嗜麦芽假单胞菌热休克基因dnaK启动子的亚克隆及其在大肠杆菌中功能的研究

通过聚合酶链式反应（PCR）得到了嗜麦芽假单胞菌（Pseudomonas maltophilia)热休克基因dnaK启动子的DNA片段dnaKp,将dnaKp的PCR的产物亚克隆在报道载体质粒pUCD615的LuxCDABE基因上游,成重组的具有启动子的质粒融合体pUCD615p。转化到大肠杆菌的pUCD615p启动子对热、有机化合物和重金属的诱导响应快速灵敏,表现出强的启动子功能,能启动LuxCDABE基因表达,使荧光酶活性提高。借助荧光敏活性的变化,可检测系统中一些有机物和重金属的存在,作为一种灵敏的环境污染生物检测工具。     

慢生根瘤菌属结瘤基因的进化及遗传分析

根瘤菌中存在一系列控制固氮结瘤因子(lipo-chito-oligosaccharides)合成的结瘤基因(nodulation genes)。其中, nodA基因是合成结瘤因子所必需的, 该基因负责酰基转移酶的合成, 能将不饱和脂肪酸转移到结瘤因子寡聚糖骨架上; 基因nodZ, nolL和noeI为宿主专一性结瘤基因, 分别转录合成岩藻糖基转移酶, 岩藻糖乙酰化酶和岩藻糖甲基化酶。通过GenBank调取慢生根瘤菌属及其他根瘤菌属的结瘤基因nodA, nodZ, nolL和noeI, 构建系统发育树, 进行进化和遗传分析。结果表明, 慢生根瘤菌属各个菌株的nodA, nodZ, nolL和noeI具有很高的相关性, 但是与根据保守基因16S rDNA和dnaK分类情况不完全相符。这表明慢生根瘤菌属的结瘤基因主要是通过直系遗传的, 同时可能为适应宿主及环境条件, 结瘤基因有少量的平行转移。结果表明, 慢生根瘤菌属各个菌株的nodA, nodZ, nolL和noeI具有很高的同源性, 同时发现基于保守基因16S rDNA和dnaK对慢生根瘤菌的分类情况与慢生根瘤菌属各菌株在nodA, nodZ, nolL和noeI具有较高同源性的事实不完全相符。这表明慢生根瘤菌属的结瘤基因主要是通过直系遗传的, 同时可能为适应宿主及环境条件, 结瘤基因有少量的平行转移。     

The variable part of the dnaK gene as an alternative marker for phylogenetic studies of rhizobia and related alpha Proteobacteria

DnaK is the 70 kDa chaperone that prevents protein aggregation and supports the refolding of damaged proteins. Due to sequence conservation and its ubiquity this chaperone has been widely used in phylogenetic studies. In this study, we applied the less conserved part that encodes the so-called alpha-subdomain of the substrate-binding domain of DnaK for phylogenetic analysis of rhizobia and related non-symbiotic alpha-Proteobacteria. A single 330 bp DNA fragment was routinely amplified from DNA templates isolated from the species of the genera, Azorhizobium, Bradyrhizobium, Mesorhizobium, Rhizobium and Sinorhizobium, but also from some non-symbiotic alpha Proteobacteria such as Blastochloris, Chelatobacter and Chelatococcus. Phylogenetic analyses revealed high congruence between dnaK sequences and 16S rDNA trees, but they were not identical. In contrast, the partition homogeneity tests revealed that dnaK sequence data could be combined with other housekeeping genes such as recA, atpD or glnA. The dnaK trees exhibited good resolution in the cases of the genera Mesorhizobium, Sinorhizobium and Rhizobium, even better than usually shown by 16S rDNA phylogeny. The dnaK phylogeny supported the close phylogenetic relationship of Rhizobium galegae and Agrobacterium tumefaciens (R. radiobacter) C58, which together formed a separate branch within the fast-growing rhizobia, albeit closer to the genus Sinorhizobium. The Rhizobium and Sinorhizobium genera carried an insertion composed of two amino acids, which additionally supported the phylogenetic affinity of these two genera, as well as their distinctness from the Mesorhizobium genus. Consistently with the phylogeny shown by 16S-23S rDNA intergenic region sequences, the dnaK trees divided the genus Bradyrhizobium into three main lineages, corresponding to B. japonicum, B. elkanii, and photosynthetic Bradyrhizobium strains that infect Aeschynomene plants. Our results suggest that the 330 bp dnaK sequences could be used as an additional taxonomic marker for rhizobia and related species (alternatively to the 16S rRNA gene phylogeny).     

Gene structure and transcriptional regulation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">dnaK</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">dnaJ</Emphasis> genes from a psychrophilic bacterium, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Colwellia maris</Emphasis>

The dnaK and dnaJ genes, encoding heat shock proteins, were cloned from a psychrophilic bacterium, Colwellia maris. Significant homology was evident comparing DnaK and DnaJ of the psychrophilile with the counterparts of mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria. In the DnaJ protein, three conserved regions of the Hsp40 family were observed. A putative promoter similar to the sigma32 consensus sequence was found upstream of the dnaK gene. The G+C content in the 5'-untranslated region of the dnaK gene was much lower than that in the corresponding region of mesophilic bacteria. Northern-blot analysis and primer-extension analysis showed that both genes were transcribed separately as monocistronic mRNAs. Following several temperature upshifts from 10 to 26 degrees C, maximum induction of the dnaK and dnaJ mRNAs was detected at 20 degrees C, suggesting that this temperature induces the heat shock response in this bacterium. In addition, the level of the induction of the dnaJ gene was much lower than that of the dnaK gene. These findings together revealed several specific features of the heat shock response at a relatively low temperature in psychrophiles.