The level of heterogeneity among the isolated stem cells makes them less valuable for clinical use. The purpose of this study was to understand the level of heterogeneity among human dental pulp derived mesenchymal stem cells by using basic cell biology and proteomic approaches. The cells were isolated from a natal (NDPSCs), an exfoliated deciduous (stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous (SHED)), and an impacted third molar (DPSCs) tooth of three different donors. All three stem cells displayed similar features related to morphology, proliferation rates, expression of various cell surface markers, and differentiation potentials into adipocytes, osteocytes, and chondrocytes. Furthermore, using 2DE approach coupled with MALDI-TOF/TOF, we have generated a common 2DE profile for all three stem cells. We found that62.3±7% of the protein spots were conserved among the three mesenchymal stem cell lines. Sixty-one of these conserved spots were identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis. Classification of the identified proteins based on biological function revealed that structurally important proteins and proteins that are involved in protein folding machinery are predominantly expressed by all three stem cell lines. Some of these proteins may hold importance in understanding specific properties of human dental pulp derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Several solvent-producing clostridia, including Clostridium acetobutylicum and C. beijerinckii, were previously shown to be nitrogen-fixing organisms based on the incorporation of ¹⁵N₂ into cellular material. The key nitrogen-fixation (nif) genes, including nifH, nifD, and nifK for nitrogenase component proteins as well as nifE, nifN, nifB and nifV for synthesis of the iron–molybdenum cofactor (FeMoco) of nitrogenase, have now been identified in C. acetobutylicum or C. beijerinckii or both. The organization of these genes is similar to the distinctive pattern that was first observed in Clostridium pasteurianum, with the nifN and nifB genes fused into the nifN-B gene and with the nifV gene split into the nifVω and nifVα genes. The corresponding nif genes of these three clostridial species are highly related to each other. However, in the two solvent-producing clostridia, the nifH and nifD genes are interspersed by two glnB-like genes, which are absent in the corresponding region in C. pasteurianum. However, the nifN-B and nifVω genes of C. pasteurianum are interspersed by the putative modA and modB genes (for molybdate transport), which are absent in the corresponding region in C. acetobutylicum. C. acetobutylicum and C. beijerinckii grew well under nitrogen-fixing conditions, and the acetylene-reducing activity of nitrogenase was measured in the two species. Acetone, butanol, and isopropanol production occurred in nitrogen-fixing cultures, but the peak of nitrogen-fixing activity preceded the active solventogenic phase. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (2001) 27, 281–286.

Objectives: This study was designed to demonstrate the prevalence of the newly discovered carbapenem-hydrolysing class D enzymes, OXA-51-type and OXA-58, among clinical isolates of Acinetobacter spp. Methods: A total of 72 isolates from six centres were studied. Isolates were screened by PCR with specific primers for bla_OXA-51-type and bla_OXA-58. PCR products were sequence-analysed. Plasmids were digested with EcoRV and genomic DNAs were digested with PvuII. Hybridization experiments were done with digoxigenin-labelled specific probes. Macro-restriction analysis was done on SmaI-digested genomic DNAs. Results: A total of 56 (77.8%) isolates were positive for bla_OXA-51-type genes. Sequence analysis of the products from 23 selected isolates revealed the occurrence of multiple alleles in all contributing centres. The bla_OXA-58 gene was detected among 10 isolates from five centres. All were also positive for bla_OXA-51-type genes. Among the bla_OXA-58-positive isolates, two from the same centre were positive for a novel OXA-51 allele (OXA-86). Southern hybridization of plasmids and of genomic DNAs suggested that bla_OXA-51-type genes are located on chromosomes whereas bla_OXA-58 genes are plasmid borne in these 10 isolates. Plasmid profiles and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns indicated the spread of the bla_OXA-58 gene among multiple clones. The bla_OXA-51-type and bla_OXA-58 co-carrier strains were mostly associated with a pandrug-resistant phenotype. Conclusions: This study indicated that bla_OXA-58-bearing plasmids are readily spreading among multiple clones of the bla_OXA-51-type-bearing clinical isolates of Acinetobacter spp. Since these isolates are highly resistant to antibiotics this finding indicates the existence of a significant problem in Turkish hospitals.

We studied the beta-lactamases of an E. aerogenes isolate recovered from the blood of a two-year-old patient. The isolate demonstrated a disk-diffusion phenotype typical for an AmpC-ESBL co-producer.