Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : The presence of biological matter (biofilms) in deep geological sites for storage of, for instance, toxic elements or groundwater in aquifers was clearly proved. That biomass triggers physical and chemical processes which greatly modify the durability and the sustainability of the sites. These processes, mainly from oxidative/reductive reactions, are poorly understood. This is mainly due to the fact that former studies were done at the macroscopic level far away from the micrometric scale where relevant processes induced by bacteria take place. Investigations at microscopic level are needed. Thus, we developed an experimental set-up based on the combined use of optical microscopy (transmission), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and electrical and electro-chemical AFM microscopy (EC_AFM) in order to get simultaneous information on topographic and electro-chemical processes. The first highly sensitive step was to use AFM with biological samples in liquid environment: wepresent here a study about AFM imaging of living, moving or self-immobilized bacteria, in their genuine physiological liquid medium and in true in vivo conditions. No external immobilization protocol, neither chemical nor mechanical was needed. For the first time, the native gliding movements of Gram negative Nostoc cyanobacteria upon the surface were studied by AFM. AFM height and mechanical stiffness data were simultaneously acquired. From these, mechanical parameters, inner turgor pressure and Young modulus, were derived for different bacterial species (Anabaenopsis circularis, Rhodococcus wratislaviensis). Our study revealed that AFM imaging is thus possible on moving living species. These results open a large window on new studies of both dynamical phenomena of practical and fundamental interests such as the formation of biofilms and dynamic properties of bacteria in real physiological conditions. The second delicate step was to combine AFM and optical measurements with electrical ones. We mounted a new experimental set-up coupling real-time (i) monitoring of optical properties as the optical density (OD) evolution related to bulk bacterial growth in liquid or as the counting of number of bacteria adhering on the surface of the sample as well and (ii) electrical and electrochemical measurements. Furthermore, these results will shortly be applied to the optimized monitoring of the in-situ activity of bacteria consuming oil pollutants, following this way, in real-time, the bioremediation of an oilcontaminated soil (ANR ECOTECH_BIOPHY program).
La présence de matière biologique (biofilms) dans les sites de stockage géologique profond, d'éléments toxiques ou encore de l'eau potable des aquifères est maintenant clairement démontrée. Cette biomasse est à l'origine de processus physiques et chimiques qui modifient considérablement la durabilité et la pérennité des sites concernés. Ces processus, principalement de type oxydo-réductif, sont encore mal compris. Ceci est principalement dû aux méthodes d'investigation, principalement macroscopiques, loin de l'échelle micrométrique caractéristique des bactéries. Seules des études, basées sur des méthodes d'investigation locale, peuvent apporter les informations requises. Ainsi, nous avons développé un dispositif expérimental basé sur l'utilisation combinée de la microscopie optique (en transmission), la microscopie à force atomique (AFM) et la microscopie AFM en mode électrique et électrochimique (EC_AFM) afin d'obtenir des informations simultanées sur la topographie de l'échantillon et sur les processus électrochimiques à l'échelle des bactéries. La première étape sensible consistait à utiliser l'AFM sur des échantillons biologiques en milieu liquide: nous présentons ici les résultats de l'imagerie AFM en milieu liquide de plusieurs types de bactéries dans leurs conditions physiologiques naturelles (conditions in vivo). Aucun protocole d'immobilisation, ni chimique ni mécanique, n'a été nécessaire; et pour la première fois, les mouvements de reptation de cyanobactéries Nostoc ont été étudiés par l'AFM. Les études AFM ont permis d'acquérir des données topographiques mais aussi mécaniques : nous avons pu ainsi mesurer le module d'Young, la pression de turgescence de différentes souches bactériennes (Anabaenopsis circularis, Rhodococcus wratislaviensis). Cette étude complète, a révélé que l'imagerie AFM est donc possible sur des espèces vivantes en mouvement. Ces résultats ouvrent une grande fenêtre sur de nouvelles études d'intérêts tels que la formation de biofilms et les propriétés dynamiques de bactéries dans des conditions physiologiques réelles. La deuxième étape délicate était de combiner l'AFM aux mesures optiques et électriques. Nous avons développé un nouveau dispositif expérimental permettant (i) le suivi de l'évolution de la croissance bactérienne par la mesure des propriétés optiques comme la densité optique DO (pour le développement bactérien en volume - milieu planctonique) , ou l'analyse de l'image du substrat par comptage du nombre de bactéries sur la surface de l'échantillon (biofilm), et (ii) les mesures électriques et électrochimiques. L'ensemble de ces résultats sera prochainement appliqué au développement de nouveaux outils de surveillance d'une biodépollution de terrain contaminé par les hydrocarbures, par le suivi in situ et en temps réel de l'activité de bactéries dépolluantes (ECOTECH_BIOPHY ANR).
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01044714

tel-01044714
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01044714
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01044714/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01044714/file/theseDhahri2013.pdf

Éditeur(s) : Université Montpellier 2 - Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc
Résumé : The work reported here was motivated by the economical importance of the pacific blue shrimp Litopenaeus stylirostris farming where high mortality rates are due to bacterial and viral diseases. It consists in the characterisation of two original peptides, the first members of a new multifunctional family of peptides from peneide shrimps, the stylicines. Those two peptides, named stylicines 1 and 2, are negatively charged (pI < 6.0), and characterised by a proline-rich N-terminal region and a C-terminal region containing 13 cysteine residues. Stylicines are synthesized by heamocytes where they are stored within small cytoplasmic granules. To understand the role of these peptides in the immune response of shrimps to a vibrio infection, their recombinant forms were produced in E. coli BL21 (DE3) plysS, purified and characterised. The two rstylicines display biological anti-proliferative and blood clotting activities. Only rstylicine 1 displays antimicrobial activities: antifungal against Fusarium oxysporum (MIC<2.5μM) and bacteriostatic against Gram (−) bacteria, Vibrio sp. (MIC<80μM). Moreover this peptide displays an LPS-binding activity (dissociation constant (Kd) of 9.6×10−8 M) and agglutinate Vibrio. penaeicida "in vitro". Finally, the presence of sequences coding for modified forms of stylicine 1 in some shrimp’s genome may be in relation with their lower ability to survive infections.
Les travaux présentés dans ce mémoire ont été motivés par l’importance économique de l’élevage de la crevette bleue du pacifique Litopenaeus stylirostris dont les fortes mortalités sont principalement dues au développement de maladies bactériennes et virales. Ils ont consisté en la caractérisation des deux premiers membres d’une famille originale de peptides multifonctionnels présents chez les crevettes pénéides, les stylicines. Ces peptides, nommés stylicines 1 et 2, sont des peptides anioniques (pI < 6.0), formés d’une région amino-terminale riche en résidus de type proline et d’une région carboxyterminale riche de treize résidus cystéines. Ces molécules sont synthétisées et stockées dans de petits granules présents dans le cytoplasme des hémocytes. Pour mieux appréhender leurs rôles dans la réponse immunitaire des crevettes à une infection par des Vibrio, leurs formes recombinantes ont été produites dans E. coli BL21 (DE3) plysS, purifiées et caractérisées. Les deux rstylicines présentent des activités antiproliférative et anticoagulante. Seule la rstylicine1 présente des activités antimicrobiennes : antifongique sur Fusarium oxysporum (CMI<2.5 μM), et antibactérienne (bactériostatique) sur Vibrio sp (CMI<80 μM). Ce peptide est également capable de se lier aux LPS des bactéries à Gram (-) (Kd= 9.6x10-8 M) et d’agglutiner V. penaeicida "in vitro". Enfin, l’existence de gènes codant des formes modifiées de la stylicine1, chez certaines crevettes, pourrait être en relation avec une diminution de la résistante des individus aux infections.

Droits : 2010 The Author, Univ Montpellier 2
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00024/13558/10612.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00024/13558/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS on behalf of Institut Pasteur. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Ehrlichia is a large genus of obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacteria transmitted by ticks that cause several emerging infectious diseases in humans and are pathogenic on rodents, ruminants, and dogs. Ehrlichia spp. invade and replicate either in endothelial cells, white blood cells, or within midgut cells and salivary glands of their vector ticks. In this review, we discuss the insights that functional studies are providing on how this group of bacteria exploits their host by subverting host innate immunity and hijacking cellular processes.
ISSN: 1286-4579

hal-01512099
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01512099
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01512099/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01512099/file/Moumene%202016%20Microbes%20and%20Infection_%7BEFBE9395-9C1F-4C96-A09E-A017DC15F940%7D.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.micinf.2015.11.001

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : 51 pages; 15figures; 3 tables, accepted for publication in PloS ONE
International audience
We present a study about AFM imaging of living, moving or self-immobilized, bacteria in their genuine physiological liquid medium. No external immobilization protocol, neither chemical nor mechanical, was needed. For the first time, the native gliding movements of Gram-negative Nostoc cyanobacteria upon the surface, at speeds up to 900microns/h, were studied by AFM. This was possible thanks to an improved combination of a gentle sample preparation process and an AFM procedure based on fast and complete force-distance curves made at every pixel, drastically reducing lateral forces. No limitation in spatial resolution or imaging rate was detected. Gram-positive and non-motile R. wratislaviensis bacteria were studied as well. From the approach curves, Young modulus and turgor pressure were measured for both strains at different gliding speeds and are ranging from 20±3 to 105±5MPa and 40±5 to 310±30kPa depending on the bacterium and the gliding speed. For Nostoc, spatially limited zones with higher values of stiffness were observed. The related spatial period is much higher than the mean length of Nostoc nodules. This was explained by an inhomogeneous mechanical activation of nodules in the Nostoc. We also observed the presence of a soft extra cellular matrix (ECM) around the Nostoc. Both strains left a track of polymeric slime with variable thicknesses. For R. wratislaviensis, it is equal to few hundreds of nanometers, likely to promote its adhesion to the sample. While gliding, the Nostoc secretes a slime layer the thickness of which is in the nanometer range and increases with the gliding speed.
ISSN: 1932-6203

hal-00769765
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00769765
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00769765v3/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00769765/file/REsubmission_In-situ_determination_Dhahri_Plos_One_R2_Hal.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
The outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of Gram-negative bacteria play a crucial role in virulence and pathogenesis. Identification of these proteins represents an important goal for bacterial proteomics, because it aids in vaccine development. Here, we have developed such an approach for Ehrlichia ruminantium, the obligate intracellular bacterium that causes heartwater. A preliminary whole proteome analysis of elementary bodies, the extracellular infectious form of the bacterium, had been performed previously, but information is limited about OMPs in this organism and about their role in the protective immune response. Identification of OMPs is also essential for understanding Ehrlichia’s OM architecture, and how the bacterium interacts with the host cell environment. First, we developed an OMP extraction method using the ionic detergent sarkosyl, which enriched the OM fraction. Second, proteins were separated via one-dimensional electrophoresis, and digested peptides were analyzed via nano-liquid chromatographic separation coupled with mass spectrometry (LCMALDI-TOF/TOF). Of 46 unique proteins identified in the OM fraction, 18 (39%) were OMPs, including 8 proteins involved in cell structure and biogenesis, 4 in transport/virulence, 1 porin, and 5 proteins of unknown function. These experimental data were compared to the predicted subcellular localization of the entire E. ruminantium proteome, using three different algorithms. This work represents the most complete proteome characterization of the OM fraction in Ehrlichia spp. The study indicates that suitable subcellular fractionation experiments combined with straightforward computational analysis approaches are powerful for determining the predominant subcellular localization of the experimentally observed proteins.We identified proteins potentially involved in E. ruminantium athogenesis, which are good novel targets for candidate vaccines. Thus, combining bioinformatics and proteomics, we discovered new OMPs for E. ruminantium that are valuable data for those investigating new vaccines against this organism. In summary, we provide both pioneering data and novel insights into the pathogenesis of this obligate intracellular bacterium.
ISSN: 1932-6203

hal-01203402
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01203402
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01203402/document
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01203402/file/2015_Moumene_PLOSONE-1.pdf
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0116758

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Station Biologique
Résumé : International audience
Four "morphotypes" of Mytilidae were collected from wood falls in the west Pacific (Vanuatu islands) and in the Bohol sea (Philippines) between 300 and 1800 metre depth. Results from our study demonstrated the existence of extracellular bacteria located between microvilli at the apical surface of the cells all along the lateral zone of the gill filaments in the four mytilid morphotypes analyzed. Based on TEM observations, these Gram-negative bacteria were not methanotrophic due to the lack of concentric stacking of intracellular membranes in their cytoplasm. Based on FISH experiments, these bacteria belong to g-Proteobacteria. These preliminary observations described gill symbiosis-like interactions in metazoan species associated with sunken wood, strengthening the hypothesis that decomposing wood may serve as steps for the introduction of symbiotic Mytilidae to vents and seeps. Phylogenetic analysis of these extracellular bacteria are in progress in our lab in order to compare their 16SrDNA sequences to that of other marine invertebrate symbionts described to date.
ISSN: 0007-9723

hal-00753023
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-00753023

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : 1. Resource control over abundance, structure and functional diversity of soil microbial communities is a key determinant of soil processes and related ecosystem functioning. Copiotrophic organisms tend to be found in environments which are rich in nutrients, particularly carbon, in contrast to oligotrophs, which survive in much lower carbon concentrations. We hypothesized that microbial biomass, activity and community structure in nutrient-poor soils of an Amazonian rain forest are limited by multiple elements in interaction. We tested this hypothesis with a fertilization experiment by adding C (as cellulose), N (as urea) and P (as phosphate) in all possible combinations to a total of 40 plots of an undisturbed tropical forest in French Guiana. After 2years of fertilization, we measured a 47% higher biomass, a 21% increase in substrate-induced respiration rate and a 5-fold higher rate of decomposition of cellulose paper discs of soil microbial communities that grew in P-fertilized plots compared to plots without P fertilization. These responses were amplified with a simultaneous C fertilization suggesting P and C colimitation of soil micro-organisms at our study site. Moreover, P fertilization modified microbial community structure (PLFAs) to a more copiotrophic bacterial community indicated by a significant decrease in the Gram-positive:Gram-negative ratio. The Fungi:Bacteria ratio increased in N fertilized plots, suggesting that fungi are relatively more limited by N than bacteria. Changes in microbial community structure did not affect rates of general processes such as glucose mineralization and cellulose paper decomposition. In contrast, community level physiological profiles under P fertilization combined with either C or N fertilization or both differed strongly from all other treatments, indicating functionally different microbial communities. While P appears to be the most critical from the three major elements we manipulated, the strongest effects were observed in combination with either supplementary C or N addition in support of multiple element control on soil microbial functioning and community structure. We conclude that the soil microbial community in the studied tropical rain forest and the processes it drives is finely tuned by the relative availability in C, N and P. Any shifts in the relative abundance of these key elements may affect spatial and temporal heterogeneity in microbial community structure, their associated functions and the dynamics of C and nutrients in tropical ecosystems.
ISSN: 0269-8463

hal-01204229
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01204229
DOI : 10.1111/1365-2435.12329
PRODINRA : 311389

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier
Résumé : Vibrio tapetis is the marine bacterium responsible for the brown ring disease (BRD) affecting die manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum. Identification of V tapelis has been previously performed using biochemical criteria and serological procedures. All of these methods are time consuming and ill-adapted to individual screening. This study describes an oligonucleotidic probe (Vt446) and two PCR primers, deduced from the 16S rDNA sequence, allowing a fast and specific V tapetis identification using dot blot hybridisation and species-specific primed PCR (SSP-PCR). The probe and primers have been tested on 60 strains, including referenced Vibrio sp., Gram negative and positive bacteria, marine bacteria samples and isolated clam bacteria. For all the 19 V tapetis strains, the results of PCR assays consistently corroborated those of the agglutination tests. The detection limit was estimated to be 10(2) CFU ml(-1). The SSP-PCR method has resulted in V tapetis detection in larvae, m diseased clams, and in asymptomatic broodstock clams that later developed BRD. In conclusion, the two SSP-PCR primers were useful for direct and fast identification of V tapetis strains isolated in clams, and are well suited for the screening of individual R. philippilnarum broodstock clams and larvae from the hatchery. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Aquaculture (0044-8486) (Elsevier), 2006-03 , Vol. 253 , N. 1-4 , P. 25-38

Droits : 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2006/publication-1692.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2005.03.047
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/1692/