BAL-1

A diversity of yeasts and lactic bacteria were isolated from the feces of ring-tailed coaties bred in captivity and related to the production of "misha coffee". Isolation of yeasts was carried out using oxytetracycline-glucose-yeast extract agar containing 100 mg/L oxytetracycline and, lactic bacteria using de Man-Rogosa and Sharpe agar containing 20 mg/L of vancomicin. Then, isolates were biochemically analysed using API strips (ID 32C for yeasts and 50CHL for lactic bacteria) followed by 16S and 26S rRNA gene sequencing. Among the yeasts, Debaryomyces hansenii, Pichia kluyveri, Pichia kudriavzevii, and Candida sorboxilosa were the most frequent, whereas Weissella cibaria, Weissella paramesenteroides, Enterococcus thailandicus and Enterococcus faecalis were the most important lactic bacteria. Cultivation of the isolated yeasts under agitated conditions, showed that Pichia kluyveri LBFT.Lev3 (0.15 ± 0.01 h^-1) and Pichia kudriavzevii LBTF.Lev7 (0.14 ± 0.01 h^-1) had higher specific growth rates than Debaryomyces hansenii LBFT.Lev9 (0.09 ± 0.01 h^-1), whereas cultivation of lactic bacteria under static fashion showed that Weisella paramesenteroides LBTF.Bal2 (0.16 ± 0.01 h^-1) and Weisella cibaria LBTF.Bal3 (0.18 ± 0.01 h^-1) had better growth than Enterococcus thailandicus LBTF.Bal1 (0.1 ± 0.015 h^-1) and Enterococcus faecalis LBTF.Bal7 (0.14 ± 0.01 h^-1). Additionally, evaluation of pectinolytic activity revealed that Pichia kudriavzevii LBTF.Lev7 and Debaryomyces hansenii LBFT.Lev9 were able to use pectin as carbon source for their growth. On the other hand, W. cibaria LBTF.Bal3, E. thailandicus LBTF.Bal1 and W. paramesenteroides LBTF.Bal2 showed inhibitory activity against S. mutans ATCC 35668, B. subtilis subsp. spizizenii ATCC 6633 and Staph. epidermidis ATCC 14990. Results of this study are useful for the search of potential application of the isolated yeasts and lactic bacteria in coffee and other food fermentations.

A murine mAb (BAL-1) was previously shown to induce apoptosis when cross-linked on the cell surface of different B acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and pro-myelocytic cell lines. The present study shows that BAL-1 specifically recognizes the MHC class I (MHC-I). The apoptotic response was not dependent on the epitope specificity, since other anti-MHC-I antibodies, reacting with different monomorphic determinants of the alpha chain or beta 2-microglobulin, also induced apoptosis in these cells. However, external cross-linking of antibodies was strictly required for the apoptotic effect. Among cells originating from mature peripheral blood B cells, anti-CD40-stimulated cells were susceptible to anti-MHC-I-induced apoptosis, whereas B cells activated with Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I (SAC) or with the superantigen staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) were non-responsive. Mature SEA-activated T cells were also resistant to MHC-I-induced apoptosis. In situ terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase staining of apoptotic cells at various stages during MHC-I-induced cell death revealed that apoptosis occurred predominantly in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle, with the first apoptotic cells appearing after approximately 12 h of incubation. These results suggest a role for MHC-I-mediated apoptosis during differentiation and activation of certain hematopoietic cells.