Effects of sphingolipids overload on red blood cell properties in Gaucher disease

Gaucher disease (GD) is a genetic disease with mutations in the GBA gene that encodes glucocerebrosidase causing complications such as anaemia and bone disease. GD is characterized by accumulation of the sphingolipids (SL) glucosylceramide (GL1), glucosylsphingosine (Lyso‐GL1), sphingosine (Sph) and sphingosine‐1‐phosphate (S1P). These SL are increased in the plasma of GD patients and the associated complications have been attributed to the accumulation of lipids in macrophages. Our recent findings indicated that red blood cells (RBCs) and erythroid progenitors may play an important role in GD pathophysiology. RBCs abnormalities and dyserythropoiesis have been observed in GD patients. Moreover, we showed higher SL levels in the plasma and in RBCs from untreated GD patients compared with controls. In this study, we quantified SL in 16 untreated GD patients and 15 patients treated with enzyme replacement therapy. Our results showed that the treatment significantly decreases SL levels in the plasma and RBCs. The increased SL content in RBCs correlates with abnormal RBC properties and with markers of disease activity. Because RBCs lack glucocerebrosidase activity, we investigated how lipid overload could occur in these cells. Our results suggested that SL overload in RBCs occurs both during erythropoiesis and during its circulation in the plasma.

Diversity of the auxotrophic requirements in natural isolates of Escherichia coli

Isolates of Escherichia coli, except Shigella, are generally prototrophic; they do not require any growth factors to grow in mineral medium. However, a nicotinic acid requirement is common among B2 phylogroup STc95 O18 E. coli clone strains. Nicotinic acid is a precursor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), an essential molecule that plays central role in cellular metabolism. The defect in NAD synthesis of these strains is due to alterations in de novo biosynthesis pathway nadB gene. Here, by studying growth on minimal medium with glycolytic (glucose) or gluconeogenic (pyruvate or succinate) substrates as the carbon supply in a large panel of E. coli natural isolates representative of the species diversity, we identify an absolute nicotinic acid requirement in non-STc95 strains due in one case to a nadA inactivation. The growth on glucose medium of some extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli strains belonging to various non-O18 B2 phylogroup STc95 clones is restored either by aspartate or nicotinate, demonstrating that the nicotinic acid requirement can also be due to an intracellular aspartate depletion. The auxotrophic requirements depend on the carbon source available in the environment. Moreover, some strains prototrophic in glucose medium become auxotrophic in succinate medium, and conversely, some strainsauxotrophic in glucose medium become prototrophic in succinate medium. Finally, a partial depletion of intracellular aspartate can be observed in some prototrophic strains belonging to various phylogroups. The observed more or less significant depletion according to isolates may be due to differences in tricarboxylic acid cycle enzyme activities. These metabolic defects could be involved in the adaptation of E. coli to its various niches.

Bactericidal in-vitro activity of beta-lactams and beta-lactamase inhibitors, alone or associated, against clinical strains of Acinetobacter baumannii: effect of combination with aminoglycosides

Five Acinetobacter baumannii strains of various phenotypes were selected on the basis of the results of a national survey in France in 1991. beta-Lactamases in Acinetobacter isolates were characterized by isoelectrofocusing. We carried out a 24 h time-kill study to assess the bactericidal effect of antibiotic alone or in combination against A. baumannii strains. The initial inoculum was 10(6) cfu/mL. Antibiotics were tested at MIC x 2 when an antibiotic was tested alone and at the MIC for each combination including ticarcillin, piperacillin, ceftazidime or imipenem with or without amikacin or netilmicin and/or beta-lactamase inhibitors. Concentration of inhibitors were: 2 mg/L for clavulanic acid, 4 mg/L for tazobactam and 8 mg/L for sulbactam. Sulbactam and tazobactam showed an intrinsic in-vitro activity against strains susceptible to ticarcillin. A complete killing at 24 h was observed when beta-lactams were combined with amikacin in comparison with antibiotics alone. Synergy was lost when the strain presented a low resistance level to beta-lactams or aminoglycosides except for ticarcillin. Combinations of sulbactam with ticarcillin showed the best bactericidal activity against strains multiresistant to beta-lactams.