Xylella fastidiosa can be graft transmitted to healthy plants or

Xylella fastidiosa can be graft transmitted to healthy plants or vectored by several species TSA HDAC cell line of xylem-feeding leafhoppers (Redak et al., 2004). Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are defensive substances widespread in nature, being produced from bacteria to mammals (Sang & Blecha, 2008). The majority display common features such as a low molecular

mass, a positive net charge at physiological pH and an amphipathic structure (Bulet et al., 2004). Generally, AMPs disrupt the plasmatic membrane, causing the rapid death of microorganisms. Nevertheless, some AMPs can cross the microbial membrane acting on internal cellular targets (Brogden, 2005). The elucidation of the exact mode of action of AMPs is essential to allow the use of these substances to develop a new generation of antibiotics to control infections of both plants and animals. Gomesin is a short β-hairpin AMP (2270.4 Da) isolated from the hemocytes of the tarantula spider Acanthoscurria gomesiana (Silva et al.,

2000). Similar to www.selleckchem.com/products/Bleomycin-sulfate.html most AMPs, gomesin is cationic and possesses an amphipatic structure (Mandard et al., 2002). Bacteria and fungi synthesize and secrete AMPs to inhibit the growth of neighboring microorganisms that compete for both space and nutrients (Sang & Blecha, 2008). Several bacteria and fungi species have been reported to compose an endophytic community that cohabits the xylem vessels of citrus plants along with X. fastidiosa (Araujo et al., 2002). Moreover, many tissues of insects, including salivary glands and the lining epithelial cells, produce AMPs to prevent infection (Bulet et al., 2004). Therefore, it is likely that X. fastidiosa may be exposed to AMPs during colonization of both the host plant and the insect vector. To verify whether and how X. fastidiosa would respond to AMPs, we evaluated the effect of gomesin on its global gene expression profile and on 4-Aminobutyrate aminotransferase X. fastidiosa colonization success of

tobacco plants. Ampicillin, streptomycin and tetracycline were from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO). Gomesin (Silva et al., 2000) was synthesized as described previously (Fazio et al., 2006). Lyophilized gomesin and conventional antibiotic were reconstituted in sterile deionized water immediately before use. Virulent 9a5c and avirulent J1a12 X. fastidiosa strains (Li et al., 1999; Koide et al., 2004) were grown in periwinkle wilt (PW) broth medium (Davis et al., 1981) supplemented with 20% glucose as described previously (Zaini et al., 2008). Mid-log suspensions (OD600 nm=0.400) of either 9a5c or J1a12 strains were incubated with different concentrations of gomesin (0.14–9 μg mL−1), ampicillin (0.31 × 103–5 × 103 μg mL−1), streptomycin (0.19–100 μg mL−1), tetracycline (0.97–500 μg mL−1) or water as control. After 18 h at 28 °C, cells were harvested by centrifugation at 4000 g for 5 min at 25 °C, suspended in fresh PW medium and plated on 2% agar PW.

17–19 Ultimately, the purpose of the predeployment education is t

17–19 Ultimately, the purpose of the predeployment education is to prepare the trainees for the worse case scenario. In the event of a high-risk exposure, regardless of HIV status confirmation, immediate administration of PEP is warranted. With subsequent confirmation of HIV status through available Ribociclib solubility dmso testing, adherence to the PEP regimen is

paramount. Initiation of PEP should be immediate (ideally within 24 h) and continued for 4 weeks.20 In addition, the regimen chosen must balance potential toxicities against the level of exposure and the burden of disease (as characterized by the CD4 cell count, viral load, disease stage, and viral resistance) of the source patient. Unfortunately, Enzalutamide nmr PEP regimens are frequently discontinued due to intolerance of side effects, despite their known benefit in terms of reduction

of risk of HIV infection.8 Side effects can often be easily managed symptomatically with over-the-counter medications such as analgesics, antiemetics, and antimotility agents. The most basic PEP regimen recommended in the US Public Health Service guidelines includes either a combination of two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (eg, zidovudine plus lamivudine or emtricitabine) or a nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor with a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (eg, tenofovir with either lamivudine or emtricitabine).8 Similarly, the WHO recommends zidovudine/lamivudine as the first-line therapy.21 The fixed dose combination of tenofovir/emtricitabine is generally better tolerated than zidovudine–lamivudine.18 Both guidelines recommend the addition of a protease inhibitor, with lopinavir/ritonavir listed PRKACG as the first-line option, for more severe exposures.8,13 The 200/50 mg formulation of lopinavir/ritonavir is preferred because this does not require refrigeration. Alternate

protease inhibitors for the expanded regimen include ritonavir plus atazanavir or ritonavir plus darunavir.8,20 However, the ritonavir used in the latter two regimens requires refrigeration, which may not be feasible for traveling medical trainees. The newly available tablet form of ritonavir does not require refrigeration, in contrast to the gel capsule formulation. Efavirenz can be added to the basic regimen instead of a protease inhibitor, but this drug should not be used for PEP in pregnant health care workers or those who are planning to conceive during the month of treatment. In contrast, due to safety issues, nevirapine is contraindicated for PEP.

Despite these limitations, the estimated incidence of myocardial

Despite these limitations, the estimated incidence of myocardial infarction in our cohort would have been 1.75 cases per 1000 patient-years, which is not different from that reported in major cohorts such as the French Hospital Database on HIV ANRS Cohort CO4 (1.24 cases per 1000 patient-years) [4], although it is lower than that for the D:A:D study (3.3 cases per 1000 person-years) [6]. In addition, 42% of the HIV+/ACS group

in our study were women, a percentage that is twice as high as that reported in a recent meta-analysis [41]. As a consequence of the retrospective nature of our analysis, all HIV-infected patients who experienced myocardial infarction in our cohort were not necessarily included in this study. In fact, all 14 patients excluded because of the unavailability of data were men. Nevertheless, Cytoskeletal Signaling inhibitor our study was designed to control for age and gender, so see more no biases from these variables should

be expected. As in any other retrospective study, we had no information available on a number of variables of potential interest for ACS in both HIV-positive and HIV-negative participants. One of these was the use of cocaine, as this factor has been recently associated with the risk of ACS in our area [42], particularly in persons younger than 30 years (25%) relative to those aged 45–50 years (5.5%). In our study, the mean age of participants was 53 years, and 11% of the HIV+/ACS group admitted the use of cocaine. This prevalence

was higher than that in the HIV+/noACS group (3%) (P = 0.0591), but we had no data on cocaine use in non-HIV-infected persons. Because HIV-positive patients commonly had regular follow-up data, some variables were available in HIV-positive but not HIV-negative participants. Our study also has some notable strengths. It is the first study, to our knowledge, to assess the PARs of common traditional cardiovascular risk factors in the HIV-positive population. We compared, as accurately as possible, the PARs of those factors between HIV-positive and HIV-negative adults, matching for age and gender in both HIV-positive and HIV-negative participants, and the known duration of HIV infection in HIV-positive Mannose-binding protein-associated serine protease participants and calendar date of ACS diagnosis in HIV-negative participants. Moreover, we took particular care to use similar working definitions of risk factors and outcomes in both HIV-positive and HIV-negative populations. In conclusion, in our study, the contribution of smoking to ACS in HIV-positive adults was almost twice that in HIV-negative adults, and the contribution of smoking in the HIV-positive population was greater than those of diabetes and hypertension. If our results are confirmed, a substantial reduction in the incidence of ACS in HIV-positive adults should be expected if the contribution of smoking can be eliminated.

We recommend individuals who are HBsAg negative or have no eviden

We recommend individuals who are HBsAg negative or have no evidence of Natural Product Library supplier protective vaccine-induced immunity should have an annual HBsAg test

or more frequent testing if there are known and ongoing risk factors for HBV acquisition (1B). We suggest patients with isolated anti-HBc (negative HBsAg and anti-HBs) and unexplained elevated transaminases should have HBV DNA performed to exclude the presence of occult HBV infection (2C). We suggest testing patients for HBV DNA when transaminases are persistently raised and all other tests (including HBsAg, HCV RNA and anti-HEV) are negative to exclude occult HBV infection (2C). We recommend HDV antibody (with HDV RNA if positive) should SD-208 price be performed on all HBsAg-positive individuals (1B). We recommend patients have an HCV antibody test when first tested HIV antibody positive and at least annually if they

do not fall into one of the risk groups that require increased frequency of testing (1C) (see Section 8). We recommend patients with HIV infection who have elevated transaminases of unknown cause have an HCV-PCR test (1A). We recommend all patients who are anti-HCV positive are tested for HCV-PCR and, if positive, genotype (1B). We suggest that IL28B genotyping need not be performed routinely when considering anti-HCV therapy in HCV/HIV infection (2C). We recommend individuals who achieved SVR following treatment or who have spontaneously cleared HCV infection should be offered annual HCV-PCR and more frequent testing should they have an unexplained rise in transaminase levels (1C) (see Morin Hydrate Section 8). We recommend HEV is excluded in patients with HIV infection and elevated liver transaminases and/or liver cirrhosis when other common causes of elevated transaminases have been excluded (1D). Counselling on behaviour modification We

recommend all patients should be counselled about using condoms for penetrative sex. We recommend information should be given on factors associated with HCV transmission to patients at HIV diagnosis and on an ongoing basis dependent on risk. We recommend risk reduction advice and education be given to patients diagnosed with HBV and HCV, and should incorporate information about potential risk factors for transmission. For HCV, this should include mucosally traumatic sexual practices (e.g., fisting, use of sex toys), group sex activities, recreational including intravenous drug use, and condomless anal intercourse, as well as advice to those sharing injecting drug equipment.

Results showed that

home-based medication reviews conduct

Results showed that

home-based medication reviews conducted by pharmacists increased rather than decreased admission rates and decreased self-reported quality of life. It is possible, as reported by Holland et al., that increased admission rates may also reflect increased patient awareness and earlier help-seeking. In a related study, Salter et al.[54] analysed audio-recorded interviews between the pharmacists and patients. By examining the details of actual interactive services, researchers were able to show that these patients, aged 80 and older, actively resisted or rejected pharmacists’ advice, PS-341 cost information and education. Instead, patients preferred to take their doctor’s advice. This example shows that it is only through analysing the actual details of transcribed communication events that researchers click here can draw conclusions about the real-time effects of interaction between providers and patients. The possibility that patients regard pharmacists as helpful, yet resist their advice requires further investigation. To the extent that pharmacists actually improved outcomes in

the studies examined for this review, it would be helpful for the profession, patients and researchers to know how pharmacists and patients organized the interview to enable patients’ uptake of advice, information and education. Another review assessed the effectiveness of diabetes quality-improvement strategies delivered by community practice pharmacists.[55] The authors here suggest that those studies in which pharmacists not only provided diabetes education but also made direct changes in drug Bay 11-7085 therapies effected the greatest improvements in HbA1c (p. 433). Changes

in drug therapies may indeed affect changes in patients’ health. However, we cannot assume that patients actually take pharmacists’ advice. Although it is important to conduct research that demonstrates the role of the pharmacist, an examination of pharmacists’ communication strategies could provide knowledge about information uptake by patients. For example, does the pharmacist profession’s reputation as ‘friendly’ and ‘nice’ people enable or ultimately constrain patients’ uptake of advice by pharmacists? Everyday clinical practice may be difficult to record in public community pharmacies. However, studies of pharmacist–patient intereactions that take place in private medical clinics and studies that involve private telephone conversations between patients and pharmacists would be relatively easy to audio-record for research purposes. Overall, nine countries were represented in this review. Pharmacists practicing in different countries may or may not be guided by the same pharmaceutical care constructs or use the same communication styles or strategies. Such variation, however, would have to be determined through empirical research on pharmacist–patient communication.

, 1998) Horizontal and vertical eye movements were monitored usi

, 1998). Horizontal and vertical eye movements were monitored using electrodes placed below the outer canthi of both eyes and at the nasion. Additional electrodes were placed at the tip of the nose, and left and right mastoid sites. EEG and electrooculogram (EOG) activities were sampled at 512 Hz, and EEG activity was off-line re-referenced

to the electrode placed at the tip of the nose. Then, EOG artifact correction by regression was applied as described in Schlögl et al. (2007), with offline passband 0.2–100 Hz (Kaiser Window, Beta 5.6533, filter order 4637 points). A 25-Hz low-pass filter with the same filter order was applied to the EOG artifact-corrected data before epoching. Channels with technical malfunction (range 1–4 in seven out of 15 subjects) were interpolated using spherical spline interpolation (Perrin et al., 1989, 1990). Epochs started 50  ms before and ended 250  ms after tone onset. selleck products As in our paradigm there is no standard after the first deviant in deviant pairs, the same

standard ERP served for comparison for both first and repeated deviant ERPs. Epochs were averaged Afatinib molecular weight separately for standard stimuli (excluding the standard tone after the repeated deviant, and after single deviants), first and repeated deviant tones both drawn from pairs. Baseline correction (−50 to 0 ms) was applied to both first and repeated deviant epochs. First deviant baseline mean values were used to baseline-correct repeated deviant epochs. This procedure resolved any confounding effect for repeated deviant processing arising from baselining during first deviant processing. Epochs containing amplitude changes exceeding 100 μV at any EEG channel were excluded (3.4% on average across conditions per subject, range 0.1–9.6%). Before entering statistical analysis, ERP amplitudes were re-referenced to the averaged mastoid recordings to obtain an estimate of the full MMN amplitude (Schröger, 1998). MMN is best seen at frontocentral sites in the difference waves obtained subtracting

the standard from the deviant ERPs (Schröger, 2005). Mean voltage amplitudes were calculated Glutamate dehydrogenase within a pre-defined time window between 125 and 165 ms after sound onset (around deviant N1 peak). The deviance response highlighted by the difference waves is presumably partly comprised of N1 refractoriness effects and MMN (Schröger, 1998, 2005). For simplicity, we refer to it as MMN. Data were subjected to a series of univariate repeated-measures analyses of variance (anovas). The modulation of first-order prediction error was tested separately for first and repeated deviant tones on N1 amplitudes in the MMN latency range at Fz by an anova with the factors stimulus type (deviant vs. standard), repetition probability (referring to deviant repetition: high vs. low) and temporal regularity (anisochronous vs. isochronous sequences). Higher-order formal regularity effects were tested on the deviant minus standard difference waves (i.e.

Although some bacterial OTUs were detected on seeds, cotyledons a

Although some bacterial OTUs were detected on seeds, cotyledons and plants, the breadth of new sequences indicates the importance of multiple sources outside the seed in shaping phyllosphere see more community. Most classified sequences were from previously undescribed taxa, highlighting the benefits of pyrosequencing in describing seed diversity and phyllosphere bacterial communities.

Bacterial community richness increased from 250 different OTUs for spinach seeds and cotyledons, to 800 OTUs for seedlings. To our knowledge this is the first comprehensive characterization of the spinach microbiome, complementing previous culture-based and clone library studies. “
“Horizontal gene transfer by conjugation is common among bacterial populations in soil. It is well known that the host range of plasmids depends on several factors, including the identity of the plasmid host cell. In the present study,

however, we demonstrate that the composition of the recipient community is also determining for click here the dissemination of a conjugative plasmid. We isolated 15 different bacterial strains from soil and assessed the conjugation frequencies of the IncP1 plasmid, pKJK10, by flow cytometry, from two different donors, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida, to either 15 different bacterial strains or to the mixed community composed of all the 15 strains. We detected transfer of pKJK10 from P. putida to Stenotrophomonas rhizophila in a diparental mating, but no transfer was observed to

the mixed community. In contrast, for E. coli, transfer was observed only to the mixed community, where Ochrobactrum rhizosphaerae was identified as the dominating plasmid recipient. Our results indicate that the presence of a bacterial community impacts the plasmid permissiveness by affecting the ability of strains to receive the conjugative plasmid. Horizontal gene transfer (HTG) is a driving force in bacterial evolution as it allows bacteria to rapidly acquire complex new traits. Plasmids are one of the key vectors of HTG, enabling genetic exchange between bacterial cells Venetoclax clinical trial across species and domain barriers (Poole, 2009; Boto, 2010), and they very often encode genes that confer adaptive traits to their host, such as antibiotic resistance, biodegradation pathways and virulence (de la Cruz & Davies, 2000). Transfer of these traits by conjugation requires the donor and the recipient cells to be in direct contact. Different abiotic and biotic factors affect the range of conjugal exchange of genetic material between environmental bacteria, such as nutrient availability, spatial architecture of the bacterial community, plasmid donor and recipient relatedness and plasmid host type (van Elsas & Bailey, 2002; De Gelder et al., 2005; Sørensen et al., 2005; Seoane et al., 2011). The fraction of the cells in a community capable of receiving and maintaining conjugative plasmids is highly dependent on several of these factors and has been described as the plasmid permissiveness (Musovic, 2010).

, 2009a) The apical endocytic recycling

, 2009a). The apical endocytic recycling OSI-744 model in filamentous fungi has been widely accepted (Steinberg, 2007; Taheri-Talesh et al., 2008; Upadhyay & Shaw, 2008; Abenza et al., 2009; Peñalva, 2010). Notably, in

A. oryzae, endocytosis-deficient hyphae display severe defective growth, suggesting that endocytosis and apical growth are highly linked (Higuchi et al., 2009b). In Aspergillus nidulans, similar localization and functional analyses of endocytic proteins, such as AbpA, AmpA, FimA, and SlaB, the orthologs of S. cerevisiae Abp1p, Rvs167p, Sac6p, and End4p/Sla2p, respectively, have been reported (Araujo-Bazán et al., 2008; Taheri-Talesh et al., 2008; Upadhyay & Shaw, 2008; Hervas-Aguilar & Penalva, 2010). Although novel insights,

this website such as apical endocytic recycling, have been elucidated based on the analyses of ortholog proteins of S. cerevisiae, a more detailed mechanism related to endocytosis in the hyphal tip region has not yet been clarified (Peñalva, 2010). AAA ATPases are conserved from prokaryotes to humans and play roles in various processes such as membrane fusion and protein degradation (White & Lauring, 2007). AAA ATPases contain the ATPase domain at the C-terminus with high homology, but the rest of the regions are not well conserved. Moreover, AAA ATPases form a ring-shaped hexamer with a central pore and the ATPase domain facing inside. In the endocytic pathway, an AAA ATPase Vps4p in S. cerevisiae functions in the disassembly of the ESCRT (endosomal sorting complexes required for transport)-III Rutecarpine complex from the membrane of multivesicular bodies (MVBs) to the cytoplasm (Babst et al., 1997, 1998; Saksena et al., 2009). Although there are several reports on AAA ATPases in many organisms, no protein that functions in endocytosis has been reported so far (White & Lauring, 2007). According to the analyses of endocytic proteins in A. oryzae, the mechanism of endocytosis, which

is characteristic of the organism, seems to exist at the apical region. We, therefore, explored novel components associated with endocytosis by yeast two-hybrid (YTH) screening using an endocytic marker protein AoAbp1, having two SH3 domains at the C-terminal region, which are related to endocytic protein–protein interaction, as bait. Of the candidates obtained by YTH screening, the gene aipA was found, which likely encodes AAA ATPase. The interaction between AipA and AoAbp1 by YTH and in vitro, in vivo localization, and functional analyses using the aipA-overexpressing strain suggested that AipA is a putative AAA ATPase negatively functioning in apical endocytic recycling. The A. oryzae strains used in this study are listed in Table 1. The DNA cloning methods used in this study were described previously (Higuchi et al., 2009b). All plasmids used for A. oryzae transformation in this study were constructed by the MultiSite Gateway System (Invitrogen).

Protocatechualdehyde and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde were oxidized in t

Protocatechualdehyde and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde were oxidized in the same way as vanillin by both enzymes, and both strains

utilized these substrates as a carbon source for growth. Interestingly, the enzyme from strain TA1 exhibited much higher (about threefold) activity for isovanillin (3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde) than for vanillin, although strain TA1 did not grow on isovanillin as a carbon source. However, strain FDA approved Drug Library solubility dmso TM1 grew weakly on isovanillin and the activity of its enzyme was only half of that with vanillin (data not shown). Syringaldehyde (4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde), which has a 2-methoxyl group, was not oxidized by the enzyme from strain TA1, but was slightly oxidized by that obtained from strain TM1. Syringaldehyde was not utilized as a carbon source by both strains.

These results suggest that the position of the side chain within benzaldehyde derivatives affected the activity of these enzymes and the growth of the strains. The N-terminal amino acid and internal peptide sequences were determined by a protein sequencer as described previously (Mitsui et al., 2000). The N-terminal amino acid sequence of VDH from Micrococcus sp. TA1 was not obtained. The four internal peptide sequences obtained were FTAAAQSVK, FGDPAAEGLVGP, AEDEDHALQLANDXVCGLSS, and VNTDTNPFNDQVVARIRQA. The X in the above sequences indicates that the residue was not determined in the corresponding Linsitinib ic50 cycle. Some of these sequences showed similarities to aldehyde dehydrogenase or benzaldehyde dehydrogenase from Corynebacterium species. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of VDH from B. cepacia TM1 was obtained as MHEVSLLIDGVSRGASDXGTFDXIDPAT, and the six internal peptide sequences obtained were ARTLK, ASGYGRFGSK, QIESSGIEHINGPTVHDEAQMPFGGVK, VADAFVERLVAK, ASIAEFTDLRWITVQTT, and ASEGEPGVHRLIGSVLHDAGLGDGVVNVITHAPQDAPAIVERLIANPAVRRVNFTGSTS. These sequences showed a high similarity to aldehyde dehydrogenase from the strains classified in the B. cepacia complex. In our preliminary studies, we obtained partial gene sequences by amplifying the DNA fragment with degenerate primers derived from the above peptide sequences. The DNA fragment (about

500 bp) from strain CYTH4 TA1 demonstrated the highest similarity (73%) to betaine-aldehyde dehydrogenase (accession number YP831378) from Arthrobacter sp. FB24 using the blastx program. On the other hand, the DNA fragment (about 600 bp) of strain TM1 appeared to be almost identical (99%) to the gene annotated as aldehyde dehydrogenase (accession number YP001583187) from Burkholderia multivorans ATCC 17616. These genes have a conserved domain of the NAD(P)-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenase superfamily (Perozich et al., 1999). In future experiments, we will try to obtain VDH-encoding genes using partial VDH genes from strain TA1 and TM1. Ferulic acid can be extracted from rice bran, which is an agricultural waste product, with hexane under alkaline conditions.

Protocatechualdehyde and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde were oxidized in t

Protocatechualdehyde and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde were oxidized in the same way as vanillin by both enzymes, and both strains

utilized these substrates as a carbon source for growth. Interestingly, the enzyme from strain TA1 exhibited much higher (about threefold) activity for isovanillin (3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde) than for vanillin, although strain TA1 did not grow on isovanillin as a carbon source. However, strain this website TM1 grew weakly on isovanillin and the activity of its enzyme was only half of that with vanillin (data not shown). Syringaldehyde (4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde), which has a 2-methoxyl group, was not oxidized by the enzyme from strain TA1, but was slightly oxidized by that obtained from strain TM1. Syringaldehyde was not utilized as a carbon source by both strains.

These results suggest that the position of the side chain within benzaldehyde derivatives affected the activity of these enzymes and the growth of the strains. The N-terminal amino acid and internal peptide sequences were determined by a protein sequencer as described previously (Mitsui et al., 2000). The N-terminal amino acid sequence of VDH from Micrococcus sp. TA1 was not obtained. The four internal peptide sequences obtained were FTAAAQSVK, FGDPAAEGLVGP, AEDEDHALQLANDXVCGLSS, and VNTDTNPFNDQVVARIRQA. The X in the above sequences indicates that the residue was not determined in the corresponding check details cycle. Some of these sequences showed similarities to aldehyde dehydrogenase or benzaldehyde dehydrogenase from Corynebacterium species. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of VDH from B. cepacia TM1 was obtained as MHEVSLLIDGVSRGASDXGTFDXIDPAT, and the six internal peptide sequences obtained were ARTLK, ASGYGRFGSK, QIESSGIEHINGPTVHDEAQMPFGGVK, VADAFVERLVAK, ASIAEFTDLRWITVQTT, and ASEGEPGVHRLIGSVLHDAGLGDGVVNVITHAPQDAPAIVERLIANPAVRRVNFTGSTS. These sequences showed a high similarity to aldehyde dehydrogenase from the strains classified in the B. cepacia complex. In our preliminary studies, we obtained partial gene sequences by amplifying the DNA fragment with degenerate primers derived from the above peptide sequences. The DNA fragment (about

500 bp) from strain Coproporphyrinogen III oxidase TA1 demonstrated the highest similarity (73%) to betaine-aldehyde dehydrogenase (accession number YP831378) from Arthrobacter sp. FB24 using the blastx program. On the other hand, the DNA fragment (about 600 bp) of strain TM1 appeared to be almost identical (99%) to the gene annotated as aldehyde dehydrogenase (accession number YP001583187) from Burkholderia multivorans ATCC 17616. These genes have a conserved domain of the NAD(P)-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenase superfamily (Perozich et al., 1999). In future experiments, we will try to obtain VDH-encoding genes using partial VDH genes from strain TA1 and TM1. Ferulic acid can be extracted from rice bran, which is an agricultural waste product, with hexane under alkaline conditions.