An auxin-auxotrophic mutant of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia

Summary Auxin (indole-3-acetic acid) is considered to be an important signalling molecule in the regulation of plant growth and development but neither auxin synthesis nor its mode of action is clearly understood. To identify genes involved in these processes, mutations were sought that altered the auxin requirement of plant tissues for growth. For the first time mutant plants were obtained that carry a recessive mutation at a single nuclear locus (auxl) which results in an absolute requirement for exogenous auxin for normal growth. In the absence of auxin treatment, mutant plants undergo premature senescence and die.Abbreviations BAP 6-benzylaminopurine - BUdR 5-bromodeoxyuridine - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - FUdR 5-fluorodeoxyuridine - IAA-EE indole-3-acetic acid ethyl ester - IMS indole-3-methanesulfonic acid     

D-核糖高产菌株的选育

以肌苷产生菌B3为出发菌株,通过硫酸二乙酯,紫外线及原生质体紫外线等复合诱变处理,获得一株核糖高产积累突变株B1916,对突变株B1916遗传进行了研究,结果发现该突变株对碳水化合物的利用能力发生了变化,如对葡萄糖利用能力下降,不能利用阿拉伯糖和葡萄糖酸,丧失了解子形成能力;在培养过程中细胞形态呈链状,数字状等。     

嘧啶核苷类物质乳清酸产生菌的选育

以谷氨酸棒杆菌JSIM-201菌株为出发菌株,通过紫外线和甲基磺酸乙酯诱变处理,得到了一株尿嘧啶营养缺陷型突变体U-12菌株,能以葡萄糖为碳源,硫酸铵为氮源,在发酵液中积累一种紫外吸收物质。对U-12菌株的发酵液分离提取结晶,经物理、化学分析鉴定,证明是乳清酸物质。发酵液中积累乳清酸8．6g/L。     

Genetic analysis and fine-mapping of a dwarfing with withered leaf-tip mutant in rice

A dwarf mutant of rice(Oryza.sativa L.)by mutagenesis of ethylene methylsulfonate(EMS)treatment from Nipponbare was identified.The mutant exhibited phenotypes of dwarfism and withered leaf tip(dwll).Based on the internode length of dwl1,this mutant be longs to the dm type of dwarfing.Analysis of elongation of the second sheath and α-amylase activity in endosperm showed that the phenotype caused by dwll was insensitive to gibberellin acid treatment.Using a large F2 population derived from a cross between the dwll and an indica rice variety,TN1,the DWLl gene was mapped to the terminal region of the long arm of chromosome 3.Fine-mapping de-limited it into a 46 kb physical distance between two STS markers,HL921 and HL944,where 6 open reading frames were predicted.Cloning of DWL1 will contribute to dissecting molecular mechanism that regulates plant height in rice,which will be beneficial to molecular assisted selection of this important trait.     

Studies on Egg White Proteins

Four components of ovomucoid were digested exhaustively and four kinds of glycopeptide corresponding to the four components were separated by gel filtration. Each glycopeptide was shown to be homogenious by paper chromatography and paper electrophoresis. Molar ratios of carbohydrate components of these glycopeptides varied to some extent but the amino acid compositions of these glycopeptides were essentially identical with each other with the exception of alanine. Aspartic acid and threonine were predominant amino acids in the all glycopeptides. It is most likely that the modes of linkages between polysaccharide and protein in individual ovomucoid I, II, III and IV are essentially the same, and that the carbohydrate moiety is linked to the protein via asparaginyl residue or the hydroxyl group of threonine, although the possibility of the linkages to glutamine and serine can not be excluded.     

Fatty Acids Associated with the Cell Wall in Film Strains of Saccharomyces

Fatty acid contents were estimated in the cell wall of Saccharomyces. The fatty acids responsible for cell wall hydrophobicity were classified by ease of extraction to ‘readily extractable’ and ‘bound’ acids. The readily extractable fatty acids were easily extracted with pentane and chloroform-methanol. The fatty acids extracted with chloroform-methanol were quite effective for cell wall hydrophobicity, but the fatty acids extracted with pentane were not. The bound fatty acids comprised in the phospholipids phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine, which were rigidly associated with the cell wall. These phospholipids were not extractable until they were released from the cell wall by pronase. Chloroform-methanol extraction caused a reduction in cell wall phospholipid content, particularly after treatment with pronase. The fatty acid content of the resultant cell wall was lowered to below 7% of initial content. Phospholipids contained more saturated fatty acid than readily extractable lipids. Phospholipids greatly contributed to cell wall hydrophobicity of various film strains of Saccharomyces.     

L-谷氨酸温度敏感突变株的选育

采用黄色短杆菌TJ1为出发菌株,根据代谢控制发酵原理,利用紫外线、硫酸二乙酯进行诱变,定向选育出具有寡霉素抗性、谷氨酸氧肟酸盐抗性的温度敏感突变株TMGO106。然后,以温度敏感突变株TMGO106和产酸率高（10.5%以上）的天津短杆菌TG961为新株,通过原生质体融合技术,成功地选育出了产酸率高的融合子CN1021（13．6g/dl,糖酸转化率达60％）,在6m^3发酵罐上中试其L－谷氨酸产量达14．6％,糖酸转化率达62．8％,并且该菌株系温度敏感型菌株,可用于谷氨酸强度发酵。     

Tomato tos1 mutation identifies a gene essential for osmotic tolerance and abscisic acid sensitivity

Osmotic stress severely limits plant growth and agricultural productivity. We have used mutagenesis to identify plant genes that are required for osmotic stress tolerance in tomato. As a result, we have isolated a novel mutant in tomato (tos1) caused by a single recessive nuclear mutation that is hypersensitive to general osmotic stress. Growth measurements demonstrated that the tos1 mutant is less sensitive to intracellular abscisic acid (ABA) and this decreased ABA sensitivity of tos1 is a basic cellular trait expressed by the mutant at all developmental stages analysed. It is not caused by a deficiency in the synthesis of ABA because the tos1 seedlings accumulated more ABA than the wild type (WT) after osmotic stress. In contrast, the tss2 tomato mutant, which is also hypersensitive to osmotic stress, is hypersensitive to exogenous ABA. Comparative analysis of tos1 and tss2 indicates that appropriate ABA perception and signalling is essential for osmotic tolerance.     

Two observed regions in B lymphocyte stimulator important for its biological activity

B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS),a member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily ofligands,is a crucial survival factor for B cells.We successfully constructed seven mutants of the functionalsoluble fragment of human BLyS (named cBLyS,amino acid 134-285),including three deletion mutants andfour site-directed mutants.All the mutant proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by Ni-NTA affinity chromatography.The biological activities of these mutants were assessed by the ligand-recep-tor binding assay,B cell proliferation assay and immune effect response in vivo.Our results indicated thatfour residues,H~(218),F~(220),T~(228) and L~(229),are indispensable for the biological activity of cBLyS,whereas tworegions,amino acid 134-148 and amino acid 271-285,are related to the biological activity of BLyS.Theprotein of deletion of amino acid 134-148 leads to a complete defection in raising the antigen-specific IgMtiter.The deletion of amino acid 271-285 reduces the effectiveness compared with the native cBLyS.Thisindicates that the region of amino acid 134-148 is indispensable for cBLyS to function normally.     

组织型纤溶酶原激活剂突变体细胞t—PA基因拷贝数测定及分析

组织型纤溶酶原激活剂（t—PA）溶栓特异性高,但半衰期短。本组构建了增强纤维蛋白亲合力和延长半衰期的t—PA突变体表达细胞株。测定工程细胞株基因拷贝数是细胞生物学特性鉴定的一个方面。我们采用狭缝杂交法和SouthernBlot法对该细胞株t—PA基因进行了拷贝数测定,结果为30—60个拷贝。     

Cross resistance between oxytetracycline and oxolinic acid in Aeromonas salmonicida associated with alterations in outer membrane proteins

Oxytetracycline resistant mutants of Aeromonas salmonicida isolated from mutation frequency experiments showed decreased susceptibility to oxolinic acid. Outer membrane preparations of these resistant mutant strains revealed a major protein, with a molecular mass of approximately 37 kDa, which was not present in significant quantities in the parent strain.     

A Five-Base-Pair-Deletion in the Gene for the Large Subunit Causes the Lesion in the Ribulose Bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase-Deficient Plastome Mutant Sigma of Oenothera hookeri

The gene for the large subunit of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rbcL) has been mapped on the Oenothera hookeri plastid chromosome. It is located close to the gene for the herbicide-binding “32 kd” protein of the photosystem II reaction center (psbA), at a position different from that found in the ancestral angiosperm type of plastid chromosomes, due to an inversion in the large single-copy region. The gene codes for a polypeptide of 475 amino acid residues corresponding to a molecular mass of 52.7 kd. The deduced amino acid composition diverges by 4.8% from the amino acid sequence of the spinach protein and by 8.2% from that of maize. The corresponding nucleotide sequences differ by 8.5 % and 15 % from each other. The rbcL gene of the RuBPcase/oase-deficient Oenothera plastome mutant sigma contains a TTAAC deletion at amino acid residues 270/271 which introduces a frame shift and an amber stop codon seven triplets later. This lesion which probably arose by slipped mispairing is consistent with the previously observed, virtually full-length mRNA that is decoded into a truncated large subunit polypeptide of approximately 30 kd in vitro and in vivo.     

Altered pore properties and kinetic changes in mutants of the Vibrio cholerae Porin OmpU

The electrophysiological technique of patch-clamp was used to characterize the pore properties of site-directed mutants in the Vibrio cholerae general diffusion porin OmpU. Changes in conductance and selectivity were observed, thus confirming the predicted pore location of these residues, based on homology with the Escherichia coli porins OmpF and OmpC. Some mutants acquire a weak selectivity for cations, which mirrors the properties of the homologous, deoxycholic acid sensitive, OmpT porin of V. cholerae. However, the mutants remain insensitive to deoxycholic acid, like wildtype OmpU. This result suggests that channel selectivity is not an important determinant in the sensitivity to this drug, and is in agreement with our finding that the neutral deoxycholic acid, and not deoxycholate, is the actual active form in channel block. Modifications in the kinetics of spontaneous closures were also noted, and are similar to those found for the E. coli channels. In addition, mutants at the D116 residue on the L3 loop display marked transitions to sub-conductance states. The results reported here are compared to a phenotypical characterization of the mutants in terms of permeability to maltodextrins and β-lactam antibiotic sensitivity. No strict correlations are observed, suggesting that distinct, but somewhat overlapping, molecular determinants control electrophysiological properties and substrate permeability.     

An unusual mutation in RepA increases the copy number of a stringently controlled plasmid (Rtsl derivative) by over one hundred fold

A copy number mutant of the Rtsl replicon (copy number 1–2 copies/cell) was obtained. A one-base substitution in the repA region results in a single amino acid change from histidine to asparagine at position 159. This mutation increased the plasmid copy number by up to 120-fold depending upon the growth conditions. At 42.5° C the plasmid with the wild type replicon was unstable while the mutated replicon was relatively stable.     

Comparison of epitope structures of H3HAs through protein modeling of influenza A virus hemagglutinin: mechanism for selection of antigenic variants in the presence of a monoclonal antibody

Starting with nine plaques of influenza A/Kamata/14/91(H3N2) virus, we selected mutants in the presence of monoclonal antibody 203 (mAb203). In total, amino acid substitutions were found at nine positions (77, 80, 131, 135, 141, 142, 143, 144 and 146), which localized in the antigenic site A of the hemagglutinin (HA). The escape mutants differed in the extent to which they had lost binding to mAb203. HA protein with substitutions of some amino acid residues created by site-directed mutagenesis in the escape mutants retained the ability to bind to mAb203. Changes in the amino acid character affecting charge or hydrophobicity accounted for the binding capacity to the antibody of the HA with most of the substitutions in the escape mutants and binding-positive mutants. However, the effect of some amino acid substitutions remained unexplained. A three-dimensional model of the 1991 HA was constructed and used to analyze substituted amino acids in these mutants for the accessible surface hydrophobic and hydrophilic characters. One amino acid substitution in an escape mutant and another amino acid substitution in a binding-positive mutant seemed to be explained by the changes noted on this model.     

A dispensable peptide from Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase affects tRNA binding

The activation domain of class I aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, which contains the Rossmann fold and the signature sequences HIGH and KMSKS, is generally split into two halves by the connective peptides (CP1, CP2) whose amino acid sequences are idiosyncratic. CP1 has been shown to participate in the binding of tRNA as well as the editing of the reaction intermediate aminoacyl-AMP or the aminoacyl-tRNA. No function has been assigned to CP2. The amino acid sequence of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans TrpRS was predicted from the genome sequence. Protein sequence alignments revealed that A. ferrooxidans TrpRS contains a 70 amino acids long CP2 that is not found in any other bacterial TrpRS. However, a CP2 in the same relative position was found in the predicted sequence of several archaeal TrpRSs. A. ferrooxidans TrpRS is functional in vivo in Escherichia coli. A deletion mutant of A. ferrooxidans trpS lacking the coding region of CP2 was constructed. The in vivo activity of the mutant TrpRS in E. coli, as well as the kinetic parameters of the in vitro activation of tryptophan by ATP, were not altered by the deletion. However, the K(m) value for tRNA was seven-fold higher upon deletion, reducing the efficiency of aminoacylation. Structural modeling suggests that CP2 binds to the inner corner of the L shape of tRNA.     

Identification of the structure and origin of a thioacidolysis marker compound for ferulic acid incorporation into angiosperm lignins (and an indicator for cinnamoyl CoA reductase deficiency)

A molecular marker compound, derived from lignin by the thioacidolysis degradative method, for structures produced when ferulic acid is incorporated into lignin in angiosperms (poplar, Arabidopsis, tobacco), has been structurally identified as 1,2,2-trithioethyl ethylguaiacol [1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,2,2-tris(ethylthio)ethane]. Its truncated side chain and distinctive oxidation state suggest that it derives from ferulic acid that has undergone bis-8-O-4 (cross) coupling during lignification, as validated by model studies. A diagnostic contour for such structures is found in two-dimensional (13)C-(1)H correlated (HSQC) NMR spectra of lignins isolated from cinnamoyl CoA reductase (CCR)-deficient poplar. As low levels of the marker are also released from normal (i.e. non-transgenic) plants in which ferulic acid may be present during lignification, notably in grasses, the marker is only an indicator for CCR deficiency in general, but is a reliable marker in woody angiosperms such as poplar. Its derivation, together with evidence for 4-O-etherified ferulic acid, strongly implies that ferulic acid is incorporated into angiosperm lignins. Its endwise radical coupling reactions suggest that ferulic acid should be considered an authentic lignin precursor. Moreover, ferulic acid incorporation provides a new mechanism for producing branch points in the polymer. The findings sharply contradict those reported in a recent study on CCR-deficient Arabidopsis.     

‘金星无核’葡萄短节间突变体的遗传变异和内源激素水平分析

以秋水仙素处理‘金星无核’葡萄获得的短节间突变体植株‘3-2D-05’和‘金星无核’植株新抽枝梢嫩叶、梢尖和茎段为材料,利用高效液相色谱(HPLC)法测定了新抽枝梢不同部位内源GA3、IAA及ABA的含量及比值差异;采用细胞流式仪分析两种材料叶细胞染色体倍性,并通过RAPD和SSR两种标记对两种植株进行分子鉴定,以明确...     

人t-PA溶栓突变体的研究进展

人t-PA在机体循环中的纤溶系统中起重要作用,是一种内源性溶血栓因子,t-PA蛋白分子可直接用于溶栓治疗,但天然的t-PA分子在体内半衰期短,极最被清除,因而限制其广泛应用,根据它的结构特点而改造的一系列t-PA变体分子将成为新一代溶栓药物,在溶栓治疗中广泛应用。     

Thermodynamic effects of replacements of Pro residues in helix interiors of maltose-binding protein

Introduction of Pro residues into helix interiors results in protein destabilization. It is currently unclear if the converse substitution (i.e., replacement of Pro residues that naturally occur in helix interiors would be stabilizing). Maltose-binding protein is a large 370-amino acid protein that contains 21 Pro residues. Of these, three nonconserved residues (P48, P133, and P159) occur at helix interiors. Each of the residues was replaced with Ala and Ser. Stabilities were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) as a function of pH and by isothermal urea denaturation studies as a function of temperature. The P48S and P48A mutants were found to be marginally more stable than the wild-type protein. In the pH range of 5-9, there is an average increase in T(m) values of P48A and P48S of 0.4 degrees C and 0.2 degrees C, respectively, relative to the wild-type protein. The other mutants are less stable than the wild type. Analysis of the effects of such Pro substitutions in MBP and in three other proteins studied to date suggests that substitutions are more likely to be stabilizing if the carbonyl group i-3 or i-4 to the mutation site is not hydrogen bonded in the wild-type protein.