An investigation into the pathogenic properties of Escherichia coli strains BLR, BL21, DH5alpha and EQ1

AIMS: To examine Escherichia coli strains EQ1, DH5alpha, BLR and BL21 for known pathogenic mechanisms. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using specific DNA probes, the strains were shown not to carry the genes encoding invasion, various adhesion phenotypes or expression of a range of enterotoxins. The strains were unable to express long-chain lipopolysaccharide and were susceptible to the effects of serum complement. Using a BALB/c mouse model, the strains were shown to be unable to survive in selected tissues or to persist in the mouse gut. Using a chick model, strains EQ1, BLR and BL21 invaded livers but not spleens; only strain EQ1 persisted in the chick gut. In Merino sheep, only strain EQ1 was detected 6 d post-infection. CONCLUSIONS: Escherichia coli strains EQ1, DH5alpha, BLR and BL21 did not carry the well-recognized pathogenic mechanisms required by strains of E. coli causing the majority of enteric infections. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Escherichia coli strains EQ1, DH5alpha, BLR and BL21 were considered to be non-pathogenic and unlikely to survive in host tissues and cause disease.     

大肠杆菌holo-ACP的过表达、分离纯化及长链脂酰ACP的合成

[目的]获得高纯度大肠杆菌holo-ACP和多种长链脂酰ACP,为研究细菌脂肪酸、类脂A和N-酯酰高丝氨酸内脂等物质的合成提供底物.[方法和结果]采用PCR方法扩增得到大肠杆菌酰基载体蛋白基因(acpP)和holo-ACP合成酶基因(acpS).使用载体pBAD24、pBAD34和pET28b分别克隆了acpP和acpS,得到pBAD-ACP、pET-ACP和pET-ACP-ACPS 3个ACP表达质粒和一个AcpS表达质粒pBAD-ACPS.分别用3个ACP表达质粒转化大肠杆菌DH5a和BL21(DE3),构建了DH5αpBAD-ACP、BL21(DE3)/pET-ACP和BL21(DE3)/pET-ACP-ACPS 3种ACP生产菌株.与holo-ACP纯化常用菌株DK574相比,虽然三菌株在诱导时均能过量表达ACP,但是holo-ACP所占比例偏低.为了提高ACP生产菌株holo-ACP的产量,用质粒pBAD-ACPS分别转化上述3种ACP生产菌株,获得了3种携带双质粒的ACP生产菌株.表达结果显示携带pBAD-ACP和pBAD-ACPS双质粒的DH5a菌株比DK574菌株能产生更多的holo-ACP,且纯度也得到提高(纯度达99%).同时使用UNOsphere Q阴离子交换层析从这一菌株培养物中分离纯化到了高纯度的holo-ACP,并以纯化到的holo-ACP和多种长链脂肪酸为底物在哈氏弧菌脂酰ACP合成酶的催化下,合成了多种长链脂酰ACP.[结论]通过研究获得一株holo-ACP高产菌株,并证明在大肠杆菌菌株中,同时表达acpP基因和acpS基因,有利于holo-ACP的产生.     

Modified Escherichia coli B (BL21), a superior producer of plasmid DNA compared with Escherichia coli K (DH5alpha)

Plasmid DNA (pDNA) is an emerging experimental vaccine, produced in E. coli, initially targeted for viral diseases. Unlike traditional protein vaccines whose average dose is micrograms, the average dose of pDNA is on the scale of milligrams. Production yields are, therefore, important for the future development of this vaccine. The E. coli strains currently used for pDNA production, JM109 and DH5alpha, are both suitable for production of stable pDNA due to the deletion of recA and endA, however, these two E. coli K strains are sensitive to growth conditions such as high glucose concentration. On the other hand E. coli BL21 is less sensitive to growth conditions than E. coli JM109 or DH5alpha, this strain grows to higher densities and due to its active glyoxylate shunt and anaplerotic pathways is not sensitive to high glucose concentration. This strain is used for recombinant protein production but not for pDNA production because of its inability to produce stable pDNA. To adapt E. coli BL21 for stable pDNA production, the strain was mutated by deleting both recA and endA, and a proper growth and production strategy was developed. Production values, reaching 2 g/L were obtained using glucose as a carbon source. The produced plasmid, which was constructed for HIV clinical study, was found to have identical properties to the plasmid currently produced by E. coli DH5alpha.     

Simple cloning via direct transformation of PCR product (DNA Multimer) to Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis

We developed a general restriction enzyme-free and ligase-free method for subcloning up to three DNA fragments into any location of a plasmid. The DNA multimer generated by prolonged overlap extension PCR was directly transformed in Escherichia coli [e.g., TOP10, DH5α, JM109, and BL21(DE3)] and Bacillus subtilis for obtaining chimeric plasmids.     

Characterization of pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis by PCR-based DNA fingerprinting techniques

Strains of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis (Xam) were characterized for pathogenicity and for DNA polymorphism using different PCR-based techniques. Using amplified restriction fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), strains were distinguished from each other and also from other Xanthomonas strains. Cluster analysis showed a high correlation between DNA polymorphism and pathogenicity. Four Xam strains were further analyzed using three PCR-based techniques, AFLP, AFLP-pthB and RAPD-pthB. Various primer combinations were used including primers specific to a Xam pathogenicity gene (pthB) along with RAPD or AFLP primers. The AFLP primer combinations EcoRI+T/MseI+A and EcoRI+T/MseI+T were the most efficient to discriminate among pathogenic and nonpathogenic Xam strains. Polymorphic bands were excised from the gel, amplified and cloned. Sequences analysis showed significant homology with bacterial pathogenicity island, genes involved in pathogenic fitness and regulators of virulence. Three cloned AFLP fragments were used as probes in DNA blot experiments and two of them showed significant polymorphism.     

Construction of a pTOC-T vector using GST-ParE toxin for direct cloning and selection of PCR products

Using linker insertion mutations, we determined the most stable region of the parE gene which encodes a toxic protein (ParE) that inhibits growth of Escherichia coli. The toxicity of ParE was sustained until a 144 bp linker was inserted into this region. We have developed a 3' T-overhang vector based on these characteristics of the GST-ParE toxin, and named pTOC-T. Because pTOC-T uses a post-segregational killing system, all transformants grown up on the plates can be considered as recombinants containing foreign DNA. pTOC-T not require X-Gal, IPTG or other substrates for selection. This T-vector using a positive selection system can be applied to various E. coli strains such as XL1-Blue, BL21, DH5alpha, JM109, and JM110.     

Improving the growth rate of Escherichia coli DH5alpha at low temperature through engineering of GroEL/S chaperone system

GroEL/S is a molecular chaperone system in Escherichia coli which not only assists the folding of intracellular proteins but also affects the cellular activity against the change of environmental condition. Here we show that the growth rate of E. coli DH5alpha can be improved at low temperature by expressing a GroEL/S variant achieved through irrational protein engineering approach. The GroELS variant (GroELS(var)) accelerating the growth of E. coli DH5alpha was screened through enrichment culture of the mutant libraries obtained by random mutagenesis. E. coli DH5alpha harboring the groELS(var) gene exhibited approximately 1.5-2 times higher growth rate compared to the strain with wild-type GroELS at 15-30 degrees C. At 10 degrees C, a temperature that the growth of E. coli DH5alpha almost stops, the GroELS(var) triggered the growth of E. coli DH5alpha. We identified that seven nucleotides of groELS gene and six amino acids of the GroELS were changed through the mutagenesis and screening. Site directed mutagenic analysis revealed that H360 in GroEL(var) is the most crucial residue determining the activity of GroELS(var) and more than one of the other residues in GroEL(var) may be additionally involved in the activity of GroELS(var). The improvement of growth rate induced by the GroELS(var) was observed only in the strain DH5alpha and not detected in other E. coli strains, such as BL21, BW25113, codon+, JM110, Top10, and XL1-blue.     

应用AFLP技术对不同山羊种群进行遗传多样性检测的方法初探

7种不同山羊品种或种群的基因组DNA经限制性内切酶酶切 ,连接特异性接头 ,用 5条人工设计的与接头序列相识别的AFLP选择性引物 ,进行AFLP -PCR扩增 ,以琼脂糖凝胶电泳检测扩增结果。不同山羊种群基因组DNA的扩增结果具有差异。从而得出结论 :AFLP技术是一种适宜于山羊的遗传检测方法。     

在DH5α中拼接构建ADAM10全长真核表达载体的基因突变

目的:构建ADAMI0真核表达载体,为进一步研究其生物学功能打基础.方法:将人ADAM10的上下两部分基因片段(分别为全长基因的1 ～910bp和911 ～2 247bp片段),依次与真核表达载体pcDNA3.1相连,以大肠杆菌DH5α或BL21(DB)作为感受态宿主菌用于转化连接产物,拼接成全长的阳性克隆通过PCR、酶切和测序鉴定.结果:ADAM10下段基因与已正确连入上段的pcDNA3.1重组质粒拼接时,若用DH5α为感受态菌,则下半段出现碱基插入增加512bp,测序结果显示为ADAM10基因第1 531 bp～2 042 bp间的序列有紧邻的双份;若用BL21(DE3)为感受态,则无突变.结论:将ADAM10基因与pcDNA3.1真核表达载体依次拼接构建重组质粒时,以DH5α为宿主菌可出现基因序列增加的罕见突变,而以BL21(DE3)为宿主则无突变,由此成功构建ADAM10全长基因与pcDNA3.1的重组质粒.     

Changes in AFLP and SSR DNA polymorphisms induced by short-term space flight of rice seeds

Differences of both amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) polymorphisms were compared between the 60-d-old rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. DH7) and F3 rice plants (SP3) derived from seed, which endured a 7-d-space flight in March 2002. Total leaf AFLP DNA bands amplified from 22 primer pairs were 537 in DH7, whereas 562 in SP3. From the total 267 SSR DNA bands generated by 267 primer pairs, 39 were polymorphic with 22 larger (56 %) or 17 smaller (44 %) fragment size bands. The greatest numbers of AFLP DNA bands were amplified by primer E1M1 in DH7 (33) and E3M1 in SP3 (35), whilst the least by E4M3 in DH7 (14) and E5M2 in SP3 (16).     

Use of AFLP Markers for Gene Mapping and QTL Detection in the Rat

The AFLP technique is a new DNA marker technology based on the selective amplification of restriction fragments. Multiple polymorphic markers are simultaneously produced and can be tested in one PCR. No prior information on genomic DNA sequences is needed. In the current study, we contribute 18 AFLP markers to the linkage map of the rat. Seven AFLP markers were assigned to specific chromosomes by analysis of a (BN × ACI)F1 × ACI backcross progeny. Another 11 AFLP markers were mapped by using a panel of the H × B/B × H recombinant inbred (RI) strains. Genotypes of these AFLP markers were also tested for correlations with some blood pressure phenotypes in the RI strains. Suggestive correlation was found between the mean arterial pressure and two closely linked AFLP markers located on chromosome 20. The current study illustrates the value of AFLP markers for the construction of linkage maps and the detection of quantitative trait loci.     

Genotypic characterization of Bradyrhizobium strains nodulating small Senegalese legumes by 16S-23S rRNA intergenic gene spacers and amplified fragment length polymorphism fingerprint analyses

We examined the genotypic diversity of 64 Bradyrhizobium strains isolated from nodules from 27 native leguminous plant species in Senegal (West Africa) belonging to the genera Abrus, Alysicarpus, Bryaspis, Chamaecrista, Cassia, Crotalaria, Desmodium, Eriosema, Indigofera, Moghania, Rhynchosia, Sesbania, Tephrosia, and Zornia, which play an ecological role and have agronomic potential in arid regions. The strains were characterized by intergenic spacer (between 16S and 23S rRNA genes) PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism (IGS PCR-RFLP) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting analyses. Fifty-three reference strains of the different Bradyrhizobium species and described groups were included for comparison. The strains were diverse and formed 27 groups by AFLP and 16 groups by IGS PCR-RFLP. The sizes of the IGS PCR products from the Bradyrhizobium strains that were studied varied from 780 to 1,038 bp and were correlated with the IGS PCR-RFLP results. The grouping of strains was consistent by the three methods AFLP, IGS PCR-RFLP, and previously reported 16S amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis. For investigating the whole genome, AFLP was the most discriminative technique, thus being of particular interest for future taxonomic studies in Bradyrhizobium, for which DNA is difficult to obtain in quantity and quality to perform extensive DNA:DNA hybridizations.     

桑蚕金属硫蛋白基因在大肠杆菌中的克隆和表达

用\%Bam\%HⅠ和\%Sac\%Ⅰ双酶切质粒pCM1\|1,获得酵母的MTI基因片段,用非放射性地高辛标记作为探针。提取桑蚕肥苏蚕卵的总DNA,分别用\%Eco\%RⅠ、\%Bam\%HⅠ和\%Hin\%dⅢ酶切,与MTI探针进行Southern杂交,出现较强的杂交信号。然后用\%Eco\%RⅠ完全酶切桑吞的总DNA,电洗脱法回收1～6kb的染色体片断,与\%Eco\%RⅠ酶切的M13-载体以3∶1比例连接,转化受体菌DH5α。筛选到4 000多个白色转化子,与探针MTI进行Southern杂交筛选阳性转化子,选择到有强杂交信号的三个转化子［编号为T1(pZHC\|1)\,T5(pZHC\|5)\,T7(pZHC\|7)\]。用12种限制性内切酶对pZHC\|5重组质粒进行酶切分析表明插入片段约12kb,在基因内有一个\%Hin\%dⅢ位点。抗性测定表明受体菌DH5α在含有50mmol/L CuSO\-4的培养基上生长,在含有52mmol/L CuSO\-4的培养基上不生长,而转化子确能在含有52mmol/L CuSO\-4以上的培养基上生长。上述研究结果表明12kb左右的插入片段含有桑吞的金属硫蛋白基因。     

弱氧化醋杆菌阿拉伯糖醇脱氢酶基因克隆及其在大肠杆菌中的表达

The partial genomic library of Acetobacter suboxydans was constructed using Yeast\| E.coli shuttle plasmid YEp352 as vector.Two positive transformants,designated as DH5α(pAD91) and DH5α(pAD98),were obtained by screening the growth of transformants on the agar plate in which D\|arabitol was used as the sole carbon source.The results of Southern blot and restriction endonuclease analysis showed that the two recombinants are identical.The insert is about 2.3kb.Arabitol dehydrogenase activity assay indic…     

An improved amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) protocol for discrimination of Listeria isolates

Nine restriction enzyme combinations and 108 different primer combinations were initially tested for suitability for amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis of Listeria monocytogenes; the combination of HindIII and HpyCH4IV showed consistently strong signals on gels, amplified an adequate number of DNA fragments and detected polymorphism among closely related strains based on AscI macrorestriction profiles. AFLP also distinguished between L. monocytogenes, L. innocua, L. ivanovii, L. seeligeri, L. welshimeri and L. grayi species. All Listeria species showed species-specific clusters, with less than 33% similarity between different species. A total of 34 L. monocytogenes strains were characterised by using both AFLP and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The results of AFLP analysis of L. monocytogenes strains were in concordance with those obtained by PFGE. Both methods identified 29 different genotypes of L. monocytogenes and had a high discrimination index (> 0.999). By combining the results of AFLP and PFGE, subtype discrimination was further improved. Numerical analysis of both AFLP and PFGE profiles yielded three genomic groups of L. monocytogenes strains. AFLP was found to be faster and less labour-intensive than PFGE. We conclude that the AFLP protocol is a highly discriminatory, reproducible and valuable tool in characterisation of Listeria strains and may also be suitable for Listeria species identification.     

Single-enzyme amplified fragment length polymorphism and its applicability for Salmonella epidemiology

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) is a PCR-based DNA fingerprinting technique whereby restriction fragments may be visualized without prior knowledge of nucleotide sequences. In AFLP analysis, bacterial genomic DNA is digested with a restriction enzyme and ligated to adapter oligonucleotides. A subset of DNA fragments are then amplified using primers which contain adapter-defined sequences. Selective amplification is achieved by the use of primers containing adapter-defined sequences with one additional arbitrary nucleotide. We used four primers complementary to the adapter sequence, but each differing in the final 3' base that extended into the fragment DNA. The usefulness of these primers for fingerprinting Salmonella enterica was assessed in a hierarchical manner. Using a single-enzyme approach (SAFLP) we have used this method to fingerprint 30 strains of S. enterica, belonging to 14 different serotypes. SAFLP profiles derived from Hind III fragments differentiated between the serotypes. In addition, SAFLP profiles for each serotype differentiated between the phage types and individual strains. The technique is significantly faster to perform than other DNA-based methods and has given reproducible and discriminatory results. This hierarchical SAFLP technique may provide a valuable addition to existing methods for the DNA fingerprinting of S. enterica for epidemiological studies.     

A novel expression vector, designated as pHisJM, for producing recombinant His-fusion proteins

Compared to glutathione S -transferase (GST), tagging with hexahistidine residues (His) has several merits: low levels of toxicity and immunogenicity, a smaller size and no electric charge. We have constructed a novel expression vector, designated as pHisJM (EMBL/GenBank/DDJB accession no. AB116367), for producing recombinant His-fusion proteins. This vector was constructed by replacing GST and multiple cloning site (MCS) cassettes in pGEX-5X-3 with those of hexahistidine and MCS derived from pRSET C vector. Human annexin IV (Anx IV) was used as target protein. His-Anx IV fusion protein was expressed using pHisJM and gave a 40 kDa band when immuno-stained with anti-His mAb or anti-Anx IV mAb as predicted. To compare expression efficiency, a Anx IV cDNA inserted-pHisJM or pGEX-5X-3 was transformed into Escherichia coli DH5alpha, JM109, BL21 and BL21(DE3). Using pHisJM, Anx IV protein was highly expressed in all cell strains. In addition to the merits of using His-tag, pHisJM has several advantages: 1) it has high expression efficiency; 2) it can be used in any Escherichia coli strain; and 3) it can be used in a single strain of Escherichia coli in all steps from plasmid construction to the expression of the target gene.     

Corynebacterium glutamicum DNA is subjected to methylation-restriction in Escherichia coli

Abstract Efficient electroporation of Escherichia coli with plasmid DNA isolated from Corynebacterium glutamicum depends on the use of Mcr-deficient E. coli strains. The transformation frequency increased nearly 800-fold when the Mcr-deficient E. coli DH5αMCR was used instead of E. coli DH5α. We used E. coli strains with different mutations in the methyl-specific restriction systems to show that McrBC-deficiency is sufficient to generate this effect. The results imply that C. glutamicum DNA contains methylcytosine in specific sequences recognized by the E. coli McrBC system.