噬菌体T7溶菌酶基因的克隆

以Pbr322及含有噬菌体T7 RNA聚合酶强启动子φ10的Pbr322衍生物作为克隆载体,经限制内切酶AvaⅡ+HaeⅢ切割的一段噬菌体T7 DNA片段分别克隆到Pbr322及其衍生质粒的BamHⅠ位点上。插入的DNA片段为632碱基对。该片段包括噬菌体T7基因3．5和T7 RNA聚合酶弱启动子φ3．8的全部编码序列。已知噬菌体T7基因3．5的功能为产生噬菌体T7溶菌酶,利用氯仿处理检测带有重组质粒的转化子胞内溶菌酶活力。证明两种克隆株整体细胞中,均有溶菌酶存在。用10一20％SDS-聚丙烯酰胺凝肢电泳检查噬菌体T7基因3．5蛋白带,结果表明T7基因3．5在Pbr322衍生质粒中的表达优于Pbr322。     

口蹄疫病毒主要的抗原cDNA在大肠杆菌中的无性繁殖及其表达

口蹄疫病毒(FMDV)单键基因组RNA的双键DNA拷贝在大肠杆菌质粒pBR322中无性繁殖。确立了病毒基因组的限制性图谱,并与病毒的生化图谱作了相应的排列。病毒的主要抗原,结构蛋白VP1的编码序列作了鉴定,并把该序列插入质粒载体,于λ噬菌体P_L促进子的控制下这一序列得到了表达,通过放射免疫检测方法证明了抗原多肽在一种合适寄主中的合成。     

低温菌启动子探针质粒的构建

为了在宿主菌Acinetobacter sp.DWC6中构建低温菌蛋白表达载体,以pBR322质粒为基础,去除质粒上β-内酰胺酶基因的启动子片段,取而代之为来源于质粒pJRD215的卡那霉素抗性基因片段,并在pBR322中插入Acinetobacter菌属特异性ori的DNA片段,构建了能在Acinetobacter sp.DWC6和E.coli中正常复制的启动子探针质粒pBAP1。通过在质粒pBAP1中的β-内酰胺酶基因上游随机导入Acinetobacter sp.DWC6基因组片段,通过检测宿主细胞的氨苄青霉素抗性和β-内酰胺酶活性,来筛选强启动子片段,并分析了启动子探针质粒载体的功能及启动子的强度。     

质粒pBR322的缺失突变株

质粒pBR322[]是较理想的基因载体之一, 在基因工程研究中已经取得了不少突出的成 绩［u]。我们在体外建造pBR322质粒DNA与 X DNA片段的重组质粒过程中,获得一个质粒 pBR3 2 2的缺失突变株,命名为pH A4。这种 突变株对于研究质粒DNA的形成、进化和结 构都具有一定的意义。     

Gap-Repair方式建立一种基于pBR322-Red的新型重组工程系统

应用Gap—Repair新技术,以pBR322为载体,在λ噬菌体Red重组酶的作用下,通过同源重组直接从大肠杆菌DY330染色体上亚克隆了长度为6．7kb的包含Red重组酶基因的λ噬菌体左向操纵子基因序列。建立了一种能够随意在不同细菌宿主中转移的基于pBR322-Red的重组工程系统。为了验证pBR322-Red的生物功能,以大肠杆菌染色体上的galk基因为靶标,用Red介导的单链DNA重组技术敲入T→G单碱基突变,使galk基因内编码第145位氨基酸的密码子由TAT转变成TAG,产生了一个琥珀突变。确定了pBR322-Red系统的重组功能。     

RGD序列修饰的MS2噬菌体样颗粒的构建及表达

目的:构建并表达衣壳蛋白表面展示有精氨酸-甘氨酸-天冬氨酸(RGD)序列的MS2噬菌体样颗粒,以期获得肿瘤细胞靶向性RNA递送载体。方法:用分子克隆技术将RGD4C编码序列插入MS2衣壳蛋白编码基因,然后构建到p ETDuet-1质粒多克隆位点MCS1上;将含有MS2噬菌体包装位点的pre-let-7编码基因构建到p ETDuet-1质粒多克隆位点MCS2上;重组质粒转化大肠杆菌,表达产物纯化后经琼脂糖凝胶电泳、电子显微镜鉴定。结果和结论:采用分子克隆技术和原核细胞单质粒双表达系统获得表面展示有RGD序列,内部包装有pre-let-7 RNA的MS2噬菌体样颗粒,为体内和体外研究其肿瘤细胞靶向递送和功能奠定了基础。     

连续3次缺口修复构建小鼠乳清酸蛋白-人血清白蛋白杂合基因座

目的:构建人血清白蛋白(hSA)与小鼠乳清酸蛋白(mWAP)调控序列的杂合基因座。方法与结果:在pBR322载体上连入预先无痕连接的3对同源臂,利用基于Red同源重组系统的缺口修复(gap-repair)技术,分别对8kb的mWAP基因座3′调控区、16 kb的hSA基因组编码序列及13 kb的mWAP基因座5′调控区进行连续3次基因抓捕,最终将全长37 kb的乳蛋白杂合基因座构入pBR322载体;通过PCR扩增、限制性内切酶消化和序列测定验证,确定mWAP基因座中的编码序列被精确地置换为hSA的基因组编码序列。结论:构建了整合有mWAP-hSA杂合基因座的pBR322载体,为研究杂合基因座在乳腺中的表达效果及置换型基因座表达的可行性提供了数据。     

乙型肝炎病毒ayw亚型基因在大肠杆菌细胞中的克隆与表达

将克隆的乙型肝炎病毒(HBV)ayw亚型基因组DNA插入到质粒pBR322的EcoRI位点,经DNA分子杂交和限制性酶切分析表明,阳性重组体含有HBVDNA,方向为5′末端近BamHI位点,在大肠杆细胞中,插入片段能表达HBcAg和HBeAg及微量的HBsAG。     

利用转座子Tn233(CH)与Tn5作为基因载体的研究

用体外重组技术构建了转座子Tn233(CH)、Tn233△E14与Tn5的3个衍生物:(1)转座子Tn 233(CH)含有单个BgBlⅡ限制位点,将从质粒pTK 63来的含K 88抗原基因的BamHI片段连接到pBR322::Tn233(CH)的BglⅡ位点上,形成了pBR322::Tn233(K88)。(2)Tn233△E14是Tn233的缺失变种,此缺失除去了Tn233(CH)上的TnpA基因,但保留了BglⅡ位点,将同上面一样的BamHI片段克隆到pBR322::Tn233△E14的BglⅡ位点上,构建了pBR322::Tn233△E14(K88)。(3)Tn5含有1个BamHI限制位点,pTB341是1个有Tn5插入的质粒,pTB341经BamHI切割后得到3个BamHI片段,每个片段分别带有Ap~r基因;IS50L与Km~r基因;IS50R与Sm~r基因,当此3个片段经T4-DNA连接酶重新连接后,分离到了1个质粒pTS40,此质粒也由此3片段组成,但它们的排列与pTB341的不同,此重新连接的结果使Ap~r基因成为Tn5中的一部分。 遗传实验结果表明,K88抗原基因与Ap~r基因在这些转座子衍生物中能够表达,而且新构建的Tn233(K88)与Tn5(Ap)仍保留着转座的能力。当在反式位置上有TnpA基因时,Tn233△E14(K88)也能从pBR322::Tn233△E14(K88)转座到其它质粒上。     

大肠杆菌的一个转座子Tn2981的特性

在复旦大学校园分离到1株带有抗药性质粒pFD13(Sm~RSu~RCm~RTc~RHg~R)的大肠杆菌B7,并在pFD13上发现1个转座子,它带有链霉素(Sm~R)、汞盐(Hg~R)、磺胺嘧啶(Su~R)抗性基因,定名为Tn2981。Tn2981可以从质粒pFD13转座到质粒R144drd3上,也能从质粒转座到大肠杆菌的染色体上。这种转座作用不依赖于宿主细胞reeA的基因产物。经电子显微镜测量质粒pBR322::Tn2981及质粒pBR322的长度,换算后得到Tn2981分子量是12.48×10~6道尔顿,并经限制性内切酶酶切说明它含有6个EeoRI切点。     

Fate of cloned bacteriophage T4 DNA after phage T4 infection of clone-bearing cells

Plasmid pBR322 replication is inhibited after bacteriophage T4 infection. If no T4 DNA had been cloned into this plasmid vector, the kinetics of inhibition are similar to those observed for the inhibition of Escherichia coli chromosomal DNA. However, if T4 DNA has been cloned into pBR322, plasmid DNA synthesis is initially inhibited but then resumes approximately at the time that phage DNA replication begins. The T4 insert-dependent synthesis of pBR322 DNA is not observed if the infecting phage are deleted for the T4 DNA cloned in the plasmid. Thus, this T4 homology-dependent synthesis of plasmid DNA probably reflects recombination between plasmids and infecting phage genomes. However, this recombination-dependent synthesis of pBR322 DNA does not require the T4 gene 46 product, which is essential for T4 generalized recombination. The effect of T4 infection on the degradation of plasmid DNA is also examined. Plasmid DNA degradation, like E. coli chromosomal DNA degradation, occurs in wild-type and denB mutant infections. However, neither plasmid or chromosomal degradation can be detected in denA mutant infections by the method of DNA--DNA hybridization on nitrocellulose filters.     

ompT encodes the Escherichia coli outer membrane protease that cleaves T7 RNA polymerase during purification.

Bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase is stable in Escherichia coli but very susceptible to cleavage by at least one endoprotease after cell lysis. The major source of this endoprotease activity was found to be localized to the outer membrane of the cell. A rapid whole-cell assay was developed to screen different strains for the presence of this proteolytic activity. Using this assay, we identified some common laboratory strains that totally lack the protease. Genetic and Southern analyses of these null strains allowed us to conclude that the protease that cleaves T7 RNA polymerase is OmpT (formerly termed protein a), a known outer membrane endoprotease, and that the null phenotype results from deletion of the OmpT structural gene. A recombinant plasmid carrying the ompT gene enables these deletion strains to synthesize OmpT and converts them to a protease-positive phenotype. The plasmid led to overproduction of OmpT protein and protease activity in the E. coli K-12 and B strains we used, but only weak expression in the E. coli C strain, C1757. This strain-dependent difference in ompT expression was investigated with respect to the known influence of envZ on OmpT synthesis. A small deletion in the ompT region of the plasmid greatly diminishes the amount of OmpT protein and plasmid-encoded protease present in outer membranes. Use of ompT deletion strains for production of T7 RNA polymerase from the cloned gene has made purification of intact T7 RNA polymerase routine. Such strains may be useful for purification of other proteins expressed in E. coli.     

Identification of a gene, closely linked to dnaK, which is required for high-temperature growth of Escherichia coli.

We have constructed four deletion derivatives of the cloned dnaK gene. Plasmid pDD1, in which the last 10 amino acids of the DnaK protein have been replaced by three different amino acids derived from the pBR322 vector, was as effective as plasmid pKP31, from which it was derived, in restoring the ability of a dnaK null mutant, Escherichia coli BB1553, to plate lambda phage and to grow at high temperatures. The other three mutations, involving much larger deletions of the dnaK gene, did not restore the ability to plate lambda phage or the ability to grow at high temperatures. Plasmid pKUC2, which contains the whole dnaK gene and its promoters, was capable of restoring the ability of E. coli BB1553 to plate lambda phage but, surprisingly, it did not restore the ability to grow at high temperatures, even though it was shown that the DnaK protein was efficiently expressed in these cultures. By transposon mutagenesis and sub-cloning, we have shown the presence of a second gene in plasmid pKP31 which is required for high-temperature growth of E. coli BB1553. This gene, which we call htg A, is presumably also defective in the dnaK null mutant E. coli BB1553. We have also demonstrated that the inability of E. coli K756 to grow above 43.5 degrees C is complemented by sub-clones which contain the htg A gene, but not by plasmid pKUC2.     

Genetic analysis of gene 1.2 of bacteriophage T7: isolation of a mutant of Escherichia coli unable to support the growth of T7 gene 1.2 mutants.

The product of gene 1.2 of bacteriophage T7 is not required for the growth of T7 in wild-type Escherichia coli since deletion mutants lacking the entire gene 1.2 grow normally (Studier et al., J. Mol. Biol. 135:917-937, 1979). By using a T7 strain lacking gene 1.2, we have isolated a mutant of E. coli that was unable to support the growth of both point and deletion mutants defective in gene 1.2. The mutation, optA1, was located at approximately 3.6 min on the E. coli linkage map in the interval between dapD and tonA; optA1 was 92% cotransducible with dapD. By using the optA1 mutant, we have isolated six gene 1.2 point mutants of T7, all of which mapped between positions 15 and 16 on the T7 genetic map. These mutations have also been characterized by DNA sequence analysis, E. coli optA1 cells infected with T7 gene 1.2 mutants were defective in T7 DNA replication; early RNA and protein synthesis proceeded normally. The defect in T7 DNA replication is manifested by a premature cessation of DNA synthesis and degradation of the newly synthesized DNA. The defect was not observed in E. coli opt+ cells infected with T7 gene 1.2 mutants or in E. coli optA1 cells infected with wild-type T7 phage.     

T7 single strand DNA binding protein but not T7 helicase is required for DNA double strand break repair

An in vitro system based on Escherichia coli infected with bacteriophage T7 was used to test for involvement of host and phage recombination proteins in the repair of double strand breaks in the T7 genome. Double strand breaks were placed in a unique XhoI site located approximately 17% from the left end of the T7 genome. In one assay, repair of these breaks was followed by packaging DNA recovered from repair reactions and determining the yield of infective phage. In a second assay, the product of the reactions was visualized after electrophoresis to estimate the extent to which the double strand breaks had been closed. Earlier work demonstrated that in this system double strand break repair takes place via incorporation of a patch of DNA into a gap formed at the break site. In the present study, it was found that extracts prepared from uninfected E. coli were unable to repair broken T7 genomes in this in vitro system, thus implying that phage rather than host enzymes are the primary participants in the predominant repair mechanism. Extracts prepared from an E. coli recA mutant were as capable of double strand break repair as extracts from a wild-type host, arguing that the E. coli recombinase is not essential to the recombinational events required for double strand break repair. In T7 strand exchange during recombination is mediated by the combined action of the helicase encoded by gene 4 and the annealing function of the gene 2.5 single strand binding protein. Although a deficiency in the gene 2.5 protein blocked double strand break repair, a gene 4 deficiency had no effect. This argues that a strand transfer step is not required during recombinational repair of double strand breaks in T7 but that the ability of the gene 2.5 protein to facilitate annealing of complementary single strands of DNA is critical to repair of double strand breaks in T7.     

Role of exonuclease III and endonuclease IV in repair of pyrimidine dimers initiated by bacteriophage T4 pyrimidine dimer-DNA glycosylase.

The role of exonuclease III and endonuclease IV in the repair of pyrimidine dimers in bacteriophage T4-infected Escherichia coli was examined. UV-irradiated T4 showed reduced survival when plated on an xth nfo double mutant but showed wild-type survival on either single mutant. T4 denV phage were equally sensitive when plated on wild-type E. coli or an xth nfo double mutant, suggesting that these endonucleases function in the same repair pathway as T4 pyrimidine dimer-DNA glycosylase. A uvrA mutant of E. coli in which the repair of pyrimidine dimers was dependent on the T4 denV gene carried on a plasmid was constructed. Neither an xth nor an nfo derivative of this strain was more sensitive than the parental strain to UV irradiation. We were unable to construct a uvrA xth nfo triple mutant. In addition, T4, which turns off the host UvrABC excision nuclease, showed reduced plating efficiency on an xth nfo double mutant.     

Identification of the sporulation gene spoOA product of Bacillus subtilis

A 2.4-kilobase fragment of the Bacillus subtilis chromosome containing the wild-type spoOA gene derived from the phi 105dspoOA+-Bc-1 transducing phage was cloned onto plasmid pBR322 in Escherichia coli. A recombinant plasmid harboring the mutant spoOA12 allele on the 2.4-kilobase insert was also constructed from the phi 105dspoOA12-1 phage DNA and pBR322. Protein products synthesized in response to plasmid DNA in a DNA-directed cell-free system derived from E. coli were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacryl-amide gel electrophoresis. A protein of approximately 27,500 daltons synthesized with the recombinant plasmid DNA harboring the wild-type spoOA gene as template was not formed with the recombinant plasmid DNA harboring the spoOA12 allele. Since the spoOA12 mutation is a nonsense mutation, we conclude that the 27.5-kilodalton protein is the product of the spoOA gene.     

Gene 1.2 protein of bacteriophage T7. Effect on deoxyribonucleotide pools

The gene 1.2 protein of bacteriophage T7, a protein required for phage T7 growth on Escherichia coli optA1 strains, has been purified to apparent homogeneity and shown to restore DNA packaging activity of extracts prepared from E. coli optA1 cells infected with T7 gene 1.2 mutants (Myers, J. A., Beauchamp, B. B., White, J. H., and Richardson, C. C. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 5280-5287). After infection of E. coli optA1 by T7 gene 1.2 mutant phage, under conditions where phage DNA synthesis is blocked, the intracellular pools of dATP, dTTP, and dCTP increase 10-40-fold, similar to the increase observed in an infection with wild-type T7. However, the pool of dGTP remains unchanged in the mutant-infected cells as opposed to a 200-fold increase in the wild-type phage-infected cells. Uninfected E. coli optA+ strains contain severalfold higher levels of dGTP compared to E. coli optA1 cells. In agreement with this observation, dGTP can fully substitute for purified gene 1.2 protein in restoring DNA packaging activity to extracts prepared from E. coli optA1 cells infected with T7 gene 1.2 mutants. dGMP or polymers containing deoxyguanosine can also restore packaging activity while dGDP is considerably less effective. dATP, dTTP, dCTP, and ribonucleotides have no significant effect. The addition of dGTP or dGMP to packaging extracts restores DNA synthesis. Gene 1.2 protein elevates the level of dGTP in these packaging extracts and restores DNA synthesis, thus suggesting that depletion of a guanine deoxynucleotide pool in E. coli optA1 cells infected with T7 gene 1.2 mutants may account for the observed defects.     

Isolation and identification of fxsA, an Escherichia coli gene that can suppress F exclusion of bacteriophage T7.

A selection for mutants of Escherichia coli that survive coexpression of bacteriophage T7 gene 10 and plasmid F pifA has allowed the identification of a newly defined genetic locus, fxsA. fxsA is located at 94.1 min on the E. coli chromosome; the gene is monocistronic and non-essential for growth. Overexpression of fxsA is necessary for resistance to the toxicity of T7 gene 10 in the presence of pifA; the original mutant strain contains a promoter-up mutation, changing a G residue to the "invariant" T in the -10 hexamer of a sigma(70)promoter. This chromosomal mutation causes a 25-fold increase in the level of fxsA mRNA. The initiation codon of fxsA is shown to be UUG, and the FxsA protein is then deduced to consist of 158 amino acid residues. A similar mutant selection that demanded cell survival to a challenge of T7 gene 1.2 and pifA also resulted in the isolation of the identical promoter-up mutation that affects expression of fxsA. The increased levels of FxsA resulting from the promoter-up mutation allow phage T7 to avoid exclusion by the F plasmid, presumably by protecting the cell from premature death due to gene 10 or to gene 1.2 expression in the presence of the PifA protein.     

Transduction of plasmid antibiotic resistance determinants with pseudo-T-even bacteriophages

Transduction of antibiotic resistance determinants of the plasmid pBR322 with pseudoT-even bacteriophages RB42, RB43, and RB49 was studied. It is established that antibiotic resistance determinants of plasmid pBR322 from Escherichia coli recA(+)- and recA(-)-donor strains do not differ significantly in respect to the efficiency of transduction. Amber mutants RB43-21, RB43-33, and a double amber mutant RB43am21am33 were obtained. These mutants facilitated transduction experiments in some cases. Transduction of antibiotic resistance markers of the vector plasmid pBR325 and recombinant plasmid pVT123, containing a DNA fragment with hoc segE uvsW genes of phage T4, was studied. The frequency of appearance of transductants resistant to pseudoT-even bacteriophages used in transduction was determined, and the sensitivity of resistant transductants to 32 RB bacteriophages and also to phages lambda, T2, T4, T5, T6, T7, and BF23 was estimated. The efficiency of plating pseudoT-even bacteriophages RB42 and RB43 on strain E. coli 802 himA hip carrying mutations in genes that encode subunits of the Integration Host Factor (IHF) was shown to be higher than on isogenic strain E. coli 802. The growth of pseudoT-even bacteriophages limited in vivo by modification-restriction systems of chromosomal (EcoKI, EcoBI), phage (EcoP1I), and plasmid (EcoRI, EcoR124I, and EcoR124II) localization was analyzed. It was shown that these phages were only slightly restricted by the type I modification-restriction systems EcoBI, EcoR124I, and EcoR124II. Phage RB42 was restricted by systems EcoKI, EcoP1I, and EcoRI; phage RB43, by systems EcoKI and EcoRI; and phage RB49, by the EcoRI modification-restriction system.