Growth, copper-tolerant cells, and extracellular protein production in copper-stressed chemostat cultures of Vibrio alginolyticus.

The influence of elevated copper concentrations on cell numbers and extracellular protein production was investigated in chemostat cultures of Vibrio alginolyticus. High (20 microM) copper in the medium reservoir resulted in a dramatic drop in cell numbers which was overcome with time. The copper-stressed cultures established a new equilibrium cell concentration slightly (ca. 20%) lower than control cultures. Copper-stressed chemostat populations contained an increased number of copper-resistant cells, but these averaged only 26% of the copper-adapted population. Previously copper-stressed populations exhibited resistance to a second challenge with copper. Proteins with properties identical to those of copper-induced, copper-binding proteins (CuBPs) observed in batch cultures of V. alginolyticus were observed in the supernatants of copper-stressed chemostat cultures and not in controls. CuBPs from batch and chemostat cultures were identical in terms of their induction by copper, molecular weight, and retention volumes on both immobilized copper ion-affinity chromatography and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography columns. The concentration of CuBP in the chemostat was dependent on copper concentration in the medium reservoir. Either one or two forms of CuBP were observed in various analyses from both batch and chemostat cultures. Gel-to-gel variability was implicated as a factor determining whether one or two forms were resolved in a given analysis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Role of copper resistance in competitive survival of Pseudomonas fluorescens in soil.

A copper-resistant strain (09906) of Pseudomonas fluorescens that was isolated from a citrus grove soil is being investigated as a biological control agent for Phytophthora root rot. Since citrus grove soils in California are often contaminated with copper from many years of copper fungicide applications, the role of copper resistance in survival of strain 09906 was investigated. Three copper-sensitive Tn5 mutants were obtained with insertions in different chromosomal DNA regions. These insertions were not in the chromosomal region that hybridized with the copper resistance operon (cop) cloned from Pseudomonas syringae. A copper-sensitive mutant survived as well as the wild type in a sterile loamy sand without added copper, but with 10 and 15 micrograms of CuSO4 added per g of soil, populations of the copper-sensitive mutant were 27- and 562-fold lower, respectively, than that of the wild type after a 25-day period. In a sterilized citrus grove soil, populations of the copper-sensitive mutant and wild-type strain were similar, but in nonsterile citrus soil, populations of the copper-sensitive mutant were 112-fold lower than the wild type after 35 days. These data suggest that copper resistance genes can be important factors in persistence of P. fluorescens in soil contaminated with copper. In addition, these genes appear to play a role in competitive fitness, even in soils with a low copper content.     

Copper-induced production of copper-binding supernatant proteins by the marine bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus.

Growth of the marine bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus is temporarily inhibited by micromolar levels of copper. During the copper-induced lag phase, supernatant compounds which complex and detoxify copper are produced. In this study two copper-inducible supernatant proteins having molecular masses of ca. 21 and 19 kilodaltons (CuBP1 and CuBP2) were identified; these proteins were, respectively, 25 and 46 times amplified in supernatants of copper-challenged cultures compared with controls. Experiments in which chloramphenicol was added to cultures indicated that there was de novo synthesis of these proteins in response to copper. When supernatants were separated by gel permeation chromatography, CuBP1 and CuBP2 coeluted with a copper-induced peak in copper-binding activity. CuBP1 and CuBP2 from whole supernatants were concentrated and partially purified by using a copper-charged immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography column, confirming the affinity of these proteins for copper. A comparison of cell pellets and supernatants demonstrated that CuBP1 was more concentrated in supernatants than in cells. Our data are consistent with a model for a novel mechanism of copper detoxification in which excretion of copper-binding protein is induced by copper.     

Copper-induced production of copper-binding supernatant proteins by the marine bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus

Growth of the marine bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus is temporarily inhibited by micromolar levels of copper. During the copper-induced lag phase, supernatant compounds which complex and detoxify copper are produced. In this study two copper-inducible supernatant proteins having molecular masses of ca. 21 and 19 kilodaltons (CuBP1 and CuBP2) were identified; these proteins were, respectively, 25 and 46 times amplified in supernatants of copper-challenged cultures compared with controls. Experiments in which chloramphenicol was added to cultures indicated that there was de novo synthesis of these proteins in response to copper. When supernatants were separated by gel permeation chromatography, CuBP1 and CuBP2 coeluted with a copper-induced peak in copper-binding activity. CuBP1 and CuBP2 from whole supernatants were concentrated and partially purified by using a copper-charged immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography column, confirming the affinity of these proteins for copper. A comparison of cell pellets and supernatants demonstrated that CuBP1 was more concentrated in supernatants than in cells. Our data are consistent with a model for a novel mechanism of copper detoxification in which excretion of copper-binding protein is induced by copper.     

Molecular cloning of copper resistance genes from Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato.

A cosmid library of copper-resistant (Cur) Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato PT23 plasmid DNA was constructed and mobilized into the copper-sensitive recipient P. syringae pv. syringae PS61. One resultant cosmid clone, pCOP1 (46 kilobases), conferred copper resistance. The PT23 Cur gene(s) was located on pCOP1 by subcloning PstI restriction endonuclease fragments of pCOP1 in the broad-host-range vector pRK404. A subclone containing a 4.4-kilobase PstI fragment conferred Cur on PS61. The Cur gene(s) was further located by insertional inactivation with Tn5. A subcloned fragment internal to the Cur determinant on pCOP2 was probed to plasmid and chromosomal DNA of four copper-resistant and three copper-sensitive strains of P. syringae pv. tomato. The probe hybridized to plasmids in resistant strains, but showed no detectable homology to copper-sensitive strains.     

Characterization of copABCD operon from a copper-sensitive Pseudomonas putida strain

We describe an operon, copABCD, that encodes copper-binding and sequestering proteins for copper homeostasis in the copper-sensitive strain Pseudomonas putida PNL-MK25. This is the second operon characterized as being involved in copper homeostasis, in addition to a P1-type ATPase encoded by cueAR, which was previously shown to be active in the same strain. In this study, 3 copper-responsive mutants were obtained through mini-Tn5::gfp mutagenesis and were found to exhibit reduced tolerance to copper. Sequencing analysis of the transposon-tagged region in the 3 mutants revealed insertions in 2 genes of an operon homologous to the copABCD of P. syringae and pcoABCD of Escherichia coli. Gene expression studies demonstrated that the P. putida copABCD is inducible starting from 3 micromol/L copper levels. Copper-sensitivity studies revealed that the tolerance of the mutant strains was reduced only marginally (only 0.16-fold) in comparison to a 6-fold reduced tolerance of the cueAR mutant. Thus, the cop operon in this strain has a minimal role when compared with its role both in other copper-resistant strains, such as P. syringae pv. syringae, and in the cueAR operon of the same strain. We propose that the reduced function of the copABCD operon is likely to be due to the presence of fewer metal-binding domains in the encoded proteins.     

Similarity between Copper Resistance Genes from Xanthomonas campestris and Pseudomonas syringae

Plasmid-borne copper resistance genes from copper-resistant strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria from California, Florida, and Oklahoma shared structural similarities. A strain of X. campestris pv. campestris also contained plasmid-borne copper resistance genes similar to the resistance genes from X. campestris pv. vesicatoria. Furthermore, a region of the copper resistance genes from X. campestris pv. vesicatoria 07882 hybridized with copA, the first gene of the copper resistance operon (cop) of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. A copper-inducible protein of similar size to CopA was detected by Western blot (immunoblot) analysis from the wild-type strain 07882 and from the cloned copper resistance genes of 07882 introduced into a copper-sensitive strain of X. campestris pv. vesicatoria. A low level of hybridization was observed with chromosomal DNA from other xanthomonads when the copper resistance genes from strain 07882 were used as probes.     

Protein Kinase B Localization and Activation Differentially Affect S6 Kinase 1 Activity and Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 4E-Binding Protein 1 Phosphorylation

Recent studies indicate that phosphatidylinositide-3OH kinase (PI3K)-induced S6 kinase (S6K1) activation is mediated by protein kinase B (PKB). Support for this hypothesis has largely relied on results obtained with highly active, constitutively membrane-localized alleles of wild-type PKB, whose activity is independent of PI3K. Here we set out to examine the importance of PKB signaling in S6K1 activation. In parallel, glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK-3beta) inactivation and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) phosphorylation were monitored as markers of the rapamycin-insensitive and -sensitive branches of the PI3K signaling pathway, respectively. The results demonstrate that two activated PKBalpha mutants, whose basal activity is equivalent to that of insulin-induced wild-type PKB, inhibit GSK-3beta to the same extent as a highly active, constitutively membrane-targeted wild-type PKB allele. However, of these two mutants, only the constitutively membrane-targeted allele of PKB induces S6K1 activation. Furthermore, an interfering mutant of PKB, which blocks insulin-induced PKB activation and GSK-3beta inactivation, has no effect on S6K1 activation. Surprisingly, all the activated PKB mutants, regardless of constitutive membrane localization, induce 4E-BP1 phosphorylation and the interfering PKB mutant blocks insulin-induced 4E-BP1 phosphorylation. The results demonstrate that PKB mediates S6K1 activation only as a function of constitutive membrane localization, whereas the activation of PKB appears both necessary and sufficient to induce 4E-BP1 phosphorylation independently of its intracellular location.     

Roles of charged residues in the C-terminal region of PomA, a stator component of the Na+-driven flagellar motor

Bacterial flagellar motors use specific ion gradients to drive their rotation. It has been suggested that the electrostatic interactions between charged residues of the stator and rotor proteins are important for rotation in Escherichia coli. Mutational studies have indicated that the Na(+)-driven motor of Vibrio alginolyticus may incorporate interactions similar to those of the E. coli motor, but the other electrostatic interactions between the rotor and stator proteins may occur in the Na(+)-driven motor. Thus, we investigated the C-terminal charged residues of the stator protein, PomA, in the Na(+)-driven motor. Three of eight charge-reversing mutations, PomA(K203E), PomA(R215E), and PomA(D220K), did not confer motility either with the motor of V. alginolyticus or with the Na(+)-driven chimeric motor of E. coli. Overproduction of the R215E and D220K mutant proteins but not overproduction of the K203E mutant protein impaired the motility of wild-type V. alginolyticus. The R207E mutant conferred motility with the motor of V. alginolyticus but not with the chimeric motor of E. coli. The motility with the E211K and R232E mutants was similar to that with wild-type PomA in V. alginolyticus but was greatly reduced in E. coli. Suppressor analysis suggested that R215 may participate in PomA-PomA interactions or PomA intramolecular interactions to form the stator complex.     

溶藻弧菌ZJ-T小RNA srvg23535基因突变株的构建及其功能初探

【背景】小RNA被证实对细菌遗传变异、生长繁殖、致病性等具有重要的调控作用,但是在机会致病菌——溶藻弧菌(Vibrioalginolyticus)中研究较少。本实验室前期通过转录组测序和Northern Blot鉴定得到溶藻弧菌ZJ-T中小RNA srvg23535。【目的】初探小RNA srvg23535对溶藻弧菌生物学特性的影响。【方法】利用同源重组技术构建小RNA srvg23535的缺失突变株,并对野生株和srvg23535突变株的菌落形态、运动性、胞外蛋白酶分泌、H_2O_2和Cu~(2+)的压力感应、铁吸收利用、抗生素抗性以及生长代谢等生物学特性进行比较研究。【结果】通过对溶藻弧菌小RNA srvg23535基因缺失突变株的生物学特性分析表明,小RNA srvg23535缺失后,对溶藻弧菌菌落形态、运动性、胞外蛋白酶分泌、H_2O_2和Cu~(2+)的压力感应、铁吸收利用、抗生素抗性以及多数测定的碳源、氮源代谢的影响不显著;但突变株对D-海藻糖(D-trehalose)的代谢减弱,对果胶(Pectin)、丙氨酸-谷氨酰胺(Ala-Gln)的代谢增强,并可利用丙氨酸-天冬氨酸(Ala-Asp)为氮源。【结论】小RNA srvg23535参与调控溶藻弧菌对D-海藻糖(D-trehalose)、果胶(Pectin)、丙氨酸-谷氨酰胺(Ala-Gln)和丙氨酸-天冬氨酸(Ala-Asp)的代谢,这将为获取srvg23535调控靶标基因,进而阐明其与靶标基因的相互作用机制奠定基础。     

Molecular cloning, chromosomal mapping, and sequence analysis of copper resistance genes from Xanthomonas campestris pv. juglandis: homology with small blue copper proteins and multicopper oxidase.

Copper-resistant strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. juglandis occur in walnut orchards throughout northern California. The copper resistance genes from a copper-resistant strain C5 of X. campestris pv. juglandis were cloned and located on a 4.9-kb ClaI fragment, which hybridized only to DNA of copper-resistant strains of X. campestris pv. juglandis, and was part of an approximately 20-kb region which was conserved among such strains of X. campestris pv. juglandis. Hybridization analysis indicated that the copper resistance genes were located on the chromosome. Plasmids conferring copper resistance were not detected in copper-resistant strains, nor did mating with copper-sensitive strains result in copper-resistant transconjugants. Copper resistance genes from X. campestris pv. juglandis shared nucleotide sequence similarity with copper resistance genes from Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, P. syringae, and X. campestris pv. vesicatoria. DNA sequence analysis of the 4.9-kb fragment from strain C5 revealed that the sequence had an overall G+C content of 58.7%, and four open reading frames (ORF1 to ORF4), oriented in the same direction. All four ORFs were required for full expression of copper resistance, on the basis of Tn3-spice insertional inactivation and deletion analysis. The predicted amino acid sequences of ORF1 to ORF4 showed 65, 45, 47, and 40% identity with CopA, CopB, CopC, and CopD, respectively, from P. syringae pv. tomato. The most conserved regions are ORF1 and CopA and the C-terminal region (166 amino acids from the C terminus) of ORF2 and CopB. The hydrophobicity profiles of each pair of predicted polypeptides are similar except for the N terminus of ORF2 and CopB. Four histidine-rich polypeptide regions in ORF1 and CopA strongly resembled the copper-binding motifs of small blue copper proteins and multicopper oxidases, such as fungal laccases, plant ascorbate oxidase, and human ceruloplasmin. Putative copper ligands of the ORF1 polypeptide product are proposed, indicating that the polypeptide of ORF1 might bind four copper ions: one type 1, one type 2, and two type 3.     

Phenotypic characterization of copper-resistant mutants of Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b.

Cultures of Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b grown in the presence of very low concentrations of copper synthesize a soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) that efficiently catalyzes the oxidation of trichloroethylene and other organic pollutants. Recently, we isolated five M. trichosporium OB3b mutants that express sMMO activity when grown in the presence of elevated copper concentrations (P.A. Phelps, S. K. Agarwal, G. E. Speitel, Jr., and G. Georgiou, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 58:3701-3708, 1992). Here we show that, in contrast to the results for the wild-type cells, the addition of copper to mutant cultures grown on methane and nitrate as the nitrogen source has no noticeable effect on the growth rate and sMMO expression. In vitro experiments indicated that the copper-resistant phenotype does not arise from an increased stability of sMMO to copper deactivation. Furthermore, the mutant cultures exhibit altered speciation of copper in the extracellular fluid and have substantially decreased levels of cell-associated copper. On the basis of these results, we propose that the mutant phenotype arises from defects in copper uptake and metabolism rather than from changes in sMMO expression or enzyme stability.     

Isolation of Copper Biochelates from Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b and Soluble Methane Monooxygenase Mutants

Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b produces an extracellular copper-binding ligand (CBL) with high affinity for copper. Wild-type cells and mutants that express soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) in the presence and absence of copper (sMMO^c) were used to obtain cell exudates that were separated and analyzed by size exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography. A single chromatographic peak, when present, contained most of the aqueous-phase Cu(II) present in the culture medium. In mutant cultures that were unable to acquire copper, extracellular CBL accumulated to high levels both in the presence and in the absence of copper. Conversely, in wild-type cultures containing 5 μM Cu(II), extracellular CBL was maintained at a low, steady level during exponential growth, after which the external ligand was rapidly consumed. When Cu(II) was omitted from the growth medium, the wild-type organism produced the CBL at a rate that was proportional to cell density. After copper was added to this previously Cu-deprived culture, the CBL and copper concentrations in the medium decreased at approximately the same rate. Apparently, the extracellular CBL was produced throughout the period of cell growth, in the presence and absence of Cu(II), by both the mutant and wild-type cultures and was reinternalized or otherwise utilized by the wild-type cultures when it was bound to copper. CBL produced by the mutant strain facilitated copper uptake by wild-type cells, indicating that the extracellular CBLs produced by the mutant and wild-type organisms are functionally indistinguishable. CBL from the wild-type strain did not promote copper uptake by the mutant. The molecular weight of the CBL was estimated to be 500, and its association constant with copper was 1.4 × 10¹⁶ M⁻¹. CBL exhibited a preference for copper, even in the presence of 20-fold higher concentrations of nickel. External complexation may play a role in normal copper acquisition by M. trichosporium OB3b. The sMMO^c phenotype is probably related to the mutant’s inability to take up CBL-complexed copper, not to a defective CBL structure.     

Suppression by the DNA fragment of the motX promoter region on long flagellar mutants of Vibrio alginolyticus

The axial length of the polar flagellum (Pof) of Vibrio alginolyticus is about 5 microm. We previously isolated mutants that make abnormally long flagella. The swarm sizes of these mutants in a soft agar plate are smaller than that of a wild-type strain. We cloned a DNA fragment into the pMF209 plasmid that restored the swarming ability of the long-Pof strain V10578. The swimming speed and flagellar length of these transformants were almost equal to the wild-type values. The amounts of PF47 flagellin and PF60 sheath-associated protein, which increased in the long-Pof mutants, were retrieved to almost the wild-type level in the transformants. The plasmid pMF209 contained only a 143 bp chromosomal fragment whose sequence is about 80% similar to that of the motX promoter region of V parahaemolyticus. We speculate that this sequence interacts with a regulatory protein that controls Pof expression. The mutation causing the long-Pof phenotype may be in the gene encoding this protein or in the control region of a structural gene that is regulated by this protein.     

Characterization of rhodopsin congenital night blindness mutant T94I

The Thr94 --> Ile mutation in the second transmembrane segment of rhodopsin has been reported to be associated with a congenital night blindness phenotype in a large Irish pedigree. Previously, two other known rhodopsin mutants that cause congenital night blindness, A292E and G90D, have been shown in vitro to constitutively activate the G protein transducin in the absence of a chromophore. The proposed mechanism of constitutive activation of these two mutants is an electrostatic disruption of the active site salt bridge between Glu113 and Lys296 that contributes to stabilization of the protein in the inactive state. Here, the T94I rhodopsin mutant is characterized and compared to the two other known rhodopsin night blindness mutants. The T94I mutant opsin is shown also to constitutively activate transducin. The T94I mutant pigment (with a bound 11-cis-retinal chromophore), like the other known rhodopsin night blindness mutants, is not active in the dark and has wild-type activity upon exposure to light. Similar to the Gly90 --> Asp substitution, position 94 is close enough to the Schiff base nitrogen that an Asp at this position can functionally substitute for the Glu113 counterion. However, in contrast to the other night blindness mutants, the T94I MII intermediate decays with a half-life that is approximately 8-fold slower than in the wild-type MII intermediate. Thus, the one phenotype shared by all congenital night blindness mutants that is different from the wild-type protein is constitutive activation of the apoprotein.     

Isolation and characterization of protease overproducing mutants of Trichoderma harzianum

Several Trichoderma strains have been reported to be effective in controlling plant diseases, and the action of fungal hydrolytic enzymes is considered as the main mechanism involved in the antagonistic process. Strain Trichoderma harzianum T334 is a potential biocontrol agent against plant pathogenic fungi with the ability to produce low levels of proteases constitutively. To improve its fungal antagonistic capacity, mutagenetic program was undertaken for the construction of protease overproducing derivates. The mutant strains were obtained by means of UV-irradiation and were selected for p-fluorophenyl-alanine resistance or altered colony morphology. It was revealed by means of specific chromogenic protease substrates that both trypsin-like and chymotrypsin-like protease secretion was elevated in most of the mutant strains. The profiles of isoenzymes were different between the mutants and the wild-type strain, when examined by gel filtration chromatography. Certain mutants proved to be better antagonists against plant pathogens in in vitro antagonism experiments. This study suggests the possibility of using mutants with improved constitutive extracellular protease secretion against plant pathogenic fungi.     

Identification of cutC and cutF (nlpE) genes involved in copper tolerance in Escherichia coli.

It has been suggested previously that copper transport in Escherichia coli is mediated by the products of at least six genes, cutA, cutB, cutC, cutD, cutE, and cutF. A mutation in one or more of these genes results in an increased copper sensitivity (D. Rouch, J. Camakaris, and B. T. O. Lee, p. 469-477, in D. H. Hamer and D. R. Winge, ed., Metal Ion Homeostasis: Molecular Biology and Chemistry, 1989). Copper-sensitive cutC and cutF mutants were transformed with a genomic library of E. coli, and copper-tolerant transformants were selected. Two distinct clones were identified, each of which partially restores copper tolerance in both the cutC and cutF mutants of E. coli. Subcloning, physical mapping, and sequence analysis have revealed that the cutC gene is located at 42.15 min on the E. coli genome and encodes a cytoplasmic protein of 146 amino acids and that the cutF gene is located at 4.77 min on the E. coli genome and is allelic to the nlpE gene independently identified by Silhavy and coworkers (W. B. Snyder, L. J. B. Davis, P. N. Danese, C. L. Cosma, and T. J. Silhavy, J. Bacteriol. 177:4216-4223, 1995). Results from the genetic mapping of the copper-sensitive mutations in the cutF mutant and sequencing of the cutC and cutF (nlpE) alleles from both cutC and cutF mutants indicate that both the cutC and cutF mutants are in fact double mutants altered in these two genes, and mutations in both the genes appear to be required for the copper-sensitive phenotype in each mutant.     

Characterization of a unique chromosomal copper resistance gene cluster from Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria

We characterized the copper resistance genes in strain XvP26 of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria, which was originally isolated from a pepper plant in Taiwan. The copper resistance genes were localized to a 7,652-bp region which, based on pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and Southern hybridization, was determined to be located on the chromosome. These genes hybridized only weakly, as determined by Southern analysis, to other copper resistance genes in Xanthomonas and Pseudomonas strains. We identified five open reading frames (ORFs) whose products exhibited high levels of amino acid sequence identity to the products of previously reported copper genes. Mutations in ORF1, ORF3, and ORF4 removed copper resistance, whereas mutations in ORF5 resulted in an intermediate copper resistance phenotype and insertions in ORF2 had no effect on resistance conferred to a copper-sensitive recipient in transconjugant tests. Based on sequence analysis, ORF1 was determined to have high levels of identity with the CopR (66%) and PcoR (63%) genes in Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato and Escherichia coli, respectively. ORF2 and ORF5 had high levels of identity with the PcoS gene in E. coli and the gene encoding a putative copper-containing oxidoreductase signal peptide protein in Sinorhizobium meliloti, respectively. ORF3 and ORF4 exhibited 23% identity to the gene encoding a cation efflux system membrane protein, CzcC, and 62% identity to the gene encoding a putative copper-containing oxidoreductase protein, respectively. The latter two ORFs were determined to be induced following exposure to low concentrations of copper, while addition of Co, Cd, or Zn resulted in no significant induction. PCR analysis of 51 pepper and 34 tomato copper-resistant X. campestris pv. vesicatoria strains collected from several regions in Taiwan between 1987 and 2000 and nine copper-resistant strains from the United States and South America showed that successful amplification of DNA was obtained only for strain XvP26. The organization of this set of copper resistance genes appears to be uncommon, and the set appears to occur rarely in X. campestris pv. vesicatoria.