(3) And lastly, an individual had to be a member of a musical organization or group either currently or in the past. Such groups ranged from middle and high school concert and marching bands to Purdue University musical groups. These criteria were designed to select Talazoparib molecular weight individuals who had significantly more musical training than an average non-musician while not reaching the level of professional musicians. All musicians received training for more than one instrument.

Four listed voice as one of their expertise areas, but none of the musicians trained in voice exclusively. Additionally, none of the musicians listed either a cello or a French Horn (whose sounds were used as stimuli in the current study) as their primary or secondary instruments of training. Stimuli consisted of two sound categories – human voices and musical instruments. The voice category contained natural recordings of a male and a female voice saying a neutral sound Selleck Androgen Receptor Antagonist [a]. The musical instruments category contained natural recordings of a cello and a French Horn playing an F3 note. Both types of stimuli were equated in frequency (174 Hz), which remained constant for the duration of the sound. This was achieved by asking speakers to match the pitch of a pre-recorded tone. Speakers were successful within a few hertz. The remaining frequency difference was corrected in Praat 5.1

(Boersma & Weenink, 2011). Each sound had two durations – 350 and 550 ms. The short duration sound was created by reducing the length of all parts of the long duration sound in Praat 5.1. Spectrally-rotated versions of all sounds were generated by rotating their frequencies around 2000 Hz (MATLAB R2010b). Spectrally-rotated sounds retained their complexity,

pitch, periodicity and the overall temporal envelope as can be seen in their waveforms and spectrograms shown in Fig. 1. However, the timbre of original sounds was completely altered and no longer resembled any of the naturally produced sounds (Blesser, 1972). To account for differences in perceptual loudness, the male and female voice stimuli were presented at 70 dB SPL, and the cello and the French Horn stimuli at 73 and 74 dB SPL, respectively. These values were selected during a pilot study in which participants were asked to judge whether the four sounds (male voice, female voice, Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase cello, French Horn) sounded equally loud. The intensity of spectrally-rotated sounds was matched with that of their natural counterparts. Sounds were presented in free field via a single speaker (SONY) located approximately 1.2 m in front of a participant and directly above the computer monitor that displayed instructions and a hair-cross point for eye fixation. We used the auditory distraction paradigm developed by Schröger & Wolff (1998, 2000). The study had two conditions, with four blocks in each. The first condition consisted of naturally recorded (NAT) sounds, and the second condition of spectrally-rotated (ROT) sounds.

kualawohkensis strain KW12, although originating from a hot spring with temperatures 68–69 °C, behaved like a mesophilic organism. Nevertheless, the growing cells, cell suspensions, and the cytoplasmic fraction of the cell-free extract all reduced Cr(VI) more efficiently at higher temperatures. The chromate-reducing Ipilimumab capability of TSB-6, in spite of its isolation from sediments with undetectable level of Cr(VI), is consistent with earlier reports of Bader et al. (1999), who had enriched chromium-reducing consortia from

a noncontaminated source under mesophilic conditions. There is growing evidence that such organisms reduce Cr(VI) by enzyme(s) having a completely unrelated primary physiological role (Ishibashi et al., 1990; Bader et al., 1999; Gonzalez et al., 2005). Vibrio harveyi nitroreductase NfsA has been shown to possess Cr(VI) reductase activity as a secondary function (Kwak et al., 2003). Our results show a decrease

in the absolute values of ROS with time of incubation even in the control cells. This is not unexpected as oxidative stress changes with the phase of aerobic growth of bacteria (Ihssen & Egli, 2004). However, at each time point of measurement, heat-induced TSB-6 cells had higher ROS than the control cells. Besides, higher quantity of ROS in the induced cells was accompanied by higher Cr(VI)-reducing activity. Our proteomic analysis showed that the heat-induced antioxidative stress response of TSB-6 cells resulted in the upregulation of some proteins

involved in cellular metabolism and very protein folding. Heat adaptive response in B. cereus is known to involve in induction of several proteins including stress proteins and chaperones PI3K inhibitor (Periago et al., 2002; Ventura et al., 2006). It is known that besides heat, salt, osmotic condition, ethanol, starvation, and even chromium (VI) compounds can generate oxidative stress in a microorganism through the production of ROS. Antioxidative stress response often involves a set of proteins common to different kinds of stress. Cross-adaptation to heat and salt stresses has been demonstrated (Völker et al., 1992). Some of the proteins upregulated in heat-stressed TSB-6 are known to be associated with metabolism of carbohydrates, nucleotides, amino acids, lipids, vitamins, and energy. Transaldolase is a rate-limiting enzyme in the nonoxidative branch of pentose phosphate pathway, which generates NADPH in bacterial cells (Reitzer et al., 1980). Transaldolase catalyzes the reversible transfer of a dihydroxyacetone moiety from fructose-6-phosphate to d-erythrose-4-phosphate, thus forming d-sedoheptulose-7-phosphate and releasing d-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (Vatanaviboon et al., 2002). In bacteria, soluble oxidoreductases are possibly involved in the electron transport chain and oxidative stress response (Onyenwoke et al., 2009). It has been proposed that quinine oxidoreductases prevent the formation of potentially toxic semiquinone radicals and ROS (Gonzalez et al., 2005).

DNA was digested with EcoRI (NE Biolabs) and fragments were

resolved on 0.7% agarose gels. The DNA fragments were transferred to nylon membranes (Zetaprobe, BioRad, Hercules, CA) and membranes were hybridized to 32P-labeled haoA gene fragments PCR-amplified from both M. album strains and M. capsulatus Bath (primer sequences in Supporting Information, Table S1) using standard methods (Sambrook & Russell, 2001). Probes were labeled using γ-32P-CTP and random hexamers (Prime-A-Gene Kit; Promega). Positive hybridization signals were detected via phosphorimager (Amersham Typhoon 9400, GE Healthcare). Full-length Ion Channel Ligand Library sequence of haoA and flanking regions from M. album ATCC 33003 (GQ471937) was obtained using a two-step gene walking method as described elsewhere (Pilhofer et al., 2007; primer sequences in Table S1). Obtained sequences were assembled into contigs using sequencher (GeneCodes, Madison, WI) and aligned with pertinent sequences containing haoAB genes from M. capsulaus Bath and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (clustalx v1.83). Degenerate primers

were designed (bioedit software; Table S1) and used in PCR with genomic DNA as the template to screen the methanotrophic strains for haoAB-like sequences. Amplicons obtained from the two M. album strains only were cloned Ku-0059436 nmr into pCR2.1-TOPO plasmids (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) and sequenced (GenBank accessions: GQ471937 and GQ471938). Publicly available gene and genome sequences from methanotrophic bacteria were searched for putative homologues to functional inventory implicated in NH2OH oxidation and NOx transformation using existing annotation and blast searches. GenBank accession numbers: M. capsulatus Bath: NC_002977, M. album BG8: AFJF00000000, Methylobacter tundripaludum SV96: NZ_AEGW00000000, M. methanica MC09: not yet released, M. trichosporium OB3b: NZ_ADVE00000000, Methylocella silvestris strain BL2: NC_011666; Methylocystis sp. Rockwell

(ATCC 49242): NZ_AEVM00000000, Methylacidiphilum infernorum V4: NC_010794. To determine the effects of NH4+, NO2−, and NH2OH on the expression of haoA in M. album ATCC 33003, cells were grown to mid-exponential phase in NMS or ammonia mineral salts (Nyerges et al., 2010) with 50% CH4 atmosphere amended with 50 mM NH4+ or 2.5 mM NO2− before collection by centrifugation for RNA extraction Astemizole (i.e. following 36 h growth). Mid-exponential phase cells were also harvested from NMS without amendment and resuspended to c. 108 cells mL−1 in fresh NMS (with 50% CH4 atmosphere) and incubated for 0.5 or 4 h with NH4+ (10 or 50 mM) or NH2OH (0.1 mM) before collection for RNA extraction. Total RNA was extracted from harvested cells using the Aquapure RNA extraction kit (BioRad), dotted onto nylon membranes (Zetaprobe, BioRad), and hybridized to a 32P-labelled (Prime-A-Gene Kit; Promega) PCR-amplified haoA or 16S rRNA gene fragments from M. album ATCC 33003 (primer sequences in Table S1) prepared and labeled as described above.

Stepwise forward selection was used to select independent predictors of the event occurrence, with 0.50 and 0.15 as P-values for entry into the model and being retained in the Epacadostat order model, respectively. Known recorded risk factors for the SNA events were forced into the model [25]. Thus, smoking status, diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidaemia were forced into the cardiovascular events model;

hyperlipidaemia, HBV and HBC coinfections and alcohol abuse were forced into the model for terminal liver conditions; and smoking status was forced into the non-AIDS malignancies model. All of the former factors were forced into the model that estimated risk for SNA as a composite outcome. In addition, the indicator of ever received antiretroviral treatment was always forced into the models because all the variables associated with antiretroviral treatment were defined as interactions; i.e. 0 or missing if never treated. The following variables were considered as potential predictors: race, mode of transmission, HIV infection history, immunological factors and exposure to antiretroviral treatment. Although age and gender

are known to be associated with most non-AIDS events, they were not included in the models PI3K inhibitors ic50 because they were used as matching variables. As of February 2008, 6007 patients had been included in the LATINA retrospective cohort, with a mean of 3.2 years and a median of 2.5 years of follow-up. Of the 6007 patients, 30% were women and 21% had a history of AIDS-defining conditions before the baseline visit. The incidence of AIDS events was 4.7 per 100 person-years

of follow-up. A total of 130 patients had an SNA event (94 confirmed and 36 probable) and were defined as cases, with an incidence rate of 8.6 events per 1000 person-years (95% CI 7.2, 10.0). Twenty-eight of these patients (21%) were female. Forty patients (30.7%) had a cardiovascular condition [11 had an MI (five confirmed), 13 had cardiovascular disease requiring an invasive procedure and 16 had a stroke (nine confirmed); incidence of cardiovascular events: 2.2 events per 1000 person-years (95% CI 1.5, 2.9)]; 54 patients (41.5%) had liver failure/cirrhosis (34 confirmed) [incidence: 2.9 events per 1000 person-years (95% CI 2.1, 3.7)]; 35 patients (27%) had a non-AIDS-defining malignancy (34 confirmed) MYO10 [incidence 1.9 events per 1000 person-years (95% CI 1.2, 2.5)] and two (1.5%) had terminal renal insufficiency (both confirmed). One patient experienced simultaneously a liver failure and a cardiovascular disease. The median time of follow-up until the index date for cases and controls was 1.42 and 2.45 years, respectively (P=0.12; univariate conditional logistic regression). Table 1 compares the general characteristics of all cases and controls. The frequency of injecting drug use was significantly higher in the cases (P=0.001), as were the frequencies of histories of some traditional risk factors such as HCV coinfection (P<0.

, 2009). Enolase is responsible for the reversible catalysis of 2-phospho-d-glycerate

(2PGA) and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis (Nurmohamed et al., 2010). The enzyme is highly conserved in archaea, bacteria, and eukaryotes with similar catalytic properties (Nurmohamed et al., 2010). In E. coli, it is associated with RNaseE in a multienzyme complex RNA degradososme (Nurmohamed et al., 2010). Aconitases are known to be crucial enzymes APO866 nmr in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle (Kozíol et al., 2009) and are induced in response to higher energy requirement of the cell (Martínez et al., 2007). It is possible that to survive under heat-stressed condition, TSB-6 generates higher metabolic activity, and the concomitant higher energy requirement leads to the induction of enzymes such as aconitate

hydratase. Several chaperonins Inhibitor Library chemical structure have been shown to be upregulated in bacteria in response to chromium (VI) or heat shock (Kiliç et al., 2010). Besides their role in protein folding, some chaperonins possess reductase activity that enables them to protect the bacteria against oxidative damage (Kiliç et al., 2010). Chaperones have also been found to be involved in biogenesis of several enzymes by cofactor insertion (Ribbe & Burgess, 2001; Stevens et al., 2005; Vergnes et al., 2006). It may be interesting to investigate whether chaperonins participate in the biogenesis of a functional chromate reductase. We express our deep gratitude to Binayak Dutta-Roy, who has been the main inspiration behind this work. We also thank Subrata Kundu and Suparna Ghosh of Bose Institute for technical help. This work was supported by a grant from the Department of Science and Technology,

Government of India (SR/SO/BB-33/2003), with a fellowship to S.C.P. “
“Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Yongin, Gyeonggi, Korea The function of whcB, one of the four whiB homologues of Corynebacterium glutamicum, was assessed. Cells carrying the P180-whcB clone, Pyruvate dehydrogenase and thus overexpressing the whcB gene, showed retarded growth, probably due to increased sensitivity to oxidants, whereas cells lacking whcB (ΔwhcB) did not. However, growth retardation was not observed in cells with additionally whcE deleted. Furthermore, the ΔwhcE phenotype, characterized by slow growth and sensitivity to oxidants, was reversed in cells carrying P180-whcB. Like the whcE gene, which is also known as a whiB homologue, the whcB gene was preferentially expressed in stationary phase. Determination of the genes under regulation of whcB using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis identified several genes involved in electron transfer reactions that were regulated in cells carrying P180-whcB. Collectively, these findings indicate that whcB function requires whcE.

, 2009). Enolase is responsible for the reversible catalysis of 2-phospho-d-glycerate

(2PGA) and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis (Nurmohamed et al., 2010). The enzyme is highly conserved in archaea, bacteria, and eukaryotes with similar catalytic properties (Nurmohamed et al., 2010). In E. coli, it is associated with RNaseE in a multienzyme complex RNA degradososme (Nurmohamed et al., 2010). Aconitases are known to be crucial enzymes selleck compound in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle (Kozíol et al., 2009) and are induced in response to higher energy requirement of the cell (Martínez et al., 2007). It is possible that to survive under heat-stressed condition, TSB-6 generates higher metabolic activity, and the concomitant higher energy requirement leads to the induction of enzymes such as aconitate

hydratase. Several chaperonins PD0332991 datasheet have been shown to be upregulated in bacteria in response to chromium (VI) or heat shock (Kiliç et al., 2010). Besides their role in protein folding, some chaperonins possess reductase activity that enables them to protect the bacteria against oxidative damage (Kiliç et al., 2010). Chaperones have also been found to be involved in biogenesis of several enzymes by cofactor insertion (Ribbe & Burgess, 2001; Stevens et al., 2005; Vergnes et al., 2006). It may be interesting to investigate whether chaperonins participate in the biogenesis of a functional chromate reductase. We express our deep gratitude to Binayak Dutta-Roy, who has been the main inspiration behind this work. We also thank Subrata Kundu and Suparna Ghosh of Bose Institute for technical help. This work was supported by a grant from the Department of Science and Technology,

Government of India (SR/SO/BB-33/2003), with a fellowship to S.C.P. “
“Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Yongin, Gyeonggi, Korea The function of whcB, one of the four whiB homologues of Corynebacterium glutamicum, was assessed. Cells carrying the P180-whcB clone, Baricitinib and thus overexpressing the whcB gene, showed retarded growth, probably due to increased sensitivity to oxidants, whereas cells lacking whcB (ΔwhcB) did not. However, growth retardation was not observed in cells with additionally whcE deleted. Furthermore, the ΔwhcE phenotype, characterized by slow growth and sensitivity to oxidants, was reversed in cells carrying P180-whcB. Like the whcE gene, which is also known as a whiB homologue, the whcB gene was preferentially expressed in stationary phase. Determination of the genes under regulation of whcB using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis identified several genes involved in electron transfer reactions that were regulated in cells carrying P180-whcB. Collectively, these findings indicate that whcB function requires whcE.

Angiogenesis is the growth of new capillaries from pre-existing vasculature and is classically defined as the process of development and formation of new blood vessels that occurs during the growth and development of tissues. It can also play a key role in several physiological events, including

embryonic development, reproduction, tissue repair and normal wound healing.[1, 2] There are two separate pathological angiogenesis: Excessive angiogenesis; in some diseases the excessive angiogenesis plays an essential role in pathological processes, such as diabetic retinopathy, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis, psoriasis, atherosclerosis and neoplasms.[3] In many cancers, following tumor growth, neovascularization could be a negative prognostic indicator signifying aggressive disease and increased metastasis.[4] Insufficient angiogenesis; delayed wound healing, and also the IWR 1 lack of angiogenesis, may lead

to cardiac failure and limb ischemia as well as stroke.[1, http://www.selleckchem.com/products/PLX-4032.html 2] Angiogenesis is a complex multistep process requiring stimulation of proliferation and migration of endothelial cells (ECs). It involves a series of coordinated events: activation of ECs, disruption of vascular basement membrane and extra-cellular surrounding matrix, migration of the ECs to distal sites, proliferation of ECs, differentiation of ECs, and subsequent formation and maturation of new blood vessels.[5] Blood vessels are composed of two interacting cell types. ECs form the inner lining of the vessel wall, and pericytes (mural cells or vascular smooth muscle cells) envelop the surface Lumacaftor purchase of the vascular tube. In the past decades, investigations of blood vessels had focused mainly on the ECs component, while the interest in pericytes had lagged behind. Recently, pericytes have acquired new consideration as critical contributors to angiogenesis and potential therapeutic targets for antiangiogenic treatment.[6]

Furthermore, the heterotypic interactions of pericytes and ECs and extracellular matrix (ECM) components, such as the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) are critical for congregation, stability and maturation of blood vessels.[7] It is demonstrated that an unstable EC and pericyte interaction and vessel survival deficit are related to NCAM deficiency.[8] This process is dependent on cell survival signals, which may affect nuclear instability, including telomere length shortening induced by high levels of oxidative stress.[9, 10] Angiogenesis phenomenon is self-restricted and tightly controlled by proangiogenic stimulators and antiangiogenic inhibitors. These factors comprise several cell types and mediators, which are found both in peripheral blood and in affected tissues.

Patients with undetectable, as compared with detectable, HIV-1 viral load were significantly older, were less likely to be currently engaged in IDU, cannabis and alcohol habits and had a longer follow-up time. They also had higher cholesterol values, CD4 cell counts

and CD4 gains with therapy, as well as lower aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels. Table 2 shows the ART parameters of patients who were receiving ART. Patients with undetectable viral load had received ART for longer periods and were more stable on the current ART regimen than patients with detectable HIV-1 viral load. They also had longer durations of treatment with nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) and their current antiretroviral regimen was also more likely to be composed of NNRTIs. Table 3 shows the HCV and liver fibrosis parameters selleck screening library of the patients. Patients with suppressed HIV-1 viral load had acquired the HCV infection earlier and had lower RNA HCV titres than patients with detectable HIV-1 viral loads. Regarding fibrosis issues, there were no statistically significant differences between patients with

detectable and undetectable HIV-1 viral loads in the diverse parameters evaluated, with the exception of a marginally significant difference in selleck annual fibrosis progression. Table 4 shows the parameters independently associated with undetectable HIV-1 viral load. As expected, current ART was strongly associated with undetectable viral load, without any difference between naïve patients and patients who had received ART in the past. Older age,

higher CD4 cell count and current IDU were also predictive of undetectable viral load. The other variables analysed were not significantly associated with undetectable viral load, including all HCV and fibrosis parameters: isothipendyl HCV viral load (P=0.2), time since HCV infection (P=0.9), TE (P=0.6), annual fibrosis progression index (P=0.8), annual stage of fibrosis index (P=0.8), gender (P=0.4), transmission category (P=0.1), nadir CD4 cell count (P=0.3), CD4 cell count gain (P=0.3), clinical CDC stage (P=0.3), smoking habit (P=0.8), cannabis use (P=0.7) and history of alcohol abuse (P=0.5). HCV viral load did not correlate with current CD4 cell count (r=−0.008; P=0.8), nadir CD4 cell count (r=−0.04; P=0.3) or HIV-1 viral load (r=0.04; P=0.6). Multiple regression analysis revealed that the variables independently predictive of higher CD4 cell count were: nadir CD4 cell count (P<0.0001), suppressed HIV-1 viral load (P<0.0001), better clinical CDC stage (P<0.0001), current ART (P=0.0007), absence of HBV infection (P=0.006), no cannabis use (P=0.02) and a lower annual fibrosis progression index (P=0.007). The remaining parameters were not significantly predictive of CD4 cell count, including all HCV-related factors. The whole model accounted for a total of 36.

005. Although the threshold did not reach our criteria, these results are compatible with the ROI analysis. As the order of the sessions was fixed, the observed results in the comparison between the random and within-/between-group omissions might include the influence

of adaptation or fatigue in general. In order to evaluate such influences, we created PARP activity the reconstruction maps for the brain activity elicited by the L tones and conducted two-sample t-tests between the random sequence and group sequence. If such mental health conditions affected the omission-related response, it should also be shown in the brain activity elicited by the L tone. However, this analysis did GSK2126458 manufacturer not show any significant result in both subject groups, indicating that the obtained results for the omission-related response were not due to adaptation or fatigue. The

ability to integrate sound features is necessary to perceive a sequence of tones as a perceptual group, which might be a basis for auditory perception (Winkler et al., 2009; Bendixen et al., 2012). Many studies have indicated that pre-attentive processing of perceptual grouping works well when the ISI between tone stimuli is less than 200 ms (Yabe et al., 1997; Sussman et al., 1999; Deike et al., 2004; Micheyl et al., 2007). In the present study, we investigated the attentive processing of perceptual grouping using auditory stimuli with an ISI longer than 200 ms and the effect of musical experience. The results indicate that the regular pattern of the tone sequence had impacts on both the behavioral performance and neural response elicited by the omission. In addition, we found that musicians showed the right IPL for the processing of sound omission, whereas non-musicians showed the left STG. The results and possible interpretations are discussed in the following sections. Several psychological studies have shown that the perceptual grouping of stimuli affects behavioral performance. For example, detection Orotidine 5′-phosphate decarboxylase or recognition is faster and more accurate for target stimuli that are inconsistent with the grouping

structure of stimuli, compared with consistent target stimuli (Idson & Massaro, 1976; Jones et al., 1982; Mondor & Terrio, 1998). This evidence is consistent with the results of the present study, which showed that detection of omission in the random sequence was faster than that in the group sequence. In addition, the subjects in the present study reported recognising the group sequence as a repetition of the ‘LLS’ pattern. Therefore, we believe that the perceptual grouping successfully occurred in the group sequence in the present study. The predictive coding theory suggests that the auditory system continuously searches for regularities to organise a perceptual unit within a tone sequence (Winkler et al., 2009; Bendixen et al., 2012).

Cultivation was performed either in 15-mL Hungate tube with 5–10 mL medium or in 50-mL serum bottle with 10–40 mL medium under an argon or an H2 gas phase. The pH dependence was examined at a Na+ content of 0.6 M, using the following filter-sterilized buffers: for pH 6–8, 0.1 M HEPES and NaCl/NaHCO3, and for pH 8.5–11, a mixture of sodium bicarbonate/sodium carbonate. All buffers contained 50 mM K2HPO4. To study the influence of salt concentration on growth and activity, sodium carbonate Epigenetics Compound Library ic50 buffers with pH 10, containing 0.2 and 4.0 M of total Na+, were mixed in different proportions.

Natroniella acetigena DSM9952 was grown in a medium containing 2.5 M total Na+, pH 10, with lactate (Zhilina et al., 1995). Free sulfide and the sulfane content of polysulfides

were measured colorimetrically (Trüper & Schlegel, 1964) after precipitation in 10% w/v Zn acetate. Thiosulfate and sulfite were analyzed by iodimetric titration (with formaldehyde to bind sulfite) in the supernatant after separation from ZnS. Internal zero-valent sulfur of polysulfides was precipitated by acidification of the sample to pH<3 by concentrated HCl, washed with distilled water, dried, extracted from the pellet with acetone overnight and analyzed by cyanolysis (Sörbo, 1957). The protein content was determined according to Lowry et al. (1951) after the removal of sulfide/polysulfide and washing the cell pellet several times with 1–2 M Cytoskeletal Signaling inhibitor NaCl. Acetate and formate were detected in the filtrated supernatant after neutralization by HPLC-anionic chromatography [HPX-87-H column (Bio-Rad) at 60 °C with UV detection and a 5 mM H2SO4 solution at 0.6 mL min−1 as an eluent]. The fatty acid composition of cellular polar lipids was determined by GC–MS according to Zhilina et al. (1997). Phase-contrast microphotographs were obtained using a Zeiss Axioplan Imaging 2 microscope (Göttingen, Germany). For electron microscopy, the cells were separated from the alkaline brine by centrifugation, resuspended in an

NaCl solution of the same molarity, fixed in glutaraldehyde (3% final, v/v) and negatively stained with 1% w/v neutralized phosphotungstic acid. Genomic DNA was isolated according to Marmur (1961). Determination of the G+C content of the DNA and DNA–DNA hybridization were performed during using the thermal denaturation/reassociation technique (Marmur & Doty, 1962; De Ley et al., 1970). 16S rRNA genes were amplified using general bacterial primers 11F-1492R (Lane, 1991). Sequencing was performed using the Big Dye Terminator v.3.1 sequencing reaction kit of an ABI 3730 DNA automatic sequencer (Applied Biosystems Inc.). The sequences were first compared with those stored in GenBank using the blast algorithm and were consequently aligned using clustalw. A phylogenetic tree was reconstructed using the treecon w package and the neighbor-joining algorithm.