Expression and regulation of the lactose transposon Tn951 in Rhizobium spp.

Abstract The expression of β-galactosidase by the lac transposon Tn 951 , in Escherichia coli , was found to be cAMP-dependent. This finding provided the basis for an investigation of the effect of cAMP on Tn 951 lac expression in Rhizobium , with the ultimate aim of using the Tn 951 system as a specific probe for cAMP mediated catabolite repression. When introduced into Rhizobium , Tn 951 directed the synthesis of β-galactosidase, which was inducible by isopropyl-β- d -thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG). Marked quantitative and qualitative differences in β-galactosidase expression were found between R. meliloti and R. japonicum during the growth cycle, with expression being higher in the former. β-Galactosidase levels were, however, unaffected by exogenous cAMP under catabolite repressing conditions.     

Some antigenic properties of cultured cell and bacteroid forms of fast- and slow-growing strains of Lotus rhizobia.

Immunodiffusion cross-reactions of 62 fast- and 76 slow-growing of Lotus rhizobia with antisera to four of the fast-growing and five of the slow-growing strains were studied. No sharing of antigens by both fast- and slow-growing strains was found. Somatic antigens were very strain specific with only eight of the fast-growing and five of the slow-growing strains tested having somatic antigens identical to those of one or more of the strains of the same group used for antisera production. In contrast, internal antigens were shared by all fast-growing strains and with seven exceptions by all slow-growing strains. Antigens of cultured rhizobia, and bacteroids from nodules formed on different legumes by the same strain of Rhizobium, were similar. However, incontrast to cultured cells, bacteroids generally required no pretreatment (heat or ultrasonic disruption) to give a strong somatic antigen reaction in immunodiffusions.     

Fast-Growing Rhizobium japonicum That Effectively Nodulates Several Commercial Glycine max L. Merrill Cultivars

Several isolates of fast-growing Rhizobium japonicum that nodulate the wild soybean Glycine soja have been recently described (Keyser et al., Science 215:1631-1632, 1982). We demonstrate that one of these isolates, designated PRC 440 or USDA 191, has a wider host range than that previously reported and is able to nodulate several commercial Glycine max cultivars as effectively as does slow-growing R. japonicum 61A76. Electron microscopic examination revealed no obvious differences between strain 61A76- and strain USDA 191-induced nodules.     

The effects of osmotic stress on survival and alkaline phosphatase activity of Aeromonas hydrophila

Abstract Lactococcus lactis MG5267 is a plasmid-free strain in which the lactose operon is integrated in the bacterial chromosome. The chromosomal lac G gene which encodes phospho-β-galactosidase was inactivated by a double cross-over integration event. Unexpectedly, the resultant mutant was shown to retain a Lac-positive phenotype. The lysin gene from Listeria monocytogenes bacteriophage LM-4 was subsequently integrated into the chromosome of this strain such that expression of the heterologous gene was mediated by the lactose operon promoter. Expression of the lysin gene was shown to be regulated by growth on lactose. This represents an important strategy for the controlled and stabilised expression of biotechnologically useful genes in L lactis .     

Activation of the lac genes of Tn951 by insertion sequences from Pseudomonas cepacia.

We have identified three transposable gene-activating elements from Pseudomonas cepacia on the basis of their abilities to increase expression of the lac genes of the broad-host-range plasmid pGC91.14 (pRP1::Tn951). When introduced into auxotrophic derivatives of P. cepacia 249 (ATCC 17616), this plasmid failed to confer the ability to utilize lactose. The lac genes of Tn951 were poorly expressed in P. cepacia and were not induced by isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside. Lac+ variants of the pGC91.14-containing strains which formed beta-galactosidase at high constitutive levels as a consequence of transposition of insertion sequences from the P. cepacia genome to sites upstream of the lacZ gene of Tn951 were isolated. Certain of the elements also increased gene expression in other bacteria. For example, IS407 strongly activated the lacZ gene of Tn951 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, and IS406 (but not IS407) did so in Zymomonas mobilis. The results indicate that IS elements from P. cepacia have potential for turning on the expression of foreign genes in a variety of gram-negative bacteria.     

Expression of a β-galactosidase gene from Clostridium acetobutylicum in Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis

A β-galactosidase gene from Clostridium acetobutylicum NCIB 2951 was expressed after cloning into pSA3 and electroporation into derivatives of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strains H1 and 7962. When the clostridial gene was introduced into a plasmid-free derivative of the starter-type Lact. lactis subsp. lactis strain H1, the resulting construct had high β-galactosidase activity but utilized lactose only slightly faster than the recipient. β-galactosidase activity in the construct decreased by over 50% if the 63 kb Lac plasmid pDI21 was also present with the β-galactosidase gene. Growth rates of Lac⁺ H1 and 7962 derivatives were not affected after introduction of the clostridial β-galactosidase, even though β-galactosidase activity in a 7962 construct was more than double that of the wild-type strain. When pDI21 was electroporated into a plasmid-free variant of strain 7962, the recombinant had high phospho-β-galactosidase activity and a growth rate equal to that of the H1 wild-type strain. The H1 plasmid-free strain grew slowly in T5 complex medium, utilized lactose and contained low phospho-β-galactosidase activity. We suggest that β-galactosidase expression can be regulated by the lactose phosphotransferase system-tagatose pathway and that Lact. lactis subsp. lactis strain H1 has an inefficient permease for lactose and contains chromosomally-encoded phospho-β-galactosidase genes.     

Comparative properties of glutamine synthetases I and II in Rhizobium and Agrobacterium spp

Some properties of glutamine synthetase I (GSI) and GSII are described for a fast-growing Rhizobium sp. (Rhizobium trifolii T1), a slow-growing Rhizobium sp. (Rhizobium japonicum USDA 83), and Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58. GSII of the fast-growing Rhizobium sp. and GSII of the Agrobacterium sp. were considerably more heat labile than GSII of the slow-growing Rhizobium sp. As previously shown in R. japonicum 61A76, GSI became adenylylated rapidly in all species tested in response to ammonium. GSII activity disappeared within one generation of growth in two of the strains, but the disappearance of GSII activity required two generations in another. Isoactivity points for transferase assay, which were derived from the pH curves of adenylylated GSI and deadenylylated GSI, were approximately pH 7.8 for both R. trifolii and A. tumefaciens. No isoactivity point was found for R. japonicum under the standard assay conditions used. When the feedback inhibitor glycine was used to inhibit differentially the adenylylated GSI and deadenylylated GSI of R. japonicum, an isoactivity point was observed at pH 7.3. Thus, the transferase activity of GSI could be determined independent of the state of adenylation. A survey of 23 strains of bacteria representing 11 genera indicated that only Rhizobium spp. and Agrobacterium spp. contained GSII. Thus, this enzyme appears to be unique for the Rhizobiaceae.     

In Rhizobium japonicum the nitrogenase genes nifH and nifDK are separated.

In contrast to Klebsiella pneumoniae or fast-growing Rhizobium species, such as R. meliloti, where the nitrogenase structural genes are clustered in one operon (nifHDK), in slow-growing Rhizobium japonicum 110, nifH and nifDK are on separate operons.     

Effect of plant nutrient supply on nodule effectiveness and rhizobium strain competition for nodulation ofLotus pedunculatus

Summary The effect of nutrient supply on nodule formation and competition between Rhizobium strains for nodulation ofLotus pedunculatus was studied. Limiting plant growth by decreasing the supply of nutrients in an otherwise nitrogen-free medium, increased the size but decreased the number and the nitrogenase activity of nodules formed by a fast-growing strain of Lotus Rhizobium (NZP2037). In contrast decreasing nutrient supply caused only a small decline in the size, number and nitrogenase activity of nodules formed by a slow-growing strain (CC814s). Providing small quantities of NH₄NO₃ (50 to 250 g N) to plants grown with a normal supply of other nutrients stimulated nodule development by both Rhizobium strains and increased the nitrogenase activity of the NZP2037 nodules. Differences in the level of effectiveness (nitrogen-fixing ability) of nodules formed by different Rhizobium strains on plants grown with a normal supply of nutrients were less apparent when the plants were grown with decreased nutrient supply or when the plants were supplied with low levels of inorganic N.Inter-strain competition for nodulation ofL. pedunculatus between the highly effective slow-growing strain CC814s and 7 other fast- and slow-growing strains, showed CC814s to form 42 to 100% of the nodules in all associations. The greater nodulating competitiveness of strain CC814s prevailed despite changes in the nutrient supply to the host plant. A tendency was observed for partially effective Lotus Rhizobium strains to become more competitive in nodule formation when plant growth was supplemented with low levels of inorganic nitrogen.     

Nodulation of acacia species by fast- and slow-growing tropical strains of Rhizobium

Thirteen Acacia species were classified into three groups according to effective nodulation response patterns with fast- and slow-growing tropical strains of Rhizobium. The first group nodulated effectively with slow-growing, cowpea-type Rhizobium strains; the second, with fast-growing Rhizobium strains; and the third, with both fast- and slow-growing Rhizobium strains. The Rhizobium requirements of the Acacia species of the second group were similar to those of Leucaena leucocephala.     

Lactose- and galactose-utilizing strains of poly(hydroxyalkanoic acid)-accumulating Alcaligenes eutrophus and Pseudomonas saccharophila obtained by recombinant DNA technology

Summary Transposon Tn 951-encoded -galactosidase was expressed in Pseudomonas saccharophila and enabled this bacterium to grow on lactose as sole carbon source. In contrast, -galactosidase was not expressed in Alcaligenes eutrophus even if the lacZ gene of Tn 951 was separated from the lacI gene. However, -galactosidase was expressed in A. eutrophus, if a DNA fragment, which was suspected to harbour the promoter of the A. eutrophus poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid)-synthetic genes, was ligated to the promoter probe vector pMC1403, which employs lac Z, Y as reporter genes. Plasmid pPL76, which harboured one of the promoter-lac fusions, enabled A. eutrophus not only to express -galactosidase but also to grow slowly on lactose (doubling time = 25–30 h). Subsequently, the promoter-lac fusion was ligated to Tn5 in pSUP5011 and was inserted into the genome of A. eutrophus H16 and of the glucose-utilizing mutant H16-G⁺1 by applying the suicide plasmid technique. Two recombinant strains, H16-cPL and H16-G⁺1-cPL, which grow with a doubling time of 16–23 h on lactose, were investigated in detail. The cells only utilized the glucose residue of lactose as a carbon source for grouth and excreted galactose into the medium. Only after the Escherichia coli gal operon had been cloned in vector pVK101 and had been mobilized to H16-cPL or H16-G⁺1-cPL, was lactose completely utilized; no galactose was detected in the medium and the growth yields increased twofold. Depending on the orientation of the gal operon in pVK101, the expression of galactokinase seems to be dependent either on the promoter of aminoglycoside phosphotransferase gene (kan) or on the promoter of the tetR gene. Offprint requests to: A. Steinbüchel     

Expression of a Lactose Transposon (Tn951) in Zymomonas mobilis

The potential utility of Zymomonas mobilis as an organism for the commercial production of ethanol would be greatly enhanced by the addition of foreign genes which expand its range of fermentable substrates. We tested various plasmids and mobilizing factors for their ability to act as vectors and introduce foreign genes into Z. mobilis CP4. Plasmid pGC91.14, a derivative of RP1, was found to be transferred from Escherichia coli to Z. mobilis at a higher frequency than previously reported for any other plasmids. Both tetracycline resistance and the lactose operon from this plasmid were expressed in Z. mobilis CP4. Plasmid pGC91.14 was stably maintained in Z. mobilis at 30°C but rapidly lost at 37°C.     

Lactose metabolism and lactase gene sequence homologies amongst lactobacilli

A number of strains of Lactobacillus spp., including the thermophilic and mesophilic dairy species, were screened for the presence of β -galactosidase ( β -gal) and phospho- β -galactosidase (pbg) enzyme activities. The majority of lactose fermenting strains exhibited β -gal rather than pbg enzyme activity with the highest levels in the thermophilic dairy species.
Correlation between these enzymes and the presence of specific genetic determinants was sought using probes for β -gal and pbg genes from Lactobacillus casei ssp. casei strain 64H. Southern transfer and filter hybridization showed that the β-gal probe shared homology with one strain of Lact. casei ssp. casei only. Sequences homologous to the pbg gene were detected only in plasmid DNA from the same strain of Lact. casei ssp. casei and with plasmid DNA from an apparently unrelated strain of Lactobacillus which exhibited no pbg activity. Two other strains of Lact. casei ssp. casei appeared to show homology between their chromosomal DNA and the pbg gene probe. No other homologies were detected. Therefore, although lactase activity could be detected in many strains of Lactobacillus spp., the genetic determinants involved did not share extensive homology.     

6-Phospho-D-gluconate:NAD+ 2-oxidoreductase (decarboxylating) from slow-growing Rhizobia.

6-Phospho-D-gluconate:NAD+ 2-oxidoreductase (decarboxylating) (NAD+-6PGD) was detected in several slow-growing strains of rhizobia, and no activity involving NADP+ was found in the same extracts. By contrast, fast-growing strains of rhizobia had NADP+-6PGD activity; most of them also had NAD+-6PGD activity. NAD+-6PGD was partially purified from the slow-growing strain Rhizobium japonicum 5006. The reaction was shown to be an oxidative decarboxylation.     

Lactose Hydrolysing Enzymes in Streptococcus lactis and Streptococcus cremoris and also in some other Species of Streptococci

Two types of Streptococcus lactis could be identified: cheese starter strains, which contain β-phosphogalactosidase and ferment lactose rapidly to lactate, and non-dairy strains, which contain both β-galactosidase and β-phosphogalactosidase and ferment lactose slowly to a variety of end products. All strains had homolactic glucose fermentations and heterolactic galactose fermentations. Other species of streptococci were examined for lactose hydrolysing enzymes and found to contain β-phosphogalactosidase, except Strep, thermophilus and Strep. faecium which had high levels of β-galactosidase. Discrepancies were found in the lactose hydrolysing enzymes content when the cells were treated in different ways.     

Possible mechanisms underlying the slow lactose fermentation phenotype in Shigella spp.

A Southern hybridization analysis revealed that the region homologous to Escherichia coli lacZ was present on the chromosomal DNAs of beta-galactosidase-positive Shigella strains, such as Shigella dysenteriae serovar 1 and Shigella sonnei strains, whereas this region was absent from chromosomal DNAs of beta-galactosidase-negative strains of Shigella flexneri and Shigella boydii. We found that the lacY-A region was deficient in S. dysenteriae serovar 1 and believe that this is the reason for the slow fermentation of lactose by this strain. S. sonnei strains possessed the region which hybridized with E. coli lacY-A despite their slow hydrolysis of lactose. The whole lactose-fermenting region was cloned from S. sonnei and compared with the cloned lac operon of E. coli K-12. Both clones directed the synthesis of beta-galactosidase in an E. coli K-12 strain lacking indigenous beta-galactosidase activity (strain JM109-1), and we observed no difference in the expression of beta-galactosidase activity in S. sonnei and E. coli. However, E. coli JM109-1 harboring the lactose-fermenting genes of S. sonnei exhibited the slow lactose fermentation phenotype like the parental strain. S. sonnei strains had no detectable lactose permease activities. E. coli JM109-1 harboring the lactose-fermenting genes of S. sonnei had a detectable permease activity, possibly because of the multicopy nature of the cloned genes, but this permease activity was much lower than that of strain JM109-1 harboring the lac operon of E. coli K-12. From these results we concluded that slow lactose fermentation by S. sonnei is due to weak lactose permease activity.     

Glucose-lactose diauxie in Escherichia coli

Growth of Escherichia coli in medium containing glucose, at a concentration insufficient to support full growth, and containing lactose, is diauxic. A mutation in the gene, CR, which determines catabolite repression specific to the lac operon, was found to relieve glucose-lactose but not glucose-maltose diauxie. Furthermore, a high concentration of lactose was shown to overcome diauxie in a CR(+) strain. Studies on the induction of beta-galactosidase by lactose suggested that glucose inhibits induction by 10(-2)m lactose. Preinduction of the lac operon was found to overcome this effect. The ability of glucose to prevent expression of the lac operon by reducing the internal concentration of inducer as well as by catabolite repression is discussed.