Clearance of false-positive antigen-antibody reactions of a diagnostic antigen produced inEscherichia coli with human sera

Although many pharmaceutically useful proteins are produced inE. coli expression system, it is very rare for the system to be used in the production of diagnostic antigen due to a major problem,i.e., false-positive reaction ofE. coli host-derived proteins contaminating purified diagnostic antigen with human sera. The N (nucleocapsid) protein of Seoul virus causing haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) was produced inE. coli BL21 (DE3), and used for the detection of N protein-specific antibodies in human sera. Using the N protein as a diagnostic antigen of HFRS, the false-positive reaction was cleared by merely mixing the test sera with the extract ofE. coli host strain not harboring expression plasmid.     

Site-specific mutagenesis of the Ti plasmid by transformation of Agrobacterium tumefaciens with mutagenized T-DNA fragments cloned in E. coli plasmids

Summary A DNA fragment covering the complete T-region of the Ti plasmid from Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain C58 was cloned in the Escherichia coli cosmid pHC79. This fragment was mutagenized by insertion of transposon Tn5. The isolated DNA from hybrid plasmids was used to transform cells of A. tumefaciens strain C58 applying the freeze-thaw method. Although the E. coli plasmids with the mutagenized Ti plasmid fragment cannot replicate in these cells, they can be rescued by recombination with the homologous region of the Ti plasmid. The cointegrates formed were resolved in a second recobination event, which was detected by loss of the drug resistance marker of the E. coli plasmid. Subcloning of the Ti plasmid fragments labeled with Tn5 showed that the frequency of rescue of the hybrid plasmid as a cointegrate and its segregation in agrobacteria depend on the degree of homology with the Ti plasmid. We also applied the strategy for site-directed Tn5 mutagenesis to insert specifically the replication origin of bacteriophage fd and the thymidine kinase gene from Herpes virus into the T-DNA of Ti plasmid-C58.     

Highly efficient production of enzymes of an extreme thermophile, Thermus thermophilus: A practical method to overexpress GC-rich genes in Escherichia coli

The GC-rich leuB gene (coding for 3-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase) of Thermus thermophilus is scarcely expressed in Escherichia coli, unless a leader open reading frame (ORF) is provided. We conducted experiments on nonexpressible plasmids and obtained a modified plasmid showing greatly enhanced expression: the degree of expression from the plasmid was higher than that from any other plasmid so far constructed. Sequence analysis of the plasmid showed that a 258-bp leader ORF overlapped with the initiation codon of leuB was newly formed as a consequence of the insertion of a 0.5-kb BamHI fragment derived from the E. coli chromosome. The degree of expression from the plasmid was further improved by shortening the leader ORF to 36 bp without changing the overlapping portion, and the flanking sequence between the promoter and the leader ORF was removed. The expression in E. coli of the pfk1 gene (coding for phosphofructokinase) of T. thermophilus was improved by the construction of a structure similar to that which enhanced the expression of the leuB gene. Based on the results, a practical method for the overexpression of GC-rich genes in E. coli is proposed. Received: November 26, 1996 / Accepted: May 17, 1997     

A general method for the construction of Escherichia coli mutants by homologous recombination and plasmid segregation

Summary A technique is presented by which mutations can be introduced into the Escherichia coli chromosome by gene replacement between the chromosome and a plasmid carrying the mutant gene. The segregational instability of plasmids in E. coli is used with high efficiency to isolate E. coli mutants. The method should be applicable to construction of mutants for any E. coli chromosomal gene provided it is dispensable, and for any E. coli strain provided it is capable of homologous recombination. The use of the method was demonstrated by constructing E. coli mutants for the glycogen branching enzyme gene (glgB) and the -galactosidase gene (lacZ). The results show that recombination occurs via a reciprocal mechanism indicating that the method should, in a slightly modified form, also be useful in transferring chromosomal mutations onto multicopy plasmids in vivo.     

Transfer of the Gene Encoding the NapA Acid Phosphatase of Morganella morganii to a Burkholderia cepacia Strain

A composite plasmid was constructed using the broad‐host‐range vector pRK293 and the plasmid pPM9, the latter one harbouring a gene encoding the Nap A acid phosphatase from M. morganii. The recombinant construction was transformed and expressed in E. coli MC1061. Transformant clones were selected and characterized, showing that the relative orientation of both original plasmids with respect to each other affected the expression of the gene, with one of the plasmids (pT4) expressing significantly lower values of activity than the opposite orientation construction (pT5). Zymograms developed to detect acid phosphatase activity also corroborated the gene expression in the E. coli host. The genetic constructions (pT4 and pT5) were transferred to B. cepacia IS‐16 by conjugation. The same effect of the original plasmid orientation in the construction was corroborated in the B. cepacia IS‐16 strain. Compared with the strain lacking the recombinant plasmid, no signifi‐cant improvement of cell‐bound enzymatic activity was achieved by the exconjugant harbouring pT5. However, a significant increase in the extracellular enzyme activity was detected in the recombinant strains. Nometabolic load due to the presence of the recombinant plasmid was detected in both E. coli and Burkholderia hosts.     

Transformation of Zymomonas mobilis by a hybrid plasmid

The transformation of Zymomonas mobilis by plasmid DNA was achieved using a modification of the CaCl₂ method for Escherichia coli. The highest frequency of transformation obtained was 5 × 10³ transformants/μg DNA. The success of the method depended upon the use of a plasmid which is a cointegrate between a Z. mobilis cryptic plasmid and an E. coli plasmid carrying two selectable drug resistance markers.     

Development of a multifunctional and efficient conjugal plasmid for use in Streptomyces spp

A plasmid, pGB112, has recently been developed to transfer DNA from Escherichia coli to Streptomyces spp via conjugation. This technique made use of (A) E. coli replicon, (B) ampicillin (amp) resistance gene for selection in E. coli and thiostrepton (tsr) resistance gene for selection in Streptomyces, (C) a fragment of SCP2* replicon, (D) a 2.6 kb fragment of tra-cassette which consists of pIJ101 transfer gene (tra) and two ermE promoters, (E) a 0.8 kb fragment of oriT of (IncP) RK2. The results showed that this plasmid was able to transfer plasmid DNA from E. coli to Streptomyces coelicolor via conjugation, and that it could also transfer DNA between Streptomyces strains. Since this plasmid has both pBR322 and SCP2* replicons, it may provide a novel and useful method for genetic operation in E. coli and Streptomyces.An erratum to this article can be found at     

Expression of foreign antigens on the surface ofEscherichia coli by fusion to the outer membrane protein TraT

ThetraT gene is one of the F factor transfer genes and encodes an outer membrane protein which is involved in interactions between anEscherichia coli and its surroundings. This protein was altered so as to permit the expression of foreign proteins on the outer membrane ofE. coli in this study. A 729-bp DNA fragment, including the leader and entire structural gene sequence oftraT, was amplified and obtained by PCR. This sequence was then subcloned downstream of thetac promoter of pDR540, resulting in a TraT expression vector, pT2. Here, we report that the expression of TraT protein, fused either with a partial pre-S antigen of hepatitis B virus (60 and 98 amino acids, respectively) or with the snake venom rhodostomin (72 amino acids), was successfully achieved on the outer membrane ofE. coli, using the pT2 plasmid. This result was demonstrated using dot blot and immunofluorescence analysis. This finding supports the notion that the pT2 plasmid can be used as anE. coli display system. This system can detect a foreign peptide of about 100 amino acid residues in length on the bacterial surface.     

Establishment of a novel sensitive method for detecting methylation modification on DNA of escherichia coli cell

This study focused on finding a novel sensitive method to determine the methylation modification at DNA dam (GATC) sites in Escherichia coli. A new plasmid which contained three GATC sites recognized by restriction enzyme BclI and one GAATTC site recognized by EcoRI was transformed into E. coli stains AB1157(dam ⁺) and GM2929(dam ⁻) respectively. Then the plasmid DNA was digested by restriction enzyme BclI(T*GATCA), which was sensitive to methylation. The results showed that the plasmid derived from AB1157 was not digested while that from GM2929 was, for the methylation level of the former was high while the latter was low. So by detecting the methylation of plasmid transferred into the strain, we could determine whether methylaion existed at DNA dam (GATC) site in E. coli. This method was effective and rapid; moreover, the digested fragments were not dispersive. It also made a basis for the detection of whether methylation occurred in mode beings by low-energy ion beam. The article is published in the original.     

Time-course determination of plasmid content in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells using Real-Time PCR

A Real-Time PCR method was developed to monitor the plasmid copy number (PCN) in Escherichia coli and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. E. coli was transformed with plasmids containing a ColE1 or p15A origin of replication and CHO cells were transfected with a ColE1 derived plasmid used in DNA vaccination and carrying the green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene. The procedure requires neither specific cell lysis nor DNA purification and can be performed in <30 min with dynamic ranges covering 0.9 pg–55 ng, and 5.0 pg–2.5 ng of plasmid DNA (pDNA) for E. coli and CHO cells, respectively. Analysis of PCN in E. coli batch cultures revealed that the maximum copy number per cell is attained in mid-exponential phase and that this number decreases on average 80% towards the end of cultivation for both types of plasmids. The plasmid content of CHO cells determined 24 h post-transfection was around 3 × 10⁴ copies per cell although only 37% of the cells expressed GFP one day after transfection. The half-life of pDNA was 20 h and around 100 copies/cell were still detected 6 days after transfection.     

Detection of nonsense and frameshift mutations in <Emphasis Type="Italic">BRCA1</Emphasis> gene using a new plasmid vector pPhoA-frame

The technique for detecting frameshift and nonsense mutations in the human BRCA1 gene has been suggested. The technique presumes the construction of recombinant plasmids where the tested DNA fragment is placed in frame with alkaline phosphatase gene of Escherichia coli (phoA). A special plasmid pPhoA-frame was constructed for this analysis, and the plasmid contained the DNA fragment that encodes alkaline phosphatase of E. coli. The synthetic DNA fragment with BglII, StuI, ApaI and SacII sites was inserted into the DNA fragment that encodes alkaline phosphatase of E. coli between Ala218 and Gly219 codons to facilitate the cloning of BRCA1 gene fragments. The occurrence of the frameshift or nonsense mutation in the tested DNA fragment can be detected after the transformation of E. coli by the recombinant plasmid that contains the tested fragment. E. coli colonies with newly constructed recombinant plasmids are plated out on the indicator agar. In the case of the frameshift or nonsense mutation, the colonies are not colored, and DNA fragments without these mutations result in the formation of blue colonies.     

In vivo transfer of the ti-plasmid of Agrobacterium tumefaciens to Escherichia coli.

Summary The Ti-plasmids are naturally self-transmissible from their normal host Agrobacterium to E. coli. They are however unable to stably establish themselves as a replicon in E. coli. It is nevertheless possible to study the Ti-plasmids in E. coli with the help of Ti::RP4 cointegrate plasmids that transfer and maintain themselves very efficiently in E. coli. An E. coli harbouring such a Ti::RP4 plasmid is unable to catabolize octopine and unable to induce crowngall tumours on plants.This work was supported by grants from the Kankerfonds van de A.S.L.K. and from the Fonds voor Kollektief Fundamenteel Onderzoek (n⁰ 10.316) to J.S. and M.V.M.     

Rescue of transfected genes from mammalian cells by functional selection in Escherichia coli

Summary We have established procedures for reisolating a transfected gene from mammalian cells by selection in Escherichia coli for the function of the gene product using the Herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene as a model. Rescue of the gene is accomplished by three different methods. The tk gene is recloned into a plasmid in which it is hooked up by either the lac promoter or a lac/tk hybrid promoter, or the original plasmid is cut out of the host cell DNA.As the lac/tk hybrid gene can be expressed and selected both in the mammalian and E. coli cells, this type of gene rescue allows investigations on mutagenesis and methylation processes. Additionally, it offers a simple way of studying the integration of the transfected gene into the mammalian genome.Abbreviations Ap ampicillin - FU fluorouracil - HSV Herpes simplex virus     

Stabilization of a miniderivative of the broad-host-range IncW plasmid pSa by insertion of plasmid R1parB region

The plasmid vector pEM100 (13.5 kb) constructed from pGV1106, a miniderivative of the broad-host-range IncW pSa plasmid, and the pAM330 plasmid ofBrevibacterium lactofermentum is not stably maintained inEscherichia coli host cells under nonselective growth conditions. By insertion of a 0.9 kb DNA fragment containing theparB locus (responsible for the maintenance of plasmid R1 inE. coli cells) to plasmid pEM100, plasmid pEM110 was prepared which is maintained in a population ofE. coli cells growing without a selection pressure very stably. Translated by Č. Novotny     

Construction of a Shuttle Vector for Use between Pasteurella multocida and Escherichia coli

The isolation of a small plasmid from Pasteurella multocida has enabled to construction of a shuttle vector for use between P. multocida and Escherichia coli. The vector pBAC64 contains the origin of replication from P. multocida, an antibiotic resistance gene which functions in P. multocida, and the E. coli vector pUC18. The presence of the pUC18 multiple cloning site together with the lacZ′ gene provides a screening method and allows cloning and manipulation in E. coli as well as cloning in P. multocida.     

Electrotransformation ofClostridium thermosaccharolyticum

Transformation of the thermophileClostridium thermosaccharolyticum ATCC 31960 was achieved using plasmid pCTC1 and electroporation. Evidence supporting transformation was provided by Southern blots, detection of the plasmid in 10 out of 10 erythromycin-resistant clones, retransformation ofE. coli andC. thermosaccharolyticum with plasmid DNA isolated fromC. thermosaccharolyticum, and a proportional relationship between the number of transformants and the amount of DNA added. Transformation efficiencies were very low for plasmid DNA prepared fromE. coli (0.6 transformants mg^–1 DNA), although somewhat higher for plasmid DNA prepared fromC. thermosaccharolyticum (52 transformants mg^–1 DNA). Transformation-dependent erythromycin resistance indicates that an adenosine methylase gene originating fromEnterococcus faecalis, a mesophile, is expressed inC. thermosaccharolyticum. The plasmid pCTC1 appears to be replicated independently of the chromosome, as indicated by visualization of recovered plasmid on gels, and retransformation using recovered plasmid. pCTC1 is maintained inC. thermosaccharolyticum at both 45 and 60°C. Restriction analysis showed little or no rearrangement occurred upon passage through the thermophile.     

High efficiency transduction of single strand plasmid DNA into enteric bacteria

Summary This report demonstrates high efficiency transduction of enteric bacteria using single strand plasmids packaged in M13 phage capsids. Transformation by plasmid DNA is usually a very inefficient process in many enteric bacteria other than Escherichia coli K12. Plasmids carrying an M13 origin of replication can be replicated and packaged when cells carrying such plasmids are infected with M13 or a derivative helper phage. By introducing an F plasmid into E. coli, Serratia marcescens, Citrobacter freundii, and Enterobacter aerogenes, these species can now be infected at high efficiency with M13 phage and with packaged single strand plasmids, yielding an efficient method to introduce cloned DNA fragments into these bacteria. The titer of colony forming units in a lysate was essentially equivalent in all the bacteria, demonstrating an equal efficiency of transduction of these other enteric bacteria compared to E. coli.     

Cloning and Expression in Escherichia Coli of a Gene Encoding Superoxide Dismutase from Listeria Ivanovii

A chromosomal DNA fragment from the gram-positive bacterium Listeria ivanovii (ATCC 19119) encoding a superoxide dismutase (SOD) gene has been cloned in Escherichia coli QC779 (sodAsodB) using the plasmid vector pTZ19R. The DNA fragment inserted into the plasmid showed-high structural instability in E. coli QC779 (recA⁺). but turned out to be a stable 1.95 kbp DNA fragment when transformed into E. coli DHSa (recA-). The gene is expressed in both of these E. coli strains at high levels. Preliminary studies showed that the activity of the recombinant SOD within E. coli DHSα was up to 13-times the combined activity of both E. coli SODs. The recombinant SOD forms active hybrid SODS with both E. coli SODs in vivo.     

Chestnut bur-shaped aggregates of chrysotile particles enable inoculation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> cells with plasmid DNA

In the present study, Escherichia coli cells exhibited antibiotic resistance after transformation with exogenous plasmid DNA adsorbed onto chrysotile particles during agar-exposure. We previously demonstrated penetration of E. coli by chrysotile particles during agar-exposure. To further investigate the mechanism by which transformation of E. coli is achieved through the use of chrysotile fibers, the interaction between E. coli cells and chrysotile was examined during agar-exposure. Dispersion of chrysotile particles within the chrysotile solution was analyzed by flow cytometry. A suspension containing E. coli cells expressing blue fluorescence protein and chrysotile particles was exposed to agar using stirring apparatus, which allowed a constant vertical reaction force to be applied to the surface of the gel. Fluorescence microscopy was then used to illustrate the adsorption of fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated DNA oligomers to chrysotile. Larger aggregates were observed when increasing concentrations of chrysotile were added to the solution. With prolonged exposure, during which surface moisture diffused into the agar gel, greater concentrations of chrysotile were observed on the agar surface. In addition, chrysotile aggregates exceeding 50 m developed on the agar surface. They were shaped like a chestnut bur. The chrysotile aggregates penetrated the cell membranes of adherent E. coli cells during agar-exposure due to sliding friction forces generated at the interface of the agar and the stirring stick. E. coli cells thus acquired plasmid DNA and antibiotic resistance, since the plasmid DNA had been adsorbed onto the chrysotile particles. The inoculation of plasmid DNA into E. coli cells demonstrates the usefulness of chrysotile for E. coli transformation.     

Tetracycline-resistance inEscherichia coli; a genetic contribution

A non-transmissible tetracycline-resistance plasmid inE. coli was found to be transmissible by transduction and by conjugation with the aid of theE. coli K12 sex-factor. Transfer of the tetracycline-resistance plasmid (R-tet) by transduction or conjugation to anE. coli K12 Hfr strain revealed that the plasmid was incompatible with the integrated F-factor. Selection for tetracycline-resistance after conjugation or transduction yielded Hfr colonies which carried the tetracycline-resistance determinant as a chromosomal marker. The tetracycline-resistance determinant was integrated at the 1 min region of theE. coli chromosome map (Taylor and Trotter, 1967) between the markersara andleu. Apart from Hfr colonies with a chromosomal tetracycline-resistance determinant, F-gal⁺-mediated transfer of R-tet to strain Hfr R4 gave some colonies in which the tetracycline-resistance determinant was carried on a fused plasmid that, besides the resistance determinant, contained thegal ⁺ marker of the original F-gal ⁺. This fused plasmid is transmissible and confers to an F⁻ cell male-specific phage-sensitivity, like an F-factor does. It is suggested that this fused plasmid, which is compatible with the integrated F-factor in the Hfr R4 cells, arose by recombination between F-gal ⁺ and R-tet.