影响紫云英根瘤菌入侵和根瘤发育的exo基因的克隆及分析

紫云英根瘤菌菌株107的3个胞外多糖缺陷突变株NA－01、02、04不具备诱导宿主植物紫云英结瘤的能力。以NA-01突变位点的DNA片段为探针,从可互补这3个变种的exoR′－11质粒上亚克隆到2．6kb的DNA片段。互补试验表明,2．6kb的片段不仅可纠正突变株的胞外多糖缺陷表型,而且使变种恢复诱导宿主植物形成有效根瘤的能力。2．6kb片段经Tn5定位突变后丧失这种恢复能力,表明该片段带有对应于3个变种的野生型基因。     

草生欧文氏菌CSHl 065Fib基因定位、克隆及酶切分析

利用Tn5诱导突变,DNA分子杂交及克隆技术发现并证实了草生欧文氏菌Erwinia he—rbicola CSHl065Fib(Fungiinhibition)基因定位于其180kb质粒上,包含彼此分离的8．3、8．5、8．6和9．5kb EcoRI片段,建立了CSHl065质粒基因组pBR325及pLAFBl基因库,通过DNA酶切分析及亚克隆(Subclone)证实获得了CSHl065部分Fib基因(群)及其物理图谱。     

含质粒复制起始区ori44的苏云金芽胞杆菌解离载体的构建

将苏云金芽胞杆菌转座子Tn4430的解离酶识别位点res分别插入克隆载体pRSET B和pUC19得到质粒pBMB1201和pBMB1202。这两个质粒分别经BamHI/HindⅢ和EcoRI/HindⅢ双酶切回收含res位点的小DNA片段,与穿梭载体pHT3101经EcoRI/HindⅢ双酶切后回收的含大肠杆菌复制起始区、氨苄青霉素抗性基因和红霉素抗性基因的3.3kb片段连接,获得重组质粒pBMB1203。封闭pBMB1203两res位点外的BamHI和EcoRI位点后,得到解离载体pBMB1204。将来源于苏云金芽胞杆菌库斯塔克亚种YBT-1520的质粒复制起始区ori44片段插入pBMB1204的两res位点之间,得到解离穿梭载体pBMB1205。该解离载体插入壮观霉素抗性基因后电转化无晶体突变株,在辅助质粒所提供的解离酶作用下可发生解离消除抗性基因,解离频率为100%,解离后的质粒稳定性为93%。利用解离穿梭载体pBMB1205可在用抗性筛选到转化子后特定消除抗性标记基因和其它非苏云金芽胞杆菌DNA片段。     

嗜麦芽假单胞菌的碱性蛋白酶基因在大肠杆菌中的克隆与表达

用pUCl8质粒作为载体,将嗜麦芽假单胞菌(Psedeomonas maltophilia P27)的碱性蛋白酶基因克隆到大肠杆菌(E．Coli TGI)中,得到3株能分泌碱性蛋白酶的阳性克隆G1,G2和G3。其中G3所分泌的碱性蛋白酶活性最高,大约是出发菌株的3—4倍,对3株阳性克隆所含的重组质粒psJl,psJ2和psJ3进行限制酶酶切分析表明,酶活最高的阳性克隆G3所含的重组质粒psJ3的插入片段最小,大约是2．8kb;其它两株的重组质粒pSJl和pSJ2含有同样大小的插入片段,约为5．5kb。     

苏云金芽胞杆菌cryⅡ基因的克隆和表达

分离的苏云金芽胞杆菌(Bacillus-thuringiensis)YBT-791对鳞翅目小菜蛾(Plutellaxylostella)有毒力,将其质粒DNA提纯,经HindⅢ酶切后与杀虫晶体蛋白cryⅡ基因探针杂交,显示出分子量分别为5kb和9．4kb两条DNA阳性片段。把5kb的DNA阳性片段克隆到pUCl8的HindⅢ位点上并转化大肠杆菌TGl,经酶切和杂交检测,证明斑点杂交阳性克隆子中含有5kb的cryI片段。把这个含cryⅡ基因的5kbHindⅢ片段进行亚克隆,将4kb的BamHI－Pstl酶切片段插入穿梭载体pXl61中,并用电脉冲法克隆于苏云金杆菌不产伴胞晶体的突变株中,得到产生单一cry Ⅱ基因编码的杀虫晶体蛋白的克隆菌株M一5。经电镜观察,该克隆菌株能形成出发菌YBT－791多种形态伴胞晶体中的一种方形伴胞晶体;经免疫双扩试验,它只能与Cry Ⅱ晶体蛋白抗血清形成沉淀线;经SDS—PAGE电泳,克隆菌的伴胞晶体只含有一种65kDa的晶体蛋白。生物测定结果表明它既对鳞翅目小菜蛾(Piutella xylostella)有毒性,又对双翅目致倦库蚊(Culex quinquefasciatus)有毒性。     

携带SHV类超广谱β-内酰胺酶的吉戈菲肠杆菌北京株的研究

用接合转移的遗传学方法证实了临床分离菌株吉戈菲肠杆菌(Enterobactergergoviae)3773含有一约60kb的可转移质粒,又用测耐药表型、酶水解率及基因片段杂交等方法证实了该质粒上有一编码产生超广谱β-内酰胺酶(Esbla)的基因.其大肠杆菌接合子除了头霉甲氧塞吩(cefoxitin)和亚胺硫霉素(imipenem)外,几乎对所有测定的β-内酰胺类药物都表现耐药,β-内酰胺酸抑制剂——棒酸(clavulanate)可抑制此Esbla的活性.携带此Esbla基因的质粒的一片段可与SHV-1的一结构基因片段杂交,说明此酶是SHV类的Esbla.     

紫云英根瘤菌共同结瘤基因nodA和nodBC的核苷酸序列

以~(32)p标记的苜蓿根瘤菌(Rhizobium meliloti)2.3kb nod DNA作探针,从紫云英根瘤菌(Rhizobium huakuii即R. astragali)159基因文库中分离到一株能与探针DNA呈阳性反应的克隆pRaN109。同源DNA-DNA杂交及DNA序列分析表明:pRaN109DNA的9kb EcoRI片段上携带了nodD_1BC基因,pRaN109 NDA的18kb EcoRI片段上携带了nodD_2A基因。共同结瘤基因nodA与nodBC两者相距6.7kb。在nodA基因和nodBC基因的上游都存在有结瘤盒(nod box)。与来自不同种属的菌株所报告的结果相比较,紫云英根瘤菌159中的共同结瘤基因有着明显不同的组合。     

硫霉素生物合成酶基因克隆的研究

利用NTG诱变从硫霉素产生菌中获得了生物合成阻断变株Y₃。通过对Y3变株原生质体形成、再生条件及DNA转化的研究,初步建立了以变株为受体的克隆系统,以pIJ680为载体,从硫霉素产生菌S．Cattleya中鸟枪克隆,获得了能使Y₃变株恢复产生硫霉素的酶基因。根据对Y₃积累的中间产物的分析,认为该酶基因可能与硫霉素生物合成过程中肽的环化作用有关。重组质粒分子大小为9．8kb左右,插入片段大小为4．5kb,分子杂交试验证明插入片段来源于硫霉素产生菌S．Cattleya。     

环状芽孢杆菌C-2几丁酶基因的克隆

环状芽孢杆菌(Bacillus circulans)C-2总DNA经PstI部分酶切后分离2～10kb的片段,插入质粒pUC19的PstI位点,转化大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli),利用几丁质平板从约8000个重组子中筛选到一个几丁酶基因阳性克隆(命名为pCHT1)。用12种限制酶对重组质粒进行的酶切分析表明,重组质粒中的插入片段长3.0kb,其中各有一个KpnI,SacI和SspI位点。把该克隆片段反向插入pUC19的PstI位点所得到的重组子同样具有几丁酶基因表达活性,说明此片段含有一个完整的几丁酶基因,其自身的启动子能被大肠杆菌转录系统所识别。Southern杂交证实了该片段来自于B.circulans C-2基因组,且以单拷贝形式存在,它不能与来自于其它7株几丁酶产生菌的总DNA杂交。     

苜蓿中华根瘤菌与耐盐有关的DNA片段的克隆

以耐盐的苜蓿中华根瘤菌(\%Sinorhizobium meliloti) \%042B为材料,制备其总DNA,经过限制性内切酶\%Eco\%RⅠ的部分酶解,利用电洗脱方法回收15～25kb大小的DNA片段。以碱法制备载体质粒pLAFRⅠ,用\%Eco\%RⅠ将其切成线状,然后用T\-4DNA连接酶将回收片段与线状载体连接,利用包装蛋白进行包装后,感染大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)S17\|1,构建了042B的基因文库。以固体亚硝基胍作为诱变剂处理出发菌株,在05mol/LNaCl的条件下,从2000个菌落中筛选得到12株042B的盐敏感突变株,以其中稳定的盐敏突变株GZ17为受体菌,利用两亲本杂交将含有042B的DNA片段的pLAFRⅠ重组质粒转移到GZ17中,在含有四环素和05mol/LNaCl的基本培养基上筛选出能够耐盐的阳性克隆,获得了与耐盐有关的7kb长的DNA片段。对该片段进行亚克隆,最终获得了4kb与耐盐有关的片段。     

Genetic and nucleotide sequence analysis of the gene htdA, which regulates conjugal transfer of IncHI plasmids.

IncHI plasmids are naturally repressed for conjugative transfer and do not allow efficient propagation of the IncH pilus-specific phage Hgal. Transposons Tn7, Tn5, and TnlacZ were inserted into IncHI plasmids R478, R477-1, and R27, respectively, leading to the isolation of several plasmid mutants which exhibited increased levels of transfer and also permitted good lysis with phage Hgal. A 4.3-kb HindIII fragment from R478 reversed both phenotypic effects of derepression for the R477-1::Tn5 and the R478::Tn7 derivatives, pKFW99 and pKFW100, respectively. Exonuclease III deletions of this fragment and nucleotide sequence analysis indicated that the gene responsible for transfer repression, named here htdA, encoded a polypeptide of 150 amino acids. Cloning and sequence analysis of pDT2454 (R27::TnlacZ) revealed that the transposon had inserted into an open reading frame (ORF) which had an 83% amino acid identity with the R478 htdA gene. Maxicell analysis showed both the R27 and R478 HtdA products had molecular masses of 19.9 kDa. Conjugation experiments showed that the cloned htdA determinants caused a significant reduction of the transfer frequencies of wild-type R478 and R27 plasmids. Examination of both R478 derepressed mutants, pKFW100 and pKFW101, indicated that both transposon insertions occurred upstream of the htdA ORF. The results suggest that HtdA is a regulatory component of IncH plasmid transfer and also show that the region upstream of the htdA ORF is involved in transfer repression. The locations of the htdA determinants were identified on the plasmid maps of R27 and R478.     

Transposon insertion mutagenesis of a genetic region encoding serum resistance in an 80 kb plasmid of Salmonella dublin

Using transposon insertion mutagenesis with Tn1 or Tn5, we obtained Salmonella dublin mutant strains that showed either diminished serum resistance (five mutants) or diminished mouse lethality (two mutants). Detailed restriction cleavage analysis to determine the single sites of transposon insertion in an 80 kb plasmid (pTE800) indicated that a region for serum resistance was located within a 3.0 kb region of the SalI cleavage fragment 5 and the HindIII fragment 2, while the region for mouse lethality was within a 6.0 kb region of the SalI fragment 2 and the HindIII fragment 1. When the Tn1-containing SalI fragment 5 was reconverted, by homologous recombination, to the original SalI fragment 5 (9.6 kb), serum resistance was recovered to the same level as that of a parent strain 52401. Moreover, the change in the serum resistance correlated with changes in the neutral sugar composition of the LPS. The mutation in the plasmid in strain TE4-55 that gave diminished mouse lethality was also reversed by recombination with the cloned SalI fragment 2 (15.0 kb), with concomitant recovery of mouse lethality. These results indicate that the genetic region for serum resistance is different from that for mouse lethality, and that the gene for serum resistance is closely involved with the expression of the neutral sugar composition of the LPS of S. dublin.     

Isolation, characterization, and complementation of a paralyzed flagellar mutant of Rhodobacter sphaeroides WS8.

A paralyzed Rhodobacter sphaeroides mutant strain (PARA1) was isolated by a motility screening procedure following mutagenesis of wild-type R. sphaeroides WS8-N with the transposable element TnphoA (Tn5 IS50L::phoA). PARA1 synthesized a wild-type level of flagellin, as detected by Western immunoblotting with antiflagellar antiserum. Flagellar staining showed that flagellin was assembled into apparently normal external flagellar filaments. Electron micrographs of basal body structures from PARA1 showed that some ring structures that were present were similar to those in wild-type R. sphaeroides WS8-N. PARA1 cells were nonmotile under all growth conditions. No pseudorevertants to motility were seen when PARA1 was grown in the presence of kanamycin to select for the presence of the transposon. The presence of the single copy of TnphoA in the PARA1 chromosome was demonstrated by Southern blotting. Western blotting of cytoplasmic, periplasmic, and membrane fractions of PARA1 with anti-alkaline phosphatase antiserum showed that the transposon had been inserted in-frame into a gene encoding a membrane protein. A SalI restriction endonuclease fragment was cloned from the chromosome of PARA1; this fragment contained a portion of the transposon and R. sphaeroides DNA sequence 5' of the site of insertion. This flanking R. sphaeroides DNA sequence was used to probe an R. sphaeroides WS8 cosmid library. A cosmid designated c19 hybridized to the probe, and a SalI restriction endonuclease fragment derived from this cosmid restored wild-type motility to PARA1 when introduced into this mutant strain by conjugation. The significance of this finding in a bacterium with unidirectionally rotating flagella is discussed.     

Isolation and characterization of pathogenicity genes of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci.

Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci BR2 produces tabtoxin and causes wildfire disease on tobacco and bean plants. Approximately 2,700 Tn5 insertion mutants of a plasmid-free strain, PTBR 2.024, were generated by using suicide plasmid pGS9. Of these Tn5 mutants, 8 were no longer pathogenic on tobacco plants and 10 showed reduced symptoms. All of the eight nonpathogenic mutants caused typical wildfire disease symptoms on bean plants. Two of the nonpathogenic mutants failed to produce tabtoxin. The eight nonpathogenic mutants have Tn5 insertions into different EcoRI and SalI restriction fragments. The EcoRI fragments containing Tn5 from the eight nonpathogenic mutants were cloned into vector pTZ18R or pLAFR3. A genomic library of the parent strain was constructed in the broad-host-range cosmid pLAFR3. Three different cosmid clones that hybridized to the cloned Tn5-containing fragment from one of the nonpathogenic mutants, PTBR 4.000, were isolated from the genomic library. These clones contained six contiguous EcoRI fragments (a total of 57 kilobases [kb]). A 7.2-kb EcoRI fragment common to all three restored pathogenicity to mutant PTBR 4.000. None of the six EcoRI fragments hybridized to Tn5-containing fragments from the other seven mutants. The 7.2-kb fragment was conserved in P. syringae pv. tabaci and P. syringae pv. angulata, but not in other pathovars or strains. Because the mutants retained pathogenicity on bean plants and because of the conservation of the 7.2-kb EcoRI fragment only in pathovars of tobacco, we suggest that genes on the fragment might be related to host specificity.     

Physical characterization of katG, encoding catalase HPI of Escherichia coli

The gene encoding the bifunctional catalase-peroxidase HPI from Escherichia coli was located on a 3.8-kb HindIII fragment of the Clarke and Carbon plasmid pLC36-19 using transposon Tn5 insertions. This fragment was subcloned into the HindIII site of pAT153 to create pBT22. The size of the insert was reduced by BAL 31 digestion of one end to an apparent minimum size for catalase expression of approx. 2.5 kb as determined by complementation and expression in maxicell strains. Further reduction in size or digestion from the opposite end inactivated the gene. The location and orientation of the promoter at the 0 kb end of the insert in pBT22 was confirmed by cloning a 320-bp BglII fragment into the promoter-cloning vector pKK232-8. Differences in the Southern blots of genomic DNA from a wild-type strain and a katG17::Tn10 mutant digested with HincII and probed with pBT22 confirmed that the transposon previously mapped in katG was located in the 2.5-kb coding region for HPI.     

Identification and mapping of nitrogen fixation genes of Rhodobacter capsulatus: duplication of a nifA-nifB region.

Rhodobacter capsulatus mutants unable to fix nitrogen were isolated by random transposon Tn5 mutagenesis. The Tn5 insertion sites of 30 Nif- mutants were mapped within three unlinked chromosomal regions designated A, B, and C. The majority of Tn5 insertions (21 mutants) map within nif region A, characterized by two ClaI fragments of 2.5 and 25 kilobases (kb). The 17-kb ClaI fragment of nif region B contains six nif::Tn5 insertions, and the three remaining mutations are located on a 32-kb ClaI fragment of nif region C. Hybridization experiments using all 17 Klebsiella pneumoniae nif genes individually as probes revealed homology to nifE, nifS, nifA, and nifB in nif region A. The nifHDK genes were localized in nif region B. About 2 kb away from this operon, a second copy of the DNA fragments homologous to nifA and nifB, originally found in nif region A, was identified.     

Cloning the genetic determinant of alpha-hemolysin and obtaining a series of insertional mutations in this determinant by the transposon Tn1000

Functionally active genetic determinant of alpha-hemolysin was cloned. Hemolytic plasmid pHly195 was used as a donor of the determinant and pBR322 plasmid served as recipient. Cloning was done with a help of HindIII restriction endonuclease. The recombinant plasmid obtained represents pBR322 plasmid with the built-in fragment of 7.4 kb containing genes of functionally active determinant of alpha-hemolysin. Restriction map was constructed using HindIII, EcoRI, BamHI and SalI restriction endonucleases. Insertional mutagenesis was carried out with the help of the Tn1000 transposon. Plasmid DNAs were isolated from insertional mutants of Hly- phenotype and treated with EcoRI, SalI and BamHI. On the basis of the sizes of restriction fragments of the mutant plasmid DNAs localization and orientation of insertions of Tn1000 into the cloned determinant of alpha-hemolysin were determined.     

Cloning and characterization of a gene required for the secretion of extracellular enzymes across the outer membrane by Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris.

Nonpathogenic mutants of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, generated from transposon mutagenesis, accumulated extracellular polygalacturonate lyase, alpha-amylase, and endoglucanase in the periplasm. The transposon Tn5 was introduced by a mobilizable, suicidal plasmid, pSUP2021 or pEYDG1. Genomic banks of wild-type X. campestris pv. campestris, constructed on the broad-host-range, mobilizable cosmid pLAFR1 or pLAFR3, were conjugated with one of the mutants, designated XC1708. Recombinant plasmids isolated by their ability to complement XC1708 can be classified into two categories. One, represented by pLASC3, can complement some mutants, whereas the other, represented by a single plasmid, pLAHH2, can complement all of the other mutants. Restriction mapping showed that the two recombinant plasmids shared an EcoRI fragment of 8.9 kb. Results from subcloning, deletion mapping, and mini-Mu insertional mutation of the 8.9-kb EcoRI fragment suggested that a 4.2-kb fragment was sufficient to complement the mutant XC1708. Sequence analysis of this 4.2-kb fragment revealed three consecutive open reading frames (ORFs), ORF1, ORF2, and ORF3. Hybridization experiments showed that Tn5 in the genome of XC1708 and other mutants complemented by pLASC3 was located in ORF3, which could code for a protein of 83.5 kDa. A signal peptidase II processing site was identified at the N terminus of the predicted amino acid sequence. Sequence homology of 51% was observed between the amino acid sequences predicted from ORF3 and the pulD gene of Klebsiella species.     

Instability of Tn5 in a plasmid cloning vector for the cyanobacterium Anacystis nidulans.

Transposon Tn5 was used to produce insertions within the region of a cyanobacterial shuttle vector previously identified as necessary for transformation of Anacystis nidulans. These transposon-containing plasmids were used to transform a plasmid-cured derivative of Anacystis strain R2 and tested for structural stability of the transforming plasmid. The transposon DNA was deleted from all the plasmids containing Tn5 within the cyanobacterial replication region. Inserts in the vector DNA were physically stable and expressed the kanr gene. The internal Tn5 HindIII fragment was also cloned into each of the three HindIII sites in the shuttle plasmid. Inserts in two of these sites were stable, whereas inserts into the third site were not.     

Biochemical and genetic analyses of acetoin catabolism in Alcaligenes eutrophus

In genetic studies on the catabolism of acetoin in Alcaligenes eutrophus, we used Tn5::mob-induced mutants which were impaired in the utilization of acetoin as the sole carbon source for growth. The transposon-harboring EcoRI restriction fragments from 17 acetoin-negative and slow-growing mutants (class 2a) and from six pleiotropic mutants of A. eutorphus, which were acetoin-negative and did not grow chemolithoautotrophically (class 2b), were cloned from pHC79 gene banks. The insertions of Tn5 were mapped on four different chromosomal EcoRI restriction fragments (A, C, D, and E) in class 2a mutants. The native DNA fragments were cloned from a lambda L47 or from a cosmid gene bank. Evidence is provided that fragments A (21 kilobase pairs [kb]) and C (7.7 kb) are closely linked in the genome; the insertions of Tn5 covered a region of approximately 5 kb. Physiological experiments revealed that this region encodes for acetoin:dichlorophenol-indophenol oxidoreductase, a fast-migrating protein, and probably for one additional protein that is as yet unknown. In mutants which were not completely impaired in growth on acetoin but which grew much slower and after a prolonged lag phase, fragments D (7.2 kb) and E (8.1 kb) were inactivated by insertion of Tn5::mob. No structural gene could be assigned to the D or E fragments. In class 2b mutants, insertions of Tn5 were mapped on fragment B (11.3 kb). This fragment complemented pleiotropic hno mutants in trans; these mutants were impaired in the formation of a rpoN-like protein. The expression of the gene cluster on fragments A and C seemed to be rpoN dependent.