Resolution of glpA and glpT loci into separate operons in Escherichia coli K-12 strains.

The independent insertion of bacteriophage Mu into the gene coding for anaerobic sn-glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (glpA) or into the genes coding for sn-glycerol 3-phosphate transport (glpT) suggested that these two closely linked loci are in separate operons.     

Multiple regulatory elements for the glpA operon encoding anaerobic glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and the glpD operon encoding aerobic glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in Escherichia coli: further characterization of respiratory control.

In Escherichia coli, sn-glycerol-3-phosphate can be oxidized by two different flavo-dehydrogenases, an anaerobic enzyme encoded by the glpACB operon and an aerobic enzyme encoded by the glpD operon. These two operons belong to the glp regulon specifying the utilization of glycerol, sn-glycerol-3-phosphate, and glycerophosphodiesters. In glpR mutant cells grown under conditions of low catabolite repression, the glpA operon is best expressed anaerobically with fumarate as the exogenous electron acceptor, whereas the glpD operon is best expressed aerobically. Increased anaerobic expression of glpA is dependent on the fnr product, a pleiotropic activator of genes involved in anaerobic respiration. In this study we found that the expression of a glpA1(Oxr) (oxygen-resistant) mutant operon, selected for increased aerobic expression, became less dependent on the FNR protein but more dependent on the cyclic AMP-catabolite gene activator protein complex mediating catabolite repression. Despite the increased aerobic expression of glpA1(Oxr), a twofold aerobic repressibility persisted. Moreover, anaerobic repression by nitrate respiration remained normal. Thus, there seems to exist a redox control apart from the FNR-mediated one. We also showed that the anaerobic repression of the glpD operon was fully relieved by mutations in either arcA (encoding a presumptive DNA recognition protein) or arcB (encoding a presumptive redox sensor protein). The arc system is known to mediate pleiotropic control of genes of aerobic function.     

Use of Escherichia coli operon-fusion strains for the study of glycerol 3-phosphate transport activity.

Strains of Escherichia coli K-12 deleted in the native lac operon and bearing both a wild-type glpT operon encoding for sn-glycerol 3-phosphate (G3P) transport and a hybrid operon in which glpT operator and promoter regions are fused to the lacZ gene were constructed. In strains with such a hybrid operon, beta-galactosidase and beta-galactoside permease become inducible by G3P. In these mutants the function and maturation of the glpT-coded proteins should be distinguishable from the level of gene expression, since the beta-galactosidase activity can serve as an index of the latter. With the aid of such mutants, it was shown that: (i) the expressions of the two neighboring operons, glpT and glpA (encoding anaerobic G3P dehydrogenase), are not coordinate; (ii) upon induction, the appearance of the cytoplasmic beta-galactosidase activity preceded that of methyl-beta-D-thiogalactoside transport activity (requiring only a cytoplasmic membrane protein) by about 4 min and that of G3P transport activity (requiring both a cytoplasmic membrane protein and a periplasmic protein) by about 9 min; and (iii) when cells grown at several temperatures from 24 to 42 degrees C were measured for G3P transport activity at 30 degrees C, the activity increased with the growth temperature, indicating that, within the range studied, the rate of transport increases with the fluidity of membrane phospholipids.     

南极深海底泥中度嗜盐菌盐单胞菌属Nj223 ectC基因的克隆表达及ectoine合成酶性质分析

从南极深海底泥中筛选得到一株中度嗜盐菌Halomonas sp.Nj223,利用PCR技术,以该菌株基因组为模板,扩增出ectC基因。将目的基因的PCR扩增产物克隆至表达载体pET-his。经酶切、PCR鉴定、测序验证结果表明,目的基因插入的位置、大小和读码框均正确,表达载体构建成功。经SDS-PAGE分析,出现预期大小的目的蛋白条带。分离纯化复性的ectoine合成酶后测定其酶活力,在体外验证了ectoine的部分生物合成途径。进一步分析了pH和温度对酶活的影响发现,该酶最适pH为8.0,最适温度为25℃。     

大肠杆菌trpBA基因的克隆表达

目的:提高大肠杆菌中色氨酸合成酶的表达量和表达活性。方法:利用PCR方法从大肠杆菌K-12的基因组中直接克隆出紧密连锁trpB和trpA基因(简称trpBA),并将其连接到原核表达载体pet22b( )中,得到重组质粒pet22b( )-trp-BA,转化大肠杆菌BL21,IPTG诱导重组蛋白表达,表达产物经SDS-PAGE分析并用比色法测定其活性。结果:凝胶电泳可见PCR扩增产物大小约为2kb,SDS-PAGE鉴定目的蛋白的Mr分别约为29000和44000,色氨酸合成酶α、β亚基分别得到了高效表达,色氨酸合成酶活性提高到对照菌的3.7倍。结论:成功构建了重组质粒pet22b( )-trpBA,色氨酸合成酶的表达量和表达活性在大肠杆菌中得到了提高,为高产色氨酸基因工程菌的构建奠定基础。     

Characterization of a CACAG pentanucleotide repeat in Pasteurella haemolytica and its possible role in modulation of a novel type III restriction-modification system

In a previous study, a recombinant plasmid that contains a CACAG pentanucleotide repeat was isolated from a Pasteurella haemolytica A1 library. Southern hybridization analysis using a (CACAG)5probe indicated the presence of two loci that contain the pentanucleotide repeats on the genome of P.haemolytica A1. Additional hybridization analyses against genomic DNA from related microorganisms indicated that the repeats are only present in P.haemolytica and Pasteurella trehalosi T3. The various serotypes of P.haemolytica werefound to have either one or two of the CACAG repeat-containing loci. Examination of the locus designated Rpt2 by PCR and sequence analysis indicated that the number of CACAG repeats could change upon serial subculture which most likely occurs as a result of DNA slipped-strand mispairing. A plasmid carrying the Rpt2 locus was isolated and characterized. Sequenceanalysis indicated that the CACAG repeats are contained within the 5'-end of a gene that showed homology to mod genes of type III restriction-modification systems. A second open reading frame downstream was identified which showed homology to res genes of type III restriction-modification systems. Both the modification and restriction proteins could be expressed and polypeptides of the expected sizes were detected by SDS-PAGE. Restriction activity could also be detected in crude cytoplasmic extracts of Escherichia coli strains carrying the mod and res genes on recombinant plasmids.     

地衣芽孢杆菌高温α-淀粉酶异源表达研究

目的：以地衣芽孢杆菌高温α-淀粉酶基因（amyL）为报告基因,构建含不同启动子的枯草杆菌表达载体,转化枯草杆菌,并对重组菌的酶活进行分析,比较不同启动子对amyL基因在枯草杆菌中表达的影响。方法：以高温α-淀粉酶高产菌株B.licheniformis0204染色体DNA为模板,PCR扩增得到amyL并分别与PQ启动子和P43启动子进行连接构建表达载体pUB-PQ-amyL和pUB-P43-amyL,化学法转化枯草杆菌1A717,筛选得到重组转化子后对重组菌的表达产物进行SDS-PAGE和酶活检测。结果：重组菌摇瓶发酵105h后测定高温α-淀粉酶酶活,B.subtilis1A717（pUB-PQ-amyL）的最高酶活为280.1U/mL,B.subtilis1A717（pUB-P43-amyL）的最高酶活为190.5U/mL。结论：PQ启动子调控的高温α-淀粉酶最高表达水平是P43启动子调控的最高表达水平的1.47倍,说明PQ启动子能使amyL基因在枯草杆菌中更高效地表达。     

布鲁菌抗原的快速克隆与高效表达

目的:通过Gateway技术构建布鲁菌抗原表达载体,并筛选出高效可溶性表达载体。方法:以山羊布鲁菌16M株染色体DNA为模板,扩增4个布鲁菌抗原基因BMEI2002、BMEI1069、BMEI1483和BMEI0748,利用GatewayBP反应将基因克隆到入门载体pDONR201中,构建重组质粒,然后用Gateway LR反应将基因重组到3种表达载体(pDEST17、pHXGWA、pHGGWA)中,构建相应的重组表达质粒,将重组质粒转化大肠杆菌ER2566(DE3)并诱导表达,分析利用3个不同载体所表达蛋白的表达量及表达形式。结果:利用BP反应构建了4个基因的重组质粒,用LR反应将这些基因分别克隆到表达载体,构建得到了相应的表达载体;诱导表达后的可溶性分析显示,含6×His和TRX标签的pHXGWA所表达的蛋白在表达量和可溶性方面均优于pDEST17和pHGGWA。结论:通过Gateway技术实现了布鲁菌抗原的快速克隆,筛选到的pHXGWA可作为后续大规模克隆表达载体,为布鲁菌抗原的大规模克隆表达和保护性抗原的筛选奠定了基础。     

Cloning, expression, and mapping of the Aeromonas hydrophila aerolysin gene determinant in Escherichia coli K-12.

DNA sequences corresponding to the aerolysin gene (aer) of Aeromonas hydrophila AH2 DNA were identified by screening a cosmid gene library for hemolytic and cytotoxic activities. A plasmid containing a 5.8-kilobase EcoRI fragment of A. hydrophila DNA was required for full expression of the hemolytic and cytotoxic phenotype in Escherichia coli K-12. Deletion analysis and transposon mutagenesis allowed us to localize the gene product to 1.4 kilobases of Aeromonas DNA and define flanking DNA regions affecting aerolysin production. The reduced hemolytic activity with plasmids lacking these flanking regions is associated with a temporal delay in the appearance of hemolytic activity and is not a result of a loss of transport functions. The aerolysin gene product was detected as a 54,000-dalton protein in E. coli maxicells harboring aer plasmids and by immunoblotting E. coli whole cells carrying aer plasmids. We suggest that the gene coding aerolysin be designated aerA and that regions downstream and upstream of aerA which modulate its expression and activity be designated aerB and aerC, respectively.     

The isolation of the beta A-, beta C-, and gamma-globin genes and a presumptive embryonic globin gene from a goat DNA recombinant library

As an approach to understand how the expression of globin genes are regulated during development, clones containing globin DNA sequences were selected from a recombinant library of goat genomic DNA. The type of globin gene present in each of the recombinants was determined by cross-hybridization to the DNA of mouse alpha- and beta-globin cDNA-containing plasmids. Of 11 clones isolated, eight hybridized specifically to the DNA of the mouse beta-globin plasmid, while one clone hybridized only to the DNA of the alpha globin plasmid. The location of each globin sequence within its DNA insert was determined by a combination of restriction enzyme mapping and Southern transfer-hybridizations. Selected fragments were sequenced; comparisons of the amino acids coded for by these regions with those of the goat globins identified clones carrying beta A-, beta C-, and gamma-globin genes. Another recombinant coded for amino acid sequences resembling, but not identical with, the known goat globins, and was identified tentatively as containing an embryonic or epsilon-gene. Detailed analysis of the clone containing the beta C gene and an overlapping clone revealed that three other beta-like sequences are located 6, 12, and 21 kilobases on the 5'-side of the beta C gene. The globin sequence of the locus nearest to the beta C gene has an altered translation termination codon and, if transcribed and translated, would give a globin chain seven amino acids longer than the normal goat beta C-globin. In addition, the sequence following this termination codon is very AT-rich, unlike that of other globin genes. The recombinants described contain extensive regions of DNA surrounding the globin genes, making them useful for identifying regulatory sequences as well as determining the sequence organization of the goat globin genes.     

Construction, purification, and functional characterization of His-tagged Candida albicans glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase expressed in Escherichia coli

Expression plasmids containing recombinant genes encoding three His(6)-tagged versions of the enzyme, glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase from Candida albicans, were constructed and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The gene products were purified by metal-affinity chromatography to near homogeneity with 77-80% yield and characterized in terms of size and enzymatic properties. Presence of oligohistidyl tags at either of two ends did not affect enzyme quarternary structure but strongly influenced its catalytic activity. The His6-N-tagged enzyme completely lost an ability of glucosamine-6-phosphate formation and amidohydrolase activity but retained the hexosephosphate-isomerising activity. On the other hand, two His6-C-tagged versions of glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase exhibited amidohydrolase activity almost equal to that of the wild-type enzyme but only 18% of its hexosephosphate-isomerising activity and about 1.5% of the synthetic activity.     

The transmembrane topology of the sn-glycerol-3-phosphate permease of Escherichia coli analysed by phoA and lacZ protein fusions

The Escherichia coli glpT gene encodes a transport protein that mediates uptake of sn-glycerol-3-phosphate. This permease is a member of a class of bacterial organophosphate permeases which transport substrates by antiport with inorganic phosphate. The glpT gene product, probably an oligomer of a single polypeptide chain, is thought to span the cytoplasmic membrane several times, as predicted by the hydropathic profile. Protein fusions, in which varying lengths of the amino-terminal end of the permease is attached to alkaline phosphatase (phoA) and to beta-galactosidase (lacZ) were constructed. On the assumption that phoA fusions only exhibit high enzymatic activity when fused to extra-cytoplasmic regions of the target protein, whereas lacZ fusions will only be active when the beta-galactosidase portion is attached to cytoplasmic domains of the target protein, the activities of the fusions were used to test a two-dimensional model for the permease. The model proposes that GlpT contains 12 transmembrane segments divided by a larger cytoplasmic region. Despite some limitation caused by hot-spot sites of transpositions, the TnphoA approach was consistent with the model. In contrast, we feel that the enzymatic activity of lacZ fusions is only a limited parameter for studying the topology of a complex membrane protein.     

Cloning, sequencing, and species relatedness of the Escherichia coli cca gene encoding the enzyme tRNA nucleotidyltransferase

The Escherichia coli cca gene which encodes the enzyme tRNA nucleotidyltransferase has been cloned by taking advantage of its proximity to the previously cloned dnaG locus. A series of recombinant bacteriophages, spanning the chromosomal region between the dnaG and cca genes at 66 min on the E. coli linkage map, were isolated from a lambda Charon 28 partial Sau3A E. coli DNA library using recombinant plasmids containing regions between dnaG and cca as probes. Two of the recombinant phage isolates, lambda c1 and lambda c4, contained the cca gene. A BamHI fragment from lambda c1 was subcloned into pBR328, and cells containing this recombinant plasmid, pRH9, expressed tRNA nucleotidyltransferase activity at about 10-fold higher level than the wild type control. The cca gene was further localized to a 1.4-kilobase stretch of DNA by Bal31 deletion analysis. The nucleotide sequence of the cca gene was determined by the dideoxy method, and revealed an open reading frame extending for a total of 412 codons from an initiator GTG codon that would encode a protein of about 47,000 daltons. Southern analysis using genomic blots demonstrated that the cca gene is present as a single copy on the E. coli chromosome and that there is no homology on the DNA level between the E. coli cca gene, and the corresponding gene in the Bacillus subtilis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Petunia hybrida, or Homo sapiens genomes. Homology was found only with DNA from the closely related species, Salmonella typhimurium. These studies have also allowed exact placement of the cca gene on the E. coli genetic map, and have shown that it is transcribed in a clockwise direction.     

Repressor for the sn-glycerol-3-phosphate regulon of Escherichia coli K-12: cloning of the glpR gene and identification of its product

The glpR gene encoding the repressor for the glp regulon of Escherichia coli was cloned from a library of HindIII DNA fragments established in bacteriophage lambda. Phages harboring glpR were isolated by selection for sn-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase function encoded by glpD, which is adjacent to glpR on the E. coli linkage map. Restriction endonuclease analysis and recloning of DNA fragments localized glpR to a 3-kilobase-pair EcoRI-SalI segment of DNA. Strains exhibiting constitutive expression of the glp operons were strongly repressed after introduction of multicopy plasmids containing the glpR gene. Analysis of proteins labeled in minicells harboring either glpR+ recombinant plasmids or a glpR::Tn5 derivative showed that the glpR gene product is a protein with an apparent molecular weight of 33,000.     

Periplasmic protein related to the sn-glycerol-3-phosphate transport system of Escherichia coli.

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of shock fluids of Escherichia coli K-12 revealed the presence of a periplasmic protein related to sn-glycerol-3-phosphate transport (GLPT) that is under the regulation of glpR, the regulatory gene of the glp regulon. Mutants selected for their resistance to phosphonomycin and found to be defective in sn-glycerol-3-phosphate transport either did not produce GLPT or produced it in reduced amounts. Other mutations exhibited no apparent effect of GLPT. Transductions of glpT+ nalA phage P1 into these mutants and selection for growth on sn-glycerol-3-phosphate revealed a 50% cotransduction frequency to nalA. Reversion of mutants taht did not produce GLPT to growth on sn-glycerol-3-phosphate resulted in strains that produce GLPT. This suggests a close relationship of GLPT to the glpT gene and to sn-glycerol-3-phosphate transport. Attempts to demonstrate binding activity of GLPT in crude shock fluid towards sn-glycerol-3-phosphate have failed so far. However, all shock fluids, independent of their GLPT content, exhibited an enzymatic activity that hydrolyzes under the conditions of the binding assay, 30 to 60% of the sn-glycerol-3-phosphate to glycerol and inorganic orthophosphate.     

浅谈干扰素（及其诱导物poly 1:C)抗病毒作用的分子基基础

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