Transformation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii CW-15 with the hygromycin phosphotransferase gene as a selective marker

To transform Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Dang. Cells, plasmid pCTVHyg was constructed with the use of the Escherichia coli hygromycin phosphotransferase gene (hpt) controlled by the SV40 early promoter. Cells of the CW-15 mutant strain were transformed by electroporation, with the yield reaching 10(3) hygromycin-resistant (HygR) clones per 10(6) recipient cells. The exogenous DNA integrated in the Ch. reinhardtii nuclear genome showed stable transmission for approximately 350 cell generations, while hygromycin resistance was expressed as an unstable character. Codon usage was compared for the hpt gene and Ch. reinhardtii nuclear genes. The results testified that codon usage bias, which is characteristic of Ch. reinhardtii, is not the major factor affecting foreign gene expression. The advantages of the selective system for studying Ch. reinhardtii transformation with heterologous genes are discussed.     

An efficient way for obtaining transformants of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by electroporation

The cells of mutant CW-15, which does not form the cell wall, were transformed by electroporation. It was found that the transformation was optimal at a suspension density of 10(6) cells/ml in the middle of the logarithmic growth phase at a field intensity of 1 kW/cm and pulse duration 2 ms. It was shown that, under these conditions, the efficiency of transformation reached 10(3) HygR-clones per 10(6) recipient cells. Exogenic DNA integrated into the genome of the nucleus of Ch. reinhardtii was inherited constantly for more than 350 generations; however, the tolerance to hygromycin appeared as an unstable feature. The advantages of using mutant CW-15 and the selective system to study the transformation of Ch. reinhardtii by heterologous genes are discussed.     

Molecular analysis of the acetolactate synthase gene of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and development of a genetically engineered gene as a dominant selectable marker for genetic transformation

Genomic and cDNA clones of the acetolactate synthase (ALS) gene of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii have been isolated from a mutant, c85-20 (Hartnett et al., 1987), that is resistant to high concentrations of sulfometuron methyl (SMM) and related sulfonylurea herbicides. Comparison of the ALS gene sequences from the wild-type and the SMM resistant (SMMr) strains revealed two amino acid differences in the mature enzyme, a lysine to threonine change at position 257 (K257T) and a leucine to valine change at position 294 (L294V). Transformation of wild-type C. reinhardtii with the mutant ALS gene produced no transformants with ability to grow in the presence of a minimum toxic concentration of SMM (3 microm). Substitution of the ALS promoter with the promoter of the C. reinhardtii Rubisco small subunit gene (RbcS2) permitted recovery of SMMr colonies. In vitro mutagenesis of the wild-type ALS gene to produce various combinations of mutations (K257T, L294V and W580L) indicated that the K257T mutation was necessary and sufficient to confer the SMMr phenotype. Optimum transformation rates were obtained with two constructs (pJK7 and pRP-ALS) in which all introns in the coding region were present. Rates of transformation with construct pJK7 were approximately 2.5 x 10-4 transformants/cell (i.e. one transformant for each of 4000 initial cells) using electroporation and 8.5 x 10-6 transformants/cell using the glass bead vortexing method. These results suggest that pJK7 and pRP-ALS can serve as important additional dominant selectable markers for the genetic transformation of C. reinhardtii.     

The Transformation of the Unicellular Alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by Electroporation

The cell wall–lacking mutant CW-15 of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was transformed by electroporation using plasmid pCTVHyg, which was constructed with the hygromycin phosphotransferase genehpt as the selective marker and the Tn₅ transposon of Escherichia coli under the control of the virus SV40 early gene promoter. Under optimal conditions (10⁶ mid-exponential cells/ml; electric field strength 1 kV/cm; and pulse length 2 ms), the transformation yielded 10³ Hyg^R transformants per 10⁶ recipient cells. The exogenous DNA integrated into the nuclear genome of Ch. reinhardtii was persistently inherited through more than 350 cell generations. The advantages of this system for the transformation ofCh. reinhardtii with heterologous genes are discussed.     

农杆菌介导转化莱茵衣藻体系的优化

[目的]为建立根癌农杆菌介导的莱茵衣藻快速简便高效的遗传转化体系,本研究以模式生物莱茵衣藻为受体材料,从转化方法和转化子快速鉴定两个方面进行了优化.[方法]比较了固体培养基共培养转化方法和液体培养基共培养转化方法对根癌农杆菌LBA 4404介导的莱茵衣藻CC425转化效率的影响;研究并比较了(1)首先经过TE裂解再进行...     

Transformation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii CW-15 with the Hygromycin Phosphotransferase Gene as a Selectable Marker

To transform Chlamydomonas reinhardtiiDang. cells, plasmid pCTVHyg was constructed with the use of theEscherichia colihygromycin phosphotransferase gene (hpt) controlled by the SV40 early promoter. Cells of the CW-15 mutant strain were transformed by electroporation, with the yield reaching 10³ hygromycin-resistant (Hyg^R) clones per 10⁶ recipient cells. The exogenous DNA integrated in the Ch. reinhardtii nuclear genome showed stable transmission for approximately 350 cell generations, while hygromycin resistance was expressed as an unstable character. Codon usage was compared for the hptgene and Ch. reinhardtiinuclear genes. The results testified that codon usage bias, which is characteristic of Ch. reinhardtii, is not the major factor affecting foreign gene expression. The advantages of the selective system for studying Ch. reinhardtii transformation with heterologous genes are discussed.     

Dynamics of lineage-restricted mixed chimerism following sex-mismatched allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

Scant knowledge is available about the dynamics of lineage-specific mixed chimerism (Ch) following bone marrow transplantation (BMT). This review is focused on findings derived from bone marrow (BM) biopsies in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) including a sex-mismatched host/donor constellation. Appropriate techniques involved immunophenotyping by monoclonal antibodies to identify the various cell lineages, dual color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with x- and y-chromosome-specific DNA-probes and a proper detection system for a simultaneous labeling of the bcr/abl locus. A significant degree of Ch with more than 20% host CD34+ progenitors was found in the early and late (up to 200 days after BMT) posttransplant period. However, only 10% of these cells harbored the bcr/abl translocation gene. This result fits well with corresponding molecular biological findings of so-called minimal residual disease. Conversion of Ch evolved during leukemic relapse with 90% host progenitors of which 50% revealed the bcr/abl locus. A Ch of nucleated erythroid percursors (5%) and CD68+ macrophages (8%) was expressed to a significantly lower degree. The slightly increased frequency found in CD61+ megakaryocytes (16%) was probably due to the polyploid state of these cells. Similar to the CD34+ progenitor cells abrupt changes from donor to host type was associated with an insidious transformation into recurrent leukemia. The CD34+ endothelial cells showed a minor degree of Ch, because donor-derived elements ranged from 18% to 25%. Leukemic relapse was characterized by an almost complete conversion of the endothelial cells to a host type. These findings point towards a CD34+ progenitor cell origin of the (leukemic) endothelial cell layer and suggests that their dysfunction may contribute to an expansion of the neoplastic clone.     

Purification, characterization, and complete amino acid sequence of a thioredoxin from a green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Two thioredoxins (named Ch1 and Ch2 in reference to their elution pattern on an anion-exchange column) have been purified to homogeneity from the green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. In this paper, we described the properties and the sequence of the most abundant form, Ch2. Its activity in various enzymatic assays has been compared with those of Escherichia coli and spinach thioredoxins. C. reinhardtii thioredoxin Ch2 can serve as a substrate for E. coli thioredoxin reductase with a lower efficiency when compared to the homologous system. In the presence of dithiothreitol (DTT), the protein is able to catalyze the reduction of porcine insulin. Thioredoxin Ch2 is as efficient as its spinach counterpart in the DTT or light activation of corn NADP-malate dehydrogenase, but it only activates spinach fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase at very high concentrations. The complete primary structure of the C. reinhardtii thioredoxin Ch2 was determined by automated Edman degradation of the intact protein and of peptides derived from trypsin, chymotrypsin, clostripain, and SV8 protease digestions. It consists of a polypeptide of 106 amino acids (MW 11,808) and contains the well-conserved active site sequence Trp-Cys-Gly-Pro-Cys. The sequence of the algal thioredoxin Ch2 has been compared to that of thioredoxins from other sources and has the greatest similarity (67%) with the thioredoxin from Anabaena 7119.     

An algal nucleus-encoded subunit of mitochondrial ATP synthase rescues a defect in the analogous human mitochondrial-encoded subunit

Unlike most organisms, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a green alga, does not encode subunit 6 of F(0)F(1)-ATP synthase. We hypothesized that C. reinhardtii ATPase 6 is nucleus encoded and identified cDNAs and a single-copy nuclear gene specifying this subunit (CrATP6, with eight exons, four of which encode a mitochondrial targeting signal). Although the algal and human ATP6 genes are in different subcellular compartments and the encoded polypeptides are highly diverged, their secondary structures are remarkably similar. When CrATP6 was expressed in human cells, a significant amount of the precursor polypeptide was targeted to mitochondria, the mitochondrial targeting signal was cleaved within the organelle, and the mature polypeptide was assembled into human ATP synthase. In spite of the evolutionary distance between algae and mammals, C. reinhardtii ATPase 6 functioned in human cells, because deficiencies in both cell viability and ATP synthesis in transmitochondrial cell lines harboring a pathogenic mutation in the human mtDNA-encoded ATP6 gene were overcome by expression of CrATP6. The ability to express a nucleus-encoded version of a mammalian mtDNA-encoded protein may provide a way to import other highly hydrophobic proteins into mitochondria and could serve as the basis for a gene therapy approach to treat human mitochondrial diseases.     

Chlamydomonas sensory rhodopsins A and B: cellular content and role in photophobic responses

Two retinylidene proteins, CSRA and CSRB, have recently been shown by photoelectrophysiological analysis of RNAi-transformants to mediate phototaxis signaling in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Here we report immunoblot detection of CSRA and CSRB apoproteins in C. reinhardtii cells enabling assessment of the cellular content of the receptors. We obtain 9 x 10(4) CSRA and 1.5 x 10(4) CSRB apoprotein molecules per cell in vegetative cells of the wild-type strain 495, a higher value than that for functional receptor cellular content estimated previously from photosensitivity measurements and retinal extraction yields. Exploiting our ability to control the CSRA/CSRB ratio by transformation with receptor gene-directed RNAi, we report analysis of the CSRA and CSRB roles in the photophobic response of the organism by action spectroscopy with automated cell tracking/motion analysis. The results show that CSRA and CSRB each mediate the photophobic swimming response, a second known retinal-dependent photomotility behavior in C. reinhardtii. Due to the different light saturation and spectral properties of the two receptors, CSRA is dominantly responsible for photophobic responses, which appear at high light intensity.     

Isolation and characterization of a mutant protoporphyrinogen oxidase gene from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii conferring resistance to porphyric herbicides

In plant and algal cells, inhibition of the enzyme protoporphyrinogen oxidase (Protox) by the N-phenyl heterocyclic herbicide S-23142 causes massive protoporphyrin IX accumulation, resulting in membrane deterioration and cell lethality in the light. We have identified a 40.4 kb genomic fragment encoding S-23142 resistance by using transformation to screen an indexed cosmid library made from nuclear DNA of the dominant rs-3 mutant of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. A 10.0 kb HindIII subclone (Hind10) of this insert yields a high frequency of herbicide-resistant transformants, consistent with frequent non-homologous integration of the complete RS-3 gene. A 3.4 kb XhoI subfragment (Xho3.4) yields rare herbicide-resistant transformants, suggestive of homologous integration of a portion of the coding sequence containing the mutation. Molecular and genetic analysis of the transformants localized the rs-3 mutation conferring S-23142 resistance to the Xho3.4 fragment, which was found to contain five putative exons encoding a protein with identity to the C-terminus of the Arabidopsis Protox enzyme. A cDNA clone containing a 1698 bp ORF that encodes a 563 amino acid peptide with 51% and 53% identity to Arabidopsis and tobacco Protox I, respectively, was isolated from a wild-type C. reinhardtii library. Comparison of the wild-type cDNA sequence with the putative exon sequences present in the mutant Xho3.4 fragment revealed a GA change at 291 in the first putative exon, resulting in a ValMet substitution at a conserved position equivalent to Val-389 of the wild-type C. reinhardtii cDNA. A sequence comparison of genomic Hind10 fragments from C. reinhardtii rs-3 and its wild-type progenitor CC-407 showed this GA change at the equivalent position (5751) within exon 10.     

Rubisco activase is required for optimal photosynthesis in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in a low-CO(2) atmosphere

This report describes a Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mutant that lacks Rubisco activase (Rca). Using the BleR (bleomycin resistance) gene as a positive selectable marker for nuclear transformation, an insertional mutagenesis screen was performed to select for cells that required a high-CO2 atmosphere for optimal growth. The DNA flanking the BleR insert of one of the high-CO2-requiring strains was cloned using thermal asymmetric interlaced-polymerase chain reaction and inverse polymerase chain reaction and sequenced. The flanking sequence matched the C. reinhardtii Rca cDNA sequence previously deposited in the National Center for Biotechnology Information database. The loss of a functional Rca in the strain was confirmed by the absence of Rca mRNA and protein. The open reading frame for Rca was cloned and expressed in pSL18, a C. reinhardtii expression vector conferring paromomycin resistance. This construct partially complemented the mutant phenotype, supporting the hypothesis that the loss of Rca was the reason the mutant grew poorly in a low-CO2 atmosphere. Sequencing of the C. reinhardtii Rca gene revealed that it contains 10 exons ranging in size from 18 to 470 bp. Low-CO2-grown rca1 cultures had a growth rate and maximum rate of photosynthesis 60% of wild-type cells. Results obtained from experiments on a cia5 rca1 double mutant also suggest that the CO2-concentrating mechanism partially compensates for the absence of an active Rca in the green alga C. reinhardtii.     

Characterization and primary structure of a second thioredoxin from the green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

A second thioredoxin, Ch1, distinct from the one recently reported [Decottignies, P., Schmitter, J.M., Jacquot, J. P., Dutka, S., Picaud, A. & Gadal, P. (1990) Arch, Biochem. Biophys. 280, 112-121] has been purified from the green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and its functional and structural properties investigated. Its activity in various enzymatic assays has been compared with the activities of different plant thioredoxins (Ch2 from C. reinhardtii and spinach m and f). Ch1 cannot serve as a substrate for Escherichia coli thioredoxin reductase, but can be reduced by spinach ferredoxin-thioredoxin reductase. It is less efficient than its spinach counterpart in the activation of corn leaf NADP-dependent malate dehydrogenase by light or dithiothreitol, and it only activates spinach fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase at very high concentrations. The complete primary structure of C. reinhardtii thioredoxin Ch1 was determined by automated Edman degradation of the intact protein and of peptides derived from trypsin, chymotrypsin and Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease digestions. When needed, peptide masses were verified by plasma desorption mass spectrometry. Ch1 consists of a polypeptide of 111 amino acids (11634 Da) and contains the well-conserved active site sequence Trp-Cys-Gly-Pro-Cys. Compared to thioredoxins from other sources, the algal thioredoxin Ch1 displays few sequence similarities with all the thioredoxins sequenced so far. Preliminary evidence indicates that Ch1 may be an h-type thioredoxin.     

Stable expression of antibiotic-resistant gene ble from Streptoalloteichus hindustanus in the mitochondria of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The mitochondrial expression of exogenous antibiotic resistance genes has not been demonstrated successfully to date, which has limited the development of antibiotic resistance genes as selectable markers for mitochondrial site-directed transformation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. In this work, the plasmid pBSLPNCB was constructed by inserting the gene ble of Streptoalloteichus hindustanus (Sh ble), encoding a small (14-kilodalton) protective protein into the site between TERMINVREP-Left repeats and the cob gene in a fragment of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of C. reinhardtii. The fusion DNA-construct, which contained TERMINVREP-Left, Sh ble, cob, and partial nd4 sequence, were introduced into the mitochondria of the respiratory deficient dum-1 mutant CC-2654 of C. reinhardtii by biolistic particle delivery system. A large number of transformants were obtained after eight weeks in the dark. Subsequent subculture of the transformants on the selection TAP media containing 3 ìg/mL Zeomycin for 12 months resulted in genetically modified transgenic algae MT-Bs. Sequencing and Southern analyses on the mitochondrial genome of the different MT-B lines revealed that Sh ble gene had been integrated into the mitochondrial genome of C. reinhardtii. Both Western blot, using the anti-BLE monoclonal antibody, and Zeomycin tolerance analysis confirmed the presence of BLE protein in the transgenic algal cells. It indicates that the Sh ble gene can be stably expressed in the mitochondria of C. reinhardtii.     

The CRY1 gene in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: structure and use as a dominant selectable marker for nuclear transformation.

We have cloned and sequenced the CRY1 gene, encoding ribosomal protein S14 in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and found that it is highly similar to S14/rp59 proteins from other organisms, including mammals, Drosophila melanogaster, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We isolated a mutant strain resistant to the eukaryotic translational inhibitors cryptopleurine and emetine in which the resistance was due to a missense mutation (CRY1-1) in the CRY1 gene; resistance was dominant in heterozygous stable diploids. Cotransformation experiments using the CRY1-1 gene and the gene for nitrate reductase (NIT1) produced a low level of resistance to cryptopleurine and emetine. Resistance levels were increased when the CRY1-1 gene was placed under the control of a constitutive promoter from the ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase small subunit 2 (RBCS2) gene. We also found that the 5' untranslated region of the CRY1 gene was required for expression of the CRY1-1 transgene. Direct selection of emetine-resistant transformants was possible when transformed cells were first induced to differentiate into gametes by nitrogen starvation and then allowed to dedifferentiate back to vegetative cells before emetine selection was applied. With this transformation protocol, the RBCS2/CRY1-1 dominant selectable marker gene is a powerful tool for many molecular genetic applications in C. reinhardtii.     

The potential of 1,1'-hexamethylenebis [3-(3,5-dichloro-4-pyridyl)] urea to modify genotoxic actions of chemical mutagens in various test-systems

The main tasks of this investigation were to investigate the potential genotoxic effect of 1,1'-hexamethylenebis [3-(3,5-dichloro-4-pyridyl)] urea and to analyze its capacity to induce adaptive response (AR) against chemical mutagens in various test-systems. Microbiological, cytogenetical and biochemical end-points were used. The sensitivity of test systems can be arranged as followed: human lymphocyte cultures > Chlamydomonas reinhardtii > Hordeum vulgare. It was obtained that HMPU can induce oxidative stress in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells (7.5 x 10(-4) mol/l) and at appropriate experimental conditions can trigger an AR against chemical mutagens in Hordeum vulgare (7.5 x 10(-3) mol/l) and human lymphocytes (10(-5), 10(-6) mol/l). The extent of the AR induction was closely connected with the increase of the inter-treatment time between the conditioning concentration of HMPU and the challenge concentration of chemical mutagens.     

Characterisation of the Dunaliella tertiolecta RbcS genes and their promoter activity in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The availability of highly active homologous promoters and terminators is critical in the development of a transformation system for the unicellular microalga Dunaliella tertiolecta. To facilitate transformation of this species, we isolated and characterised two native ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase small subunit genes (RbcS) including flanking sequences. The two non-allelic cDNA sequences share approximately 80% identity and have approximately 60% identity to the RbcS genes of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The D. tertiolecta RbcS promoter and 3' untranslated regions were shown to drive expression of the bleomycin resistance gene (ble) in C. reinhardtii. This is the first demonstration of a heterologous algal promoter being used to drive transgene expression in C. reinhardtii. In addition, promoter deletions were shown to further increase transformation efficiency.