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.     

Transformation of callus cultures of nine plant species mediated by agrobacterium

A simple method for the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of callus cultures of nine plant species, Lycopersicum esculentum Mill, Petunia hybrida Vilm, Pimpinella anisum L., Solanum melongena L., S. tuberosum L., Nicotiana glauca Graham, N. glutinosa L., N. plumbaginifolia Viviani and N. tabacum L., is described. Plant calli were resuspended in liquid media, co-cultivated with A. tumefaciens, and plated on restrictive media. The combination of a gene for kanamycin resistance and a gene for firefly luciferase was convenient in the selection and confirmation of hundreds of transformants. Four strains of A. tumefaciens, A208, A348, A281, and PC2760, were employed. All of the callus cultures were successfully transformed with at least one strain of A. tumefaciens, and A281 was the most effective of the four strains. N. glutinosa, N. plumbaginifolia, N. tabacum, P. hybrida and L. esculentum were transformed more efficiently than the other species tested.     

Development of cloning vehicles from the Streptomyces plasmid pFJ103

A 20-kb plasmid, pFJ103, was isolated from a strain of Streptomyces granuloruber. A restriction endonuclease map of the plasmid was constructed. A Streptomyces gene that specifies resistance to the antibiotic thiostrepton was subcloned into Escherichia coli plasmid pBR322, inserted into pFJ103 and transformed into Streptomyces ambofaciens protoplasts. Two classes of transformants were obtained. One carries the pFJ104 plasmid consisting of the entire pFJ103 with the 1.8-kb thiostrepton resistance gene insert. The other carries the pFJ105 plasmid consisting of the 2.9-kb replicon segment of pFJ103 with the same thiostrepton resistance insert. A gene for neomycin resistance together with the entire E. coli pBR322 plasmid were cloned into pFJ105. The resulting E. coli-Streptomyces bifunctional vector, pFJ123, transformed both E. coli and Streptomyces. The small size of pFJ105, its ease of isolation, and efficient transformation of Streptomyces protoplasts establishes it, and its derivatives, as useful plasmid cloning vehicles for fundamental and applied studies     

农杆菌介导双孢蘑菇AS2796转化体系的优化

双孢蘑菇Agaricus bisporus是一种药食皆宜的食用真菌,具有极高的经济价值,近年来在双孢蘑菇全基因组测序完成后,功能基因组学的研究逐步提上日程。其中,高效的遗传转化体系作为技术基础成为研究重点。农杆菌介导的遗传转化体系作为一种高效的功能基因组研究方法,在双孢蘑菇中已经得到了广泛的应用,但是仍然存在着效率较低的问题有待解决。为了提高双孢蘑菇的农杆菌转化效率,找到双孢蘑菇遗传转化的最优条件,本实验首先对双孢蘑菇的潮霉素抗性压力进行了筛选,结果显示20mg/L的潮霉素浓度可以抑制菌丝生长,而50mg/L的潮霉素浓度则可以完全抑制菌丝生长。其次,对农杆菌菌株、菌液浓度、乙酰丁香酮浓度、菌丝培养时间以及浸染时间做了L16（4 ⁵）的正交实验,通过对各因素影响的分析,得出对转化效率影响最大的因素为菌丝培养时间和农杆菌菌株,且当菌株为LBA4404、菌液浓度OD₆₀₀=0.8、乙酰丁香酮浓度为100μmol/L、菌丝培养时间为40d、浸染时间为10min时,农杆菌介导的双孢蘑菇遗传转化效率最高。     

发根农杆菌介导的尾巨桉遗传转化体系的建立

发根农杆菌（Agrobacterium rhizogenes）的建立对植物功能基因的验证具有重要意义,为了在桉树（Eucalyptus）中建立发根农杆菌介导的遗传转化体系,本研究以不同的发根农杆菌菌株侵染尾巨桉（Eucalyptus urophylla × E. grandis）的叶片和茎段,确定合适的农杆菌菌株和外植体类型,在此基础上开展农杆菌浓度、侵染时间对毛状根诱导的影响。结果表明：采用发根农杆菌菌株MSU440,以叶片为外植体进行发根诱导,最高获得了81.0%的毛状根诱导率,毛状根平均根长达到3.23 cm。在发根农杆菌浓度为OD₆₀₀=0.3、侵染时间为30 min时,共培养48 h后经过20 mg·L^-1卡那霉素筛选培养,通过PCR分子鉴定和GUS染色证实外源基因稳定地整合在桉树毛状根基因组中,转化率达20.2%。初步建立了发根农杆菌介导的桉树遗传转化体系,为桉树基因功能鉴定和进一步的转基因育种奠定基础。     

Isolation and characterization of the yeast aspartyl-tRNA synthetase gene

A yeast genomic library in Escherichia coli, constructed by insertion of Sau3A restriction fragments into the hybrid Saccharomyces cerevisiae-E. coli plasmid pFL1, was screened by a radioimmunoassay (RIA) for colonies expressing yeast aspartyl-tRNA synthetase (AspRS). Four clones were isolated by this technique. Data obtained by Southern and restriction analysis of the inserts showed a common 3.8-kb BamHI restriction fragment which, when inserted into the plasmid pFLl, gave a positive RIA. Several controls showed that this 3.8-kb insert codes for the entire AspRS : (i) S. cerevisiae transformed by the PFL1 plasmid carrying the 3.8-kb fragment overproduces AspRS activity by a factor of ten compared to the wild-type yeast strain; and (ii) a new protein with electrophoretic behaviour similar to AspRS and immuno-reactive toward anti-AspRS appears in crude extracts of transformed yeast and E. coli.     

Cloning and expression of a functional fucose-specific lectin from an orange peel mushroom, Aleuria aurantia

Aleuria aurantia lectin (AAL) shows sugar-binding specificity for L-fucose. A λgt11 expression library was constructed from A. aurantia poly(A) RNA and screened with a polyclonal antiserum directed against AAL. An immunopositive clone carrying 1.3-kb EcoRI fragment was obtained. The fragment encoded AAL, but lacked a nucleotide sequence corresponding to the two amino-terminal amino acids. The 5′-terminal part of the fragment was replaced with a chemically synthesized DNA fragment and inserted into an expression vector to yield a plasmid pKA-1. Escherichia coli carrying pKA-1 expressed functional AAL and the recombinant AAL showed the same immunological properties as those of natural AAL.     

农杆菌介导海洋草酸青霉转化体系及聚酮合酶Pks生物学功能*

为研究南海柳珊瑚共附生草酸青霉SCSGAF0023的聚酮合酶(PKS)生物学功能,采用农杆菌介导法构建草酸青霉SCSGAF0023的Pks敲除株ΔPks,比较野生菌株及ΔPks的生长发育及环境适应性差异。以草酸青霉SCSGAF0023分生孢子为受体,p0380-hygB为双元载体,成功实现草酸青霉SCSGAF0023的遗传转化。结果表明:农杆菌浓度为OD₆₀₀=0.5,在200μmol/L 乙酰丁香酮(AS)诱导下与10⁷个/ml草酸青霉SCSGAF0023孢子于25℃共孵育时转化效率最高。基于上述转化体系,成功获得Pks敲除株ΔPks,并首次证实Pks正向调控草酸青霉SCSGAF0023产孢,但不影响其对环境的适应性。这为进一步系统研究真菌PKSs及聚酮化合物对真菌生长发育与环境适应性的影响提供素材。     

A selective λ phage cloning vector with automatic excision of the insert in a plasmid

A bacteriophage λ cloning vehicle has been constructed for the generation of cDNA libraries. The vector has the following properties. (1) It has a unique BamHI site engineered into the λ gam gene. Segments of DNA can be cloned into this site and clones with an insert can be selected by their ability to grow on an Escherichia coli host lysogenic for phage P2 (Spi⁻ phenotype). (2) When the recombinant phage infects a Cre-producing E. coli strain, a site-specific recombination event results in the excision of a plasmid replicon with the cloned insert. (3) Single-stranded DNAs can be recovered by growing helper M13 phages on bacteria harboring such plasmids. The vector, λMGU2, has been used to construct a nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans) cDNA library.