterial strain and an archaea methanogen, were investigated. The addition of yeast cells enhanced by more than fivefold the hydrogenotrophic metabolism of the acetogenic strain and its acetate production. In the absence of yeasts, and in a coculture of the acetogen and the methanogen, hydrogen was principally used for methane synthesis, but the presence of live yeast cells stimulated the utilization of hydrogen by the acetogenic strain and enhanced acetogenesis.

Acetates↗
PubMed1994

Pressure and propylene carbonate denaturation of native and "aged" phosphorylated cholinesterase.

Organophosphate-inhibited cholinesterases may become progressively refractory to reactivation by nucleophilic compounds due to the dealkylation of an alkoxy group from the covalently bound phosphonate ester. This process is termed "aging". It has been found that "aged" cholinesterases are more resistant to protein unfolding than the non-inhibited ones. The pressure-induced denaturation of the native (non-inhibited) and "aged" tetrameric form of human plasma butyrylcholinesterase was investigated in the presence and absence of a denaturing agent (propylene carbonate). This study was undertaken to determine whether the stability of aged butyrylcholinesterase varies with the structure of the alkyl/aryl (R2) group remaining attached to the phosphorus atom of the organophosphoryl moiety. "Aged" organophosphoryl-cholinesterase conjugates were formed by reacting the enzyme with organophosphates: soman (trimethylpropylmethyl-phosphonofluoridate), sarin (isopropylmethyl-phosphonofluoridate), tabun (ethyl-N-dimethyl-phosphoramidocyanidate), DFP (diisopropyl phosphorofluoridate) and PBPDC (pyrenebutyl-phosphorodichloridate). The dual effects of hydrostatic pressure up to 3.5 kbar and propylene carbonate up to 1.2 M were investigated in 10 mM Tris.HCl (pH 7.0). Non-inhibited and aged enzymes were subjected to pressure/propylene carbonate for 12 hours at 20 degrees C. The perturbing effects of this treatment upon cholinesterase structure were analyzed after pressure release by non-denaturing electrophoresis. Pressure and propylene carbonate induced progressive inactivation of the native enzyme. The loss in activity was correlated with irreversible denaturation of the tetramer and its subsequent aggregation. Similarly, pressure and propylene carbonate induced the formation of irreversibly denatured forms of aged butyrylcholinesterase. These denatured forms are partially unfolded enzyme conformations. The native enzyme was found to be more susceptible to denaturation than aged enzymes, with the exception of the PBPDC-aged enzyme. Methyl phosphono adducts, i.e. soman or sarin-aged conjugates were found to be the most stable aged species. Phenomenological analysis of the pressure/propylene carbonate denaturation maps at half-way of the denaturation process indicated that denaturation is a multistep process. The lowest stability of tabun-aged and DFP-aged conjugates suggested that the size, the orientation and the hydrophobicity of the remaining alkyl/aryl chain (R2) of the organophosphoryl moiety play a role in determining the overall stability of aged enzymes. Molecular modelling of aged adducts shed light on steric constraints exerted by the R2 chain on the salt bridge formed between the negatively charged P-O- of the dealkylated organophosphoryl moiety and protonated His438 N epsilon.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Butyrylcholinesterase↗
PubMed1994

Establishment of hydrogen-utilizing bacteria in the rumen of the newborn lamb.

The development of hydrogenotrophic bacteria in the rumen of lambs was investigated by culture and labeling experiments. 14CO2 and 13CO2 incorporation by the rumen microflora of a 24-h-old lamb showed that while there was no labeled methane, double-labeled acetate was formed indicating the presence of hydrogen-dependent acetogenesis. In vitro counts from rumen fluid of 20-h-old lambs confirmed an extensive colonization of acetogenic bacteria while methanogens were absent. Methanogens appeared in the rumen of 30-h-old lambs, and as they developed there was a proportional decrease in the numbers of acetogens, indicating a competition for hydrogen between these two groups. Hydrogen-utilizing sulfate-reducing bacteria, which were established by the 3rd day after birth, did not seem to be affected by this competition.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Recombinant human butyrylcholinesterase G390V, the fluoride-2 variant, expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells, is a low affinity variant.

Kinetics of recombinant fluoride-2 variant of human butyrylcholinesterase (Gly390 Val) secreted by Chinese hamster ovary cells were compared to recombinant usual and to usual butyrylcholinesterase purified from human plasma. The usual and fluoride-2 variant were indistinguishable with regard to hydrolysis of benzoylcholine (Km = 5 microM), neutral esters, and at high concentrations of acetylthiocholine, propionylthiocholine, and butyrylthiocholine. However, at low substrate concentrations Km values for acetylthiocholine and succinyldithiocholine were 2-6-fold higher for the fluoride-2 variant. pH rate profiles revealed small differences in pKa that could be attributed to changes in the active site histidine environment. On the other hand, Arrhenius plot analysis of o-nitrophenylbutyrate hydrolysis at pH 7.5 showed no difference in activation energy between fluoride-2 and usual butyrylcholinesterases. Both exhibited an anomalous temperature dependence with a wavelike change in activation energy around 18 degrees C. Affinity of the fluoride-2 variant for sodium fluoride, tacrine, dibucaine, amodiaquin, and succinyldicholine was lower than for usual enzyme. Apparent Ki for succinyldicholine was 125 microM for the fluoride-2 variant and 20 microM for the usual enzyme. Organophosphate inhibition showed equivalent reactivity, indicating that the point mutation altered only the binding properties of the variant. Thus, Km and Ki changes explain the succinyldicholine sensitivity of people carrying the fluoride-2 variant.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

In vitro study of the proteolytic activity of rumen anaerobic fungi.

Proteolytic, aminopeptidase, endopeptidase and carboxypeptidase activities of seven strains of rumen anaerobic fungi, selected to represent the fungal population commonly found in the rumen, were investigated in vitro. Whatever the nitrogen source included in the culture medium, a proteolytic activity against the 14C-labelled casein was detected in only one fungal strain. This strain belonged to the genus Piromyces. The activity was extracellular and was found both in the culture supernatant and bound to the mycelium. No carboxypeptidase activity was detected in the seven strains. In contrast, all the strains exhibited aminopeptidase activity. Two strains had an endopeptidase activity.

Anaerobiosis↗
PubMed1993

Effect of anaerobic fungi on the ruminal proteolysis in gnotobiotic lambs.

The establishment of a fungal population composed of the main species usually found in ruminants in the rumen of gnotobiotic lambs did not significantly alter the in sacco digestibility of meat meal and soybean cake. The proteolytic activity of the rumen fluid against 14C-casein was not affected by the fungi. Therefore, these microorganisms probably do not play an important role in the degradation of proteins in the rumen.

Anaerobiosis↗
PubMed1993

Effect of Eubacterium limosum, a ruminal hydrogenotrophic bacterium, on the degradation and fermentation of cellulose by 3 species of rumen anaerobic fungi.

The degradation and fermentation of cellulose filter paper were studied in axenic cultures of 3 species of rumen anaerobic fungi, Neocallimastix frontalis, Piromyces communis and Caecomyces communis, and in cocultures containing 1 of these fungal strains and Eubacterium limosum, a hydrogenotrophic rumen bacterial species. When E limosum was introduced into fungal cultures a slight decrease in fungal cellulolytic activity was observed. The end products of the fermentation of cellulose found in the cocultures were different from those found in the fungal monocultures. E limosum used formate and part of the hydrogen produced by the fungi and probably created a shift in the metabolism of the fungi resulting in a reduction of lactate and ethanol production.

Anaerobiosis↗
PubMed1993

Inhibition of the cellulolytic activity of Neocallimastix frontalis by Ruminococcus flavefaciens.

A study was made of the antagonistic effect of Ruminococcus flavefaciens on the cellulolytic activity of Neocallimastix frontalis. An extracellular factor inhibiting the cellulolytic activity of the fungus was detected in the bacterial supernatant. The antagonistic factor, which precipitated with ammonium sulphate at 40% saturation, was temperature-sensitive and was destroyed at temperatures above 60 degrees C. After separation by anion-exchange chromatography, sequential precipitation, dialysis and SDS-PAGE, two protein species of 100 and 24 kDa were identified as being involved in this antagonistic effect. It is known whether the proteins are two subunits of a single protein or represent two different proteins. The inhibitory factor, which is not a bacterial cellulase, did not affect fungal growth, but it inhibited the activity of the fungal cellulases.

Anaerobiosis↗
PubMed1993

Influence of the destabilisation of the maternal digestive microflora on that of the newborn rat.

By destabilising the digestive flora of pregnant rats by antibiotic treatment, it was shown that part of the digestive microflora of the neonate originated from the maternal faeces. A mixture of ampicillin, bacitracin neomycin and streptomycin associated with nystatin were administered ad libitum at three different times, 1-3, 3-5, and more than 5 days before the estimated date of littering. For each treatment, samples were taken from the faeces, teats, and vagina of dams and from the digestive tracts of neonates aged between 6 and 120 h, and analysed for the presence of staphylococci, enterococci, lactobacilli and coliform bacteria. Antibiotic treatment reduced digestive flora populations to levels lower than 10(2) g-1 but had less effect on the vaginal and cutaneous mammary flora. In the digestive microflora of the neonate, the enterococci were unevenly affected, whereas the staphylococci were considerably decreased and the lactobacilli almost completely eliminated; coliform bacteria were found sporadically and in small numbers. The traces of antibiotics found in milk are not sufficient to explain these modifications. Counts made in control animals on media fed the same antibiotic concentrations were not modified. This work underlined the awful consequences for the newborn of a serious perturbation of the mother flora and the necessity of its presence for a normal installation of the digestive microflora of the newborn.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Effects of glycerol on the growth, adhesion, and cellulolytic activity of rumen cellulolytic bacteria and anaerobic fungi.

The effect of glycerol on the growth, adhesion, and cellulolytic activity of two rumen cellulolytic bacterial species, Ruminococcus flavefaciens and Fibrobacter succinogenes subsp. succinogenes, and of an anaerobic fungal species, Neocallimastix frontalis, was studied. At low concentrations (0.1-1%), glycerol had no effect on the growth, adhesion, and cellulolytic activity of the two bacterial species. However, at a concentration of 5%, it greatly inhibited their growth and cellulolytic activity. Glycerol did not affect the adhesion of bacteria to cellulose. The growth and cellulolytic activity of N. frontalis were inhibited by glycerol, increasingly so at higher concentrations. At a concentration of 5%, glycerol totally inhibited the cellulolytic activity of the fungus. Thus, glycerol can be added to animal feed at low concentrations.

Animals↗