Phylogenetic relationships among endosymbiotic R-body producer: Bacteria providing their host the killer trait

R-body producing bacterial endosymbionts of Paramecium spp. transform their hosts into “killer” paramecia and provide them a selective advantage. This killer trait is connected to the presence of R-bodies, which are peculiar, tightly coiled protein ribbons capable of rapid unrolling. Based mainly on those two characteristics the respective obligate intracellular bacteria have been comprised in the genus Caedibacter and additional traits such as host species, subcellular localization, and R-body dimensions and mode of unrolling were used for species discrimination. Previous studies applying the full-cycle rRNA approach demonstrated the polyphyly of this assemblage. Following this approach, we obtained new sequences and in situ hybridizations for five strains of Caedibacter taeniospiralis and four strains associated to Caedibacter varicaedens and Caedibacter caryophilus. Detailed phylogenetic reconstructions confirm the association of C. taeniospiralis to Fastidiosibacteraceae and to Holosporales in case of the others. Therefore, we critically revise the taxonomy of the latter group. The high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity among the type strains of Caedibacter varicaedens and C. caryophilus indicate that they should be classified within a single species for which we propose Caedimonas varicaedens comb. nov. owing to the priority of Caedibacter varicaedens. Moreover, we propose to establish the new family Caedimonadaceae fam. nov. to encompass Caedimonas varicaedens, “Ca. Paracaedimonas acanthamoebae” comb. nov. and “Ca. Nucleicultrix amoebiphila” within the order Holosporales.     

重组大肠杆菌的高密度发酵和甘油生产条件的初步研究

在摇瓶中进行重组大肠杆菌菌株BL21高密度发酵条件的研究,考察了葡萄糖浓度、盐离子浓度、温度、接种量、发酵时间等对该菌株生产甘油的影响。初步确定底物浓度为2.5%,盐离子浓度0.2%,温度为37℃,接种量为2%,经24h的摇瓶发酵,甘油产量最高达6.8g/L。在30L发酵罐实验中、按初步确定的优化条件发酵26h,甘油产量可达46.67g/L,是LB/葡萄糖培养基中甘油产量的2.06倍。     

Comparison of extraction phases for a two-phase culture of a recombinant E. coli producing retinoids

To prevent degradation of intracellular retinoids through in situ extraction from the cells, a two-phase culture system was performed. Several organic solvents, including n-alkanes, mineral oils and cosmetic raw materials, were applied as the extraction phase. Of the n-alkanes, n-decane had the highest retinoid production as 134 mg/l after 72 h. For mineral oil, light and heavy mineral oil gave retinoid productions of 158 and 174 mg/l after 96 h, respectively. Of other materials, isopropyl myristate gave the highest retinoid production of 181 mg/l. These results indicate that many types of oils can be applied for retinoid production, and optimization of the in situ extraction process will lead to further improve of economical production for the industrial purpose.     

Amination in E. coli strains effectively producing threonine

The effect of the mutation of threonine and homoserine resistance (thrr) on the activity of the enzymes catalysing the biosynthesis of glutamic acid, glutamate synthase (EC 1.4.1.13) and glutamate dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.4), and on the productivity of a threonine-producing E. coli strain obtained by gene engineering was being studied. The resistance to threonine was found to correlate well with the increasing activities of the abovementioned enzymes and with a higher productivity of the E. coli strain.     

Absence of DNA sequence homology with genes of the Escherichia coli hemB locus in Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) O157 strains

By molecular cloning of chromosomal DNA of a human faecal Escherichia coli O6:non-motile strain, we identified a 1350-bp DNA segment which is commonly present in laboratory and wild-type E. coli strains but had no homology to DNA of Shiga-toxin producing E. coli O157, O145 and enteropathogens E. coli O55 strains. The nucleotide sequence of the 1350-bp segment cloned on plasmid pEO67 was determined (GenBank accession number AF087670) and a 97.2% sequence homology was found to a region of the E. coli hemB locus with an unknown gene function. The introduction of pEO67 into an STEC O157:H- strain had a stimulating effect on the growth of the recipient strain which was most expressed when bacteria were grown in iron depleted M9 medium with hemin added as the exogenous iron source. This growth effect was not observed with E. coli K-12 carrying pEO67. We suggest that the cloned gene is involved in iron uptake of E. coli and that the alteration in this part of the hemB locus is clonally inherited in genetically closely related STEC O157 and O55 strains.     

Inclusion bodies in recombinant E. coli producing human calcitonin tetramer, as visualized by immuno-gold electron microscopy

Inclusion bodies are described in recombinant E. coli cells harboring plasmid for the expression of a synthetic gene coding for human calcitonin tetramer. The inclusion bodies are visualized by electron microscopy and the protein is identified by immuno-gold technique, using antibodies against synthetic human calcitonin. The diameter of the inclusion bodies is 1 micron on the average.     

气相色谱法测定工程菌发酵液中的乙酸

用气相色谱法对发酵液中的乙酸进行了分析。以丙酸为内标,样品用硫酸酸化后再用乙醚提取,在ＨＰ－ＦＦＡＰ毛细管分析柱上进行色谱分析,采用ＦＩＤ检测器检测。该方法样品制备过程简捷精密度和回收率都很高。乙酸的回收率为９９．４４％－１０２．４１％,变异系数１．６９％－６．１１％。方法的建立为工程菌发酵控制和代谢工程研究提供了良好的研究手段。     

Secretion of recombinant proteins from E. coli

The microorganism Escherichia coli is commonly used for recombinant protein production. Despite several advantageous characteristics like fast growth and high protein yields, its inability to easily secrete recombinant proteins into the extracellular medium remains a drawback for industrial production processes. To overcome this limitation, a multitude of approaches to enhance the extracellular yield and the secretion efficiency of recombinant proteins have been developed in recent years. Here, a comprehensive overview of secretion mechanisms for recombinant proteins from E. coli is given and divided into three main sections. First, the structure of the E. coli cell envelope and the known natural secretion systems are described. Second, the use and optimization of different one‐ or two‐step secretion systems for recombinant protein production, as well as further permeabilization methods are discussed. Finally, the often‐overlooked role of cell lysis in secretion studies and its analysis are addressed. So far, effective approaches for increasing the extracellular protein concentration to more than 10 g/L and almost 100% secretion efficiency exist, however, the large range of optimization methods and their combinations suggests that the potential for secretory protein production from E. coli has not yet been fully realized.     

产普鲁兰酶重组大肠杆菌质粒稳定性的研究

通过对产普鲁兰酶的重组大肠杆菌E.coli BL21(DE3)/p ET28a-s-pul菌株在发酵过程中质粒稳定性和普鲁兰酶生成量的考察,发现不同宿主对质粒稳定性及酶活性有重要影响。本文利用E.coli BL21(DE3)p Lys S菌株为宿主,构建重组菌E.coli BL21(DE3)p Lys S/p ET28a-s-pul,通过控制外源蛋白的本底表达,提高了重组菌株的质粒稳定性。优化发酵培养基和发酵条件以后,重组菌产普鲁兰酶能力由480 U/m L提高至627 U/m L,增幅为30.6%。研究结果认为,严格控制外源蛋白的本底表达,是改善重组菌稳定性的重要方法之一。     

Targeted amino-terminal acetylation of recombinant proteins in E. coli

One major limitation in the expression of eukaryotic proteins in bacteria is an inability to post-translationally modify the expressed protein. Amino-terminal acetylation is one such modification that can be essential for protein function. By co-expressing the fission yeast NatB complex with the target protein in E.coli, we report a simple and widely applicable method for the expression and purification of functional N-terminally acetylated eukaryotic proteins.     

Studies on the expression of recombinant fuculose-1-phosphate aldolase in E. coli

Fuculose-1-phosphate aldolase (Fuc-1-PA) is a dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) dependent aldolase with potential application in chiral synthesis. The influence of the growth medium on the expression of the enzyme in Escherichia coli has been studied. Complex LB medium, a defined medium (MD) and a semi-complex medium (MSC) have been compared in order to maximize aldolase production. The defined medium produced highest expression levels (700 activity units (AU)/g of dry cell weight (DCW)). The optimal induced isopropyl-β-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) concentration of 100 μM produces in the MD medium of 41 μmol/g dry cell weight of enzyme.     

Protein expression in E. coli minicells by recombinant plasmids.

The polypeptides synthesized in E. coli minicells from recombinant plasmids containing DNA fragments from cauliflower mosaic virus, Drosophila melanogaster, and mouse mitochondria were examined. Molecularly cloned fragments of cauliflower mosaic virus DNA directed the synthesis of high levels of three polypeptides, which were synthesized entirely from within the cloned virus DNA fragments independent of their insertion into the plasmid vehicles. Several fragments of D. melanogaster DNA were capable of initiating polypeptide synthesis; however, termination of these polypeptides was dependent upon the insertion into the plasmid vehicle. The majority of D. melanogaster DNA fragments examined did not direct the detectable synthesis of any polypeptides. Insertion of DNA into the Eco RI site of ColE1 and pSC101 plasmids resulted in the altered expression of plasmid-encoded polypeptides. In the case of ColE1, this site of insertion lies within the colicin E1 structural gene, and insertion of foreign DNA into the site results in the synthesis of an inactive truncated colicin E1 molecule. It is probable that the Eco RI site in pSC101 lies within the structural gene for a polypeptide involved in tetracycline resistance, and insertion of DNA into this site may also result in the synthesis of a truncated or elongated polypeptide.     

Modelling the effects of glucose feeding on a recombinant E. coli fermentation

A simple unstructured model is described and compared with experimental data for fed-batch fermentations. The process studied is typical of the most common industrial recombinant fermentation in which temperature induced E. coli produces high yields of a heterologous protein (4?g met-asp-Bovine Somatotropin/l) using a complex peptone feed and a glucose feed. The model accurately predicts the effect of glucose feeding and shows that there is an optimal glucose feedrate to maximize productivity. At higher glucose feedrates, acetate levels become inhibitory and at lower levels glucose starvation occurs. The model is novel since it combines terms for acetate production and inhibition, effect of peptone feeding and temperature induction into a single relatively simple unstructured model. However the present model is unable to predict the effect of induction at different cell densities and reasons for this are suggested.     

Effects of plasmid amplification and recombinant gene expression on the growth kinetics of recombinant E. coli

An experimental study was undertaken to identify and quantitate the effects of plasmid amplification and recombinant gene expression on Escherichia coli growth kinetics. Identification of these effects was possible because recombinant gene expression and plasmid copy number were controlled by different mechanisms on plasmid pVH106/172. Recombinant gene expression of the lactose operon structural genes was under the control of the lac promoter and was activated by the addition of the chemicals, IPTG and cyclic AMP, to the fermentation medium. Plasmid content was amplified in a separate fermentation by increasing culture temperature since the plasmid replicon was temperature-sensitive. A final fermentation was performed in which both plasmid content and recombinant gene expression were induced simultaneously by adding chemicals and raising the culture temperature. Recombinant growth rates were found to be reduced by the expression of high levels of recombinant lac proteins in the chemical induction experiments and by the amplification of plasmid levels in the temperature induction experiment. High expression of recombinant lac proteins following chemical induction was accompanied by a loss in recombinant cell viability. In the plasmid amplification experiment, the recombinant cells did not lose viability but the recombinant product yields were much lower than those achieved in the chemical induction experiments. Combining temperature and chemical induction increased the recombinant product yield by a factor of 4400 but also lowered cellular growth rates by 70%.     

50L规模中试发酵重组核苷二磷酸激酶A工程菌

中试规模发酵重组人核苷二磷酸激酶A（rhNDPK-A）工程菌,并对表达产物进行纯化。摇瓶培养一级种子至合适密度,以10%比例接种二级种子培养基,在7L发酵罐中培养至OD600为9.6～10.5,然后转入80L发酵罐中进行补料分批培养,所得菌体裂解后,经离子交换层析和亲和层析两步纯化得重组蛋白制品。结果表明,50L培养液经过10h培养后,湿菌收量为1560 g/批,NDPK-A表达量为23.8%。另外,补料方式对发酵密度有明显影响。与单纯补加碳源相比,同时补加碳源和氮源可以显著提高菌体产量,但对目的蛋白表达量地提高不明显。在较优条件下,菌体产量为(2220.00±169.71) g/批,蛋白表达量为(22.00±0.42) %,纯化后重组蛋白得率为510mg/L。产物可溶、密度适中、工艺简便的中试发酵条件的建立为高得率、大规模制备重组rhNDPK-A奠定了基础。     

Regulated secretion and purification of recombinant antibodies in E. coli.

A plasmid for optimized protein expression of recombinant Fv antibodies (pOPE) in E. coli was used to express the variable domains of the murine monoclonal antibody HD39 specific for the human B-cell surface antigen CD22. The production of Fv antibodies by pOPE can be regulated over a wide range by varying the IPTG concentration. Antibodies that can discriminate between secreted and nonsecreted Fv antibody fragments were used to show that secretion is the limiting step for the production of functional Fv antibodies. IPTG concentrations above 20 microM increased the total antibody production, but did not yield larger amounts of secreted Fv antibodies. The addition of five histidines to the C terminus facilitates an easy single-step enrichment procedure based on immobilized metal affinity chromatography.     

Comparative study of E. coli strains producing amino acids]

Transduction of the locus of stability to high threonine concentrations (Thrr) into E. coli str M1 and C600 resulted in enhancements of the amino acid production and retardation of the culture development. Besides the mutation caused increase of the specific activity of glutamate synthase, aspartate kinase and homoserine dehydrogenase. The cells of the mutant strains had poorly developed walls and were smaller than those of the parent strains.     

Effect of induction temperature on the production of malaria antigens in recombinant E. coli

As part of a process development campaign, studies have been conducted to determine the influence of induction temperature on the expression of two different malaria antigens, RN1 and RT2. Single-step temperature inductions, in which growth at 32.0 degrees C is followed by a shift in temperature to a desired setpoint, show that there exists an optimum duration and temperature of induction which is product specific. Between an induction temperature of 39.5 and 44.5 degrees C RN1 yield is constant at ca. 0.20 g/g total soluble protein (TSP). RT2 yield approaches 0.20 g/g TSP only at elevated induction temperatures. The optimum temperature of induction for RN1 production is 39.5 degrees C, whereas, that for RT2 production is 41.0 degrees C. Above the optimum temperature of induction antigen concentration decreases owing to decreases in biomass. Furthermore, the maximum concentration of these two antigens differ by a factor of four. With increasing temperature of induction the extent of proteolysis of the products also appears to increase.