Pleiotropic mutations in Serratia marcescens which increase the synthesis of certain exocellular proteins and the rate of spontaneous prophage induction

Summary Mutants of S. marcescens HY have been isolated which produce between five and one hundred times more exocellular nuclease than does the parental strain. These nuclease-superactive (nuc ^su) mutants are highly pleiotropic: they produce more exocellular marcescin A and lipase than the wild-type and their ability to inactivate penicillin G is increased. Furthermore, all nuclease-superactive mutants if lysogenic for the heteroimmune phages Kappa and/or y show spontaneous induction rates for both prophages 10 to 200 fold greater than the corresponding wild-type. Nuc ^su mutants of independent origin synthesize nuclease and marcescin A in approximately proportional amounts although the corresponding structural genes do not seem to be part of a single operon because some bacteriocin-superactive mutants were isolated which showed an increase of the synthesis of marcescin A only. Nuclease-defective (nuc) mutants are all of the non-pleiotropic type. Three hypotheses to explain the effects of the nuc ^su mutation at the molecular level are discussed and some evidence in support of one of these hypotheses (gene-dosage effect) is presented in an accompanying paper (Timmis and Winkler, 1973).     

A method for the enrichment of auxotrophic mutants of Serratia marcescens with the antibiotic azthreonam

A new method for the enrichment of cultures of Serratia marcescens for auxotrophic mutants has been developed. The method is based on the formation of filaments by growing cells in minimal medium M70 containing azthreonam. Auxotrophic mutants unable to grow in M70 do not form filaments. Mutants are collected from the culture by filtration.     

Regulation of carbamylphosphate synthesis in Serratia marcescens.

Serratia marcescens HY possessed a single carbamylphosphate synthase (CPSase) which was subject to cumulative repression by arginine and a pyrimidine. CPSase did not appear to be a part of a multifunctional enzyme complex as is the case for other enzymes of pyrimidine biosynthesis in this organism. CPSase was purified to homogeneity. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 167,000 by sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation. The double-reciprocal plot for magnesium adenosine triphosphate was linear, yielding a Km value of 2.5 mM. The enzyme utilized either glutamine (Km, 0.1 mM) or NH3 (Km, 10.5 mM) as a nitrogen donor in the reaction. CPSase activity was subject to activation by ornithine and feedback inhibition by uridine monophosphate, as is the case for other enteric bacteria. Carbamate kinase activity, detected in crude extracts of S. marcescens, was shown to be due to a constitutive acetate kinase. The absence of carbamate kinase from S. marcescens HY is consistent with the inability of this organism to utilize arginine as a source of energy under anaerobic conditions.     

Isolation of pigmented and nonpigmented mutants of Serratia marcescens with reduced cell surface hydrophobicity

Enrichment for nonhydrophobic mutants of Serratia marcescens yielded two types: (i) a nonpigmented mutant which exhibited partial hydrophobic characteristics compared with the wild type, as determined by adherence to hexadecane and polystyrene; and (ii) a pigmented, nonhydrophobic mutant whose colonies were translucent with respect to those of the wild type. The data suggest that the pronounced cell surface hydrophobicity of the wild type is mediated by a combination of several surface factors.     

Comparative studies of chitinases A, B and C from Serratia marcescens

Serratia marcescens produces three chitinases, ChiA, ChiB and ChiC which together enable the bacterium to efficiently degrade the insoluble chitin polymer. We present an overview of the structural properties of these enzymes, as well as an analysis of their activities towards artificial chromogenic chito-oligosaccharide-based substrates, chito-oligosaccharides, chitin and chitosan. We also present comparative inhibition data for the pseudotrisaccharide allosamidin (an analogue of the reaction intermediate) and the cyclic pentapeptide argadin. The results show that the enzymes differ in terms of their subsite architecture and their efficiency towards chitinous substrates. The idea that the three chitinases play different roles during chitin degradation was confirmed by the synergistic effects that were observed for certain combinations of the enzymes. Studies of the degradation of the soluble heteropolymer chitosan provided insight into processivity. Taken together, the available data for Serratia chitinases show that the chitinolytic machinery of this bacterium consists of two processive exo-enzymes that degrade the chitin chains in opposite directions (ChiA and ChiB) and a non-processive endo-enzyme, ChiC.     

Prodigiosin synthesis in mutants of Serratia marcesens

Morrison, D. A. (Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass.). Prodigiosin synthesis in mutants of Serratia marcescens. J. Bacteriol. 91:1509-1604. 1966.-Exchange of biosynthetic intermediates through the culture medium was used to characterize several hundred new color mutants of Serratia marcescens. The general scheme of prodigiosin synthesis as a bifurcated pathway, in which monopyrrole and bipyrrole precursors are synthesized separately and then coupled to form pigment, was confirmed and extended. Mutants of one new class excreted a product likely to be a new intermediate in monopyrrole synthesis, those of a second excreted a new product in the bipyrrole pathway, and those of a third were blocked at early steps in both pathways. Two novel classes of mutants were isolated, in each of which a lack of some product present in Serratia and Escherichia cultures resulted in loss of all steps in prodigiosin biosynthesis.     

Comparative studies of chitinases A,B and C from Serratia marcescens

Serratia marcescens produces three chitinases, ChiA, ChiB and ChiC which together enable the bacterium to efficiently degrade the insoluble chitin polymer. We present an overview of the structural properties of these enzymes, as well as an analysis of their activities towards artificial chromogenic chito-oligosaccharide-based substrates, chito-oligosaccharides, chitin and chitosan. We also present comparative inhibition data for the pseudotrisaccharide allosamidin (an analogue of the reaction intermediate) and the cyclic pentapeptide argadin. The results show that the enzymes differ in terms of their subsite architecture and their efficiency towards chitinous substrates. The idea that the three chitinases play different roles during chitin degradation was confirmed by the synergistic effects that were observed for certain combinations of the enzymes. Studies of the degradation of the soluble heteropolymer chitosan provided insight into processivity. Taken together, the available data for Serratia chitinases show that the chitinolytic machinery of this bacterium consists of two processive exo-enzymes that degrade the chitin chains in opposite directions (ChiA and ChiB) and a non-processive endo-enzyme, ChiC.     

A protein associated with prodigiosin formation in Serratia marcescens

A protein associated to prodigiosin formation was found in Serratia marcescens. The protein was not found in nonpigmented strains and was correlated with the pigment level. The protein was about 100 kilodaltons (kDa) and was also found in nonpigmented bacteria of the pigmented strain grown in glucose medium, at high temperature, or under anaerobic condition. The 100 kDa protein was found not in the outer membrane and the periplasm, but in the inner membrane and/or the cytoplasm. The protein was also found singly or dominantly in pigment-protein complexes and pigment-localizing vesicles described in previous reports. These results suggest that the 100 kDa protein is associated with prodigiosin formation.     

Inverse relationship between the flagella formation and prodigiosin synthesis in Serratia marcescens

Treatment by polymyxin B sulfate and ethylenediaminetetraacetate separated a 40 kilodalton (kDa) protein from the nonpigmented Serratia marcescens and even from the nonpigmented bacteria of the pigmented strains, whereas the same treatment separated the 100 kDa protein associated with the pigment formation from the pigmented bacteria. Lysozyme treatment separated the 100 kDa and/or 40 kDa proteins correlated with the pigmented level. The 40 kDa protein was not an outer membrane protein but a flagellin. These results suggest that the flagella formation was inversely related with the pigment formation.     

粘质沙雷氏菌脂肪酶基因的克隆表达和酶学性质的研究

目的:克隆粘质沙雷氏菌脂肪酶基因(lipA)使其在大肠杆菌B121(DE3)中实现高效表达,并对重组酶进行酶学性质研究.方法:以产脂肪酶粘质沙雷氏菌总DNA为模板,PCR扩增脂肪酶基因lipA,构建重组表达载体pET-lipA,并将其导入大肠杆菌进行诱导表达,对表达产物进行SDS-PAGE和酶学性质的测定.结果:经过优化培养条件,脂肪酶活力最高能达到104U/mL.重组脂肪酶的最适反应温度为40～45℃,最适pH为7.0～7.5,在50℃保温1h下仍能保持80%的酶活力,Ca2+、Sr2+、Mn2+和Mg2+对脂肪酶酶活有较强的激活作用,尤其是Ca2+使脂肪酶酶活提高了1倍多,而Ni2+、Fe2+、Fe3+、Cu2+、Zn2+和Al3+对酶活具有较强的抑制作用,尤其是Zn2+和Al3+使酶活力几乎完全丧失.该酶对一些有机溶剂有较好的耐受性,与50%甲醇混合24h,仍能保持84%的酶活力.结论:该脂肪酶具有较好的热稳定性和甲醇耐受力,作为生产生物柴油的催化剂具有很大的应用价值,为基因工程酶法生产生物柴油打下良好的基础.     

粘质沙雷氏菌氯霉素抗性基因的克隆及其性质分析

通过构建粘质沙雷氏菌KMR-3菌株的基因组DNA文库, 克隆到了与该菌的氯霉素抗性相关基因, 并对其部分特性进行了初步研究。结果表明: 克隆到的氯霉素抗性基因所编码的蛋白属于PRK10473蛋白, 由397个氨基酸编码, 与变形斑沙雷氏菌(Serratia proteamaculans 568) Bcr/CflA亚家族药物抗性转运蛋白同源性最高, 达到92%, 并对该基因的调控序列(启动子、终止子、SD序列及转录起始位点) 进行了分析。     

粘质沙雷氏菌氯霉素抗性基因的克隆及其性质分析

通过构建粘质沙雷氏菌KMR-3菌株的基因组DNA文库, 克隆到了与该菌的氯霉素抗性相关基因, 并对其部分特性进行了初步研究。结果表明: 克隆到的氯霉素抗性基因所编码的蛋白属于PRK10473蛋白, 由397个氨基酸编码, 与变形斑沙雷氏菌(Serratia proteamaculans 568) Bcr/CflA亚家族药物抗性转运蛋白同源性最高, 达到92%, 并对该基因的调控序列(启动子、终止子、SD序列及转录起始位点) 进行了分析。     

粘质沙雷氏菌PL-06磷脂酶A1基因大肠杆菌优化表达

以粘质沙雷氏菌PL-06基因组为模板扩增得到磷脂酶A1基因plaA和含有辅助蛋白的磷脂酶A1基因plaB.plaA和plaB基因与pET-28a(+)连接后转入大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)表达,得到基因工程菌AP28和BP28.AP28最佳的诱导表达条件为诱导初始OD600值0.5,IPTG浓度为0.2mmol/L,诱导温度为37℃,诱导时间为4h,优化后磷脂酶A1蛋白表达水平从32％上升至46％,包涵体复性的磷脂酶A1酶活从10.8U/ml上升到12U/ml,相对于BP28工程菌,目的蛋白的表达对宿主细胞毒性小,而且得到的蛋白容易纯化.因此通过优化磷脂酶A1基因plaA的诱导条件,使磷脂酶A1以大量的包涵体形式表达,从而得到较高活性的磷脂酶A1并避免其对宿主细胞的毒性是可行的,而且可以得到大量纯化的磷脂酶A1蛋白,方便下一步的研究.     

Construction and basic characterization of deletion mutants of the genes involved in chitin utilization by Serratia marcescens 2170

In order to elucidate the roles of ChiP, ChiQ, and ChiX in chitin utilization by Serratia marcescens 2170, the construction of single-gene deletion mutants of the chiP, chiQ, and chiX genes was attempted by allelic exchange mutagenesis. ΔchiP formed smaller clearing zones and ΔchiX formed larger ones than wild-type 2170 on an agar plate containing colloidal chitin. ΔchiP grew slowly on the lower concentration of (GlcNAc)_2, and there was essentially no growth on chitin oligosaccharides larger than (GlcNAc)₃. The gene product of chiP was detected in the outer membrane fraction, consistently with the hypothesis that chiP encodes outer membrane chitoporin. Deletion of chiQ decreased and that of chiX increased the growth rates on chitin oligosaccharides. These observations strongly suggest that all three genes are involved in chitin utilization and that the deletion mutants obtained in this study might prove useful tools to clarify the details of the chitin utilization system of this bacterium.     

粘质沙雷氏菌武汉株PLA1基因的克隆和序列

通过鸟枪法构建了粘质沙雷氏菌SerratiamarcescensCW W 90 3菌株的基因组文库。使用LB 卵黄平板 ,从中筛选出 1条含磷酯酶基因的 3 0 10bp的EcoRⅠ片段。通过测序及亚克隆分析 ,发现 1个编码磷酯酶的基因phlA ,长度为 96 3bp ,编码 1个由 32 0个氨基酸组成 ,分子量为 33ku的磷酯酶PHL。PHL的氨基酸序列与多种细菌产生的磷酯酶A1的氨基酸序列有很高的同源性。在 phlA下游发现 1个 75 6bp的ORF phlB ,编码 1条 2 5 1个氨基酸组成的蛋白质 ,分子量为 2 7ku ,将其命名为PHLS ,此基因的功能有待于进一步研究。     

Identification by computer sequence analysis of transcriptional regulator proteins in Dictyostelium discoideum and Serratia marcescens

We have performed computer searches in the database of known protein sequences for proteins similar in sequence to bacteriophage regulatory proteins of known 3-D structure. The searches are more selective than other methods due to the use of a length-dependent threshold in sequence similarity, above which structural homology is implied with high certainty. Two probable DNA binding proteins were identified which are predicted to have a three-dimensional structure very similar to bacteriophage cro and repressor proteins. Approximate three-dimensional model coordinates are available from the authors. Both proteins contain the helix-turn-helix sequence motif typical of a wide class of DNA binding proteins and their function is deduced by analogy to sequence-similar proteins of known function. We predict that the Y.Smal protein in the restriction-modification enzyme gene locus of the enterobacterium serratia marcescens is a regulator of endonuclease expression; and, that the vegetative specific gene VSH7 of the slime mold dictyostelium discoideum codes for a regulator of gene expression specific for the slime mold growth phase before the onset of the developmental program. Point mutations that would have a strong effect on growth regulation phenotype are suggested. The VSH7 protein would be the first eukaryotic representative of the cro/phage repressor class.