The construction of a versatile plasmid vector that allows direct selection of fragments cloned into six unique sites of the cI gene of coliphage 434

A new plasmid vector, pNSI, is described that allows positive selection for bacterial transformants carrying recombinant plasmids. It is a derivative of pBR327, and it includes a regulatory region from the lambdoid phage 434. The expression of the Tc^R gene of pNS1 is under the control of the o_Rp_R operator-promoter of phage 434, which is regulated by the represser gene c1. The cloning sites of pNSI (StuI, NdeI, HpaI, HindIII, AsuII and EcoRI) are situated within cI; hence insertion of foreign DNA into these sites causes derepressed expression of the Tc^R gene from p_R thus conferring the Tc^R phenotype on the harboring Escherichia coli strain. The use ofpNS1 is facilitated by the presence of another selectable marker, Ap^R its small size, and its known nucleotide sequence; no special host strain is required.     

New mutations in cloned Escherichia coli umuDC genes: novel phenotypes of strains carrying a umuC125 plasmid

The umuDC locus of Escherichia coli is required for most mutagenesis by UV and many chemicals. Mutations in E. coli umuDC genes cloned on pBR322-derived plasmids wer e isolated by two methods. First, spontaneously-arising mutant umuDC plasmids that failed to confe cold-sensitive growth on a lexA51(Def) strain were isolated by selection. Second, mutant umuDC plasmids that affected apparent mutant yield after UV-irradiation in a strain carrying umuD⁺C⁺ in the chromosome were isolated by screening hydroxylamine-mutagenized umuD⁺C⁺ plasmids. pBR322-derived umuD⁺C⁺ plasmids inhibited the induction of the SOS response of lexA⁺ strains as measured by expression of din::Mu dl(lac) Ap) fusionsbut most mutant plasmids did not. Mutant plasmids defective in complementation of chromosomal umuD44, umuC36, or both were found among those selected for failure to confer cold-sensitivity, whereas those identified by the screening procedure yielded mostly mutant plasmids with more complex phenotypes. We studied in greater detail a plasmid pLM109, carrying the umuC125 mutation. This plasmid increased the sensitivity of lexA⁺ strainsto killing by UV-irradiation but was able to complement the deficiencies of umuC mutants in UV mutagenesis. pLM109 failed to confer cold-sensitive growth on lexA(Def) strains but inhibited SOS induction in lexA⁺ strains. The effect of pLM109 on the UV sensitivity of lexA(Def)strains was similar to that of the parental umuD⁺C⁺ plasmid. The mutation responsible for the phenotypes of pLM109 was localized to a 615-bp fragment. DNA sequencing revealed that the umuC125 mutation was a G:C → A:T transition that changed codon 39 of umuC from GCC → GTC thus changing Ala39 to Val39. The implications of the umuC125 mutation for umuDC-dependent effects on UV-mutagenesis and cell survival after UV damage are discussed.     

In vivo transfer of chromosomal mutations onto multicopy plasmids utilizing polA strains: Cloning of an ompR 2 mutation in Escherichia coli K-12

Abstract We have devised a simple in vivo scheme for moving chromosomal mutations onto multicopy plasmids in Escherichia coli K-12. A plasmid clone of the relevant wild-type gene is first integrated into the chromosome of a PolA⁻ strain carrying the desired mutation. The plasmid cointegrate formed is then resolved by P1 transduction to a PolA⁺ host. A certain fraction of these transductants will have the mutant allele on the plasmid. Employing this scheme we cloned an ompR 2 mutation onto a multicopy plasmid. To show that the plasmid actually contained the ompR 2 mutation, this allele was introduced back into the chromosome by the gene replacement technique of Gutterson and Koshland [1] and shown to be indistinguishable from the original ompR 2 by genetic mapping and phenotype.     

Restriction endonuclease mapping of Co1E2-P9 and Co1E3-CA38 plasmids

Using single and double restriction-endonuclease digestions, 16 and 17 cleavage sites have been mapped for the ColE2-P9 and ColE3-CA38 plasmids, respectively. One or more sites for AvaI, BglI, EcoRI, HincII, PvuI, PvuII, SmaI and XhoI endonucleases were found in both plasmids, two BglII sites were found only in ColE2-P9, and one KpnI site was unique to ColE3-CA38. ColE2-P9 was found to be slightly smaller than ColE3-CA38,4.4 Md compared to 4.6 Md. Eleven restriction sites are common to both plasmids in that they are identically placed relative to each other. These sites define a continuous DNA segment equal to over 60% of each plasmid. The remaining portions of the plasmids, which contain the non-homologous regions identified by Inselburg and Johns (1975) have no restriction sites in common, and differ in size by about 0.2 Md.     

The cyclization of linear DNA in Escherichia coli by site-specific recombination

The efficiency with which linearized plasmid DNA can transform competent Escherichia coli can be significantly increased by use of the Cre-lox site-specific recombination system of phage P1. Linear plasmid molecules containing directly repeated loxP sites (lox² plasmids) are cyclized in Cre⁺ E. coli strains after introduction either by transformation or by mini-Mu transduction, Exonuclease V activity of the RecBC enzyme inhibits efficient cyclization of linearized lox² plasmids after transformation. By use of E. coli mutants which lack exonuclease V activity, Cre-mediated cyclization results in transformation efficiencies for linearized lox² plasmids identical to those obtained with covalently closed circular plasmid DNA. Moreover, Cre⁺ E. coli recBC strains allow the efficient recovery of lox² plasmids integrated within large linear DNA molecules such as the 150-kb genome of pseudorabies virus.     

Mutations by near-ultraviolet radiation in Escherichia coli strains lacking superoxide dismutase

Om wild-type Escherichia coli, near-ultraviolet radiation (NUV) was only weakly mutagenic. However, in an allelic mutant strain (sodA sodB) that lacks both Mn- and Fe-superoxide dismutase (SOD) and assumed to have excess superoxide anion (O₂⁻), NUV induced a 9-fold increase in mutation above the level that normally occurs in this double mutant. When a sodA sodB double mutant contained a plasmid carrying katG⁺ HP-I catalase), mutation by NUV was reduced to wild-type (sodA⁺ sodB⁺) levels. Also, in the sodA sodB xthA triple mutant, which lacks exonuclease III (exoIII) in addition to SOD, the mutations frequency by NUV was reduced to wild-type levels. This synergistic action of NUV and O₂⁻ suggested that pre-mutational lesions occur, with exoIII converting these lesions to stable mutants. Exposure to H₂O₂ induced a 2.8 fold increase in mutations in sodA sodB double mutants, but was reduced to control levels when a plasmid carrying katG⁺ was introduced. These results suggest that NUV, in addition to its other effects on cells, increases mutations indirectly by increasing the flux of OH^. radicals, possibly by generating excess H₂O₂.     

Efficient cloning of a mutant adenylate-kinase-encoding gene from Escherichia coli

An optimized system has been developed for the transfer of a mutant gene from the Escherichia coli chromosome to a plasmid carrying the wild type (wt) allele. The wt allele was first cloned into a low-copy-number, self-transmissible plasmid with a single EcoRI, HindIII, and BamHI site. The plasmid was then transferred to a mutant strain that had been previously transformed with a high-copy-number plasmid carrying the recA+ gene to allow efficient homologous recombination. A 15% frequency of homogenotization was obtained during cloning of an adk gene that encodes a temperature-sensitive adenylate kinase (AK). The mutant AK had decreased mobility on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels compared with the wt enzyme. This was due to a point mutation that changed leucine-107 in the wt enzyme to glutamine-107 in the mutant enzyme as determined by nucleotide sequencing.     

利用PCR-RFLP技术鉴定传粉榕小蜂隐种混合样品的物种组成

隐种(cryptic species)是指形态上几乎完全相同但遗传组成存在显著分化的物种。在榕树–榕小蜂一对一共生系统中, 传粉榕小蜂隐种的发现对协同进化、物种共存等重要的生态和进化理论提出了严峻的挑战。因为很难从形态上直接区分隐种, 所以, 相关研究中的一个迫切需要解决的问题就是如何快速而准确地鉴定隐种。本文采用PCR-RFLP方法分析了mtDNACOI基因片段, 对木瓜榕(Ficus auriculata)和鸡嗉果榕(F. semicordata)的传粉榕小蜂隐种进行了区分。结果表明为木瓜榕传粉的大果榕小蜂(Ceratosolen emarginatus)存在两个隐种(A和B), 分别包含1个XhoI和1个BssSI酶切位点。将两个隐种的样品按不同比例混合, 提取基因组DNA, PCR扩增mtDNA COI片段, 经XhoI和BssSI分别酶切, 均能通过酶切图谱准确检测出混合样品的隐种组成。鸡嗉果榕小蜂(C. gravelyi)两个隐种的mtDNA COI基因序列也存在较大差别, 分别包含1个BmrI和1个AvaI酶切位点, 隐种混合样品经BmrI和AvaI分别酶切的结果也能准确鉴定混合样品的物种组成。我们的结果表明基于PCR和DNA酶切技术能快速而准确地区分传粉榕小蜂的隐种。     

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in Corynebacterium glutamicum is dispensable for growth and lysine production

Abstract The symbiotic plasmid pRHc1J and the helper plasmid pJB3JI were transferred from Rhizobium "hedysari" strain RJ77 to Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain GMI9023. Transconjugants harboured recombinant plasmids (R-prime plasmids) consisting of pJB3JI carrying DNA fragments, of different sizes, surrounding the Tn 5 mob insert in pRHc1J. Two of these R-prime plasmids (pR1 and pR2) carried nod genes and were able to restore the Nod⁺ phenotype of pSym⁻ derivatives of R. "hedysari" . The R. "hedysari" nod genes harboured by both R-primes were expressed in R. leguminosarum biovar trifolii wild-type but not in a pSym⁻ derivative.     

基于CRISPR/Cas9的蛹虫草无抗性标记转化技术的构建

传统的真菌遗传改造方法需要抗性标记,但目前可使用的抗性标记基因非常有限,导致蛹虫草遗传改造面临着抗性基因数量不足的问题,且尚未能实现多个目的基因的连续敲入或敲除,因此在蛹虫草中建立高效的无抗性标记转化技术显得尤为重要。本研究利用CRISPR/Cas9技术对蛹虫草的Cmura5基因进行编辑,通过内源5S-1、5S-2和U6启动子对gRNA进行转录,结果表明使用U6启动子对Cmura5基因的编辑效率达到了100%。在尿嘧啶缺陷型菌株Cmura5^-中,回补野生型Cmura5基因可实现正向选择,即野生型菌株可以在基础培养基上生长。利用设计的同源臂对Cmura5基因进行回收,可以实现反向选择,即野生型在含有5-氟乳清酸培养基中生长受到抑制。以尿嘧啶缺陷型Cmura5^-为出发菌株,利用无抗性标记转化技术,导入一个重组质粒效率为75%;连续导入2个重组质粒效率为80%;连续导入3个重组质粒效率为100%;连续导入4个重组质粒效率为50%,平均转化效率为75.7%,每一轮的标记回收率均在100%,实现了4个外源基因在蛹虫草中同时表达。     

Pleiotropic effects of heterozygosity at the mating-type locus of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae on repair, recombination and transformation

Sexual (MAT a/) and sexual (MAT a/a) strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which are completely isogenic except at the MAT locus, were compared in their response to ultraviolet radiation. The effects of UV on survival, mitotic intragenic recombination, photoreactivation, and transformation efficiency with UV-irradiated plasmid DNA were examined. The sexual strain had enhanced survival and higher rates of mitotic intragenic recombination compared with the asexual strain. Exposure to visible light subsequent to irradiation increased the survival of both sexual and asexual strains, and decreased their rates of mitotic intragenic recombination. Similar results were obtained by Haladus and Zuk (1980) in their examination of sexual strains homozygous for rad6-1, and wild-type sexuals.

Our sexual strain was also consistently more proficient at transforming plasmid DNA, whether that DNA had been irradiated or not. When pre-irradiated with 25 J/m² of UV, MAT a/ cells transformed more efficiently than MAT a/a cells. When subsequently exposed to light, the ability of these pre-irradiated cells to transform decreased for both strains with increasing irradiation of the plasmid. A smaller decrease in transformation efficiency occurred when cells of both strains were kept in the dark.

When pre-irradiated with 100 J/m², the MAT a/ cells showed a 2-fold increase in their transformation efficiency of both irradiated and unirradiated plasmids by up to 2-fold, a phenomenon not seen in the MAT a/a cells even when pre-irradiated with much higher doses of UV. This increase in transformation efficiency was not, however, seen in the MAT a/ cells when they were exposed to visible light after UV irradiation. These results suggest that cells with the MAT a genotype have a UV-inducible system that increases the efficiency of transformation in the absence of visible light. This increase in transformation is not an induced increase in the repair of plasmid DNA, but rather an increase in the ability of pre-irradiated MAT a/ cells to take up exogenous DNA. MAT a/a cells do not appear to have a similarity inducible system. To the best of our knowledge, this phenomenon has not been previously reported.     

The proton pore in the Escherichia coli F0F1-ATPase: A requirement for arginine at position 210 of the a-subunit

Site-directed mutagenesis was used to generate three mutations in the uncB gene encoding the a-subunit of the F₀ portion of the F₀F₁-ATPase of Escherichia coli. These mutations directed the substitution of Arg-210 by Gln, or of His-245 by Leu, or of both Lys-167 and Lys-169 by Gln. The mutations were incorporated into plasmids carrying all the structural genes encoding the F₀F₁-ATPase complex and these plasmids were used to transform strain AN727 (uncB402). Strains carrying either the Arg-210 or His-245 substitutions were unable to grow on succinate as sole carbon source and had uncoupled growth yields. The substitution of Lys-167 and Lys-169 by Gln resulted in a strain with growth characteristics indistinguishable from a normal strain. The properties of the membranes from the Arg-210 or His-245 mutants were essentially identical, both being proton impermeable and both having ATPase activities resistant to the inhibitor DCCD. Furthermore, in both mutants, the F₁-ATPase activities were inhibited by about 50% when bound to the membranes. The membrane activities of the mutant with the double lysine change were the same as for a normal strain. The results are discussed in relation to a previously proposed model for the F₀ (Cox, G.B., Fimmel, A.L., Gibson, F. and Hatch, L. (1986) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 849, 62–69).     

An Escherichia coli system for assay of Flp site-specific recombination on substrate plasmids

We have developed an Escherichia coli system for testing the behaviour of plasmids carrying target sites for the Flp site-specific recombinase. The E. coli strain BL-FLP is described, which carries a chromosomally integrated bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase gene expressed from a lac promoter, and harbours the plasmid pMS40. pMS40 has the features: (i) it carries the FLP recombinase gene under the control of a bacteriophage T7 promoter, (ii) it confers kanamycin resistance, and (iii) it uses an R6K origin of replication; these two latter features make it compatible with most conventional cloning vectors. Substrate plasmids carrying Flp-recognition targets (FRT) are transformed into BL-FLP, and the consequences of Flp-mediated recombination can be analysed after subsequent extraction of plasmid DNA. We show that this system is capable of base-perfect Flp-mediated recombination on plasmid substrates. We also present a corrected sequence of the commonly used Flp substrate plasmid, pNEOβGAL (O'Gorman et al. (1991) Science 251, 1351–1355).     

Direct selection of recombinant plasmids in Bacillus subtilis

A system is described which permits the direct, positive selection of recombinant plasmids in Bacillus subtilis. This system relies on the plasmid pBD214 which confers chloramphenicol (Cm) resistance and carries a thy gene, and on BD393, a highly competent B. subtilis thy A thy B host. Thy⁻ strains are resistant to trimethoprim (Tmp), and Thy⁺ strains are sensitive. Inactivation of the pBD214 thy determinant by insertion of a DNA fragment permits selection of Cm^r Tmp^r clones, all of which carry recombinant plasmids. This insertional inactivation can be accomplished using the unique EcoRl, Bell, Pvull, or EcoRV sites, all of which are located within the thy gene on pBD214. Some properties of this selective system are described, and its uses for molecular cloning are discussed     

Participation of hup gene product in ori2-dependent replication of fertility plasmid F

The fertility plasmid F'gal was not stably maintained in a hupA-hupB double mutant of Escherichia coli. Moreover, mini-F plasmids pFZY1, pFTC1 and pFTC2 were unable to transform the double mutant, though these plasmids efficiently transformed cells harboring a hupA or hupB single mutation. The composite plasmid pFHS1, which consists of the f5 DNA fragment of F plasmid and the whole DNA of a pSC101 derivative that carries a temperature-sensitive mutation for DNA replication, was not stably maintained in the hup double mutant at 42°C. These findings strongly suggest that HU protein is required for ori2-dependent replication of the F plasmid.     

Contributions of traT and iss genes to the serum resistance phenotype of plasmid ColV2-K94

Abstract A genetic determinant for serum resistance, designated iss , has been found previously on the colicinogenic plasmid ColV2-K94. In this work we have identified a second serum resistance gene, traT , on ColV2-K94. The serum resistance mediated by derivatives of ColV2-K94 was due to presence of one or both of the iss and traT genes. Plasmid pWS12 (TraT⁺ Iss⁺) contained the kanamycin (Km) resistance transposon Tn 903 inserted near the origin of replication of ColV2-K94, and plasmids pWS15 (TraT⁺), pWS16 (TraT⁺) and pWS18 (TraT⁺ Iss⁺) were deletion derivatives of pWS12 constructed in vitro and in vivo. pWS12 and pWS18 conferred a 20-fold increase in relative resistance to 20% guinea pig serum when introduced into the serum-susceptible, genetically defined recA strain of Escherichia coli K-12, AB2463. Plasmids pWS15 and pWS16, from which iss had been deleted, still conferred 5-fold increases in relative resistance on AB2463. The level of resistance conferred on this strain by the antibiotic resistance plasmid R100–1 (which expresses the traT serum resistance gene) was comparable to that of plasmids pWS15 and pWS16. The 25-kDa traT gene product was identified by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis of the outer membrane proteins of strain AB2463 carrying ColV2-K94. This protein cross-reacted immunologically with the traT protein expressed by F or R100–1. Our results indicated that both traT and iss are capable of mediating serum resistance in ColV2-K94.     

Cloning, expression and sequence analysis of the SphI restriction-modification system

SphI, a type II restriction-modification (R-M) system from the bacterium Streptomyces phaeochromogenes, recognizes the sequence 5′-GCATGC. The SphI methyltransferase (MTase)-encoding gene, sphIM, was cloned into Escherichia coli using MTase selection to isolate the clone. However, none of these clones contained the restriction endonuclease (ENase) gene. Repeated attempts to clone the complete ENase gene along with sphIM in one step failed, presumably due to expression of SphI ENase gene, sphIR, in the presence of inadequate expression of sphIM. The complete sphIR was finally cloned using a two-step process. PCR was used to isolate the 3′ end of sphIR from a library. The intact sphIR, reconstructed under control of an inducible promoter, was introduced into an E. coli strain containing a plasmid with the NlaIII MTase-encoding gene (nlaIIIM). The nucleotide sequence of the SphI system was determined, analyzed and compared to previously sequenced R-M systems. The sequence was also examined for features which would help explain why sphIR unlike other actinomycete ENase genes seemed to be expressed in E. coli.