Rescue of end fragments of yeast artificial chromosomes by homologous recombination in yeast.

Yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) provide a powerful tool for the isolation and mapping of large regions of mammalian chromosomes. We developed a rapid and efficient method for the isolation of DNA fragments representing the extreme ends of YAC clones by the insertion of a rescue plasmid into the YAC vector by homologous recombination. Two rescue vectors were constructed containing a yeast LYS2 selectable gene, a bacterial origin of replication, an antibiotic resistance gene, a polylinker containing multiple restriction sites, and a fragment homologous to one arm of the pYAC4 vector. The 'end-cloning' procedure involves transformation of the rescue vector into yeast cells carrying a YAC clone, followed by preparation of yeast DNA and transformation into bacterial cells. The resulting plasmids carry end-specific DNA fragments up to 20 kb in length, which are suitable for use as hybridization probes, as templates for direct DNA sequencing, and as probes for mapping by fluorescence in situ hybridization. These vectors are suitable for the rescue of end-clones from any YAC constructed using a pYAC-derived vector. We demonstrate the utility of these plasmids by rescuing YAC-end fragments from a human YAC library.     

Copy number control by a yeast centromere

Plasmids containing a cloned yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) centromere (CEN3) in combination with a suitable DNA replication system are maintained in yeast at the low copy number typical of a chromosome. In composite plasmids containing CEN3 plus the yeast 2 mu plasmid, the CEN3 copy number control is dominant over the amplification system that normally drives the 2 mu plasmids to high copy number. The CEN3-2 mu composite plasmids are relatively stably maintained in yeast at a copy number of about one per haploid genome, and segregate through meiosis in a typical Mendelian pattern. Some of the CEN3-2 mu composite plasmids isolated from yeast contain deletions of variable size that remove the functional centromere, resulting in loss of the CEN3 control and reversion to high copy number. Formation of the CEN3 deletions requires the specialized recombination system (inverted repeat sequences and FLP gene) of the yeast 2 mu plasmid.     

Cloning of industrial Saccharomyces 2-microns plasmid variants by in vivo site-specific recombination

Southern analyses defined several industrial Saccharomyces yeast strains with extensive 2-microns DNA polymorphism. Variants included insertions and deletions up to several hundred base pairs. To facilitate the investigation of yeast plasmid evolution we developed a novel method of cloning 2-microns plasmids by taking advantage of 2-microns circle in vivo site-specific recombination and an SMRI gene as a dominant selectable marker. This method can be applied to other organisms for the isolation of plasmid variants and provides a new approach to in vivo plasmid construction.     

Recombinant plasmids carrying multiple markers: isolation during yeast co-transformation

Cotransformants of yeast cells by two partially homologous plasmids, one of which is incapable of autonomous replication, has been used to construct multiply marked recombinant plasmids. Only simultaneous elimination of three yeast markers was registered when episomal plasmid, carrying Ade2 gene, and integrative plasmid, carrying yeast genes LEU2 and URA3, were cotransformed. Transformants, in which yeast genes LEU2, URA3 and HIS3 are linked, have been isolated by analogous technique. The genetic analysis has confirmed existence of plasmid cointegrates in the transformant cells, which carry three yeast genes, bacterial DNA fragment and 2 micrometers DNA fragment, coding for replicative functions. Recombination in the region of bacterial plasmid pBR322 might have resulted in formation of such plasmids. Plasmid recombination in cotransformants has been used to construct multiply marked circular chromosomes, having included yeast genes LEU2, URA3 and TRP1, centromere of the IV yeast chromosome and the sequence coding for their replication in yeast as well as in E. coli cells.     

Ultra-Low Background DNA Cloning System

Yeast-based in vivo cloning is useful for cloning DNA fragments into plasmid vectors and is based on the ability of yeast to recombine the DNA fragments by homologous recombination. Although this method is efficient, it produces some by-products. We have developed an “ultra-low background DNA cloning system” on the basis of yeast-based in vivo cloning, by almost completely eliminating the generation of by-products and applying the method to commonly used Escherichia coli vectors, particularly those lacking yeast replication origins and carrying an ampicillin resistance gene (Amp^r). First, we constructed a conversion cassette containing the DNA sequences in the following order: an Amp^r 5′ UTR (untranslated region) and coding region, an autonomous replication sequence and a centromere sequence from yeast, a TRP1 yeast selectable marker, and an Amp^r 3′ UTR. This cassette allowed conversion of the Amp^r-containing vector into the yeast/E. coli shuttle vector through use of the Amp^r sequence by homologous recombination. Furthermore, simultaneous transformation of the desired DNA fragment into yeast allowed cloning of this DNA fragment into the same vector. We rescued the plasmid vectors from all yeast transformants, and by-products containing the E. coli replication origin disappeared. Next, the rescued vectors were transformed into E. coli and the by-products containing the yeast replication origin disappeared. Thus, our method used yeast- and E. coli-specific “origins of replication” to eliminate the generation of by-products. Finally, we successfully cloned the DNA fragment into the vector with almost 100% efficiency.     

Saccharomyces cerevisiae centromere CEN11 does not induce chromosome instability when integrated into the Aspergillus nidulans genome.

We constructed Aspergillus nidulans transformation plasmids containing the A. nidulans argB+ gene and either containing or lacking centromeric DNA from Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome XI (CEN11). The plasmids transformed an argB Aspergillus strain to arginine independence at indistinguishable frequencies. Stable haploid transformants were obtained with both plasmids, and strains were identified in which the plasmids had integrated into chromosome III by homologous recombination at the argB locus. Plasmid DNA was recovered from a transformant containing CEN11, and the sequence of the essential portion of CEN11 was determined to be unaltered. The transformants were further characterized by using them to construct heterozygous diploids and then testing the diploids for preferential loss of the plasmid-containing chromosomes. The CEN11 sequence had little or no effect on chromosome stability. Thus, CEN11 does not prevent chromosomal integration of plasmid DNA and probably lacks centromere activity in Aspergillus spp.     

High frequency excision of Ty elements during transformation of yeast.

Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) transposons (Ty elements) are excised from up to 20% of supercoiled plasmids during transformation of yeast cells. The excision occurs by homologous recombination across the direct terminal repeats (deltas) of the Ty element, leaving behind a single delta in the transforming plasmid. Only the initial transforming plasmid is susceptible to excision, and no high frequency excision is observed in plasmids that have become established in transformed cells or in plasmids that are resident in cells undergoing transformation. High frequency excision from plasmids during yeast transformation is not specific for Ty elements and can be observed with other segments of plasmid DNA bounded by direct repeats. The frequency of Ty excision from supercoiled plasmids is greatly reduced when the host yeast cells contain the rad52 mutation, a defect in double-strand DNA repair. When linear or ligated-linear plasmid DNAs containing a Ty element are used for transformation, few or no excision plasmids are found among the transformant colonies. These results suggest that when a yeast cell is transformed with a supercoiled plasmid, the plasmid DNA is highly susceptible to homologous recombination for a short period of time.     

Plasmid vector for cloning in Streptococcus pneumoniae and strategies for enrichment for recombinant plasmids

A new plasmid, pLS101, was constructed for use as a vector for cloning in Streptococcus pneumoniae. This plasmid carries two selectable genes, tet and malM, each of which contains two or more restriction sites for cloning. Insertional inactivation of the malM gene allowed direct selection of TcRMal- clones containing recombinant plasmids. Other means of enriching a recipient population for cells containing recombinant plasmids were examined. The effect of removing vector terminal phosphate in attempts to clone heterogeneous DNA fragments, such as those from chromosomal DNA, was to abolish recombinant plasmid establishment altogether, presumably because donor DNA processing during entry into the cell prevented establishment of the hemiligated molecule. However, with homogeneous DNA fragments, such as those from plasmid or viral DNA, vector phosphate removal allowed enrichment for recombinant plasmids. In the cloning of heterogeneous DNA that was homologous to the recipient chromosome (i.e. chromosomal DNA from S. pneumoniae), recovery of recombinant plasmids could be enriched tenfold (relative to the regenerated vector) by the process of chromosomal facilitation of plasmid establishment. This involved an additional passage of the mixed plasmids in which interaction with the chromosome of plasmids containing chromosomal DNA inserts (i.e. recombinant plasmids) increased their frequency of establishment relative to the vector plasmid. An overall strategy for cloning in S. pneumoniae, depending on the nature of the fragment to be cloned, is proposed.     

High-throughput construction of expression system using yeast Pichia pastoris, and its application to membrane proteins

The well-established method for high-throughput construction of an expression system of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae uses homologous recombination between an expression plasmid and a target gene (with homologous regions of the plasmid on both ends added by PCR). This method has been widely used for membrane proteins using plasmids containing GFP, and has been successfully used to investigate the cellular localization and solubilization conditions of the proteins. Although the methanol-utilizing yeast Pichia pastoris is known as an excellent expression host, a method for high-throughput construction of an expression system like that in S. cerevisiae has not been reported. In this study, we have attempted to construct expression systems via homologous recombination in P. pastoris. The insertion of genes into a plasmid could be easily checked by colony-PCR. Expression systems for seven membrane proteins of medaka fish (Oryzias latipes) and yeast (S. cerevisiae) were constructed, and the expression of proteins was analyzed by fluorescence spectra, fluorescence microscopy, and SDS-PAGE (in-gel fluorescence detection).     

Nonreciprocal exchanges of information between DNA duplexes coinjected into mammalian cell nuclei.

We have examined the mechanism of homologous recombination between plasmid molecules coinjected into cultured mammalian cells. Cell lines containing recombinant DNA molecules were obtained by selecting for the reconstruction of a functional Neor gene from two plasmids that bear different amber mutations in the Neor gene. In addition, these plasmids contain restriction-length polymorphisms within and near the Neor gene. These polymorphisms did not confer a selectable phenotype but were used to identify and categorize selected and nonselected recombinant DNA molecules. The striking conclusion from this analysis is that the predominant mechanism for the exchange of information between coinjected plasmid molecules over short distances (i.e., less than 1 kilobase) proceeds via nonreciprocal homologous recombination. The frequency of homologous recombination between coinjected plasmid molecules in cultured mammalian cells is extremely high, approaching unity. We demonstrate that this high frequency requires neither a high input of plasmid molecules per cell nor a localized high concentration of plasmid DNA within the nucleus. Thus, it appears that plasmid molecules, once introduced into the nucleus, have no difficulty seeking each other out and participating in homologous recombination even in the presence of a vast excess of host DNA sequences. Finally, we show that most of the homologous recombination events occur within a 1-h interval after the introduction of plasmid DNA into the cell nucleus.     

Chromosomal transformation of Escherichia coli recD strains with linearized plasmids.

Wild-type Escherichia coli are resistant to genetic transformation by purified linear DNA, probably in part because of exonuclease activity. We demonstrate that E. coli containing a recD mutation could be easily transformed by linearized plasmids containing a selectable marker. The marker was transferred to the chromosome by homologous recombination, whereas plasmid markers not in the region of homology were lost.     

Targeted integration of neomycin into yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) for transfection into mammalian cells.

Vectors have been constructed for the introduction of the neomycin resistance gene (neo) into the left arm, right arm or human insert DNA of yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) by homologous recombination. These vectors contain a yeast selectable marker Lys-2, i.e. the alpha-aminoadipidate reductase gene, and a mammalian selection marker, neo, which confers G418 resistance. The vectors can be used to modify YACs in the most commonly used yeast strain for YAC library construction, AB1380. Specific targeting can be carried out by transfection of restriction endonuclease treated linear plasmids, with highly specific recombinogenic ends, into the YAC containing yeast cells. Analysis of targeted YACs confirmed that all three vectors can target correctly in yeast. Introduction of one of the targeted YACs into V79 (Chinese hamster fibroblast) cells showed complete and intact transfer of the YAC.     

Construction and characterization of three yeast-Escherichia coli shuttle vectors designed for rapid subcloning of yeast genes on small DNA fragments

We have constructed three new subcloning plasmid vectors, pRC1, pRC2, and pRC3, derived from pKC7, which allow the rapid, single-step subcloning of yeast genes. Subcloning with these vectors utilizes a partial digestion with Sau3A to generate a quasi-random set of DNA fragments from the original plasmid. All three vectors contain a kanamycin resistance gene. Therefore, if the original cloned yeast DNA fragment is present in a vector that does not specify kanamycin resistance, the subclone pool can be propagated in Escherichia coli in the presence of kanamycin to select against parent plasmids that escaped restriction by Sau3A. Selection by complementation in yeast yields a collection of plasmids with smaller yeast DNA inserts containing the gene of interest. In the vectors pRC2 and pRC3, constructed from pRC1, the unique BamHI site is located within an intact tetracycline resistance gene, thus making it possible to screen bacterial transformants for those containing recombinant plasmid molecules. Vectors pRC2 and pRC3 also contain the yeast 2 micrometers DNA replication origin, and thus are more stable than plasmids carrying only the TRP1-associated replicator (ars1).     

Construction of a novel kind of expression plasmid by ho-mologous recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the most im- portant heterologous expression systems. The stability and copy number of expression plasmid in the host are the important factors to affect the expression levels of foreign genes[1―3]. pHC11 is a yeast episomal plasmid constructed by our laboratory[4]. It contains the entire sequence of the 2μ plasmid without disrupting its coding elements and other functional regions. The stability and copy number of pHC11 are relatively high. Making use of…     

Synapsis-Mediated Fusion of Free DNA Ends Forms Inverted Dimer Plasmids in Yeast

When yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is transformed with linearized plasmid DNA and the ends of the plasmid do not share homology with the yeast genome, circular inverted (head-to-head) dimer plasmids are the principal product of repair. By measurements of the DNA concentration dependence of transformation with a linearized plasmid, and by transformation with mixtures of genetically marked plasmids, we show that two plasmid molecules are required to form an inverted dimer plasmid. Several observations suggest that homologous pairing accounts for the head-to-head joining of the two plasmid molecules. First, an enhanced frequency of homologous recombination is detected when genetically marked plasmids undergo end-to-end fusion. Second, when a plasmid is linearized within an inverted repeat, such that its ends could undergo head-to-tail homologous pairing, it is repaired by intramolecular head-to-tail joining. Last, in the joining of homologous linearized plasmids of different length, a shorter molecule can acquire a longer plasmid end by homologous recombination. The formation of inverted dimer plasmids may be related to some forms of chromosomal rearrangement. These might include the fusion of broken sister chromatids in the bridge-breakage-fusion cycle and the head-to-head duplication of genomic DNA at the sites of gene amplifications.     

Plasmids for recombination-based screening.

To facilitate recombination-based screening, we constructed the ColE1-based plasmid, pi G4, that confers chloramphenicol resistance, contains a polylinker with multiple unique restriction enzyme recognition sequences, and contains the genetic marker, supF. To facilitate recombination-based screening followed by rapid DNA sequencing, we inserted the selectable marker, supF, into each of 20 high-copy-number (hcn) pUC-derived NoC plasmids that were designed for multiplex DNA sequencing. To facilitate recombination-based screening of common cDNA libraries that often contain ColE1 sequences, we constructed a supF-carrying plasmid whose replication was driven from an R6K replicon that does not share sequence homology with ColE1. Furthermore, we incorporated a useful polylinker and increased the copy number of this plasmid to create the 4.4-kb hcn plasmid, pMAD1. Thus, these plasmids allow: (1) background-free transformation of cells by a supF plasmid carrying an antibiotic-resistance marker; (2) simultaneous performance of the recombination-based assay and DNA sequencing; and (3) screening bacteriophage cDNA libraries that contain ColE1 sequences by recombination with a supF plasmid that is not homologous to ColE1 derivatives.     

Characterization of a centromere-linked recombination hot spot in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

A 1.5-kilobase-pair SalI-HindIII (SH) restriction fragment from the region of Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome XIV immediately adjacent to the centromere appears to contain sequences that act as a hot spot for mitotic recombination. The presence of SH DNA on an autonomously replicating plasmid stimulates homologous genetic exchange between yeast genomic sequences and those present on the plasmid. In all recombinants characterized, exchange occurs in plasmid yeast sequences adjacent to rather than within the SH DNA. Hybridization analyses reveal that SH-containing plasmids are present in linear as well as circular form in S. cerevisiae and that linear forms are generated by cleavage at specific sites. Presumably, it is the linear form of the plasmid that is responsible for the stimulation of genetic exchange. Based on these observations, it is proposed that this DNA fragment contains a centromere-linked recombination hot spot and that SH-stimulated recombination occurs via a mechanism similar to double-strand-gap repair (J. W. Szostak, T. Orr-Weaver, J. Rothstein, and F. Stahl, Cell 33:25-35 1983).     

Toxic effects of excess cloned centromeres.

Plasmids carrying a Saccharomyces cerevisiae centromere have a copy number of one or two, whereas other yeast plasmids have high copy numbers. The number of CEN plasmids per yeast cell was made artificially high by transforming cells simultaneously with several different CEN plasmids carrying different, independently selectable markers. Some host cells carried five different CEN plasmids and an average total of 13 extra copies of CEN3. Several effects were noted. The copy number of each plasmid was unexpectedly high. The plasmids were mutually unstable. Cultures contained many dead cells. The viable host cells grew more slowly than control cells, even in nonselective medium. There was a pause in the cell cycle at or just before mitosis. We conclude that an excess of centromeres is toxic and that the copy number of centromere plasmids is low partly because of selection against cells carrying multiple centromere plasmids. The toxicity may be caused by competition between the centromeres for some factor present in limiting quantities, e.g., centromere-binding proteins, microtubules, or space on the spindle pole body.     

Direct Cloning of Yeast Genes from an Ordered Set of Lambda Clones in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae by Recombination in Vivo

We describe a technique that facilitates the isolation of yeast genes that are difficult to clone. This technique utilizes a plasmid vector that rescues lambda clones as yeast centromere plasmids. The source of these lambda clones is a set of clones whose location in the yeast genome has been determined by L. Riles et al. in 1993. The Esherichia coli-yeast shuttle plasmid carries URA3, ARS4 and CEN6, and contains DNA fragments from the lambda vector that flank the cloned yeast insert. When yeast is cotransformed with linearized plasmid and lambda clone DNA, Ura(+) transformants are obtained by a recombination event between the lambda clone and the plasmid vector that generates an autonomously replicating plasmid containing the cloned yeast DNA sequences. Genes whose genetic map positions are known can easily be identified and recovered in this plasmid by testing only those lambda clones that map to the relevant region of the yeast genome for their ability to complement the mutant phenotype. This technique facilitates the isolation of yeast genes that resist cloning either because (1) they are underrepresented in yeast genomic libraries amplified in E. coli, (2) they provide phenotypes that are too marginal to allow selection of the gene by genetic complementation or (3) they provide phenotypes that are laborious to score. We demonstrate the utility of this technique by isolating three genes, GAL83, SSN2 and MAK7, each of which presents one of these problems for cloning.     

Isolation and subcloning analysis of functional centromere DNA (CEN11) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome XI.

We have cloned segments of yeast DNA containing the centromere XI-linked MET14 gene. This was done by selecting directly in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for complementation of a met14 mutation after transformation with a hybrid plasmid DNA genomic library. Genetic evidence indicates that functional centromere DNA (CEN11) from chromosome XI is also contained on the segment of S. cerevisiae DNA cloned in pYe(MET14)2. This plasmid is maintained stably in budding S. cerevisiae cultures and segregates predominantly 2+:20- through meiosis. The CEN11 element has been subcloned in vector YRp7' on an S. cerevisiae DNA fragment 900 base pairs in length [pYe(CEN11)10]. The mitotic and meiotic behavior of plasmids containing CEN11 plus a DNA replicator (ars) indicates that the centromere DNA sequences enable these plasmids to function as true minichromosomes in S. cerevisiae.