A set of expression plasmids for the synthesis of fused and unfused polypeptides in Escherichia coli

A set of plasmid expression vectors for cloning of DNA fragments containing open reading frames has been obtained. The plasmids carry the strong leftward promoter of bacteriophage lambda and the translation initiation signals from either the gene ner of bacteriophage Mu or the gene 4 of bacteriophage phi 29. The vectors could overexpress the cloned sequences as fusion peptides at the N terminus with the N-terminal segment of the phi 29 protein p4 or at the C terminus with the Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase from its 8th residue, or both. Alternatively, the cloned sequences could be directed to overproduce proteins in an unfused form. DNA fragments of the hemagglutinin gene from human influenza A virus, have been cloned in one of the plasmid vectors and some potential antigenic determinants have been characterized using monoclonal antibodies.     

Cloning and nucleotide sequence of regA, a putative response regulator gene of Rhodobacter sphaeroides

Abstract A 0.9 kb DNA fragment carrying the Rhodobacter capsulatus reg A gene, which encodes an oxygen-dependent, positively-acting response regulator of photosynthetic gene expression, was used as a probe in Southern hybridisation experiments to determine whether a similar gene occurs in R. sphaeroides . A strongly hybridising DNA fragment isolated from a R. sphaeroides plasmid gene bank was isolated, sequenced and found to contain an open reading frame which exhibits 75% identity with the R. capsulatus reg A gene. The deduced amino acid sequence of 184 residues shows 81% identity and 89% similarity with the R. capsulatus RegA protein, and significant similarities with other response regulators of the two component sensor-regulator type. Introduction of the R. sphaeroides gene into a R. capsulatus reg A mutant, which exhibits abnormally low levels of membrane-bound photosynthetic complexes, resulted in a 22–33-fold increase in these complexes to approximately 62–65% of wild-type levels. This is the first study to identify a putative response regulator in R. sphaeroides and to complement a regulatory mutation in R. capsulatus with a gene from another species. Further studies of associated genes may identify the different mechanisms by which the regulation of photosynthesis complex formation occurs in response to environmental stimuli in R. sphaeroides and R. capsulatus .     

Expression of synthetic genes coding for completely new, nutritionally rich, artificial proteins

Synthetic genes (A, AB and AHB) constructed and cloned into pKK233-2 vector were recloned from the parent plasmid into the new procaryotic expression vectors pGFY221N and pBI052. Gene AF-B (coding for all amino acids besides phenylalanine) was obtained by 'cassette mutagenesis' from gene AB. The plasmid pGFY221N was constructed from pGFY218L by replacing the PstI by an NcoI site; plasmid pBI052 was derived from pGFY221N through replacing the 221-bp EcoRI/NcoI fragment with a synthetic DNA segment of 52 bp representing the Escherichia coli atpE gene translational initiation region. The genes A, AB, AHB and AF-B in the vector pGFY221N were expressed with a six-amino-acid-long leader sequence; in pBI052 the genes were expressed directly. In vitro expression experiments were successfully with all the genes except with the AHB gene integrated into pGFY221N. In the E. coli minicell system expression was demonstrated with the A gene in pGFY221N and the AF-B and AHB genes in pBI052. Complete translation of the expressed genes AB, AF-B and AHB in either the in vitro or in vivo systems could be shown by using 35S-labelled N-terminal methionine and C-terminal cysteine. Both amino acids occur only once in the peptide sequences.     

pAM401-based shuttle vectors that enable overexpression of promoterless genes and one-step purification of tag fusion proteins directly from Enterococcus faecalis

Two novel Enterococcus faecalis-Escherichia coli shuttle vectors that utilize the promoter and ribosome binding site of bacA on the E. faecalis plasmid pPD1 were constructed. The vectors were named pMGS100 and pMGS101. pMGS100 was designed to overexpress cloned genes in E. coli and E. faecalis and encodes the bacA promoter followed by a cloning site and stop codon. pMGS101 was designed for the overexpression and purification of a cloned protein fused to a Strep-tag consisting of 9 amino acids at the carboxyl terminus. The Strep-tag provides the cloned protein with an affinity to immobilized streptavidin that facilitates protein purification. We cloned a promoterless beta-galactosidase gene from E. coli and cloned the traA gene of the E. faecalis plasmid pAD1 into the vectors to test gene expression and protein purification, respectively. beta-Galactosidase was expressed in E. coli and E. faecalis at levels of 10(3) and 10 Miller units, respectively. By cloning the pAD1 traA into pMGS101, the protein could be purified directly from a crude lysate of E. faecalis or E. coli with an immobilized streptavidin matrix by one-step affinity chromatography. The ability of TraA to bind DNA was demonstrated by the DNA-associated protein tag affinity chromatography method using lysates prepared from both E. coli and E. faecalis that overexpress TraA. The results demonstrated the usefulness of the vectors for the overexpression and cis/trans analysis of regulatory genes, purification and copurification of proteins from E. faecalis, DNA binding analysis, determination of translation initiation site, and other applications that require proteins purified from E. faecalis.     

Construction of novel Ruminococcus albus, strains with improved cellulase activity by cloning of Streptomyces rochei endoglucanase gene

The 6.3 kb plasmid pCRB1 containing the eglS gene from Streptomyces rochei, coding for a -1,4 glucanase, was constructed in Bacillus subtilis by using the plasmid vector pIL253 with subsequent activity of the cellulase activity. Strictly anaerobic cellulolytic and xylanolytic strains of Ruminococcus albus, isolated from the rumen of cows and water buffaloes, were used for transformation experiments. The plasmid pCRB1 was introduced by means of electroporation into five freshly isolated strains of R. albus, with frequencies ranging from 10 to 10 /mg of plasmid DNA. Northern analysis demonstrated the expression of the eglS gene in R. albus. All the strains harbouring the heterologous cellulase gene showed an increase of the secreted cellulase activity.     

Gene organization and nucleotide sequence of the primase region of IncP plasmids RP4 and R751.

The primase genes of RP4 are part of the primase operon located within the Tra1 region of this conjugative plasmid. The operon contains a total of seven transfer genes four of which (traA, B, C, D) are described here. Determination of the nucleotide sequence of the primase region confirmed the existence of an overlapping gene arrangement at the DNA primase locus (traC) with in-phase translational initiation signals. The traC gene encodes two acidic and hydrophilic polypeptide chains of 1061 (TraC1) and 746 (TraC2) amino acids corresponding to molecular masses of 116,721 and 81,647 Da. In contrast to RP4 the IncP beta plasmid R751 specifies four large primase gene products (192, 152, 135 and 83 kDa) crossreacting with anti-RP4 DNA primase serum. As shown by deletion analysis at least the 135 and 83 kDa polypeptides are two separate translational products that by analogy with the RP4 primases, arise from in-phase translational initiation sites. Even the smallest primase gene products TraC2 (RP4) and TraC4 (R751) exhibit primase activity. Nucleotide sequencing of the R751 primase region revealed the existence of three in-phase traC translational initiation signals leading to the expression of gene products with molecular masses of 158,950 Da, 134,476 Da, and 80,759 Da. The 192 kDa primase polypeptide is suggested to be a fusion protein resulting from an in frame translational readthrough of the traD UGA stopcodon. Distinct sequence similarities can be detected between the TraC proteins of RP4 and R751 gene products TraC3 and TraC4 and in addition between the TraD proteins of both plasmids. The R751 traC3 gene contains a stretch of 507 bp which is unrelated to RP4 traC or any other RP4 Tra1 gene.