真核表达猪白细胞介素17及其生物活性研究

目的:为真核表达猪白细胞介素17(IL-17),研究产物在细胞培养下的免疫生物活性。方法:通过PCR扩增出猪IL-17基因并插入到真核表达载体p VAX1,然后转染到IPEC-J2细胞、Ha Ca T细胞和L02细胞中。在转染后第24、48和72h收集细胞,第48h收集上清液。收集细胞通过实时荧光定量PCR检测相关免疫基因的表达水平,收集上清液通过抑菌试验检测相关抗菌肽的生物活性。结果:采用p VAX1载体构建了表达猪IL-17的重组质粒,转染到细胞中。证实IL-17基因能诱导抗菌肽基因(RegⅢ、S100A8和BD2)的表达,显著上调JAK-STAT信号通路基因(JAK1、STAT1和STAT3)和细胞因子基因(IL-6、IL-12和TNF-α)的表达。此外,细胞上清液能够在不同程度上抑制大肠杆菌及金黄色葡萄球菌的增殖。结论:成功将猪IL-17基因真核表达,其表达产物能诱导效应细胞表达多种细胞因子,产生多种抗菌肽,具有抑菌能力;这为进一步研发猪IL-17作为抗菌免疫分子制剂奠定了初步基础。     

Induction of antibacterial protein synthesis by soluble peptidoglycan in isolated fat body from larvae of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

Synthesis and secretion of bactericidal protein (cecropin) and lysozyme were induced by soluble peptidoglycan fragments (SPG) from Escherichia coli in a culture of fat body from Bombyx mori larvae. The rate of the secretion by fat body increased as a function of SPG concentration added to the culture medium. The induction of bactericidal activity was specific for peptidoglycan of a particular structure. Thus, SPG from Micrococcus luteus was 500-times less potent than E. coli SPG, and various glucans and peptides structurally related to peptidoglycan were all ineffective as elicitor. These results support the hypothesis that bacteria invading the haemocoel have to be partially degraded to generate peptidoglycan fragments as a signal molecule, which subsequently acts on a receptor on fat body cells and induces antibacterial protein synthesis.     

Inhibition of soil-borne plant pathogens by the treatment of sinigrin and myrosinases released from reconstructed Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris

Myrosinases (thioglucoside glucohydrolase, EC 3.2.3.1) are able to hydrolyse glucosinolates in natural plant products. In Arabidopsis thaliana three different genes with different tissue-specific expressions and distribution patterns encode myrosinases. cDNAs of myrosinase genes (TGG1 and TGG2) were isolated from A. thaliana and expressed in Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris. The enzyme activities of myrosinase TGG1 and TGG2 genes expressed in P. pastoris were higher than those expressed in E. coli. Among six glucosinolates tested for specificity to myrosinases TGG1 and TGG2, the suitable substrates for these two genes expressed in P. pastoris and E. coli were sinigrin, gluconapin, glucobrassicanapin and glucoraphanin. Treatment of sinigrin with myrosinases excreted from reconstructed E. coli and P. pastoris with TGG1 and TGG2 genes showed strong fungicidal effects on mycelial growth of Rhizoctonia solani AG-4, Sclerotium rolfsii, and Pythium aphanidermatum. This study suggests that the combination of glucosinolate with myrosinases excreted from the reconstructed microbes may be of potential for control of soil-borne diseases.     

Isolation and characterization of the Neisseria meningitidis lpxD-fabZ-lpxA gene cluster involved in lipid A biosynthesis

The lpxD-fabZ-lpxA gene cluster involved in lipid A biosynthesis in Neisseria meningitidis has been cloned and sequenced. By complementation of a temperature-sensitive E. coli lpxD mutant, we first cloned a meningococcal chromosomal fragment that carries the lpxD homologue. Cloning and sequence analysis of chromosomal DNA downstream of lpxD revealed the presence of the fabZ and lpxA genes. This gene cluster shows high homology to the corresponding genes from several other bacterial species. The LpxA and LpxD proteins catalyze early steps in the lipid A biosynthetic pathway, adding the O- and N-linked 3-OH fatty acyl chains, respectively. In E. coli and N. meningitidis, LpxD has the same specificity, in both cases adding 3-OH myristoyl chains; in contrast to E. coli, the meningococcal LpxA protein is presumed to add 3-OH lauroyl chains instead. The established sequence points the way to further experiments to define the basis for this difference in specificity, and should allow modification of meningococcal lipid A biosynthesis through gene exchange.     

Chlorambucil-induced high mutation rate and suicidal gene downregulation in a base excision repair-deficient Escherichia coli strain

Chlorambucil (CLB; N,N-bis(2-chloroethyl)-p-aminophenylbutyric acid) is a bifunctional alkylating agent widely used as an anticancer drug and also as an immunosuppressant. Its chemical structure and clinical experience indicate that CLB is mutagenic and carcinogenic. We have investigated the ability of CLB to induce mutations and gene expression changes in the wild-type (WT) Escherichia coli strain AB1157 and in the base excision repair-deficient (alkA1, tag-1) E. coli strain MV1932 using a rifampicin (rif) forward mutation system and a cDNA array method. The results showed that CLB is a potent mutagen in MV1932 cells compared with the E. coli WT strain AB1157, emphasizing the role of 3-methyladenine DNA glycosylases I and II in protecting the cells from CLB-induced DNA damage and subsequent mutations. Global gene expression profiling revealed that nine genes in WT E. coli and 100 genes in MV1932, of a total of 4290 genes, responded at least 2.5-fold to CLB. Interestingly, all of these MV1932 genes were downregulated, while 22% were upregulated in WT cells. The downregulated genes in MV1932 represented most (19/23) functional categories, and unexpectedly, many of them code for proteins responsible for genomic integrity. These include: (i) RecF (SOS-response, adaptive mutation), (ii) RecC (resistance to cross-linking agents), (iii) HepA (DNA repair, a possible substitute of RecBCD), (iv) Ssb (DNA recombination repair, controls RecBCD), and (v) SbcC (genetic recombination). Our results strongly suggest that in addition to the DNA damage itself, the downregulation of central protecting genes is responsible for the decreased cell survival (demonstrated in a previous work) and the increased mutation rate (this work) of DNA repair-deficient cells, when exposed to CLB.     

DNA buoyant density shifts during 15N-DNA stable isotope probing

DNA-based stable isotope probing (SIP) is a novel technique for the identification of organisms actively assimilating isotopically labeled compounds. Herein, we define the limitations to using ¹⁵N-labeled substrates for SIP and propose modifications to compensate for these shortcomings. Changes in DNA buoyant density (BD) resulting from ¹⁵N incorporation were determined using cultures of disparate GC content (Escherichia coli and Micrococcus luteus). Incorporation of ¹⁵N into DNA increased BD by 0.015±0.002 g mL⁻¹ for E. coli and 0.013±0.002 g mL⁻¹ for M. luteus. The DNA BD shift was greatly increased (0.045 g mL⁻¹) when dual isotope (¹³C plus ¹⁵N) labeling was employed. Despite the limited DNA BD shift following ¹⁵N enrichment, we found the use of gradient fractionation, followed by a comparison of T-RFLP profiles from fractions of labeled and control treatments, facilitated detection of enrichment in DNA samples from either cultures or soil.     

枯草芽孢杆菌Mn-SOD基因的克隆及原核表达

为了实现Mn-SOD基因在大肠杆菌(E.coli)中的可溶性表达,根据枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis)168sodA核酸序列设计引物,以枯草芽孢杆菌ATCC 9372基因组为模板,PCR扩增获得了Mn-SOD基因.将此基因重组至原核表达载体pET-28a,构建含Mn-SOD基因的重组表达质粒,并转化至大肠杆菌BL21(DE3).异丙基-β-D-硫代半乳糖苷(IPTG)诱导表达获得Mn-SOD,蛋白分子量约为26kD,占全菌蛋白的5.6%.改良的连苯三酚自氧化法测定SOD活力,菌体可溶性总蛋白SOD比活为51.09U·mg^-1,是对照组的.8倍.枯草芽孢杆菌ATCC 9372 Mn-SOD基因在大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)中首次成功表达,产物具有较高的可溶性和活性,为大量制备Mn-SOD奠定了基础.     

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of pyranmycin derivatives with N-1 and O-6 modifications

Continuing from our ongoing effort in modifying aminoglycoside antibiotics with the goal of counteracting drug resistant bacteria, we have further derivatized pyranmycin, a neomycin class aminoglycoside antibiotic, with modifications at O-6 and N-1 positions. The revealed SAR results demonstrated that the antibacterial activity of pyranmycin can be modulated by different acylic substituents at O-6. Among these results, the 6-O-aminoethyl derivative, JT050, showed effective activity against resistant strain Escherichia coli (pTZ19U-3) and E. coli (pSF815), which provides insight into further structural modifications.     

Cloning, sequencing, and expression of the meso-diaminopimelate dehydrogenase gene from Bacillus sphaericus

The gene encoding the meso-diaminopimelate dehydrogenase of Bacillus sphaericus was cloned into E. coli cells and its complete DNA sequence was determined. The meso-diaminopimelate dehydrogenase gene consisted of 978 nucleotides and encoded 326 amino acid residues corresponding to the subunit of the dimeric enzyme. The amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the enzyme gene of B. sphaericus showed 50% identity with those of the enzymes from Corynebacterium glutamicum and Brevibacterium flavum. The enzyme gene from B. sphaericus was highly expressed in E. coli cells. We purified the enzyme to homogeneity from a transformant with 76% recovery. The N-terminal amino acid of both the enzyme from B. sphaericus and the transformant were serine, indicating that the N-terminal methionine is removed by post-translational modification in B. sphaericus and E. coli cells.     

A fragment of the yeast DNA repair protein Rad4 confers toxicity to E. coli and is required for its interaction with Rad7 protein

The RAD4 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is required for the incision of damaged DNA during nucleotide excision repair. Plasmids carrying the wild-type RAD4 gene cannot be propagated in Escherichia coli. In this study, a rad4 mutant that can be grown in E. coli was isolated. This rad4 allele is deleted of a large positively charged segment of the RAD4 coding region which is toxic to E. coli when expressed alone. The deletion mutant retains its ability to interact with Rad23 protein but not with Rad7 protein and is defective in nucleotide excision repair. The smallest Rad4 fragment that is toxic to E. coli consists of 336 amino acids with a calculated pI = 9.99.     

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.     

Ester production in E. coli and C. acetobutylicum

Genetic engineering has improved the product yield of a variety of compounds by overexpressing, inactivating, or introducing new genes in microbial systems. The production of flavor-enhancing ester compounds is an emerging area of heterologous gene expression for desired product yield in Escherichia coli. Isoamyl acetate, butyl acetate, ethyl acetate, and butyl butyrate are reported here to be produced by expressing Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes ATF1 or ATF2 and the strawberry gene SAAT in E. coli when the appropriate substrates are provided. Increasing the concentration of alcohol added to the reaction generally resulted in increased ester production. ATF1 expression was found to produce more isoamyl acetate and butyl acetate than ATF2 expression or SAAT expression in the strains and culture conditions examined. Additionally, SAAT expression resulted in greater isoamyl acetate and butyl acetate production than ATF2 expression. Butyl butyrate is produced by cell-free extracts of E. coli harboring SAAT but not ATF1 or ATF2.     

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     

基于转录物组学的大肠杆菌血红素过氧化物酶EfeB的生理功能解析

大肠杆菌血红素过氧化物酶EfeB属于染料脱色过氧化物酶超家族。该家族的酶类一般具有良好的合成染料降解能力,但是其在生物体内的功能尚不清楚。为了深入研究EfeB的生理功能,本文通过同源重组的方法构建了efeB敲除菌株Eco△efeB,比较了亲本菌株E.coli BL21和Eco△efeB在基因组转录水平上、不同条件下的细胞生长以及对铁离子应答上的差异。结果表明:efeB基因的缺失引起了菌体1 765个基因的差异表达,这些基因主要与菌体的细胞代谢途径、细胞膜合成和鞭毛运动有关;在pH为7.0时,BL21和EcoΔefeB的生长无显著差异,但在pH4.5时BL21的生长明显优于EcoΔefeB,efeB基因的功能性表达可以支持大肠杆菌在低pH下的生存;当培养环境中有Fe²⁺存在时,efeB显著上调。以上结果为EfeB生理功能的认知和利用提供了一定的理论依据。     

Biocatalytic synthesis of monocyclic arene-dihydrodiols and -diols by Escherichia coli cells expressing hybrid toluene/biphenyl dioxygenase and dihydrodiol dehydrogenase genes

The hybrid toluene/biphenyl dioxygenase, which is encoded by the todC1 gene of Pseudomonas putida F1 and the bphA2A3A4 genes of Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes KF707, has substrate ranges wider than toluene dioxygenase endoced by the todC1C2BA genes of P. putida F1. We carried out growing cell reactions by Escherichia coli expressing the todC1-bphA2A3A4 genes for the comprehensive production of monocyclic arene-dihydrodiols. As a result, we successfully biotranformed acetophenone-related compounds (acetophenone, propiophenone, and butyrophenone) to the corresponding cis-dihydrodiols. Furthermore, we performed the bioconversion experiments by E. coli cells expressing the bphB (dihydrodiol dehydrogenase) gene in addition to todC1-bphA2A3A4 to produce a series of monocyclic arene-diols. Consequently, toluene, benzene, stylene, p-xylene, acetophenone, propiophenone, butyrophenone, and trifluoroacetophenone were converted to the corresponding vicinal diols. The antioxidative activity of these generated diol compounds was markedly higher than that of the substrate used.     

Identification and characterization of Clostridium difficile promoter element that is functional in Escherichia coli

The promoter element involved in the expression of a previously characterized cloned clostridial antigen was isolated and characterized. A restriction fragment containing the promoter element of the Clostridium difficile insert was cloned using the promoter probe vector, pGA46. Subclones of the clostridial DNA insert in pGA46 were then analyzed by nucleotide sequencing and by S1 nuclease experiments. The clostridial promoter element exhibits a high degree of homology with typical Escherichia coli promoter elements. This sequence probably represents a unique class of clostridial promoter elements which, given their ability to function in E. coli and C. difficile, can be used in the construction of a shuttle vector capable of gene expression in E. coli and C. difficile.