• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.45 no.4
• /
• pp.354-357
• /
• 2017

There is an increase in the presence of drug-resistant staphylococci outside of the nosocomial and healthcare setting. Although the presence of staphylococci has been studied in several public spaces, nothing is known on the presence of staphylococci in public libraries. Book surfaces from public libraries in the East London area, United Kingdom were swabbed and cultured and identity of the isolates determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS). Seven different staphylococcal species were identified by MALDI-TOF-MS analysis. This short study provides evidence of the presence of multidrug-resistant staphylococci in public libraries in the East London area.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.77-81
• /
• 2020

Characterization of the various chemical aspects of composite polymers is important for quality control of manufactured polymers. In this study, we compared three suitable matrices (α cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid [CHCA], 2,5 dihydroxy benzoic acid [2,5-DHB], and dithranol), to characterize various synthetic polymers by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Although the spectra obtained with the CHCA and 2,5-DHB matrices were generally good, in certain samples ghost peaks disappeared only when dithranol was used as the matrix. Furthermore, we examined the use of sodium trifluoroacetate (NaTFA) as an additive to reduce interference by metals and copolymers in the spectra. In conclusion, appropriate selection of a matrix, according to the characteristics of the polymer, and the use of additives to improve sensitivity are important considerations for polymer analysis and development.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.25 no.11
• /
• pp.1954-1959
• /
• 2015

Bacillus subtilis HM1 was isolated from the rhizosphere region of halophytes for its antifungal activity against Colletotrichum acutatum, the causative agent of anthracnose. Treatment of postharvest apples with the cell culture or with a cell-free culture supernatant reduced disease severity 80.7% and 69.4%, respectively. Both treatments also exhibited antifungal activity against various phytopathogenic fungi in vitro. The antifungal substances were purified and analyzed by acid precipitation, gel filtration, high-performance liquid chromatography, and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Three compounds were identified as fengycin, iturin, and surfactin. The MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrum revealed the presence of cyclized fengycin homologs A and B, which were distinguishable on the basis of the presence of either alanine or valine, respectively, at position 6 of the peptide sequence. In addition, the cyclized structure of fengycin was shown to play a critical role in antifungal activity.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.48 no.2
• /
• pp.138-147
• /
• 2020

Various microorganisms play important roles in food fermentation, food spoilage, and agriculture. In this study, the biotype of 54 yeast and bacterial strains having high potential for utilization in food and agriculture, including Candida spp., Lactobacillus spp., and Acetobacter spp., were characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). This characterization using a fast and robust method provides much-needed information on the selected microorganisms and will facilitate effective usage of these strains in various applications. Importantly, the unique protein profile of each microbial species obtained from this study was used to create a database of fingerprints from these species. The database was validated using microbial strains of the same species by comparing the mass spectra with the created database through pattern matching. The created reference database provides crucial information and is useful for further utilization of a large number of valuable microorganisms relevant to food and agriculture.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.1128-1137
• /
• 2017

The aim of this study was to explore the accuracy and feasibility of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) in identifying bacteria from environmental sources, as compared with rpoA gene sequencing, and to evaluate the occurrence of bacteria of the genus Enterococcus in wild birds. In addition, a phyloproteomic analysis of certain Enterococcus species with spectral relationships was performed. The enterococci were isolated from 25 species of wild birds in central Europe (Poland). Proteomic (MALDI-TOF MS) and genomic (rpoA gene sequencing) methods were used to identify all the isolates. Using MALDI-TOF MS, all 54 (100%) isolates were identified as Enterococcus spp. Among these, 51 (94.4%) isolates were identified to the species level (log(score) ${\geq}2.0$), and three isolates (5.6%) were identified at a level of probable genus identification (log(score) 1.88-1.927). Phylogenetic analysis based on rpoA sequences confirmed that all enterococci had been correctly identified. Enterococcus faecalis was the most prevalent enterococcal species (50%) and Enterococcus faecium (33.3%) the second most frequent species, followed by Enterococcus hirae (9.3%), Enterococcus durans (3.7%), and Enterococcus casseliflavus (3.7%). The phyloproteomic analysis of the spectral profiles of the isolates showed that MALDI-TOF MS is able to differentiate among similar species of the genus Enterococcus.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.263-269
• /
• 2016

For decades, the microorganisms in arctic soils have been newly discovered according to the climate change and global warming. In this study, the chemical structure of a lipid A molecule from Pseudomonas sp. strain PAMC 28615 which was newly discovered from arctic soils was characterized by mass spectrometric approaches such as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) and MALDI multi-stage tandem mass spectrometry (MS). First, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Pseudomonas sp. strain PAMC 28615 was extracted and subsequently hydrolyzed to obtain the lipid A. The parent ion peak at m/z 1632 was determined by MALDI-TOF MS, which also can validate our lipid A purification method. For detailed structural determination, we performed the multiple-stage tandem mass analysis ($MS^4$) of the parent ion, and subsequently the abundant fragment ions in each MS stage are tested. The fragment ions in each MS stage were produced from the loss of phosphate groups and fatty acyl groups, which could be used to confirm the composition or the position of the lipid A components. Consequently, the mass spectrometry-based lipid A profiling method could provide the detail chemical structure of lipid A from the Pseudomonas sp. strain PAMC 28615 as an arctic bacterium from the frozen arctic soil.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.263-271
• /
• 2017

The application of mass spectrometry to polymer science has rapidly increased since the development of MALDI-TOF MS. This review summarizes current polymer analysis methods using MALDI-TOF MS, which has been extensively applied to analyze the average molecular weight of biopolymers and synthetic polymers. Polymer sequences have also been analyzed to reveal the structures and composition of monomers. In addition, the analysis of unknown end-groups and the determination of polymer concentrations are very important applications. Hyphenated techniques using MALDI-tandem MS have been used for the analysis of fragmentation patterns and end-groups, and also the combination of SEC and MALDI-TOF MS techniques is recommended for the analysis of complex polymers. Moreover, MALDI-TOF MS has been utilized for the observation of polymer degradation. Ion mobility MS, TOF-SIMS, and MALDI-TOF-imaging are also emerging technologies for polymer characterization because of their ability to automatically fractionate and localize polymer samples. The determination of polymer characteristics and their relation to the material properties is one of the most important demands for polymer scientists; the development of software and instrument for higher molecular mass range (> 100 kD) will increase the applications of MALDI-TOF MS for polymer scientists.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2003.05a
• /
• pp.77-79
• /
• 2003

Current therapeutic strategies far anthrax have had no significant impact on anthrax mortality over the last several decades. This study used a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) discovery platform to generate protein expression profiles in search of overexpressed proteins in murine macrophage cells (RAW264.7) which infected with Bacillus anthracis spores as potentially novel molecular targets. Two differentially expressed proteins were identified in infected murine macrophage cells as Syndapin and CDC46, respectively. Syndapins are potential links between the cortical actin cytoskeleton and endocytosis. Other two proteins were identified from murine macrophage cells infected with avirulent spores as ITBG-2 (CD18) and HSPA5, respectively. These data demonstrate the feasibility of using a MALDI-TOF platform to generate protein expression profiles and identify potential molecular targets for anthrax therapeutics.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.187-198
• /
• 2006

The aromatic hydrocarbons (AHs), which include benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and dioxin, are important chemical and environmental contaminants in industry that usually cause various diseases. Over the years, numerous studies have described and evaluated the adverse health effects induced by AHs. Currently, "Omics" technologies, transcriptomics and proteomics, have been applied in AH toxicity studies. Proteomics has been used to identify molecular mechanisms and biomarkers associated with global chemical toxicity. It could enhance our ability to characterize chemical-induced toxicities and to identify noninvasive biomarkers. The proteomic approach (e.g. 2-dimensional electrophoresis [2-DE]), can be used to observe changes in protein expression during chemical exposure with high sensitivity and specificity. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and electrospray ionization-quadrupole (ESI-Q)-TOF MS/MS are recognized as the most important protein identification tools. This review describes proteomic technologies and their application in the proteomic analysis of AH toxicity.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.53 no.3
• /
• pp.163-169
• /
• 2017

Strains D4 and D5 were isolated from peach-rotten soil during the peach harvest season. The isolates were identified based on morphological and biochemical characterization, and identification was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results showed that D4 has high similarity to Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC $14917^T$ and Lactobacillus pentosus ATCC $8041^T$ at 99.05% and 98.98%, respectively. D5 was also similar to Lactobacillus pentosus ATCC $8041^T$ and Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC $14917^T$ at 98.71% and 98.64%, respectively. In contrast, isolates showed differences in carbohydrate utilization in comparison to Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC $14917^T$ and Lactobacillus pentosus ATCC $8041^T$. In view of this we performed VITEK MS matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis, multiplex PCR fingerprinting, and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR to further confirm the identification of D4 and D5. The results of these analyses showed that both strains were most similar to Lactobacillus plantarum.