Biomaterial Database

Biochemical characteristics of typhus group rickettsiae with special attention to the Rickettsia prowazekii strains isolated from flying squirrels. 1978

G A Dasch, and J R Samms, and E Weiss

Six strains of Rickettsia prowazekii, two derived from human infections and four isolated from flying squirrels, two strains of R. typhi, and the single available strain of R. canada, were characterized by several biochemical procedures. The electrophoretic patterns on polyacrylamide gels of rickettsial proteins solubilized by sodium dodecyl sulfate revealed several species differences, but strains of the same species appeared to have identical patterns. Cytoplasmic fractions of the rickettsiae were examined for enzymatic activities and for polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing patterns. Some species differences were encountered in the activities or ratios of activities of glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase, glutamate dehydrogenase, and malate dehydrogenase. When polyacrylamide gels were stained for malate dehydrogenase after electrophoresis, a single band became apparent with single extracts or mixtures of two strains of R. prowazekii, but two bands were seen with mixtures of a strain of R. prowazekii and one of R. typhi. The isoelectric focusing patterns of the soluble proteins revealed numerous species differences, especially between R. canada and the other two species, and a few differences among the strains of R. prowazekii. The patterns of the two human strains, Breinl and E(R), differed in at least one location, and both differed from the flying squirrel strains in the displacement of one band. One of the flying squirrel strains, GvF-16, contained a protein band not seen in the other five strains. Despite these minor differences, a striking similarity was revealed by all the biochemical tests performed between the R. prowazekii strains of human and flying squirrel origin.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007525	Isoelectric Focusing	Electrophoresis in which a pH gradient is established in a gel medium and proteins migrate until they reach the site (or focus) at which the pH is equal to their isoelectric point.	Electrofocusing,Focusing, Isoelectric
D008291	Malate Dehydrogenase	An enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of (S)-malate and NAD+ to oxaloacetate and NADH. EC 1.1.1.37.	Malic Dehydrogenase,NAD-Malate Dehydrogenase,Dehydrogenase, Malate,Dehydrogenase, Malic,Dehydrogenase, NAD-Malate,NAD Malate Dehydrogenase
D004591	Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel	Electrophoresis in which a polyacrylamide gel is used as the diffusion medium.	Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis,SDS-PAGE,Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-PAGE,Gel Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide,SDS PAGE,Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate PAGE,Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-PAGEs
D005969	Glutamate Dehydrogenase	An enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of L-glutamate and water to 2-oxoglutarate and NH3 in the presence of NAD+. (From Enzyme Nomenclature, 1992) EC 1.4.1.2.	Dehydrogenase, Glutamate
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001219	Aspartate Aminotransferases	Enzymes of the transferase class that catalyze the conversion of L-aspartate and 2-ketoglutarate to oxaloacetate and L-glutamate. EC 2.6.1.1.	Aspartate Aminotransferase,Aspartate Transaminase,Glutamic-Oxaloacetic Transaminase,SGOT,Aspartate Apoaminotransferase,Glutamate-Aspartate Transaminase,L-Aspartate-2-Oxoglutarate Aminotransferase,Serum Glutamic-Oxaloacetic Transaminase,Aminotransferase, Aspartate,Aminotransferase, L-Aspartate-2-Oxoglutarate,Aminotransferases, Aspartate,Apoaminotransferase, Aspartate,Glutamate Aspartate Transaminase,Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase,Glutamic-Oxaloacetic Transaminase, Serum,L Aspartate 2 Oxoglutarate Aminotransferase,Serum Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase,Transaminase, Aspartate,Transaminase, Glutamate-Aspartate,Transaminase, Glutamic-Oxaloacetic,Transaminase, Serum Glutamic-Oxaloacetic
D001426	Bacterial Proteins	Proteins found in any species of bacterium.	Bacterial Gene Products,Bacterial Gene Proteins,Gene Products, Bacterial,Bacterial Gene Product,Bacterial Gene Protein,Bacterial Protein,Gene Product, Bacterial,Gene Protein, Bacterial,Gene Proteins, Bacterial,Protein, Bacterial,Proteins, Bacterial
D012281	Rickettsia	A genus of gram-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped bacteria often surrounded by a protein microcapsular layer and slime layer. The natural cycle of its organisms generally involves a vertebrate and an invertebrate host. Species of the genus are the etiological agents of human diseases, such as typhus.
D012283	Rickettsia prowazekii	A species of gram-negative, aerobic bacteria that is the etiologic agent of epidemic typhus fever acquired through contact with lice (TYPHUS, EPIDEMIC LOUSE-BORNE) as well as Brill's disease.