NHT-2 possessed a high degree of sequence homology with R. gracialis, while Leucosporidium sp. BSS-1 possessed a high degree of sequence homology with Leu. antarcticum (Glaciozyma antarctica), and these two isolates demonstrated antifreeze activity. SB203580 mouse All isolates examined were capable of growth at −1 °C. Mrakia spp., while capable of growth at −1 °C, did not demonstrate any antifreeze activity and exhibited only limited secretion of extracellular polysaccharides. Species

of the genus Mrakia possessed high amounts of unsaturated fatty acids, suggesting that members of this genus have adapted to cold environments by increasing their membrane fluidity. “
“Enterotoxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus are the key pathogenicity factors that can cause a variety of illnesses in humans, including staphylococcal gastroenteritis and food poisoning. It has been proven that licochalcone A is a potentially

effective antimicrobial agent against S. aureus. In this study, Western blot assays, tumour necrosis factor release assays, murine T-cell proliferation assays, and real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR were performed MK0683 mouse to evaluate the effect of subinhibitory concentrations of licochalcone A on the secretion of two major enterotoxins (SEA and SEB) by S. aureus. The results show that licochalcone A significantly decreased, in a dose-dependent manner, the secretion of SEA and SEB by both methicillin-sensitive Idoxuridine S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus. These results may increase the desirability of using licochalcone A as a lead compound for the design of more potent antibacterial agents based on the chalcone template. Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important community- and hospital-acquired pathogens, and it continues to cause a wide spectrum of serious diseases, including skin and soft tissue lesions, as well as lethal infections such as osteomyelitis, endocarditis,

pneumonia, and septicaemia (Liang et al., 2006). Owing to the development of drug resistance, the morbidity and mortality associated with S. aureus infections remain high in spite of antimicrobial therapy (Kuroda et al., 2007). In addition, S. aureus secretes a number of exotoxins (e.g. haemolysins, enterotoxins, protein A, TSST-1, and coagulase) that contribute to a variety of diseases (Ohlsen et al., 1997). Exotoxins are produced by S. aureus in a growth-phase-dependent manner, primarily during the postexponential phase of growth (Arvidson & Tegmark, 2001). Furthermore, the expression of virulence factors is generally modulated in response to alternations in cell-population density through a process referred to as quorum sensing (Miller & Bassler, 2001). Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) are the major virulence factors that cause staphylococcal gastroenteritis and are one cause of food poisoning in humans (Tseng & Stewart, 2005; Bania et al., 2006).