Molecular analysis of the Salmonella typhimurium phoN gene, which encodes nonspecific acid phosphatase.

The phoN gene of Salmonella typhimurium encodes nonspecific acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.2), which is regulated by a two-component regulatory system consisting of the phoP and phoQ genes. We cloned the phoN region into a plasmid vector by complementation of a phoN mutant strain and determined the nucleotide sequence of the phoN gene and its flanking regions. The phoN gene could encode a 26-kDa protein, which was identified by the maxicell method as the product of phoN. Results of the enzyme assay and Southern hybridization with chromosomal DNA of Escherichia coli K-12 suggests that there is no phoN gene in E. coli. The regulatory pattern of phoN in E. coli and Southern hybridization analysis of the E. coli chromosome with the S. typhimurium phoP gene suggest that E. coli K-12 also harbors the phoP and phoQ genes.     

Molecular analysis of the Escherichia coli phoP-phoQ operon.

The phoP-phoQ operon of Salmonella typhimurium is a member of the family of two-component regulatory systems and controls expression of the phoN gene that codes for nonspecific acid phosphatase and the genes involved in the pathogenicity of the bacterium. The phoP-phoQ operon of Escherichia coli was cloned on a plasmid vector by complementation of a phoP mutant, and the 4.1-kb nucleotide sequence, which includes the phoP-phoQ operon and its flanking regions, was determined. The phoP-phoQ operon was mapped at 25 min on the standard E. coli linkage map by hybridization with the Kohara mini set library of the E. coli chromosome (Y. Kohara, K. Akiyama, and K. Isono, Cell 50:495-508, 1987). The predicted phoP and phoQ gene products consist of 223 and 486 amino acids with estimated molecular masses of 25,534 and 55,297 Da, respectively, which correspond well with the sizes of the PhoP and PhoQ proteins identified by the maxicell method. The amino acid sequences of PhoP and PhoQ of E. coli were 93 and 86% identical, respectively, to those of S. typhimurium.     

Structure and function of the PHO82-pho4 locus controlling the synthesis of repressible acid phosphatase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

pho4 mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, although rare among phosphatase-negative mutants isolated from wild-type strains, were isolated efficiently from pho80, pho85, or pho80 pho85 strains. The distribution of these pho4 mutants over the pho4 locus was determined by analyzing random spores of two- and three-factor crosses. The pho4-4 mutation confers temperature-sensitive synthesis of repressible acid phosphatase. An intragenic suppressor for the pho4-12 allele results in the temperature-sensitive synthesis of repressible acid phosphatase. Recombination between these sites occurs at 1.0 to 3.0%, the highest for any pair of sites within the pho4 locus. All these results strongly indicate that the information of the pho4 locus is translated into a protein. The PHO82 site was mapped inside the pho4 locus by random spore analysis. The order met10-pho4-1PHO82-1-pho4-9 on the right arm of chromosome VI was confirmed by tetrad analysis. Doubly heterozygous diploids, pho3 PHO82c PHO4+/pho3 pho82+ pho4, produce variable amounts of repressible acid phosphatase under repressive conditions depending on the combination of PHO82c and pho4 alleles. This phenomenon may reflect the constitutive production of the pho82+-pho4 product in the repressed condition, which interferes with the function of the PHO82c-PHO4+ product. The earlier model for the function of the PHO82-pho4 cluster, in which the PHO82 site acts as an operator of the pho4 gene, has been revised to a model in which the PHO82 site codes for the part of the pho4 protein that has affinity for the regulatory protein encoded by the pho80 and pho85 genes.     

Temperature-sensitive repression of the tryptophan operon in Escherichia coli

Mutants of Escherichia coli exhibiting temperature-sensitive repression of the tryptophan operon have been isolated among the revertants of a tryptophan auxotroph, trpS5, that produces an altered tryptophanyl transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) synthetase. Unlike the parental strain, these mutants grew in the absence of tryptophan at high but not at low temperature. When grown at 43.5 C with excess tryptophan (repression conditions), they produced 10 times more anthranilate synthetase than when grown at 36 C or lower temperatures. Similar, though less striking, temperature-sensitivity was observed with respect to the formation of tryptophan synthetase. Transduction mapping by phage P1 revealed that these mutants carry a mutation cotransducible with thr at 60 to 80%, in addition to trpS5, and that the former mutation is primarily responsible for the temperature-sensitive repression. These results suggest that the present mutants represent a novel type of mutation of the classical regulatory gene trpR, which probably determines the structure of a protein involved in repression of the tryptophan operon. In agreement with this conclusion, tRNA of several trpR mutants was found to be normal with respect to its tryptophan acceptability. It was also shown that the trpS5 allele, whether present in trpR or trpR(+) strains, produced appreciably higher amounts of anthranilate synthetase than the corresponding trpS(+) strains under repression conditions. This was particularly true at higher temperatures. These results provide further evidence for our previous conclusion that tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase is somehow involved in repression of this operon.     

Location on the Salmonella typhimurium Chromosome of the Gene Encoding Nucleoside Diphosphokinase (ndk)

The gene encoding nucleosidediphosphate kinase (ndk) was located at 55 units on the Salmonella typhimurium chromosome. The ndk locus was 83% cotransducible with hisS and 2% cotransducible with glyA in phage P22-mediated crosses. A nucleosidediphosphate kinase mutant that produced only 10% of the wild-type enzyme activity (ndk-1) grew normally and produced a heat-labile enzyme.     

Salmonella typhimurium mutants lacking protease II.

Mutants of Salmonella typhimurium lacking protease II, an endoprotease with trypsin-like specificity, have been isolated. These mutants can be identified by using the chromogenic substrate N-methyl-N-p-toluenesulfonyl-L-lysine beta-naphthyl ester to screen colonies growing on agar for the presence of the enzyme. All of the mutations isolated map at locus tlp (typsin-like protease) which is cotransducible (approximately 1%) using phage P1 with tre (trehalose utilization) at approximately 58 min on the Salmonella map. Double mutants lacking both protease I and protease II have been constructed. These strains grew normally. They were able to degrade abnormal proteins and to carry out protein turnover during carbon starvation at the same rate as the wild type.     

Gene rpmF for ribosomal protein L32 and gene rimJ for a ribosomal protein acetylating enzyme are located near pyrC (23.4 min) in Escherichia coli

Summary An Escherichia coli mutant harbouring altered ribosomal protein L32 has been isolated and genetically characterized. The mutation leading to this alteration (rpmF) and the temperature-sensitive mutation (ts-1517) present in the same strain were found to map near pyrC (23.4 min), being cotransducible not only with pyrC but also with fabD, flaT and purB in P1 phage mediated transductions. Furthermore, we found that the gene rimJ, which encodes an enzyme that acetylates the N-terminal alanine of protein S5 and the temperature-sensitive mutation, ts-386, present in the rimJ mutant strain (Cumberlidge and Isono 1979) also mapped in this region. Thus, the order of genes is deduced to be: ts-386-pyrC-ts-1517-rimJ-flaT-fabD-rpmF-purB.     

Genetic and biochemical characterization of periplasmic-leaky mutants of Escherichia coli K-12.

Periplasmic-leaky mutants of Escherichia coli K-12 were isolated after nitrosoguanidine-induced mutagenesis. They released periplasmic enzymes into the extracellular medium. Excretion of alkaline phosphatase, which started immediately in the early exponential phase of growth, could reach up to 90% of the total enzyme production in the stationary phase. Leaky mutants were sensitive to ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, cholic acid, and the antibiotics rifampin, chloramphenicol, mitomycin C, and ampicillin. Furthermore, they were resistant to colicin E1 and partially resistant to phage TuLa. Their genetic characterization showed that the lky mutations mapped between the suc and gal markers, near or in the tolPAB locus. A biochemical analysis of cell envelope components showed that periplasmic-leaky mutants contained reduced amounts of major outer membrane protein OmpF and increased amounts of a 16,000-dalton outer membrane protein.     

Multiple genes for membrane-bound phosphatases in Escherichia coli and their action on phospholipid precursors.

We have devised a coupled radiochemical assay for detecting phosphatidylglycerolphosphate (PGP) phosphatase activity in Escherichia coli colonies immobilized on filter paper. There appeared to be at least two enzymes capable of dephosphorylating PGP, as judged by the characterization of mutations in two genes designated pgpA and pgpB. The former is located near min 10 and is cotransducible with proC and dnaZ. The latter is situated near min 28 and is closely linked to cysB. The available mutant alleles of pgpA reduced the specific activity of PGP phosphatase in crude extracts by about 30%, but they had no effect on phosphatidic acid (or lysophosphatidic acid) phosphatase. Mutants altered in the pgpB locus inactivated most of the residual PGP phosphatase activity present in single-step pgpA mutants, and the level of phosphatidic acid phosphatase was also reduced 20-fold. The available mutations in pgpA and pgpB elevated the cellular PGP pool by 10- to 50-fold. The maximal PGP levels never exceeded 5%, and these strains were not conditionally lethal. The simplest interpretation of our findings is that there are at least two membrane-associated phosphatases in E. coli, both distinct from alkaline phosphatase. The pgpA gene product is specific for PGP, whereas the pgpB gene product also acts on phosphatidic acid and lysophosphatidic acid.     

Genetic characterization of a gene for prolipoprotein signal peptidase in Escherichia coli

A mutation (lspA, prolipoprotein signal peptidase) rendering the prolipoprotein signal peptidase temperature-sensitive in Escherichia coli has been analyzed. The mutation was mapped in the dnaJ-rpsT-ileS-dapB region by interrupted mating with various Hfr strains and P1 phage transduction. lambda transducing phage lambda ddapB2 that carries the rpsT-ileS-dapB region was shown to complement the lspA mutation. Plasmid pLC3-13 which had been isolated from Clarke and Carbon's collection as a plasmid carrying the lspA locus was shown to carry the dnaJ and rpsT loci. Complementation analysis with plasmids carrying various DNA fragments derived from pLC3-13 showed that the lspA locus is between the rpsT and ileS loci. The wildtype allele was dominant over the lspA allele.     

Temperature-sensitive glutamate dehydrogenase mutants of Salmonella typhimurium.

Mutants of Salmonella typhimurium defective in glutamate dehydrogenase activity were isolated in parent strains lacking glutamate synthase activity by localizcd mutagenesis or by a general mutagenesis combined with a cycloserine enrichment for glutamate auxotrophs. Two mutants with temperature-sensitive phenotypes had glutamate dehydrogenase activities that were more thermolabile than that of an isogenic control strain. Eight other mutants had less than 10% of the wild-type glutamate dehydrogenase activity. All the mutations were cotransducible with a Tn10 element (zed-2:Tn10) located at approximately 23 U on the S. typhimurium linkage map. These data strongly indicate that this region contains the structural gene (gdhA) for glutamate dehydrogenase.     

Chromosomal mapping and cloning of the lipase gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Various mutants (lip) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO 2302 that lacked extracellular lipase activity were isolated. They were selected on a calcium-triolein agar. The phenotypic characteristics of two of these mutants suggested that they were defective in the gene coding for lipase: both lip mutants produced no lipase in liquid- and on solid medium. They were nonpleiotropic with regard to various other exoproducts. None of the mutants released any putatively cell-bound lipase after treatment of cells with Triton X-100 or alginate. The electrophoretic protein- and LPS-profiles of outer membranes derived from lip mutants and the parental strain were identical. The lip locus was mapped on the chromosome of P. aeruginosa PAO 1 by FP5- and R68. 45-mediated crossings and by transduction with phage G101. The lip locus was cotransduced with pyrF only (60%) indicating a map position at about 57 min. The lipase gene was cloned on a 3.1 kb SalI fragment using vector pKT248. The newly constructed plasmid was able to complement the lipase deficiency of the two lip mutants of P. aeruginosa.     

Altered phospholipid composition in mutants of Escherichia coli sensitive or resistant to organic solvents.

Mutants of Escherichia coli with altered resistance to low molecular weight organic solvents were isolated. Solvent-resistant mutants showed a decrease in the ratio of phosphatidylethanolamine to the anionic phospholipids (phosphatidylglycerol and cardiolipin) relative to the wild-type, whereas solvent-sensitive strains showed an increase. Reversion studies on representative mutants demonstrated that the phenotypic response to solvents and the changes in phospholipid composition were genetically associated. The fatty acid and lipopolysaccharide compositions of the various mutants showed no significant differences from the parental strain. The lesions in two of the solvent-sensitive mutants (DC7 and DC9) and one of the resistant mutants (DC11) were mapped by cotransduction with phage P1 and shown to lie very close to the pss locus at 56 min on the Escherichia coli map.     

Isolation and Preliminary Characterization of Temperature-Sensitive Mutants of Rhizobiophage C

By using mutagenesis induced by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, 150 temperature-sensitive mutants of rhizobiophage c were isolated. All were able to form plaques at 14 C but not at 29 C. They were classified into 21 complementation groups. Representative temperature-sensitive mutants from each complementation group were analyzed with regard to gene function. The approximate time of expression of the genes defined by the mutants was measured by temperature-shift experiments. Most genes began to be expressed at 4.0 to 7.5 h after infection at 14 C. Four genes were found which were expressed 2.5 to 3.5 h after infection. Some mutants showed no DNA synthesis at 29 C; some showed a delay in lysis. Some produced apparently normal particles after infection and lysis at 29 C; others produced various types of defective particles. Some mutants showing no DNA synthesis at 29 C nevertheless caused lysis at the normal time together with the production of phage structural components. Representative mutants from each complementation group were mapped by using two-factor crosses. A preliminary genetic map of phage c was constructed from the data.     

Isolation,characterization and mapping of temperature-sensitive mutants of mycobacteriophage I3

Eighteen temperature-sensitive mutants of mycobacteriophage I3 have been isolated and partially characterized. All the mutants were defective in vegetative replication. Based on temperature shift experiments with the temperature sensitive mutants, the thermosensitive phase of the phage development period has been characterized for each mutant. The genes have been mapped by recombination analysis. The early, continuous and middle genes seem to cluster on the genetic map     

Escherichia coli mutants with temperature-sensitive synthesis of DNA

Summary Seven mutants of E. coli with temperature-sensitive synthesis of DNA have been isolated. Synthesis of RNA, protein and DNA precursors does not appear to be directly affected. The mutants can be divided into at least two groups on the basis of their pattern of DNA synthesis, their ability to support phage growth at 41° and their genetic mapping.Mutants of the first group are heterogeneous in their pattern of DNA synthesis at 40°. Some mutants cease DNA synthesis abruptly upon transfer to 40° and any residual DNA synthesis is barely detectable. In others there is substantial residual synthesis at 40°. All these Group 1 mutants are alike, however, in that they support the growth of phage T4 but not Lambda at 41°. Two mutants with barely detectable residual DNA synthesis carry DNA mutations which have been mapped by P1 transduction and show about 72% linkage to the malB locus. It has not yet proved possible to map accurately the mutants showing substantial residual synthesis, and the possibility that these mutations are in a different gene(s) has not been excluded.A single mutant has been placed in a second group. Like some Group 1 mutants it synthesizes substantial amounts of DNA at 40° before synthesis stops. However, unlike them it supports the growth of T4 and Lambda at 41°. The DNA mutation maps near the leu locus. Certain properties of this mutant are consistent with the idea that initiation of DNA synthesis is temperature-sensitive in this strain.Adapted from a dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. This investigation was supported in part by U.S. Public Health Services Grant 5-TO1-GM00829 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and in part by U.S.P.H.S. research grant GM12524.     

Regulation of the Escherichia coli methylgalactoside transport system by gene mglD.

Constitutive activity of the methylgalactoside transport system of Escherichia coli K-12 is shown to result from mutation of a genetic locus distinct from the two previously described regulatory loci for this permease. Employing an autoradiographic procedure whereby constitutive and inducible cells can be differentiated, it is demonstrated that this locus, termed mglD, is 20% cotransducible with ptsF by bacteriophage P1. Selection for constitutive mutants among an inducible population yielded cells who mutations mapped in mglD. Cotransduction of mglD with mglB, minus C, and minus A, three genes required for activity of the methylgalactoside transport system, is 95, 88, and 81%, respectively. The results of recombination studies employing three and four factors indicate that the order of genes in this region is ptsF, mglD, B, C, A.     

Identification of the genetic locus for the structural gene and a new regulatory gene for the synthesis of repressible alkaline phosphatase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Two lines of evidence showed that the PHO8 gene encodes the structure of repressible, nonspecific alkaline phosphatase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: (i) the enzyme produced by a temperature-sensitive pho8 mutant at the permissive temperature (25 degrees C) was more thermolabile than that of the wild-type strain, and (ii) the PHO8 gene showed a gene dosage effect on the enzyme activity. The pho8 locus has been mapped on chromosome IV, 8 centimorgans distal to rna3. A new mutant carrying the pho9 gene was isolated which lacks repressible alkaline phosphatase, but has the normal phenotype for the synthesis of repressible acid phosphatase. The pho9 gene segregated independently of all known pho-regulatory genes and did not show the gene dosage effect on repressible alkaline phosphatase activity. The pho9/pho9 diploid hardly sporulated and showed no commitment to intragenic recombination when it was inoculated on sporulation medium. Hence the pho9 mutant has a phenotype similar to the pep4 mutant, which was isolated as a pleiotropic mutant with reduced levels of proteinases A and B and carboxypeptidase Y. An allelism test indicated that pho9 and pep4 are allelic.