Effect of growth conditions on the rate of loss of the plasmid pAT153 from continuous cultures of Escherichia coli HB101

Abstract The plasmid pAT153 was lost less rapidly from carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous or sulphur-limited continuous cultures of Escherichia coli HB101 as the dilution rate increased. At a fixed dilution rate of 0.3 h⁻¹, the plasmid was maintained longer as the growth-limiting nutrient was changed from glucose to casamino acids (nitrogen-limited), phosphate or sulphate. These differences in the stability of maintenance were not due to parallel changes in the plasmid copy number. We propose that the rate of loss of pAT153 from E. coli HB101 is determined primarily by the ratio of growth rates of plasmid-containing bacteria and plasmid-free bacteria. This ratio increases with increasing growth rate and depends markedly on the growth-limiting nutrient, sulphate-limited growth being particularly suitable for the maintenance of this host-plasmid combination.     

Effect of growth rate on plasmid maintenance by Escherichia coli HB101(pAT153)

The effects of changing the composition of the growth medium, the dilution rate and the source of the bacterial host on maintenance of the plasmid pAT153 in Escherichia coli HB101 have been studied. In a medium supplemented with Casamino acids, the plasmid was maintained longer during phosphate-limited growth at a dilution rate of 0.3 h-1 than at 0.15 h-1. In contrast, phosphate-limited growth was not achieved when the Casamino acids were replaced by proline, leucine and thiamin to satisfy the auxotrophic requirements of the host. Although 100% of the bacteria were still ampicillin resistant after 72 generations of growth at a dilution rate of 0.15 h-1, the original plasmid had almost totally been replaced by a structurally modified plasmid which lacked a functional tet gene. Further experiments confirmed that neither the host nor the plasmid was retained unchanged in the minimal medium. The changes were highly reproducible and reflected periodic selection of sub-populations which were either plasmid-free or carried a structurally modified plasmid, which had reverted to Leu+ or Pro+, or had acquired other chromosomal mutations which gave them a selective advantage. We conclude that in complex media the plasmid is maintained longer by E. coli HB101 at a high than at a low growth rate and that different results reported from different laboratories are largely due to differences in analytical techniques and the growth medium rather than to differences in the bacterial host or the plasmid used. A fermenter-adapted strain was isolated which reproducibly maintained the plasmid longer during phosphate-limited continuous growth than the original strain which had been cultured on laboratory media.     

A simplified procedure for the rapid identification of recombinant pAT153 plasmids in Escherichia coli HB101 cells

Insertion of foreign DNA into the unique HindIII site of the high copy number plasmid pAT153 reduces but does not completely abolish the resistance of Escherichia coli HB101 cells to tetracycline. Recombinant DNA-containing colonies could then be phenotypically differentiated from non-recombinant ones by their smaller size on nutrient agar plates with ampicillin and tetracycline at a final concentration of 50 and 4 micrograms/ml, respectively. A wide variety of human cytomegalovirus DNA fragments have been found in pAT153 molecules propagated by the ampicillin-resistant tetracycline-sensitive bacteria selected.     

Cloning of the DNA repair genes mtcA, mtcB, uvsC, uvsD, uvsE and the leuB gene from Deinococcus radiodurans

A gene library from Deinococcus radiodurans has been constructed in the cosmid pJBFH. A 51.5-kb hybrid cosmid, pUE40, that transduced Escherichia coli HB101 from leucine dependence to independence was selected, and a 6.9-kb fragment which carried the leuB gene from D. radiodurans was subcloned into the EcoRI site of pAT153. The DNA repair genes mtcA, mtcB, uvsC, uvsD and uvsE, which code for two D. radiodurans UV endonucleases were identified by transforming appropriate repair-deficient mutants of D. radiodurans to repair proficiency with DNA derived from the gene library. Hybrid cosmid pUE50 (37.9 kb) containing an insert carrying both the mtcA and mtcB genes was selected and 5.6- and 2.7-kb DNA fragments carrying mtcA and mtcB, respectively, i.e., the genes that code for UV endonuclease alpha, were subcloned into the EcoRI site of pAT153. The three genes uvsC, uvsD and uvsE, that code for UV endonuclease beta, were all present in the 46.0-kb hybrid cosmid pUE60. The uvsE gene in a 12.2-kb fragment was subcloned into the HindIII site of pAT153 and the size of the insert reduced to 6.1 kb by deletion of a 6.7-kb fragment from the hybrid plasmid pUE62. None of the uvs genes introduced into the UV-sensitive E. coli CSR603 (uvrA-) was able to complement its repair defect. The mtcA, uvsC, uvsD and uvsE genes were found in the 52.5-kb hybrid cosmid pUE70. It is concluded that the DNA repair genes mtcA, mtcB, uvsC, uvsD and uvsE are located within an 83.0-kb fragment of the D. radiodurans genome.     

The construction, identification and partial characterization of plasmids containing guinea-pig milk protein complementary DNA sequences.

A complementary DNA (cDNA) plasmid library has been constructed in the plasmid pAT153, using poly(A)-containing RNA isolated from the lactating guinea-pig mammary gland as the starting material. Double stranded cDNA was inserted into the EcoRI site of the plasmid using poly(dA . dT) tails, then transformed into Escherichia coli HB101. From the resulting colonies we have selected and partially characterized plasmids containing cDNA copies of the mRNAs for casein A, casein B, casein C and alpha-lactalbumin. However, the proportion containing casein C cDNA was exceptionally low, and these contained at best 60% of the mRNA sequence.     

Cloning of the BamHI methyl transferase gene from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens

We wish to report the initial characterization of a recombinant clone containing the BamHI methylase gene. Genomic chromosomal DNA purified from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens was partially cleaved with HindIII, fractionated by size, and cloned into pSP64. Plasmid DNA from this library was challenged with BamHI endonuclease and transformed into Escherichia coli HB101. A recombinant plasmid pBamM6.5 and a subclone pBamM2.5 were shown to contain the BamHI methylase gene based on three independent observations. Both plasmids were found to be resistant to BamHI endonuclease cleavage, and chromosomal DNA isolated from E. coli HB101 cells harboring either of the plasmids pBamM6.5 or pBamM2.5 was resistant to cleavage by BamHI endonuclease. In addition, DNA isolated from lambda phage passaged through E. coli HB101 containing either plasmid was also resistant to BamHI cleavage. Expression of the BamHI methylase gene is dependent on orientation in pSP64. In these clones preliminary evidence indicates that methylase gene expression may be under the direction of the plasmid encoded LacZ promoter.     

The purification of 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase from an overproducing strain of Escherichia coli

The Escherichia coli aroA gene which codes for the enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase (EPSP synthase) has been cloned from the lambda-transducing bacteriophage lambda pserC. The gene has been located on a 4.7 kilobase pair PstI DNA fragment which has been inserted into the multiple copy plasmid pAT153. E. coli cells transformed with this recombinant plasmid overproduce EPSP synthase 100-fold. A simple method for the purification of homogeneous enzyme in milligram quantities has been devised. The resulting enzyme is indistinguishable from enzyme isolated from untransformed E. coli.     

嗜碱细菌NTT36嗜碱基因的亚克隆及其在大肠杆菌和农杆菌中的表达

将大肠杆菌ＨＢ１０１嗜碱转化子中质粒ｐＧＣＡ所携带的嗜碱基因亚克隆至双元载体ｐＢＩ１２１质粒中,构建了植物表达载体ｐＬＧＣ重组质粒。用其转化大肠杆菌ＨＢ１０１获得了能在碱性和卡那霉素抗性平板上生长的转化子,再通过三亲交配法将亚克隆质粒ｐＬＧＣ转化进农杆菌ＬＢＡ４４０４,又获得能在碱性平板和卡那霉素及利福平双抗平板上生长的转化子,Ｓｏｕｔｈｅｒｎ杂交结果表明ＨＢ１０１转化子亚克隆质粒ｐＬＧＣ是由来自于嗜碱芽孢杆菌ＮＴＴ３６染色体ＤＮＡ和双元载体ｐＢＩ１２１组成,且农杆菌ＬＢＡ４４０４转化子含有来自大肠杆菌亚克隆转化子的ｐＬＧＣ质粒。     

苏云金芽胞杆菌杀蚊基因在鱼腥藻中克隆和表达的初步研究

将苏云金芽胞杆菌以色列亚种的杀蚊晶体蛋白基因cry11A亚克隆到大肠杆菌－蓝藻的穿梭质粒载体pRL25C,然后用三亲本杂交的方法将重组质粒转移到一种具有固氮能力且可被蚊幼虫吞食的鱼腥藻（Anabaena）PCC7120中。Southernblot及Westernblot分析表明cry11A基因在鱼腥藻PCC7120中得以克隆和表达,但生物测定未能检测到转基因鱼腥藻对库蚊（Culex）的毒性,可能是因为带有苏云金芽胞杆菌自身启动子的Cry11A基因在鱼腥藻PCC7120中表达量不够高的缘故。     

The expression of biologically active cholera toxin in Escherichia coli.

Chromosomal DNA from Vibrio cholerae El Tor strain 1621 was digested with Hind III and the products fractionated by centrifugation through a sucrose gradient. A 15kb fragment containing the toxin gene of V. cholerae was identified by its homology with the heat labile toxin (LT) gene of toxigenic E. coli. This fragment was cloned in E. coli using pAT153 and subsequently characterised by digestion with different restriction endonucleases. Sequences homologous to the LT gene were identified by hybridisation and then sub-cloned using either pAT153 or pACYC184. Expression of the cloned CT gene in E. coli was detected using both cell culture and ELISA assays. One recombinant plasmid coded for the synthesis of an immunologically active but biologically inactive derivative of CT.     

Construction of a novel suicide vector: selection for Escherichia coli HB101 recombinants carrying the DNA insert.

We constructed a new type of cloning vector, pERISH2, that transforms Escherichia coli HB101 only when a foreign DNA fragment is ligated into the cloning site of the plasmid vector. Plasmid pERISH2 carries the rcsB gene which is derived from the chromosome of E. coli HB101 and is involved in the regulation of colanic acid production. When E. coli HB101 is transformed by this vector carrying the intact rcsB gene, the gene product RcsB blocks bacterial growth. However, if the rcsB gene is inactivated by the insertion of a foreign DNA fragment, this recombinant plasmid no longer inhibits the growth of E. coli HB101. Although E. coli HB101 is not stably transformed by pERISH2, E. coli K-12 strains such as JM109 and C600 can harbor this vector. Therefore, pERISH2 can be amplified in JM109 and be prepared from this strain in a large quantity using conventional methods. A chromosomal gene library of Klebsiella pneumoniae is constructed easily and efficiently by the utilization of this new cloning vector.     

Analysis of the entire nucleotide sequence of the cryptic plasmid of Chlamydia trachomatis serovar L1. Evidence for involvement in DNA replication.

Chlamydia trachomatis serovar L1/440/LN possesses a 7498bp plasmid which was designated pLGV440. The plasmid was cloned at the BamH1 site of pAT153 into Escherichia coli and the recombinant plasmid was designated pCTL1. A detailed restriction endonuclease map of pCTL1 was constructed. A fragment of the chlamydial plasmid was shown to function as a promoter in E. coli when placed upstream of the lacZ gene. The entire plasmid was sequenced by the chain termination method. Open reading frames were identified from the resulting consensus sequence together with a candidate for the plasmid origin of replication consisting of four perfect tandem repeats of a 22bp sequence, an A:T rich sequence and an open reading frame which could generate a 34.8kdal product. The predicted polypeptide products of the open reading frames were compared by computer with all reported protein sequences. Homology of the predicted polypeptide product of an open reading frame to the E. coli dnaB protein and the analogous product of gene 12 of bacteriophage P22 is described.     

Stabilization of pSW100 from Pantoea stewartii by the F conjugation system

Plasmid pSW100 is 1 of the 13 plasmids from Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii SW2 which has a replicon that resembles that of ColE1. This work uses a pSW100 derivative, pSW140K, to study how the pSW100 replicon is stably maintained in its hosts. Our results indicate that although pSW140K is stable in Escherichia coli HB101, the plasmid is rapidly lost in another E. coli strain, DH5alpha, indicating that the genetic background of an E. coli strain affects the stability of pSW140K. Mutagenesis of E. coli HB101 with EZ::TN revealed that mutations in traC, traF, traG, traN, and traV, which encode the components of the sex pilus assembly, reduce plasmid stability. Furthermore, this work identified that a 38-bp region located immediately upstream of the RNAII promoter is critical to the maintenance of plasmid stability in E. coli HB101. TraC binds to the region, and in addition, deleting the region destabilizes the plasmid. Furthermore, inserting this 38-bp fragment into a plasmid that contains the minimal replicon from pSW200 stabilizes the plasmid in E. coli HB101. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and immunofluorescence staining also revealed that derivatives of pSW100, pSW128A, and TraC are colocalized in cells, suggesting that pSW100 may use the sex pilus assembly as a partition apparatus to ensure the even distribution of the plasmid during cell division, which may thus maintain the plasmid's stability.     

Molecular genetic studies of the DNA promotor regions in Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. galleriae 69-6. II. Increased level of gene expression resulting from IS1 element integration

The 1.45 kb promoter containing HindIII fragment of Bacillus thuringiensis DNA promotes the expression of the tet gene of recombinant pPBT9 plasmid in Escherichia coli cells. Spontaneous mutants of this plasmid were isolated and analysed. They are responsible for an increase in the level of tetracycline resistance. This 3-fold increase resulted from integration of IS1 element into the bacillar promoter containing HindIII fragment, which led to formation of a mutant pPBT9::IS1 plasmid. The IS sequence integrated was defined as an IS1 element of the E. coli HB101 chromosomal DNA. The integration site of IS1 was localized.     

Construction and partial characterization of a recombinant DNA probe for locust vitellogenin messenger RNA.

Double-stranded DNA complementary to poly(A)-containing RNA from the fat body of adult female locusts, Locusta migratoria, was synthesized. Hybrid molecules containing this cDNA was constructed in the PstI site of the plasmid pAT 153 by the technique of dC . dG tailing and amplified in Escherichia coli K-12 strain HB 101. Ten colonies of bacteria were identified as carrying recombinant plasmids containing DNA complementary to locust vitellogenin mRNA by (a) 'Northern' blot hybridization analysis and (b) hybrid selection of vitellogenin mRNA and immunological detection of the products of translation of the mRNA. Of the ten recombinant plasmids, one, termed plasmid 4E, containing a cDNA insert of about 650 nucleotides, was characterized in greater detail and a partial restriction map obtained. Using this hybrid plasmid it was possible to derive a value for the average content of vitellogenin mRNA in the adult female locust fat body as 1.5 x 10(5) molecules/cell, and to establish that the haploid genome of L. migratoria contains only one or two genes coding for vitellogenin.     

Extracellular production of recombinant human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) in Escherichia coli cells

An expression plasmid pPTK-hEGF2 was constructed to provide for the extracellular production of recombinant human epidermal growth factor by the Escherichia coli cells. The plasmid contained two expression cassettes, one of which carried a tandem of the fused genes ompF-hegf under the control of the tac promoter, ensuring regulated secretion of hEGF into the E. coli periplasm, and another one contained the kil gene from the ColE1 plasmid under the control of lac promoter. The regulated low-level biosynthesis of Kil protein increased the permeability of E. coli outer membrane for periplasmic proteins. This enabled the recombinant proteins secreted into the cell periplasm to outflow into the cultural medium. As a result, the E. coli strains that harboured this plasmid construct produced effectively the recombinant hEGF into the cultural medium. The yields of hEGF produced by the nTG1(pPTK-hEGF2) and HB101(pPTK-hEGF2) strains reached 25 and 30 mg/l of cell culture after 14 and 18 h of cultivation, respectively. The hEGF preparation isolated possessed biological activity both in vivo and in vitro.     

Construction and shuttling of novel bifunctional vectors for Streptomyces spp. and Escherichia coli.

Shuttle vectors for gene transfer between Streptomyces spp. and Escherichia coli have been constructed by fusion of an artificial multicopy E. coli replicon and DNA fragments of pIJ702. Stable transfer to Streptomyces lividans was obtained. Marked differences in transformation efficiency were observed when plasmid DNA isolated from E. coli GM119 was used instead of that from strain HB101.     

Resistance plasmids in Pseudomonas cepacia 4G9.

Pseudomonas cepacia 4G9 utilizes 2-tridecanone as its sole carbon source and has been shown to be resistant to a variety of antibiotics. To ascertain whether any of these characteristics were plasmid mediated, Escherichia coli HB101 was transformed with plasmid DNA isolated from Pseudomonas cepacia 4G9. No 2-tridecanone-utilizing transformants were obtained. Tetracycline (Tc)- and ampicillin (Ap)- resistant transformants were obtained at a low frequency. Plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid from antibiotic-resistant E. coli HB101 transformants had molecular weights of 2.9 x 10(6) for pJW2 Tcr and 5.4 x 10(6) for pJW3 Apr as determined by electron microscopy. Electron microscopy of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid from P. cepacia 4G9 revealed a single plasmid species, pJW1 of 1.78 x 10(6). Tetracycline resistance in both P. cepacia 4G9 and E. coli HB101(pJW2) was inducible, whereas ampicillin resistance in P. cepacia 4G9 was constitutive. The level of ampicillin resistance coded by pJW3 was lower in P. cepacia 4G9 than in the transformant E. coli HB101(pJW3).