Type III 5-methylcytosine modification of DNA in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

We present here the first report of a type III methyltransferase that modifies a cytosine. Neisseria gonorrhoeae 82409/55 (pJD1) modifies the first cytosine on only one strand from the 5' end of the nonpalindromic sequence: (Formula; see text). We have called this modifying activity M X NgoVIII.     

Neisseria gonorrhoeae cell envelope: permeability to hydrophobic molecules.

Isogenic variants of antibiotic-resistant and -sensitive Neisseria gonorrhoeae were examined for differences in the inhibition of oxygen uptake by steroid hormones. Mutants designated as env, which possessed cell envelope mutations allowing phenotypic suppression of low-level antibiotic resistance, were more sensitive to steroid hormone inhibition of oxygen uptake than the wild-type parental strains. Possession of an mtr locus, which confers nonspecific resistance to multiple antibiotics, dyes, and detergents, was also associated with an increase in resistance to steroid hormone inhibition of oxygen uptake. The penA2 locus, which confers an eightfold increase in resistance to penicillin, was not responsible for the increased resistance to steroid hormones. Phospholipids in the outer membrane of intact env-2 cells were susceptible to digestion by phospholipase C, indicating exposure of phospholipid head groups on the outer surface. Cells of a wild-type and mtr-2 strain were not susceptible to phospholipase C digestion unless they were pretreated with mixed exoglycosidases. This pretreatment also increased the sensitivity of mtr-2 cells to progesterone inhibition of O2 uptake. These data suggest that the permeability of the gonococcus to hydrophobic antibiotic and steroid molecules is mediated by the degree of phospholipid exposure on the outer membrane.     

Immunologic classification of Neisseria gonorrhoeae with micro-immunofluorescence.

A reproducible immunologic classification of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains has been achieved by the micro-immunofluorescence (Micro-IF)3 method by using formalinized whole organisms as test antigens and mouse antisera prepared by i.v. immunization with the whole organisms as antibody. Immunologic differences among Neisseria species were also distinct in this test system. Immunologic differences among gonococcal strains were not influenced by gonococcal colony type. Classification of gonococci was facilitated by use of antisera absorbed with an antigenically unique gonococcus strain. Of 180 gonococcal strains, 175 could be classified into three immunotypes: A, B, and C. Each type was further divided into subtypes designated A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, C1, and C2. Minor antigenic differences still exist within each subtype. The two gonococcal isolates from each of 17 pairs of sexual contacts fell into the same subtype. Seventy-one of 73 isolates which required arginine, hypoxanthine, and uracil for growth (Arg-Hyx-Ura-) and seven of 107 other auxotypes belonged to subtypes A2 and A3. Marked geographical differences in distribution of gonococcal immunotypes were observed among those available for testing. Subtypes A2 and A3 were predominant in Seattle whereas types B and C were predominant in Southeast Asia. The only Arg-Hyx-Ura- isolates not belonging to subtypes A2 or A3 were the only two that were serum sensitive. This Micro-IF immunotyping appears potentially useful for future immunologic, epidemiologic, and genetic studies of N. gonorrhoeae.     

The kinetics of linear systems with special reference to periodic reactions

It is shown on the basis of (1) conservation of mass, (2) positive concentrations, and (3) the principle of detail balancing that periodic reactions cannot occur in a closed system described bylinear differential equations. The matrix,A, of the rate equations must be such that |A|=0,a _ij>0 fori≠j,a _ii<0, andVAV ⁻¹=B, whereV is diagonal andB is symmetric. These properties ofA imply that the latent roots are real and non-positive and that neither catalysis nor inhibition can be described bylinear equations. It is further shown that periodic reactions cannot occur in anopen system for which the matrix associated with the chemical reactions has the above properties and in which thesimple law of diffusion is obeyed. The relation of these results to Onsager's reciprocal relations and to previous work on periodic and cyclic chemical reactions is discussed. The utility of certain of these results for the treatment of isotope kinetics is indicated. A portion of this work was performed while the author was in the Department of Physiology, University of Chicago, and was supported by a grant from the Dr. Wallace C. and Clara A. Abbott Memorial Fund.     

Studies on mammalian glucoamylases with special reference to monkey intestinal glucoamylase

1. Highly purified preparations of glucoamylase were obtained from liver, spleen and intestine of the monkey. The enrichment factor was lower for intestine (60-fold) compared with that of liver (1200-fold) and of spleen (2000-fold) but the final specific activities were of a similar magnitude. 2. The liver and spleen enzymes had maximum activity at pH4.8 whereas the intestinal enzyme showed an optimum at pH5.8. The K(m) values for both starch and maltose with spleen and liver enzymes were higher than for the intestinal enzyme. With the intestinal enzyme, the V(max.) values were higher for both starch and maltose than those of the spleen and liver enzymes. 3. Gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 under identical conditions revealed that liver and spleen enzymes emerge from the columns much later than the intestinal enzyme. 4. Evidence is presented that the glucoamylase activity of the intestinal mucosa is exhibited by the maltase II fraction. 5. Tris, pentaerythritol and turanose inhibited glucoamylase from all the three tissues, but turanose inhibited the spleen and liver enzymes to a higher degree than the intestinal enzyme.     

Studies on senescing tobacco leaf disks with special reference to peroxidase

Summary Senescing tobacco leaf disks were treated with hydroxyproline (hypro). Chlorophyll breakdown and -amino-nitrogen increase were partially inhibited, but the decrease in soluble protein was stimulated. The normal increase in absolute acid-phosphatase activity was reversed, but the increase in peroxidase activity occurred although after a lag phase. Kinetin inhibition of senescence was reversed by hypro and kinetin actually reinforced the effects of hypro. Proline only partially overcame the effects of hypro plus kinetin. In the presence of kinetin, proline considerably stimulated the increase in peroxidase activity.Discussed are the way in which hypro may be acting, and the possibility of peroxidase being involved in proline hydroxylation.     

Antibody to an artificial disaccharide antigen cross-reactive with Neisseria gonorrhoeae lipopolysaccharide.

An artificial antigen was prepared from 4-O-beta-I-galactopyranosyl-D-glucose (lactose) and 8-ethoxycarbonyloctanol. Covalent attachment to bovine serum albumin provided an antigen that elicited antilactose antibody in rabbits and goat. These antibodies were active against Neisseria gonorrhoeae lipopolysaccharide in passive hemagglutination tests. The same antibody agglutinated cells of Streptococcus faecalis, strain N, and precipitated the lactose-containing cell wall diheteroglycan of this organism. Fractionation of rabbit and goat antibody raised against the synthetic antigen of S. faecalis vaccine provided two antibody fractions only one of which, eluted from the immunoadsorbent by galactose, was active against N. gonorrhoeae lipopolysaccharide.     

Characterization of the NgoAXP: phase-variable type III restriction–modification system in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Methyltransferases associated with type III restriction–modification (RM) systems are phase-variably expressed in a variety of pathogenic bacteria. NgoAXP, the type III RM system encoded by Neisseria gonorrhoeae , was characterized in this study. The cloned resngoAXP and ngoAXPmod genes were expressed in Escherichia coli strains. The restriction and modification activities of NgoAXP were confirmed in vivo by the λ phage restriction and modification test and in vitro by the methylation of DNA substrates in the presence of [ methyl -³H]AdoMet. As in all known type III systems, the restriction activity needed the presence of both genes, while the presence of the ngoAXPmod gene was sufficient for DNA methylation. Following its overexpression, the DNA methyltransferase M.NgoAXP was purified to apparent homogeneity using metal affinity chromatography. The specific sequence recognized by this enzyme was determined as a nonpalindromic sequence: 5'-CCACC-3', in which the adenine residue is methylated. We observed that in E. coli cells, the expression of the restriction phenotype associated with NgoAXP switched randomly. This phase variation was associated with the change in the number of pentanucleotide repeats (5'-CCAAC/G-3') present at the 5'-end of the coding region of the ngoAXPmod gene.