Genes aroA and serC of Salmonella typhimurium constitute an operon.

Genetic analysis of aroA554::Tn10 derivatives of two mouse-virulent Salmonella typhimurium strains, "FIRN" and "WRAY," and of a nonreverting derivative of each constructed for use as a live vaccine, showed the site of the insertion among mapped aroA point mutants. The WRAY live-vaccine strain gave no aro+ recombinants in crosses with aroA point mutations to one side of the insertion, indicating a deletion from Tn10 through the sites of these point mutations. The FIRN live-vaccine strain gave wild-type recombinants with all tested point mutants; it probably has a deletion or inversion extending from Tn10 into aroA but not as far as the nearest point mutation. Some tetracycline-sensitive mutants of aroA554::Tn10 strains required serine and pyridoxine, indicating loss of serC function, and some that were found to be SerC- did not produce gas from glucose, indicating a loss of pfl function. These results show the gene order pfl-serC-aroA, as in Escherichia coli. Ampicillin enrichment applied to pools of tetracycline-sensitive mutants of strains with Tn10 insertions near aroA (i.e., zbj::Tn10 strains) yielded Aro- SerC- Pfl-, Aro- SerC+ Pfl+, and Aro- SerC- Pfl+ mutants but none which were Aro+ SerC-. All of the mutants are explicable by deletions or inversions extending clockwise from zbj::Tn10 into or through an operon comprising serC (promoter-proximal) and aroA. Such an operon was also shown by the identification of two Tn10 insertions causing phenotype Aro- SerC-, each able to revert to Aro+ SerC+ by precise excision. serC corresponds to the open reading frame promoter-proximal to aroA that was identified elsewhere by base sequencing of a cloned aroA segment of S. typhimurium (Comai et al., Science 221:370-371, 1983). Both serine and chorismate are precursors of enterochelin; this may be why serC and aroA are in a single operon.     

肠毒素源性定居因子CS6在减素伤寒沙门氏菌中表达及免疫原性的研究

将编码肠毒素源性大肠杆菌定居因子抗原ＣＳ６基因克隆到ｐＸＬ６７０,转化ａｓｄ基因突变的Ｅ．ｃｏｌｉ Ｘ６０９７,获得重组质粒ｐＳＳ６４,再将后者转化至减毒的△ａｒｏＡ、△ａｒｏＣ、△ａｓｄ伤寒沙门氏菌,构建了无药物抗性且稳定的大肠杆菌和伤寒双价菌苗候选株。小鼠腹腔免疫和攻击实验表明,该菌株对伤寒沙门氏菌毒株的攻击具有良好的保护作用。家兔免疫实验证明,该菌株能产生抗ＣＳ６和伤寒菌Ｖｉ抗原的血清抗体。     

Genetic analysis of a pleiotropic deletion mutation (delta igf) in Bacillus subtilis.

A delta igf mutation of Bacillus subtilis (formerly called fdpAl) is a large deletion causing pleiotropic defects. The mapping of the delta igf deletion by phage PBS1 transduction revealed the following map order: sacA, thiC, hsrE, delta igf, ts199, purA. To analyze the pleiotropic nature of the delta igf mutation, mutants affected in each property of the pleiotropic mutation were isolated, and the mutations were mapped. iol and gnt mutants could not grow on inositol and gluconate, respectively, and fdp mutants were affected only in fructose-bisphosphatase. The map order from sacA to purA was as follows: sacA, thiC, hsrE, iol-6, gnt-4, fdp-74, hsrB, ts199, purA. The delta igf deletion covered loci from iol-6 to hsrB.     

The Vi antigen of Salmonella typhi: molecular analysis of the viaB locus.

Strains of Salmonella typhi isolated from the blood of patients with typhoid fever invariably express a capsular polysaccharide, termed the Vi antigen. Vi antigen expression is controlled by two separate chromosomal loci, viaA and viaB. The viaA locus is commonly found in enteric bacteria. In contrast, the viaB locus appears to be specific to Vi-expressing strains of Salmonella and Citrobacter. Here the cloning, expression and analysis of viaB determinants from S. typhi Ty2 is described. Whole-cell DNA from strain Ty2 was size-fractionated and cloned into the pLA2917 cosmid vector. A recombinant cosmid, pVT1, conferring a Vi-positive phenotype upon Escherichia coli and upon the Vi-non-expressing strain Ty21a of S. typhi, was characterized and used for further studies. Transposon Tn5 insertion mutagenesis demonstrated that the Vi-antigen-encoding region on pVT1 consisted of a 15 kb fragment. A subclone, designated pVT3, which contained an 18 kb insert, was sufficient to confer Vi antigen expression upon E. coli and S. typhi Ty21a. Results of recombination experiments indicated that this DNA sequence was the viaB locus of S. typhi Ty2. In E. coli SE5000 maxicells, the viaB determinants encoded at least eight polypeptides, with molecular masses of 80, 65, 59, 48, 44, 39, 35 and 28 kDa. Functional characterization of viaB mutations in S. typhi Ty2 suggested that the 80 and 65 kDa proteins were required for cell-surface localization of the Vi antigen.     

Gene in the major cotransduction gap of the Escherichia coli K-12 linkage map required for the expression of chromosomal resistance to tetracycline and other antibiotics

In Escherichia coli K-12, amplifiable resistance to tetracycline, chloramphenicol, and other unrelated antibiotics was mediated by at least four spatially separated loci. Tetracycline-sensitive mutants were isolated by Tn5 insertional inactivation of an amplified multiply resistant strain. One of these, studied in detail, showed coordinate loss of expression of all other resistance phenotypes. The Tn5 element in this mutant mapped to 34 min on the E. coli K-12 linkage map. We have designated the locus marA (multiple antibiotic resistance). Tetracycline-sensitive mutants containing marA::Tn5 regained all resistance phenotypes at frequencies of 10(-8) to 10(-7) upon precise excision of Tn5. Moreover, a newly described tetracycline efflux system (A. M. George and S. B. Levy, J. Bacteriol. 155:531-540, 1983) was inactivated in tetracycline-sensitive mutants, but recovered in tetracycline-resistant revertants. In merodiploids, F-prime marA+ expressed partial or complete dominance over corresponding mutant chromosomal alleles. Dominance tests also established that a previously amplified host and a mutant marA allele were preconditions for the expression of phenotypic resistances.     

A comparison of the yield of Vi and O antigens during the adaptation of Salmonella typhi strains to cultivation under starvation conditions

S. typhi strains Ty(2)4446 and Vi-1S underwent multiple passages in f synthetic liquid starvation culture medium consisting of water with salts and glucose added. In the process of the adaptation of the cultures to these stress conditions (starvation stress) the increasing yield of biomass from passage to passage was observed. Differences in the accumulation of Vi- and O-antigens were noted in two strains under study. In the cultures of strain Ty(2)4446 an insignificant increase in the antigen content from passage to passage was observed, while in the cultures of strain Vi-1S an increase in the content of Vi- and O-antigens was 4- to 5-fold. With the adaptation of the culture the Vi-antigen to O-antigen ratio changed from 1:57 to 1:20 for strain Ty(2)4446 and from 1:2.7 tp 1:2.2 for strain Vi-1S. Strain Ty(2)4446 had an advantage over strain Vi-1S with respect to the synthesis of Vi-antigen. These data are indicative of the expediency of using not only strain Ty(2)4446, but also strain Vi-1S for the preparation of typhoid vaccine, especially the one based on Vi-antigen.     

The delta (argF-lacZ)205(U169) deletion greatly enhances resistance to hydrogen peroxide in stationary-phase Escherichia coli.

In this study, we demonstrate that a strain bearing the delta (argF-lacZ)205(U169) deletion exhibits a high level of resistance to hydrogen peroxide compared with its undeleted parent. Our initial investigation of the mechanism behind the observed differences in peroxide resistance when parent and mutant strains are compared indicates that the parent strain carries a region near argF that is responsible for the H2O2-sensitive phenotype, which we have named katC. The H2O2 resistance phenotype of the delta katC [delta (argF-lacZ)205(U169)] mutant strain can be duplicated by Tn9 insertion in a specific locus (katC5::Tn9) which maps near argF. The increased H2O2 resistance of the delta katC and katC5::Tn9 mutant strains can be seen only when cells are grown to stationary phase; exponential-phase cells are unaffected by the presence or absence of katC. This H2O2 resistance mechanism requires functional katE and katF genes, which suggests that the mechanism of H2O2 resistance may involve the activity of the stationary-phase-specific catalase HPII. Cloning, DNA sequencing, and analysis of the katC5::Tn9 insertion allele in comparison with its parent allele implicate two insertion elements, IS1B and IS30B, and suggest that their presence sensitizes parent cells to H2O2.     

marA, a regulated locus which controls expression of chromosomal multiple antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli.

Stable chromosomal multiple-antibiotic-resistant (Mar) mutants of Escherichia coli, derived by exposing susceptible cells to low concentrations of tetracycline or chloramphenicol, express cross-resistance to structurally unrelated antibiotics. The entire resistance phenotype is reversed to susceptibility by insertion of transposon Tn5 into a locus, designated marA, near 34 min on the chromosome (A. M. George and S. B. Levy, J. Bacteriol. 155:541-548, 1983). Strains in which 39 kbp of chromosomal DNA, including marA, had been deleted were unable to produce Mar mutants. The deletion strain could be complemented in trans by introduction of intact marA+ on plasmid F'506. Junction fragments from a strain containing marA::Tn5 were cloned, exploiting kanamycin resistance on Tn5 for selection. They were used as probes to search a phasmid library of E. coli K-12 for recombinants containing the marA+ region. Two phasmids which contained regions hybridizing to this probe were identified and shown to complement delta marA in a deletion strain. From one phasmid, several marA-containing fragments were cloned: those of greater than or equal to 7.8 kbp restored the ability to form Mar mutants in a deletion strain. These Mar mutants were shown to be dependent on the cloned marA fragment. Chromosomal as well as recombinant Mar mutants showed increased expression of a marA-specific mRNA species of about 1.4 kb, which was barely or not detectable in wild-type strains. Exposure of mutants and, to a lesser extent, parental strains to tetracycline or chloramphenicol resulted in elevated levels of mRNA which hybridized to the marA probe. These results indicate that the marA locus is needed for production of Mar mutants and is regulated, responding to at least two antibiotics to which it controls resistance.     

Genetic analysis in Salmonella typhimurium with a small collection of randomly spaced insertions of transposon Tn10 delta 16 delta 17

We report the isolation of a group of 279 Salmonella typhimurium strains carrying randomly spaced insertions of the minitransposon Tn10 delta 16 delta 17 and describe the use of these strains to facilitate genetic analysis. The insertions were isolated initially in individual recombinant lambda clones from a genomic library. Individual insertions were then moved into the S. typhimurium chromosome, where the distribution of insertion sites relative to standard genetic markers was analyzed in a series of transductional crosses. Since a different, randomly chosen clone was used to generate each insertion, the distribution of insertion positions should have been as random as the cloning events leading to the formation of the library. In agreement with this expectation, most S. typhimurium markers tested were cotransducible with one or more of these Tn10 delta 16 delta 17 insertions. We expect that most new mutations will be quickly classified and mapped by determination of the pattern of cotransduction with this set of insertions. This use is illustrated by the analysis of a group of lac operon fusions regulated by anaerobiosis. We also describe several other applications that should make this collection a useful new tool in S. typhimurium genetics.     

Structure and stability of cointegrating plasmids mediated by the IS1 elements in transposon delta Tn9'

In order to elucidate the structural features of the transposon Tn9', representative of the Tn9 family, which define the ability of the transposon to produce unstable cointegrates, we have obtained a derivative of this transposon carrying a deletion in its central region. The deletion in the obtained transposon delta Tn9' covers a DNA segment of about 50 bp in length, occupying the most distal position in relation to the cat gene, at its junction with the right copy of the IS1. The structure and stability of the IS1/delta Tn9'-mediated cointegrates between the plasmids pDK57.1 (pBR322::delta Tn9') and pRP3.1, a deletion derivative of RP1, have been studied. The three types of cointegrates were found. Those of the type I are predominantly formed, due to the left copy of the IS1 which in delta Tn9' occupies proximal position to the promoter of the cat gene. These cointegrates contain three copies of IS1 and are of high stability. The cointegrates of the type II contain two entire copies of delta Tn9' (i.e. four copies of IS1) as well as the structures of the type II, representing the cointegrate equivalent of inverse transposition and also containing four copies of IS1. Cointegrates of the type II and III dissociate efficiently in the rec+ cells but, in contrast to the cointegrates mediated by the original transposon Tn9', are unable to dissociate efficiently in the recA- cells. It was concluded that a DNA segment in the central region of Tn9' may be essential for the expression of the IS1-specific resolvase encoded by the right copy of IS1.     

Evaluation of phoP and rpoS mutants of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi as attenuated typhoid vaccine candidates: virulence and protective immune responses in intranasally immunized mice

The attenuation and immunoenhancing effects of rpoS and phoP Salmonella enterica serovar strain Typhi (Salmonella typhi) mutants have not been compared. Here, three S. typhi deletion mutants (phoP, rpoS, and rpoS-phoP double mutant) are constructed and these mutants are characterized with respect to invasiveness, virulence, and protective immune response compared with wild-type Ty2. It was found that phoP and phoP-rpoS deletion mutants are less invasive to HT-29 cells than the wild-type Ty2 and the rpoS single-deleted strain. The LD(50) of immunized mice was higher for phoP than for rpoS mutants, and the highest for the phoP-rpoS double mutant. In addition, all S. typhi mutants showed an increase in the specific serum IgG levels and T-cell-mediated immunity, and showed equal protection abilities against a wild-type Ty2 challenge after two rounds of immunization in BALB/c mice. It is concluded that phoP genes appear to play a more important role than rpoS genes in both cellular invasion and virulence of S. typhi, but not in immunogenicity in mice. Furthermore, the data indicate that the phoP-rpoS double mutant may show promise as a candidate for an attenuated typhoid vaccine.     

Transposon Tagging Using Ty Elements in Yeast

We have used the ability to induce high levels of Ty transposition to develop a method for transposon mutagenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To facilitate genetic and molecular analysis, we have constructed GAL1-promoted TyH3 or Ty917 elements that contain unique cloning sites, and marked these elements with selectable genes. These genes include the yeast HIS3 gene, and the plasmid PiAN7 containing the Tn903 NEO gene. The marked Ty elements retain their ability to transpose, to mutate the LYS2, LYS5, or STE2 genes, and to activate the promoterless his3 delta 4 target gene. Ty elements containing selectable genes are also useful in strain construction, in chromosomal mapping, and in gene cloning strategies.     

Transfer of the delta (argF-lac)U169 mutation between Escherichia coli strains by selection for a closely linked Tn10 insertion

To facilitate construction of mutants harboring delta lac for use in gene fusion studies, strains were constructed that carry the transposon Tn10 next to the well defined lac deletion U169. This deletion can now be moved to other Escherichia coli strains in transductional or conjugational crosses by selecting resistance to tetracycline.     

利用λRed重组系统敲除伤寒沙门氏菌rfaH基因

目的：利用λRed重组系统敲除伤寒沙门氏菌的rfaH基因。方法：以伤寒沙门氏菌（Salmonella typhi Ty2,S.ty2）基因组为模板扩增得到的同源臂,与两端带有FRT位点的卡那霉素抗性基因片段共同构建同源重组载体;以重组载体为模板扩增打靶片段,将其转化S.ty2;在抗生素压力和λRed重组系统帮助下,打靶片段和菌体基因组发生同源重组,通过卡那抗性筛选得到带有抗性标记的重组菌;转入重组酶表达质粒pCP20以去除抗性标记,得到保留单一FRT位点的突变菌株;通过PCR鉴定重组菌,并经透射电子显微镜分析表型。结果：在S.ty2中敲除了rfaH基因,经PCR扩增和序列测定正确;初步的表型分析表明突变体的鞭毛合成显著减少。结论：获得了S.ty2突变株,为将沙门氏菌进一步减毒成为疫苗表达载体奠定了基础。     

Completed Chromosomes in Thymine-Requiring Bacillus subtilis Spores

Origin:terminus genetic marker ratios (both purA: metB and purA:ilvA) were measured in extracts of spores of Bacillus subtilis strains W23 thy his and 168 thy. For strain W23 thy his, normalized to W23 spore deoxyribonucleic acid, both ratios were equal to unity and were consistent with the presence of only completed chromosomes in the spores. The same ratios in extracts of spores of 168 thy, normalized to strain 168 or the prototroph SB19, were abnormal, i.e., 2.26 +/- 0.10 and 0.71 +/- 0.06 for purA:metB and purA:ilvA, respectively. These values were unaffected by the extent of extraction of the spore deoxyribonucleic acid, the richness of the medium on which they are formed, and the thymine phenotype. The high ratio for purA:metB is in agreement with the results of earlier workers but, because of the low purA:ilvA ratio, cannot be explained simply by the presence of partially replicated chromosomes in spores of strain 168 thy. Furthermore, purA:leuA in such extracts is 1.01 +/- 0.06, consistent with the presence of only completed chromosomes. It is concluded that the abnormal origin:terminus marker ratios are only apparent and result from non-isogenicity between strains 168 thy and 168 in the metB thyB ilvA chromosome region introduced during construction of 168 thy by transformation of strain 168 with W23 thy deoxyribonucleic acid. It is concluded further that the chromosomes of strain 168 thy spores are in a completed form.     

Genomic cleavage map of Salmonella typhi Ty2.

The genomic cleavage map of Salmonella typhi Ty2, 4,780 kb in size, was determined through digestion of the genomic DNA with endonucleases and separation of the fragments by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The chromosome has 33, 26, 7, and 35 sites for the enzymes XbaI, BlnI, I-CeuI, and SpeI, respectively. The fragments were arranged around the chromosome through excision of fragments from the gel, redigestion with a second enzyme, and labelling with 32P, and reelectrophoresis and named in alphabetical order. Tn10 transposons inserted in 82 different genes of Salmonella typhimurium were transduced by phage P22 into S. typhi, and the location of Tn10, and thus of the gene, was mapped through the XbaI and BlnI sites of Tn10. All seven I-CeuI sites (in rrl genes for 23S rRNA) were conserved, and the gene order within the I-CeuI fragments resembles that of S. typhimurium LT2, but the order of I-CeuI fragments is rearranged from ABCDEFG in S. typhimurium LT2 to AGCEFDB in S. typhi. In addition, there is a 500-kb inversion which covers the terminus region. Comparisons of lengths of segments between genes showed that S. typhi has segments which differ in size from those in S. typhimurium. The viaB locus, for synthesis of the Vi antigen of S. typhi, was shown to be within a 118-kb loop (a segment of DNA with no homolog in most other Salmonella species) between mel and poxA on the chromosome.     

Sensitivity of a Salmonella typhimurium aspC mutant to sulfometuron methyl, a potent inhibitor of acetolactate synthase II.

Sulfometuron methyl is a potent and specific inhibitor of acetolactate synthase II in Salmonella typhimurium. Mutant strains sensitive to sulfometuron methyl on minimal medium were isolated following mutagenesis with Tn10. A conditionally auxotrophic insertion mutant, strain SMS409, which required aspartate at high temperatures or in the presence of tyrosine, was found among the 15 mutants isolated. The Tn10 insertion in strain SMS409 was mapped by conjugation and transduction to the region between aroA and pncB at 20 min on the chromosome of S. typhimurium; this location is similar to the genetic location of aspC in Escherichia coli. The specific activity of the aspC product, aspartate aminotransferase, was severely reduced in strain SMS409. This indicated that the Tn10 insertion in strain SMS409 inactivated aspC. An aspC mutant of E. coli was also inhibited by either sulfometuron methyl or tyrosine. We present a hypothesis which relates the observed alpha-ketobutyrate accumulation in sulfometuron methyl-inhibited cultures of strain SMS409 to aspartate starvation.     

Asymmetric pore occupancy in crystal structure of OmpF porin from Salmonella typhi

OmpF is a major general diffusion porin of Salmonella typhi, a Gram-negative bacterium, which is an obligatory human pathogen causing typhoid. The structure of S. typhi Ty21a OmpF (PDB Id: 3NSG) determined at 2.8 ? resolution by X-ray crystallography shows a 16-stranded β-barrel with three β-barrel monomers associated to form a trimer. The packing observed in S. typhi Ty21a rfOmpF crystals has not been observed earlier in other porin structures. The variations seen in the loop regions provide a starting point for using the S. typhi OmpF for structure-based multi-valent vaccine design. Along one side of the S. typhi Ty21a OmpF pore there exists a staircase arrangement of basic residues (20R, 60R, 62K, 65R, 77R, 130R and 16K), which also contribute, to the electrostatic potential in the pore. This structure suggests the presence of asymmetric electrostatics in the porin oligomer. Moreover, antibiotic translocation, permeability and reduced uptake in the case of mutants can be understood based on the structure paving the way for designing new antibiotics.     

Conjugal transfer of Tn916, Tn916 delta E, and pAM beta 1 from Enterococcus faecalis to Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens strains.

Anaerobic filter matings of Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens H17c, CF3, D1, or GS113, representing different DNA relatedness groups, were done with Enterococcus faecalis CG110, which contains chromosomally inserted Tn916. Tetracycline-resistant transconjugants were obtained with each mating pair at average frequencies of 4.4 x 10(-6) (per recipient) and 5.2 x 10(-6) (per donor). The transfer frequencies of Tn916 into B. fibrisolvens varied 5- to 10-fold with mating time, strain, and growth stage. By using Southern hybridization with pAM120 as the probe, Tn916 was shown to insert at one or more separate chromosomal sites for each strain of B. fibrisolvens. Retransfer of Tn916 from B. fibrisolvens H17c or CF3 to E. faecalis OG1-X or JH 2-2 or to B. fibrisolvens D1 or GS113 could not be shown. Matings of E. faecalis RH110, which contains chromosomally inserted Tn916 delta E, with B. fibrisolvens 49, H17c, D1, CF3, GS113, or VV-1 resulted in erythromycin-resistant transconjugants at average frequencies of 5.3 x 10(-7) (per recipient) and 2.5 x 10(-7) (per donor). Tn916 delta E was shown by Southern hybridization with pAM120 to insert at one or more sites in the chromosome of each strain. B. fibrisolvens H17c was anaerobically filter mated with E. faecalis JH 2-SS, which contains pAM beta 1. Erythromycin-resistant transconjugants were obtained at frequencies of 2 x 10(-5) (per recipient) and 6 x 10(-5) (per donor). The presence of pAM beta 1 in these transconjugants could not be shown by agarose gel electrophoresis of plasmid minilysates but could be shown by Southern hybridization analysis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)