Characterization and heterologous gene expression of a novel esterase from Lactobacillus casei CL96

A novel esterase gene (estI) of Lactobacillus casei CL96 was localized on a 3.3-kb BamHI DNA fragment containing an open reading frame (ORF) of 1,800 bp. The ORF of estI was isolated by PCR and expressed in Escherichia coli, the methylotrophic bacterium Methylobacterium extorquens, and the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris under the control of T7, methanol dehydrogenase (P(mxaF)), and alcohol oxidase (AOX1) promoters, respectively. The amino acid sequence of EstI indicated that the esterase is a novel member of the GHSMG family of lipolytic enzymes and that the enzyme contains a lipase-like catalytic triad, consisting of Ser325, Asp516, and His558. E. coli BL21(DE3)/pLysS containing estI expressed a novel 67.5-kDa protein corresponding to EstI in an N-terminal fusion with the S. tag peptide. The recombinant L. casei CL96 EstI protein was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity in a one-step affinity chromatography procedure on S-protein agarose. The optimum pH and temperature of the purified enzyme were 7.0 and 37 degrees C, respectively. Among the pNP (p-nitrophenyl) esters tested, the most selective substrate was pNP-caprylate (C(8)), with K(m) and k(cat) values of 14 +/- 1.08 microM and 1,245 +/- 42.3 S(-1), respectively.     

Culture conditions for the production of esterase from Lactobacillus casei CL96

Culture conditions in growth and esterase production by a newly isolated Lactobacillus casei CL96 were investigated using a dextrose-free MRS medium supplemented with different sugars in a 2 l fermentor at different pHs (4.0-9.0) and temperatures (20-50°C). The optimal growth was obtained in basal MRS medium containing 1% (w/v) lactose at pH 7.0 and 30°C. The maximal esterase production was obtained intracellularly during the late logarithmic phase, but during the stationary phase, the esterase activity was released in the culture medium. The enzyme activity was maximal at pH 7.0 and 37°C. Among various substrates (C₂-C₁₆) tested, the highest activity was towards C₆ and C₈. Though the enzyme was produced constitutively, the tributylin induced the enzyme production by 2.5 fold. L. casei CL96 esterase was very active at neutral pH and ambient temperature and might be suitable for biotechnological applications in the dairy industry.     

Heterologous Expression of Mannanase and Developing a New Reporter Gene System in Lactobacillus casei and Escherichia coli

Reporter gene systems are useful for studying bacterial molecular biology, including the regulation of gene expression and the histochemical analysis of protein products. Here, two genes, β-1,4-mannanase (manB) from Bacillus pumilus and β-glucuronidase (gusA) from Escherichia coli K12, were cloned into the expression vector pELX1. The expression patterns of these reporter genes in Lactobacillus casei were investigated by measuring their enzymatic activities and estimating their recombinant protein yields using western blot analysis. Whereas mannanase activity was positively correlated with the accumulation of ManB during growth, GusA activity was not; western blot analysis indicated that while the amount of GusA protein increased during later growth stages, GusA activity gradually decreased, indicating that the enzyme was inactive during cell growth. A similar trend was observed in E. coli JM109. We chose to use the more stable mannanase gene as the reporter to test secretion expression in L. casei. Two pELX1-based secretion vectors were constructed: one carried the signal peptide of the unknown secretion protein Usp45 from Lactococcus lactis (pELSH), and the other contained the full-length SlpA protein from the S-layer of L. acidophilus (pELWH). The secretion of ManB was detected in the supernatant of the pELSH-ManB transformants and in the S-layer of the cell surface of the pELWH-ManB transformants. This is the first report demonstrating that the B. pumilus manB gene is a useful reporter gene in L. casei and E.coli.     

Characterization of a membrane-regulated sugar phosphate phosphohydrolase from Lactobacillus casei.

One of the key components of the futile xylitol cycle of Lactobacillus casei Cl-16 is a phosphatase which dephosphorylates xylitol 5-phosphate to xylitol prior to the expulsion of the pentitol from cells. This enzyme has been partially purified and characterized. The phosphatase is active against a variety of four-, five-, and six-carbon sugars and sugar alcohols phosphorylated at the terminal 4, 5, and 6 positions, respectively, but exhibits little or no affinity for substrates phosphorylated at the C-1 position. The enzyme has an apparent molecular weight of 62,000 and a pH optimum between 5.5 and 6, and it requires a divalent cation (Mg2+) for maximal activity. A single protein band, exhibiting phosphatase activity, was excised from polyacrylamide gels and used to prepare antiphosphatase sera in rabbits. The antiserum was used to detect the enzyme on polyacrylamide gels and to determine the molecular weight of the monomer on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. With a subunit molecular weight of 32,000, the native enzyme appears to be a dimer. Phosphatase activity and substrate specificity are regulated by some component associated with the cytoplasmic membrane.     

Cytochemical Electron Microscopic Localization of Esterase Activity in Lactobacillus casei

Enzymes capable of hydrolyzing thiolacetic acid in two strains of Lactobacillus casei were localized by the formation of electron-opaque PbS deposits in vivo in the presence of Pb(NO(3))(2). By electron microscopy, the deposition of PbS appeared primarily at the plasma membrane and at the outer surface of the cell wall.     

Characterization and molecular cloning of cryptic plasmids isolated from Lactobacillus casei

Four small cryptic plasmids were isolated from Lactobacillus casei strains, and restriction endonuclease maps of these plasmids were constructed. Three of the small plasmids (pLZ18C, pLZ19E, and pLZ19F1; 6.4, 4.9, and 4.8 kilobase pairs, respectively) were cloned into Escherichia coli K-12 by using pBR322, pACYC184, and pUC8 as vectors. Two of the plasmids, pLZ18C and pLZ19E, were also cloned into Streptococcus sanguis by using pVA1 as the vector. Hybridization by using nick-translated cloned 32P-labeled L. casei plasmid DNA as the probe revealed that none of the cryptic plasmids had appreciable DNA-DNA homology with the large lactose plasmids found in the L. casei strains, with chromosomal DNAs isolated from these strains. Partial homology was detected among several plasmids isolated from different strains, but not among cryptic plasmids isolated from the same strain.     

Lactobacillus casei磷脂酶A_2基因在大肠杆菌中的重组表达

以Lactobacillus casei染色体基因组为模板,PCR扩增获得磷脂酶A2基因pla2,以pET-28a(+)为载体构建重组表达质粒pET-28a(+)-pla2。通过IPTG诱导实现磷脂酶A2在E.coli DE3中的重组表达。对诱导条件初步优化后,重组菌酶活最大可达2.8 U/mL。通过Ni-螯合柱对目的蛋白进行纯化,SDS-PAGE分析重组磷脂酶A2相对分子质量为1.7×104。通过酶学性质分析,最适温度为37℃,最适pH 8,比酶活为110 U/mg。     

小麦几丁质酶基因的异种表达及其功能鉴定

几丁质酶参与植物的发育及防卫反应,并与人类疾病发生有关.文章研究了小麦几丁质酶基因Wch2经根癌农杆菌介导的烟草瞬间表达和转基因拟南芥的稳定表达,Western杂交及酶活测定证实,瞬间表达的小麦几丁质酶分子量约30 kD,具有降解几丁质多聚物的功能;Wch2在转入拟南芥后表达量高,尖孢镰刀菌接种的鉴定表明,表达Wch2的转基因植株的抗病性显著高于表达绿色荧光蛋白的对照植株.这些结果说明Wch2的异种表达,可用于植物抗病基因工程,以增强植物的抗病性.     

蜂房哈夫尼菌植酸酶基因appA的克隆、表达及酶学性质研究

从蜂房哈夫尼菌(Hafniaalvei)中克隆获得一个植酸酶编码基因appA,该基因全长1335bp,编码444个氨基酸,其中前33个氨基酸为信号肽,成熟蛋白的理论分子量为45.2kD。将基因appA克隆到大肠杆菌E.coli表达载体pET-22b( ),并在大肠杆菌中表达,表达产物具有植酸酶活性。对表达的酶蛋白进行纯化,并初步研究了该酶的酶学性质,结果表明:酶的作用最适pH值为4.5;在pH2.0~10.0范围内,酶活性保留80%以上;酶的作用最适温度为60℃;酶的比活性为356.7U/mg,酶动力学分析表明其Km为0.49mmol/L,Vmax为238U/mg;该酶对胰蛋白酶和胃蛋白酶有一定的抗性。该研究为哈夫尼菌属来源植酸酶的首次报道。     

Characterization of a fibronectin‐binding protein from Lactobacillus casei BL23

Aims: To characterize the functionality of the Lactobacillus casei BL23 fbpA gene encoding a putative fibronectin‐binding protein. Methods and Results: Adhesion tests showed that L. casei BL23 binds immobilized and soluble fibronectin in a protease‐sensitive manner. A mutant with inactivated fbpA showed a decrease in binding to immobilized fibronectin and a strong reduction in the surface hydrophobicity as reflected by microbial adhesion to solvents test. However, minor effects were seen on adhesion to the human Caco‐2 or HT‐29 cell lines. Purified 6X(His)FbpA bound to immobilized fibronectin in a dose‐dependent manner. Western blot experiments with FbpA‐specific antibodies showed that FbpA could be extracted from the cell surface by LiCl treatment and that protease digestion of the cells reduced the amount of extracted FbpA. Furthermore, surface exposition of FbpA was detected in other L. casei strains by LiCl extraction and whole‐cell ELISA. Conclusions: FbpA can be found at the L. casei BL23 surface and participates in cell attachment to immobilized fibronectin. We showed that FbpA is an important, but not the only, factor contributing to fibronectin binding in BL23 strain. Significance and Impact of the Study: This is the first report showing the involvement of FbpA in fibronectin binding in L. casei BL23 and represents a new contribution to the study of attachment factors in probiotic bacteria.     

Characterization of a Mobile clpL Gene from Lactobacillus rhamnosus

Two genes encoding ClpL ATPase proteins were identified in a probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain, E-97800. Sequence analyses revealed that the genes, designated clpL1 and clpL2, share 80% identity. The clpL2 gene showed the highest degree of identity (98.5%) to a clpL gene from Lactobacillus plantarum WCFSI, while it was not detected in three other L. rhamnosus strains studied. According to Northern analyses, the expression of clpL1 and the clpL2 were induced during heat shock by >20- and 3-fold, respectively. The functional promoter regions were determined by primer extension analyses, and the clpL1 promoter was found to be overlapped by an inverted repeat structure identical to the conserved CIRCE element, indicating that clpL1 belongs to the HrcA regulon in L. rhamnosus. No consensus binding sites for HrcA or CtsR could be identified in the clpL2 promoter region. Interestingly, the clpL2 gene was found to be surrounded by truncated transposase genes and flanked by inverted repeat structures nearly identical to the terminal repeats of the ISLpl1 from L. plantarum HN38. Furthermore, clpL2 was shown to be mobilized during prolonged cultivation at elevated temperature. The presence of a gene almost identical to clpL2 in L. plantarum and its absence in other L. rhamnosus strains suggest that the L. rhamnosus E-97800 has acquired the clpL2 gene via horizontal transfer. No change in the stress tolerance of the ClpL2-deficient derivative of E-97800 compared to the parental strain was observed.     

Characterization and molecular cloning of cryptic plasmids isolated from Lactobacillus casei.

Four small cryptic plasmids were isolated from Lactobacillus casei strains, and restriction endonuclease maps of these plasmids were constructed. Three of the small plasmids (pLZ18C, pLZ19E, and pLZ19F1; 6.4, 4.9, and 4.8 kilobase pairs, respectively) were cloned into Escherichia coli K-12 by using pBR322, pACYC184, and pUC8 as vectors. Two of the plasmids, pLZ18C and pLZ19E, were also cloned into Streptococcus sanguis by using pVA1 as the vector. Hybridization by using nick-translated cloned 32P-labeled L. casei plasmid DNA as the probe revealed that none of the cryptic plasmids had appreciable DNA-DNA homology with the large lactose plasmids found in the L. casei strains, with chromosomal DNAs isolated from these strains. Partial homology was detected among several plasmids isolated from different strains, but not among cryptic plasmids isolated from the same strain.     

结核分枝杆菌FtsZ的异源表达及酶学性质研究

作为细菌分裂所必需的微管蛋白类似物,丝状温度敏感蛋白Z(filamentous temperature-sensitive protein Z,FtsZ)被认为是一个具有潜力的药物作用新靶点。为了构建高纯度的FtsZ重组蛋白分离纯化体系,探讨其酶学性质,该研究利用大肠杆菌BL21异源表达结核分枝杆菌FtsZ重组蛋白,通过Ni亲和层析柱和G-50层析柱纯化目的蛋白,采用孔雀石绿法和90°光散射法测定FtsZ重组蛋白的GTP酶活和蛋白聚集。研究结果表明:成功获得具有生物学活性的结核分枝杆菌FtsZ重组蛋白,其相对分子质量约为49kD;该酶最适反应温度为37℃,最适pH为6.8,金属离子Mg~(2+)和K~+对FtsZ重组蛋白酶活具有促进作用,有机溶剂DMSO和TritonX-100的体积分数分别高于0.1%和0.005%时对酶活有显著抑制作用(P0.05)。此外,FtsZ重组蛋白在加入底物GTP诱导后,快速聚集。本实验利用基因工程技术成功获得具有生物活性的FtsZ重组蛋白,并明确了该蛋白质的酶学性质,为其进一步的研究和应用奠定了基础。     

Characterization of a pAM beta 1 deletion derivative isolated from Lactobacillus casei after conjugation

Streptococcal plasmid pAM beta 1 was conjugally transferred from Streptococcus lactis KB953 (a transformant of pAM beta 1) into Lactobacillus casei 239. A unique transconjugant, L. casei C2, was found to contain a small (11.1 kilobase pair) plasmid, pLY201, which was derived by a deletion event from pAM beta 1. Restriction analysis revealed that pLY201 was missing approximately 58% of the original pAM beta 1 genome, and contained 5 single restriction sites for AvaI, EcoRI, PvuII, HpaI and KpnI. Physical analyses revealed that the stability and copy number of pLY201 were elevated compared with those of pAM beta 1 in L. casei. In addition, pLY201 was no longer transferable by conjugation.