Characterization of glk, a gene coding for glucose kinase of Corynebacterium glutamicum

The glk gene from Corynebacterium glutamicum was isolated by complementation using Escherichia coli ZSC113 (ptsG ptsM glk). We sequenced a total of 3072 bp containing the 969-bp open reading frame encoding glucose kinase (Glk). The glk gene has a deduced molecular mass of 34.2 kDa and contains a typical ATP binding site. Comparison with protein sequences revealed homologies to Glk from Streptomyces coelicolor (43%) and Bacillus megaterium (35%). The glk gene in C. glutamicum was inactivated on the chromosome via single crossover homologous recombination and the resulting glk mutant was characterized. Interestingly, the C. glutamicum glk mutant showed poor growth on rich medium such as LB medium or brain heart infusion medium in the presence or absence of glucose, fructose, maltose or sucrose as the sole carbon source. Growth yield was reduced significantly when maltose was used as the sole carbon source using minimal medium. The growth defect of glk mutant on rich medium was complemented by a plasmid-encoded glk gene. A chromosomal glk-lacZ fusion was constructed and used to monitor glk expression, and it was found that glk was expressed constitutively under all tested conditions with different carbon sources.     

Expression of galP and glk in a Escherichia coli PTS mutant restores glucose transport and increases glycolytic flux to fermentation products

In Escherichia coli, the uptake and phosphorylation of glucose is carried out mainly by the phosphotransferase system (PTS). Despite the efficiency of glucose transport by PTS, the required consumption of 1 mol of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) for each mol of internalized glucose represents a drawback for some biotechnological applications where PEP is a precursor of the desired product. For this reason, there is considerable interest in the generation of strains that can transport glucose efficiently by a non-PTS mechanism. The purpose of this work was to study the effect of different gene expression levels, of galactose permease (GalP) and glucokinase (Glk), on glucose internalization and phosphorylation in a E. coli PTS(-) strain. The W3110 PTS(-), designated VH32, showed limited growth on glucose with a specific growth rate (mu) of 0.03 h(-1). A low copy plasmid family was constructed containing E. coli galP and glk genes, individually or combined, under the control of a trc-derived promoter set. This plasmid family was used to transform the VH32 strain, each plasmid having different levels of expression of galP and glk. Experiments in minimal medium with glucose showed that expression of only galP under the control of a wild-type trc promoter resulted in a mu of 0.55 h(-1), corresponding to 89% of the mu measured for W3110 (0.62 h(-1)). In contrast, no increase in specific growth rate (mu) was observed in VH32 with a plasmid expressing only glk from the same promoter. Strains transformed with part of the plasmid family, containing both galP and glk genes, showed a mu value similar to that of W3110. Fermentor experiments with the VH32 strain harboring plasmids pv1Glk1GalP, pv4Glk5GalP, and pv5Glk5GalP showed that specific acetate productivity was twofold higher than in W3110. Introduction of plasmid pLOI1594, coding for pyruvate decarboxylase and alcohol dehydrogenase from Zymomonas mobilis, to strain VH32 carrying one of the plasmids with galP and glk caused a twofold increase in ethanol productivity over strain W3110, also containing pLOI1594.     

ORF90, a Gene Required for Photoreactivation in Rhodobacter capsulatus SB1003 Encodes a Cyclobutane Pyrimidine Dimer Photolyase

Based on deduced amino-acid sequence similarities to class-I photolyases, the open reading frame ORF90 was identified from the genome sequence of Rhodobacter capsulatus SB1003. Photoreactivation activity is not detectable in an ORF90 deletion mutant of R. capsulatus SB1003. The phenotype of R. capsulatus wild-type cells was restored by plasmid borne ORF90 of R. capsulatus DeltaORF90. Furthermore, we detected an ORF90-related CPD-specific photoreactivation activity in R. capsulatus cell extracts. The results show that the gene product of ORF90 is involved in photoreactivation and encodes a class-I cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer photolyase.     

The hexokinase isoenzyme PII of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ia a protein kinase

The HXK2 gene product has an important role in controlling carbon catabolite repression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We have raised specific antibodies against the hexokinase PII protein and have demonstrated that it is a 58 kDa phosphoprotein with protein kinase activity. The predicted amino acid sequence of the HXK2 gene product has significant homology to the conserved catalytic domain of mammalian and yeast protein kinases. Protein kinase activity was located in a different domain of the protein from the hexose-phosphorylating activity. The hexokinase PII protein level remained unchanged in P2T22D mutant cells (hxk1 HXK2 glk1) growing in a complex medium with glucose. The protein kinase activity of hexokinase PII is regulated by the glucose concentration of the culture medium. Exit from the carbon catabolite repression phase and entry into derepression phase may be controlled, in part, by modulation of the 58 kDa protein kinase activity by changes in cyclic AMP concentration.     

Structural and functional characterization of the recR gene of Streptomyces

The recR gene product is necessary for homologous recombination and recombinational DNA repair in eubacteria. We report the isolation and sequencing of the recR gene from Streptomyces coelicolor. It encodes a protein of 198 amino acids, with a predicted molecular mass of 22 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence shows significant similarity to that of RecR proteins from other bacteria, including Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. Like these, Streptomyces RecR contains potential helix-hairpin-helix, zinc finger and ATP-binding motifs, as well as the Toprim domain which is present also in topoisomerases of Types IA and II, primases and nucleases of the OLD family. The recR genes of Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis are immediately preceded by a small ORF (orf12 and orf107, respectively). An equivalent ORF (orf1) is also found in Streptomyces. S. lividans recR mutants, obtained either by insertional inactivation of recR or by deletion of the gene together with the preceding ORF, displayed increased sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents (such as UV light and methylmethanesulfonate), when compared with the wild-type strain. Both mutants could be complemented by the wild-type orflrecR genes and also by the recR gene alone. Based on these results, orf1 appears to be dispensable for the repair function of Streptomyces RecR. In studies of heterologous complementation, the B. subtilis recR region (orf107recR) was found to complement the S. lividans deltaorflrecR mutant, but the equivalent region from E. coli (orf12recR) could not. However, in the absence of orf107, B. subtilis recR was unable to restore the wild-type phenotype to the Streptomyces deletion mutant.     

A gammaherpesvirus G protein-coupled receptor homologue is required for increased viral replication in response to chemokines and efficient reactivation from latency

The open reading frame (ORF) 74 of gamma-2-herpesviruses encodes a G protein-coupled receptor which is highly conserved in members of this subfamily and is homologous to the CXCR2 chemokine receptor. The viral G protein-coupled receptor has been implicated in viral pathogenesis. However, the advantage of such chemokine receptor homologues to the virus is currently unknown. To address this, we constructed ORF74 deletion mutants of a mouse gamma-2-herpesvirus (MHV-68) and examined the effect of the deletion on viral growth and reactivation from latency. Growth of the mutant viruses in NIH 3T3 cells was similar to that of wild-type virus. However, CXC chemokines with ELR motifs, KC, and macrophage-inflammatory protein 2, significantly increased viral replication of the wild-type, but not the mutant viruses, via a pertussis toxin-insensitive, mitogen-activated protein/extracellular signal-regulated kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent pathway. IFN-gamma-inducible protein 10, a CXC chemokine lacking an ELR motif, was able to reverse the effect of KC on viral replication. The mutant viruses also showed significantly reduced reactivation from latently infected mouse splenocytes. Reinsertion of ORF74 into the mutant virus restored the wild-type phenotype. Utilizing a viral CXCR2 homologue to enhance replication and reactivation from latency represents a novel mechanism by which gammaherpesviruses can subvert the immune response.     

Simultaneous utilization of glucose, xylose and arabinose in the presence of acetate by a consortium of Escherichia coli strains

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The efficient microbial utilization of lignocellulosic hydrolysates has remained challenging because this material is composed of multiple sugars and also contains growth inhibitors such as acetic acid (acetate). Using an engineered consortium of strains derived from Escherichia coli C and a synthetic medium containing acetate, glucose, xylose and arabinose, we report on both the microbial removal of acetate and the subsequent simultaneous utilization of the sugars. RESULTS: In a first stage, a strain unable to utilize glucose, xylose and arabinose (ALS1392, strain E. coli C ptsG manZ glk crr xylA araA) removed 3 g/L acetate within 30 hours. In a subsequent second stage, three E. coli strains (ALS1370, ALS1371, ALS1391), which are each engineered to utilize only one sugar, together simultaneously utilized glucose, xylose and arabinose. The effect of non-metabolizable sugars on the metabolism of the target sugar was minimal. Additionally the deletions necessary to prevent the consumption of one sugar only minimally affected the consumption of a desired sugar. For example, the crr deletion necessary to prevent glucose consumption reduced xylose and arabinose utilization by less than 15 % compared to the wild-type. Similarly, the araA deletion used to exclude arabinose consumption did not affect xylose- and glucose-consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the modest reduction in the overall rate of sugar consumption due to the various deletions that were required to generate the consortium of strains, the approach constitutes a significant improvement in any single-organism approach to utilize sugars found in lignocellulosic hydrolysate in the presence of acetate.     

Salmonella typhimurium newD and Escherichia coli leuC genes code for a functional isopropylmalate isomerase in Salmonella typhimurium-Escherichia coli hybrids.

The supQ newD gene substitution system in Salmonella typhimurium restores leucine prototrophy to leuD mutants by providing the newD gene product which is capable of replacing the missing leuD polypeptide in the isopropylmalate isomerase, a complex of the leuC and leuD gene product. Mutations in the supQ gene are required to make the newD protein available. An Escherichia coli F' factor was constructed which carried supQ- newD+ from S. typhimurium on a P22-specialized transducing genome. This F' pro lac (P22dsupQ394newD) episome was transferred into S. typhimurium strains containing th leuD798-ara deletion; the resulting merodiploid strains had a Leu+ phenotype, indicating that supQ- newD+ is dominant over supQ+ newD+, and eliminating the possibility that the supQ gene codes for a repressor of the newD gene. Furthermore, transfer of the F' pro lac (P22dsupQ39newD) into E. coli leuD deletion strains restored leucine prototrophy, showing that the S. typhimurium newD gene can complment the E. coli leuC gene. Growth rates of the S. typhimurium-E coli hybrid strains indicated that the mutant isopropylmalate isomerase in these strains does not induce a leucine limitation, as it does in S. typhimurium leuD supQ mutants. In vitro activity of the mutant isopropylmalate isomerase was demonstrated; the Km values for alpha-isopropylmalate of both the S. typhimurium leuC-newD isomerase and the S. typhimurium-E. coli hybrid isomerase were as much as 100 times higher than the Km values for alpha-isopropylmalate of the wild-type enzyme, which was 3 x 10(-4) M. Mutagenesis of E. coli leuD deletion strains failed to restore leucine prototrophy, indicating that E. coli does not have genes analogous to the S. typhimurium supQ newD genes, of that, if present, activation of a newD is a rare event or is lethal to the cell.     

Identification,cloning, and sequencing of the genes involved in the conversion of D,L-2-amino-delta2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid to L-cysteine in Pseudomonas sp. strain ON-4a

The newly isolated strain Pseudomonas sp. ON-4a converts D,L-2-amino-delta2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid to L-cysteine via N-carbamoyl-L-cysteine. A genomic DNA fragment from this strain containing the gene(s) encoding enzymes that convert D,L-2-amino-delta2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid into L-cysteine was cloned in Escherichia coli. Transformants expressing cysteine-forming activity were selected by growth of an E. coli mutant defective in the cysB gene. A positive clone, denoted CM1, carrying the plasmid pCM1 with an insert DNA of approximately 3.4 kb was obtained, and the nucleotide sequence of a complementing region was analyzed. Analysis of the sequence found two open reading frames, ORF1 and ORF2, which encoded proteins of 183 and 435 amino acid residues, respectively. E. coli DH5alpha harboring pTrCM1, which was constructed by inserting the subcloned sequence into an expression vector, expressed two proteins of 25 kDa and 45 kDa. From the analyses of crude extracts of E. coli DH5alpha carrying deletion derivatives of pTrCM1 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and by enzymatic activity, it was found that the 25-kDa protein encoded by ORF1 was the enzyme L-2-amino-delta2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid hydrolase, which catalyzes the conversion of L-2-amino-delta2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid to N-carbamoyl-L-cysteine, and that the 45-kDa protein encoded by ORF2 was the enzyme N-carbamoyl-L-cysteine amidohydrolase, which catalyzes the conversion of N-carbamoyl-L-cysteine to L-cysteine.     

Utilization of gluconate by Escherichia coli. A role of adenosine 3'':5''-cyclic monophosphate in the induction of gluconate catabolism.

1. Cultures of Escherichia coli growing on gluconate use both gluconate and glucose when glucose is added. 2. Glycerol-grown cells adapt to gluconate utilization even in media containing glucose as well as gluconate. 3. The rates of gluconate utilization by cells growing on a mixture of glucose and gluconate, and the specific activities of the gluconate uptake system and of gluconate kinase, are greater if adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic AMP) is present in the medium than in its absence. 4. Growth on media containing gluconate and cyclic AMP is accompanied by the formation of methyl glyoxal and pyruvate, and progressive inhibition of growth. 5. A mutant devoid of adenylate cyclase activity (cya) grew well on glucose in the absence of exogenous cyclic AMP but grew only poorly on gluconate; neither the gluconate uptake system nor gluconate kinase was adequately induced. The addition of cyclic AMP promoted growth on gluconate and facilitated the induction of proteins required for gluconate catabolism. 6. Phage Pl-mediated transduction of cya+ into the cya-mutant also restored the wild-type phenotype in its ability to adapt to gluconate utilization.     

Increased resistance to ionizing and ultraviolet radiation in Escherichia coli JM83 is associated with a chromosomal rearrangement.

Cells cope with radiation damage through several mechanisms: (1) increased DNA repair activity, (2) scavenging and inactivation of radiation-induced radical molecules, and (3) entry into a G0-like quiescent state. We have investigated a chromosomal rearrangement to elucidate further the molecular and genetic mechanisms underlying these phenomena. A mutant of Escherichia coli JM83 (phi 80dlacZ delta M15) was isolated that demonstrated significantly increased resistance to both ionizing and ultraviolet radiation. Surviving fractions of mutant and wild-type cells were measured following exposure to standardized doses of radiation. Increased radioresistance was directly related to a chromosomal alteration near the bacteriophage phi 80 attachment site (attB), as initially detected by the LacZ- phenotype of the isolate. Southern hybridization of chromosomal DNA from the mutant and wild-type E. coli JM83 strains indicated that a deletion had occurred. We propose that the deletion near the attB locus produces the radioresistant phenotype of the E. coli JM83 LacZ- mutant, perhaps through the alteration or inactivation of a gene or its controlling element(s).     

A substrate-selective co-fermentation strategy with Escherichia coli produces lactate by simultaneously consuming xylose and glucose

We describe a new approach for the simultaneous conversion of xylose and glucose sugar mixtures which potentially could be used for lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate. In this study we used this approach to demonstrate the production of lactic acid. This process uses two substrate-selective strains of Escherichia coli, one which is unable to consume glucose and one which is unable to consume xylose. In addition to knockouts in pflB encoding for pyruvate formate lyase, the xylose-selective (glucose deficient) strain E. coli ALS1073 has deletions of the glk, ptsG, and manZ genes while the glucose-selective (xylose deficient) strain E. coli ALS1074 has a xylA deletion. By combining these two strains in a single process the xylose and glucose in a mixed sugar solution are simultaneously converted to lactate. Furthermore, the biomass concentrations of each strain can readily be adjusted in order to optimize the overall product formation. This approach to the utilization of mixed sugars eliminates the problem of diauxic growth, and provides great operational flexibility.     

Mutational inactivation of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae RAD4 gene in Escherichia coli.

The RAD4 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is required for the incision of damaged DNA during nucleotide excision repair. When plasmids containing the wild-type gene were transformed into various Escherichia coli strains, transformation frequencies were drastically reduced. Most plasmids recovered from transformants showed deletions or rearrangements. A minority of plasmids recovered from E. coli HB101 showed no evidence of deletion or rearrangement, but when they were transformed into S. cerevisiae on centromeric vectors, little or no complementation of the UV sensitivity of rad4 mutants was observed. Deliberate insertional mutagenesis of the wild-type RAD4 allele before transformation of E. coli restored transformation to normal levels. Plasmids recovered from these transformants contained an inactive rad4 allele; however, removal of the inserted DNA fragment restored normal RAD4 function. These experiments suggest that expression of the RAD4 gene is lethal to E. coli and show that lethality can be prevented by inactivation of the gene before transformation. Stationary-phase cultures of some strains of E. coli transformed with plasmids containing an inactivated RAD4 gene showed a pronounced delay in the resumption of exponential growth, suggesting that the mutant (and, by inference, possibly wild-type) Rad4 protein interferes with normal growth control in E. coli. The rad4-2, rad4-3, and rad4-4 chromosomal alleles were leaky relative to a rad4 disruption mutant. In addition, overexpression of plasmid-borne mutant rad4 alleles resulted in partial complementation of rad4 strains. These observations suggest that the Rad4 protein is relatively insensitive to mutational inactivation.     

Mutation of the ptsG gene results in increased production of succinate in fermentation of glucose by Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli NZN111 is blocked in the ability to grow fermentatively on glucose but gave rise spontaneously to a mutant that had this ability. The mutant carries out a balanced fermentation of glucose to give approximately 1 mol of succinate, 0. 5 mol of acetate, and 0.5 mol of ethanol per mol of glucose. The causative mutation was mapped to the ptsG gene, which encodes the membrane-bound, glucose-specific permease of the phosphotransferase system, protein EIICB(glc). Replacement of the chromosomal ptsG gene with an insertionally inactivated form also restored growth on glucose and resulted in the same distribution of fermentation products. The physiological characteristics of the spontaneous and null mutants were consistent with loss of function of the ptsG gene product; the mutants possessed greatly reduced glucose phosphotransferase activity and lacked normal glucose repression. Introduction of the null mutant into strains not blocked in the ability to ferment glucose also increased succinate production in those strains. This phenomenon was widespread, occurring in different lineages of E. coli, including E. coli B.     

Functional expression of the glucose transporter of Zymomonas mobilis leads to restoration of glucose and fructose uptake in Escherichia coli mutants and provides evidence for its facilitator action.

The Zymomonas mobilis genes encoding the glucose facilitator (glf), glucokinase (glk), or fructokinase (frk) were cloned and expressed in a lacIq-Ptac system using Escherichia coli K-12 mutants deficient in uptake and phosphorylation of glucose and fructose. Growth on glucose or fructose was restored when the respective genes (glf-glk or glf-frk) were expressed. In E. coli glf+ strains, both glucose and fructose were taken up via facilitated diffusion (Km, 4.1 mM for glucose and 39 mM for fructose; Vmax at 15 degrees C, 75 and 93 nmol min-1 mg-1 [dry weight] for glucose and fructose, respectively). For both substrates, counterflow maxima were observed.