Plasmid stability in budding yeast populations: Steady-state growth with selection pressure

Plasmid gene product accumulation in a cell population depends on the fraction of plasmid-containing cells and the distribution of single-cell plasmid content. These important population properties have been related to plasmid replication regulation and kinetics and to plasmid segregation rules at the single-cell level using population balance mathematical models. Budding yeast populations are considered in detail because of the practical potential of yeast host-vector systems and because of the model complications introduced by the asymmetric division pattern observed for Saccharomyces cerevisiae at all but the largest growth rates. Solutions are presented for several different reasonable models of plasmid replication and segregation. The results offer potential for identification of important qualitative features of yeast plasmid replication and of model parameter values from average and segregated experimental data on yeast populations.     

High-cell-density fermentation studies of a recombinantE. coli that expresses atrial natriuretic factor

Summary Studies are presented on the fermentation of recombinantEscherichia coli that express rat atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) as a fusion protein. Our objective was to achieve high cell density while maintaining ANF expression at the same level as observed in shake flasks. Improved fermentation conditions included: maintaining glucose concentrations at 1 g/l, using an enriched medium, adding concentrates of medium throughout the fermentation, and blending oxygen for adequate aeration. Cell densities of 12 g/l (dry weight) were achieved, which represented a 10-fold increase over non-improved conditions, while maintaining ANF levels at 7 mg/g of dry cell mass. When galactose was used as an initial carbon source or as a feed supplement, there was a 2-3-fold increase in the expression of ANF from these high-cell-density fermentations. The recombinant ANF was biologically active.     

Isolation of the cDNA for human prostaglandin H synthase

Prostaglandin H Synthase (PGHS, cyclooxygenase) is a 67 kd protein which catalyzes the first step in prostaglandin synthesis. The primary amino acid sequence and the molecular mechanisms regulating expression are unknown. We report here isolation of a cDNA clone for the enzyme from human vascular endothelial cells for use in such studies. High titre, polyclonal antiserum against PGHS was developed in rabbits. The antiserum was monospecific, reacted with cyclooxygenase on Western blots at a limiting dilution of 1:500,000 and immunoprecipitated cyclooxygenase synthesized by in vitro translation of PGHS messenger RNA. It was used to screen a lambda gt11 cDNA expression library from human endothelial cells. Three positive clones were isolated. Following plaque purification, one clone reacted strongly with two other polyclonal antisera independently raised against highly purified cyclooxygenase and the aspirin-acetylated enzyme. Western blot analysis confirmed production of a large approximately 180 kd fusion protein of cyclooxygenase and beta-galactosidase. The cDNA insert of approximately 2.2 kilo base pairs was excised and subcloned into plasmid pUC8. A 24 nucleotide DNA probe, synthesized according to the amino acid sequence of the aspirin-acetylation site of cyclooxygenase, hybridized strongly with the 2.2 kbp cDNA insert. It is concluded that the 2.2 kbp cDNA insert represents a cDNA clone for human cyclooxygenase, which also expresses the aspirin-acetylation site. This is the first reported isolation of the cDNA for this enzyme, and will facilitate further studies on the primary sequence and on the regulation of the enzyme at the molecular level.     

Immobilization of glucoamylase and glucose oxidase in activated carbon: effects of particle size and immobilization conditions on enzyme activity and effectiveness

Glucoamylase and glucose oxidase have been immobilized on carbodiimide-treated activated carbon particles of various sizes. Loading data indicate nonuniform distribution of immobilized enzyme within the porous support particles. Catalysts with different enzyme loading and overall activities have been prepared by varying enzyme concentration in the immobilizing solution. Analysis of these results by a new method based entirely upon experimentally observable catalyst properties indicates that intrinsic catalytic activity is reduced by immobilization of both enzymes. Immobilized glucoamylase intrinsic activity decreases with increasing enzyme loading, and similar behavior is suggested by immobilized glucose oxidase data analysis. The overall activity data interpretation method should prove useful in other immobilized enzyme characterization research, especially in situations where the intraparticle distribution of immobilized enzyme is nonuniform and unknown.     

The effect of soil water status on critical phosphorus concentrations inStylosanthes hamata cv. Verano

Summary The effect of soil water status on the critical phosphorus concentration (CPC) determined in apices and whole tops ofStylosanthes hamata cv. Verano was investigated in a glasshouse trial. The species was grown with six rates of P and three ranges of soil water potential and was harvested at 10 and 14 weeks after germination. The CPC of both whole tops and apices decliced between the two harvests. At the first harvest the CPC of both whole tops and apices increased as the soil water potential decreased but at the second harvest there was no effect of soil water potential on CPC. It is suggested that at the earlier harvest water stress was delaying physiological development, resulting in a CPC characteristic of chronologically younger tissue, but that by the second harvest the decline in CPC with age had ceased for all water treatments.     

Effect of mouse genotype on interferon production. I. Lines congenic at theIf-1 locus

The level of circulating Interferon induced in mice by Newcastle disease virus is controlled by a single codominant locus,If-1, with two alleles,If-1 ^l for low andIf-1 ^h for high production. This locus is linked to the histocompatibility locusH-28. Of three C57BL/6By lines congenic for the BALB/cBy allele atH-28, two are carrying the BALB/cBy allele and one, the C57BL/6By allele atIf-1. Thus, mouse strains that are genetically very similar but different in their production of NDV-induced circulating Interferon now are available.A preliminary report of these studies was presented at the ASM meeting at Miami Beach in May 1973.