斑贝链霉菌接合转移系统的构建及透明颤菌血红蛋白基因的表达对其次级代谢的影响

以pSET152和pHZ1358为出发质粒,通过供体大肠杆菌ET12567(pUZ8002)和S17-1接合转移斑贝链霉菌(Streptomycesbambergiensis),构建和优化了接合转移体系。采用OOE-PCR技术构建含ermEp*与vhb结构基因融合片段的整合型表达载体pBIB2005,转化ET12567(pUZ8002)后,属间接合转移至斑贝链霉菌。通过PCR、CO结合差光谱验证vhb基因在斑贝链霉菌中整合表达。摇瓶发酵显示VHb蛋白能改善菌体对氧的需求,一定程度上促进细胞生长,提高抗生素产量。     

委内瑞拉链霉菌秦岭变种属间接合转移系统的构建及透明颤菌血红蛋白的表达

【目的】构建委内瑞拉链霉菌秦岭变种属间接合转移系统及透明颤菌血红蛋白的表达。【方法】以链霉菌广泛使用的整合型质粒pSET152和复制型pHZ1358为出发质粒,通过供体大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)ET12567(pUZ8002)进行属间接合转移委内瑞拉链霉菌秦岭变种。【结果】确定了该变种的最佳接合转移条件;通过SOE-PCR(Splicing by overlap extension PCR)技术构建含PermE和vhb结构基因融合片段的整合型表达载体pJD100,转化ET12567(pUZ8002)后属间接合转移委内瑞拉链霉菌秦岭变种。通过PCR和CO结合差光谱验证了vhb基因在委内瑞拉链霉菌秦岭变种中的整合表达。【结论】本文首次探索了委内瑞拉链霉菌秦岭变种接合转移系统,确定了委内瑞拉链霉菌秦岭变种的最佳接合转移条件,并采用基因工程手段使vhb基因在委内瑞拉链霉菌秦岭变种中获得表达。     

透明颤菌血红蛋白在肉桂地链霉菌中的表达对基因细胞生长及抗生素合成的影响

肉桂地链霉菌（S.cinnamonensis)是莫能菌素（Monensin)的产生菌,大肠杆菌－链霉菌穿梭表达载体pHZ1252中的透明颤菌血红蛋白基因（vhb)位于硫链丝菌素诱导启动子ＰtipA之下,它在肉桂地链霉菌中的结构不稳定,,发生了重组缺失,缺失的片段包括大肠杆菌质粒部分vhb基因。但来自阿维链霉菌(S.avermitilis)中缺失了大肠杆菌质粒部分却保留了完整的vhb基因及tipA启动子的pHZ1252,可在肉桂地链霉菌中稳定复制,不再发生缺失,经硫链丝菌素诱导表达出了有生物活性的ＶＨb蛋白,摇瓶发酵实验证明,ＶＨb蛋白在氧限条件下可明显促进肉桂地链霉菌的菌体生长和抗生素合成。     

透明颤菌血红蛋白基因在阿维链霉菌中的表达

将含有自身启动子的透明颤菌血红蛋白基因（ ｖｈｂ） 克隆至大肠杆菌—链霉菌穿梭质粒载体ｐＩＪ６５３ 中构建成表达载体ｐ ＷＹ１０１ 和ｐ ＷＹ１０２ ,用它们转化阿维菌素（ａｖｅｒｍｅｃｔｉｎｓ） 产生菌———阿维链霉菌（ Ｓｔｒｅｐｔｏｍｙｃｅｓ ａｖｅｒｍｉｔｉｌｉｓ） ,经Ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎ ｂｌｏｔｔｉｎｇ 分析并未检测到ｖｈｂ 基因表达,但用穿梭载体ｐＨＺ１２５２（ 其中的ｖｈｂ 基因位于受硫链丝菌素诱导的链霉菌强启动子ＰｔｉｐＡ之下） 转化阿维链霉菌并经硫链丝菌素诱导,则在该菌中表达出了有活性的ＶＨｂ 蛋白。ｐＨＺ１２５２ 在阿维链霉菌中发生了重组缺失,但缺失的ｐＨＺ１２５２ 上仍含有完整的ｖｈｂ 基因及诱导型强启动子,且可在阿维链霉菌中稳定遗传,却不能再转化大肠杆菌。     

透明颤菌血红蛋白基因在提高枯草芽孢杆菌产脂肽功能中的研究

脂肽是一类具有特殊作用的生物表面活性剂。本实验将血红蛋白基因(vhb)置于RDR细菌启动子驱动下的质粒PSET中,构建PSET-RDR-vhb重组质粒,并通过电激作用转入脂肽代谢菌株-枯草芽孢杆菌株(bacillus subtilis)ZW-3中,转化菌株经酶切和PCR电泳检测鉴定,Southern-blot杂交显示部分转化菌株中外源基因插入基因组DNA,采用一氧化碳差异色谱法测定了血红蛋白的表达量。实验进一步对转化菌株的生长曲线、总蛋白量、过氧化氢酶活性、脂肽的产率进行了测定,结果显示,相比于原始菌株,转化菌株数据均有明显提高。     

粪透明颤菌血红蛋白基因促进转基因矮牵牛在水培条件下生长并增强其抗涝能力

通过PCR程序克隆粪透明颤菌（Vitreoscilla steroraria Pringsheim)血红蛋白基因（vhb)的编码区。将其置于CaMV35S启动子的驱动下导入矮牵牛（Petunia hybriad Vilm),PCR和Southern杂交分析证明vhb基因已整合到受体基因组中,而RT-PCR检测证实了转基因矮牵牛中vhb基因转录水平的表达。观察了转基因株系在液体培养基中对淹水和缺氧的反应,发现vhb的表达明显促进了水培植物的生长。为进一步研究转基因植物在低氧条件的耐受能力。将上述的转基因株系在静置的液体培养基中进行完全的淹没培养,结果显示转基因植株具有较强的低氧耐受能力。培养两周后能从淹没状态长出液面,并由此而在液体中较正常地生长,而未转基因的对照不能长出淹没的培养基表面,在4-5周后因缺氧而窒息死亡。另将上述转基因株系在温室中盆栽并进行抗涝分析。在模拟的持续淹水胁迫中,转基因株系比对照表现出较强的忍受能力。这些结果预示vhb基因在抗涝作物培育和提高水培植物缺氧耐受能力的分子育种方面具有较良好的应用前景。     

Conjugative transfer of the large plasmid p19 in various Bacillus subtilis strains

Cryptic conjugative plasmid p19 from the environmental Bacillus subtilis strain 19 was labeled with the cat gene conferring resistance to chloramphenicol. The resulting plasmid, p19cat, was used to estimate the transfer frequency, to study the dynamics of plasmid transfer, and to detect some specific features of conjugation between various B. subtilis strains.     

Effect of the Bacterial Hemoglobin vhbGene on the Efficiency of Intergeneric Conjugation Escherichia coli–Streptomyces and Biosynthesis of Antibiotics in Streptomyces

The bacterial hemoglobin vhbgene was cloned from sliding bacterium Vitreoscillasp. as an element of the system ensuring survival of this microorganism in an environment that contains insufficient amount of oxygen. The vhbgene was transferred fromEscherichia colito some Streptomycesstrains, producers of antibiotics, by the method of intergeneric conjugation using conjugative–integrative plasmid vectors pIH1 and pCH2. The stability of plasmid DNA inheritance was analyzed in the genomes of exconjugants. A positive effect of the vhbgene on processes of conjugation and antibiotic production in a number of examined strains was shown.     

Cloning the gene of beta-galactosidase from the industrial strain of Streptococcus lactis 111 in E. coli cells and conjugated transfer of this gene to Streptococcus thermophilus cells

The ability of the industrial strains of Streptococcus lactis to synthesize the enzyme beta-galactosidase was studied. Five strains among sixteen were found to produce high levels of the enzyme. The beta-galactosidase gene in the most active strain Streptococcus lactis 111 was shown to be located on the 50 kb conjugative plasmid. The plasmid was transferred by conjugation into Streptococcus thermophilus cells and subsequently the gene for beta-galactosidase was studied in transconjugants. The beta-galactosidase gene from Streptococcus lactis 111 was subcloned in Escherichia coli cells on the plasmid pBR322. The gene was localized on the 4.8 kb BgIII fragment of DNA. Following the restriction of DNA by the Sau3A the gene was subcloned on the birepliconed plasmid vector pCB20 capable of replication in the Gram-negative as well as Gram-positive microorganisms. The recombinant derivatives of pCB20 were isolated that carry the beta-galactosidase gene on the DNA fragments of different size.     

SdrI of Staphylococcus saprophyticus is a multifunctional protein: localization of the fibronectin-binding site

The transferability of a large plasmid that harbors a tetracycline resistance gene tet (S), to fish and human pathogens was assessed using electrotransformation and conjugation. The plasmid, originally isolated from fish intestinal Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis KYA-7, has potent antagonistic activity against the selected recipients ( Lactococcus garvieae and Listeria monocytogenes ), preventing conjugation. Therefore the tetracycline resistance determinant was transferred via electroporation to L . garvieae . A transformant clone was used as the donor in conjugation experiments with three different L. monocytogenes strains. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing the transfer of an antibiotic resistance plasmid from fish-associated lactic bacteria to L. monocytogenes , even if the donor L. garvieae was not the original host of the tetracycline resistance but experimentally created by electroporation. These results demonstrate that the antibiotic resistance genes in the fish intestinal bacteria have the potential to spread both to fish and human pathogens, posing a risk to aquaculture and consumer safety.     

Nucleotide sequence and analysis of conjugative plasmid pVT745

The complete nucleotide sequence and genetic map of pVT745 are presented. The 25-kb plasmid was isolated from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, a periodontal pathogen. Two-thirds of the plasmid encode functions related to conjugation, replication, and replicon stability. Among potential gene products with a high degree of similarity to known proteins are those associated with plasmid conjugation. It was shown that pVT745 derivatives not only mobilized a coresident nontransmissible plasmid, pMMB67, but also mediated their own conjugative transfer to different A. actinomycetemcomitans strains. However, transfer of pVT745 derivatives from A. actinomycetemcomitans to Escherichia coli JM109 by conjugation was successful only when an E. coli origin of replication was present on the pVT745 construct. Surprisingly, 16 open reading frames encode products of unknown function. The plasmid contains a conserved replication region which belongs to the HAP (Haemophilus-Actinobacillus-Pasteurella) theta replicon family. However, its host range appears to be rather narrow compared to other members of this family. Sequences homologous to pVT745 have previously been detected in the chromosomes of numerous A. actinomycetemcomitans strains. The nature and origin of these homologs are discussed based on information derived from the nucleotide sequence.     

Vitreoscilla hemoglobin overexpression increases submergence tolerance in cabbage

Agrobacterium tumefaciens was used to deliver the vhb gene into cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. Cabitata) cv. Xiaguang's parent line, 103. Using hypocotyls and cotyledon petioles as explants for infection, we obtained a transformation efficiency of 3-5% based on the number of transgenic shoots produced from the number of explants used for infection. Molecular analysis indicated that the vhb gene was stably integrated into the cabbage genome and that the vhb gene was expressed at the RNA level. Characterization of the vhb over-expressing transgenic plants revealed that transgenic seeds germinated faster than the wildtype controls. More importantly, the transgenic plants showed tolerance to a prolonged submergence treatment, suggesting that the vhb gene may provide an excellent tool for creation of submergence/flooding-tolerant cultivars of agriculturally important crops.     

Inter- and intraspecies conjugal transfer of different plasmids in bacilli

Conjugal transfer of plasmid pUB110 between different strains of bacilli was studied. The plasmid transfer was possible not only between various strains of B. subtilis, but also when many other species of bacilli served as recipients. Conjugation of a donor strain B. subtilis 19 (p19pUB110) was accompanied by a transfer of plasmid p19 along with plasmid pUB110 to the B. subtilis recipient strains lacking a large plasmid p19. If, like the donor cells, the recipient B. subtilis strain carried plasmid p19, the frequency of conjugation decreased. The small plasmid pBC16 was also capable of conjugative transfer. However, if this plasmid carried the mob gene with an inverted region, the frequency of its transmission dramatically decreased. If the donor strain contained another small plasmid, pV, which also carried the mob gene, the efficiency of transmission was partially restored.     

Mapping of the gene specifying aminoglycoside 3''-phosphotransferase II on the Pseudomonas aeruginosa chromosome.

We examined the aminoglycoside inactivation enzymes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains, seven clinical isolates and seven laboratory strains without plasmids. All strains were found to possess the enzyme aminoglycoside 3'-phosphotransferase II [APH(3')-II]. We isolated an APH(3')-II-deficient mutant from a PAO strain by mutagenesis with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. By plasmid (FP5 or R68.45)-mediated conjugation, we determined the locus of the gene specifying the APH(3')-II between trp-6 and pro-82 on the PAO chromosome and designated this gene aphA. It was concluded that the intrinsic resistance of P. aeruginosa to kanamycins, neomycins, paromomycins, ribostamycin, and butirosins was due to this newly determined gene.     

Activity of the quorum-sensing regulator TraR of Agrobacterium tumefaciens is inhibited by a truncated, dominant defective TraR-like protein

Horizontal transfer of Agrobacterium tumefaciens tumour-inducing plasmids requires opines, which are released from plant tumours as nutrients for the bacteria. The opine octopine causes synthesis of the quorum-sensing TraR protein, which activates several tra promoters in the presence of a pheromone called Agrobacterium autoinducer (AAI). A gene, traS , was previously found on the same Ti plasmid in an operon that directs the uptake of mannopine, another opine. TraS strongly resembles TraR but lacks a DNA-binding module. TraS did not activate a TraR-dependent promoter and blocked TraR function, probably by forming inactive heteromultimers. Expression of traS was induced by mannopine, although this induction was strongly inhibited by the favoured catabolites succinate, glutamine and tryptone. Mannopine inhibited conjugation in a TraS-dependent fashion, and artificial overexpression of TraS also inhibited conjugation. Favoured catabolites restored tra gene expression in wild-type strains but not in strains that overexpress TraS. Downstream of traS is a gene encoding a truncated, defective chemoreceptor whose expression abolished chemotaxis.     

Use of cloned DNA methylase genes to increase the frequency of transfer of foreign genes into Xanthomonas campestris pv. malvacearum.

In vitro-packaged cosmid libraries of DNA from the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. malvacearum were restricted 200- to 1,000-fold when introduced into Mcr+ strains of Escherichia coli compared with restriction in the Mcr- strain HB101. Restriction was predominantly associated with the mcrBC+ gene in E. coli. A plasmid (pUFR052) encoding the XmaI and XmaIII DNA methylases was isolated from an X. campestris pv. malvacearum library by a screening procedure utilizing Mcr+ and Mcr- E. coli strains. Transfer of plasmids from E. coli strains to X. campestris pv. malvacearum by conjugation was enhanced by up to five orders of magnitude when the donor cells contained pUFR052 as well as the plasmid to be transferred. Subcloning of pUFR052 revealed that at least two regions of the plasmid were required for full modification activity. Use of such modifier plasmids is a simple, novel method that may allow the efficient introduction of genes into any organism in which restriction systems provide a potent barrier to such gene transfer.     

Genetic construction of nisin-producing Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris and analysis of a rapid method for conjugation.

Conjugation was used to construct nisin-producing Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris strains. Recipients were obtained by electroporation of L. lactis subsp. cremoris strains with the drug resistance plasmid pGK13 or pGB301. A method, direct-plate conjugation, was developed in which donor and recipient cells were concentrated and then combined directly on selective media. This method facilitated transfer of the nisin-sucrose (Nip+ Suc+) phenotype from the donor strain, L. lactis subsp. lactis 11454, to three L. lactis subsp. cremoris recipient strains. Nip+ Suc+ L. lactis subsp. cremoris transconjugants were obtained at frequencies which ranged from 10(-7) to 10(-8) per donor CFU. DNA-DNA hybridization to transconjugant DNAs, performed with an oligonucleotide probe synthesized to detect the nisin precursor gene, showed that this gene was transferred during conjugation but was not associated with detectable plasmid DNA. Further investigation indicated that L. lactis subsp. cremoris Nip+ Suc+ transconjugants retained the recipient strain phenotype with respect to bacteriophage resistance and acid production in milk. Results suggested that it would be feasible to construct nisin-producing L. lactis subsp. cremoris strains for application as mixed and multiple starter systems. Additionally, the direct-plate conjugation method required less time than filter or milk agar matings and may also be useful for investigations of conjugal mechanisms in these organisms.     

Genetic construction of nisin-producing Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris and analysis of a rapid method for conjugation

Conjugation was used to construct nisin-producing Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris strains. Recipients were obtained by electroporation of L. lactis subsp. cremoris strains with the drug resistance plasmid pGK13 or pGB301. A method, direct-plate conjugation, was developed in which donor and recipient cells were concentrated and then combined directly on selective media. This method facilitated transfer of the nisin-sucrose (Nip+ Suc+) phenotype from the donor strain, L. lactis subsp. lactis 11454, to three L. lactis subsp. cremoris recipient strains. Nip+ Suc+ L. lactis subsp. cremoris transconjugants were obtained at frequencies which ranged from 10(-7) to 10(-8) per donor CFU. DNA-DNA hybridization to transconjugant DNAs, performed with an oligonucleotide probe synthesized to detect the nisin precursor gene, showed that this gene was transferred during conjugation but was not associated with detectable plasmid DNA. Further investigation indicated that L. lactis subsp. cremoris Nip+ Suc+ transconjugants retained the recipient strain phenotype with respect to bacteriophage resistance and acid production in milk. Results suggested that it would be feasible to construct nisin-producing L. lactis subsp. cremoris strains for application as mixed and multiple starter systems. Additionally, the direct-plate conjugation method required less time than filter or milk agar matings and may also be useful for investigations of conjugal mechanisms in these organisms.     

The use of the plasmid pTH10 for isolating the donor strains of Pseudomonas mallei

The plasmid pTH10 was transfered by conjugation into the Pseudomonas mallei strains. An attempt to construct the donor strains using the widely known technique employing the homology between the plasmid and chromosome due to the transposon Tn1 carried by the plasmid was unsuccessful. Among the clones resistant to bacteriophage PRD1 the variants were selected with the supposed integration of the plasmid into the chromosome. The latter clones required the ability to transfer the auxotrophic chromosomal markers in conjugation after the repeated conjugational transfer of the plasmid pTH10 into them.