Changes of Escherichia coli cell cycle parameters during fast growth and throughout growth with limiting amounts of thymine

It is generally accepted that during fast growth of Escherichia coli, the time (D) between the end of a round of DNA replication and cell division is constant. This concept is not consistent with the fact that average cell mass of a culture is an exponential function of the growth rate, if it is also accepted that average cell mass per origin of DNA replication (M_i) changes with growth rate and negative exponential cell age distribution is taken into account. Data obtained from cell composition analysis of E. coli OV-2 have shown that not only (M_i) but also D varied with growth rate at generation times () between 54 and 30 min. E. coli OV-2 is a thymine auxotroph in which the replication time (C) can be lengthened, without inducing changes in , by growth with limiting amounts of thymine. This property has been used to study the relationship between cell size and division from cell composition measurements during growth with different amounts of thymine. When C increased, average cell mass at the end of a round of DNA replication also increased while D decreased, but only the time lapse (d) between the end of a replication round and cell constriction initiation appeared to be affected because the constriction period remained fairly constant. We propose that the rate at which cells proceed to constriction initiation from the end of replication is regulated by cell mass at this event, big cells having shorter d times than small cells.Abbreviations OD₄₅₀ and OD₆₃₀ Optical density at a given wavelength in nm Dedicated to Dr. John Ingraham to honor him for his many contributions to Science     

Quantitative aspects of glucose metabolism by Escherichia coli B/r,grown in the presence of pyrroloquinoline quinone

Escherichia coli B/r was grown in chemostat cultures under various limitations with glucose as carbon source. Since E. coli only synthesized the glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) apo-enzyme and not the appropriate cofactor, pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ), no gluconate production could be observed. However, when cell-saturating amounts of PQQ (nmol to mol range) were pulsed into steady state glucose-excess cultures of E. coli, the organisms responded with an instantaneous formation of gluconate and an increased oxygen consumption rate. This showed that reconstitution of GDH in situ was possible.Hence, in order to examine the influence on glucose metabolism of an active GDH, E. coli was grown aerobically in chemostat cultures under various limitations in the presence of PQQ. It was found that the presence of PQQ indeed had a sizable effect: at pH 5.5 under phosphate- or sulphate- limited conditions more than 60% of the glucose consumed was converted to gluconate, which resulted in steady state gluconate concentrations up to 80 mmol/l. The specific rate of gluconate production (0.3–7.6 mmol·h^-1·(g dry wt cells)^-1) was dependent on the growth rate and the nature of the limitation. The production rate of other overflow metabolites such as acetate, pyruvate, and 2-oxoglutarate, was only slightly altered in the presence of PQQ. The fact that the cells were now able to use an active GDH apparently did not affect apo-enzyme synthesis.Abbreviations HEPES N-2-hydroxy-ethylpiperazine-N-2-ethane sulphonic acid - MES 2-morpholinoethane sulphonic acid - PQQ pyrroloquinoline quinone (systematic name: 2,7,9-tricarboxy-1H-pyrrolo-(2,3-f)-quinoline-4,5-dione) - WB Wurster's Blue (systematic name: 1,4-bis-(dimethylamino)-benzene perchlorate     

The DD-carboxypeptidase activity encoded by pbp4B is not essential for the cell growth of Escherichia coli

The gene (pbp4B) encoding a putative DD-carboxypeptidase has been deleted in Escherichia coli and it is shown to be not essential for cell division. Disruption of the gene in a genetic background where all putative activities of DD-carboxypeptidases and/or DD-endopeptidases had been eliminated indicates that these activities are not required for cell growth in enterobacteria. The penicillin-binding capacity and a low DD-carboxypeptidase activity of PBP4B are demonstrated. Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

Evidence for Escherichia coli polymerase II mutagenic bypass of intrastrand DNA crosslinks

The mutagenic potentials of DNAs containing site- and stereospecific intrastrand DNA crosslinks were evaluated in Escherichia coli cells that contained a full complement of DNA polymerases or were deficient in either polymerases II, IV, or V. Crosslinks were made between adjacent N(6)-N(6) adenines and consisted of R,R- and S,S-butadiene crosslinks and unfunctionalized 2-, 3-, and 4-carbon tethers. Although replication of single-stranded DNAs containing the unfunctionalized 3- and 4-carbon tethers were non-mutagenic in all strains tested, replication past all the other intrastrand crosslinks was mutagenic in all E. coli strains, except the one deficient in polymerase II in which no mutations were ever detected. However, when mutagenesis was analyzed in cells induced for SOS, mutations were not detected, suggesting a possible change in the overall fidelity of polymerase II under SOS conditions. These data suggest that DNA polymerase II is responsible for the in vivo mutagenic bypass of these lesions in wild-type E. coli.     

Filamentous growth of Escherichia coli K12 elicited by dimeric,mixed-valence complexes of ruthenium

Dimeric, mixed-valence [(Ru(II), Ru(III)] compounds of ruthenium caused filament formation in growing cultures of Escherichia coli K12. Three compounds with the general formula Ru₂(NH₃)₆X₅ · H₂O (where X is a halide) were tested; in order of decreasing effectiveness (and with the concentration giving maximum effect), these were the bromo (10^-5 M), chloro (10^-4 to 10^-5 M), and iodo (10^-3 to 10^-4 M) analogues. Filamentation elicited by the bromo and chloro compounds was spontaneously reversible after 3–4 h, and tentatively attributed to oxidation of the active mixed-valence form to inactive Ru(III) complexes. Several compounds known to accelerate division of filaments formed under other conditions were ineffective in reversing the filamentation, but the presence of 0,43 M-dimethylsulphoxide totally inhibited filamentation caused by the bromo or chloro compounds and by cis-Pt(NH₃)₂Cl₂ (cisplatin), an established filamenting and antitumour agent. The ruthenium complexes bound to mammalian DNA, but were without effect on the UV spectrum or cellular content of DNA in E. coli, despite showing marked mutagenic activity in reverse mutation tests with Salmonella typhimurium. Cells remained sensitive to inhibition of division by the ruthenium complexes until immediately prior to the division event. Possibilities for the (probably complex) mode of action and the potential of related compounds for therapeutic use are discussed.Non-standard abbreviation DMSO dimethylsulphoxide     

Leakage of recombinant penicillin G acylase from Escherichia coli by adding chloroform under fermentation conditions

A simple method was developed to release periplasmic penicillin G acylase from Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) during the fermentation process. More than 80% of the total penicillin G acylase was released into the broth when 3% (v/v) chloroform was added at 3 h after induction. The activity of extracellular penicillin G acylase reached 20699 U/l. This method was efficient and would facilitate further investigation of penicillin G acylase for industrial applications.     

A DNA replication gene maps near terC in Escherichia coli K12

Summary Temperature-sensitive mutants that filamented at the non-permissive temperature were isolated by specific mutagenesis of the terminus region of the Escherichia coli chromosome. Two of them, mapping at about 35 min, failed to divide due to inhibition of DNA replication. Further characterization indicated that these mutants are temperature-sensitive for DNA chain elongation.     

DNA polymerase III holoenzyme of Escherichia coli: Components and function of a true replicative complex

Summary The DNA polymerase III holoenzyme is a complex, multisubunit enzyme that is responsible for the synthesis of most of the Escherichia coli chromosome. Through studies of the structure, function and regulation of this enzyme over the past decade, considerable progress has been made in the understanding of the features of a true replicative complex. The holoenzyme contains at least seven different subunits. Three of these, , and , compose the catalytic core. Apparently is the catalytic subunit and the product of the dnaE gene. Epsilon, encoded by dnaQ (mutD), is responsible for the proofreading 35 activity of the polymerase. The function of the B subunit remains to be established. The auxiliary subunits, , and , encoded by dnaN, dnaZ and dnaX, respectively, are required for the functioning of the polymerase on natural chromosomes. All of the proteins participate in increasing the processivity of the polymerase and in the ATP-dependent formation of an initiation complex. Tau causes the polymerase to dimerize, perhaps forming a structure that can coordinate leading and lagging strand synthesis at the replication fork. This dimeric complex may be asymmetric with properties consistent with the distinct requirements for leading and lagging strand synthesis.     

The relative rate of synthesis and levels of single-stranded DNA binding protein during induction of SOS repair in Escherichia coli

Summary Induction of the SOS response in Escherichia coli results in an increase in the relative rate of synthesis of single-stranded DNA binding protein (SSB). In contrast to RecA protein, this increase is slow and does not lead to higher SSB levels. The significance of ssb induction to SOS repair is discussed.     

A rapid procedure to purify Escherichia coli DNA topoisomerase I

On the basis of the asymmetrical charge distribution of Escherichia coli DNA topoisomerase I, we developed a new procedure to purify E. coli DNA topoisomerase I in the milligram range. The new procedure includes using both cation- and anion-exchange columns, i.e., SP-Sepharose FF and Q-Sepharose FF columns. The E. coli DNA topoisomerase I purified here is free of DNase contamination. The kinetic constants of the DNA relaxation reaction of E. coli DNA topoisomerase I were also determined.     

High-level expression and purification of Escherichia coli oligopeptidase B

Oligopeptidase B (OpdB) of Escherichia coli, previously called protease II, has a trypsin-like specificity, cleaving peptides at lysine and arginine residues and belongs to the prolyl oligopeptidase family of new serine peptidases. In this study, we report the fusion expression of E. coli oligopeptidase B with an N-terminal histidine tag using pET28a as the expression vector. Although most of the recombinant OpdB was produced as inclusion bodies, the solubility of the recombinant protease increased significantly when the expression temperature shifted from 37 to 30 degrees C. Recombinant OpdB (approximately 10 mg) could be purified from the soluble fraction of the crude extract of 1L log-phase E. coli culture containing 1.5 g wet bacterial cells. The purified OpdB has a molecular weight of approximately 80 kDa and a specific activity of 4.8 x 10(4) U/mg. OpdB could also be purified from the inclusion bodies with a lower yield. The recombinant enzyme was very stable under 40 degrees C. By comparison of the substrate specificity of the purified OpdB with that of OpdA, another trypsin-like protease in E. coli, we found that Boc-Glu-Lys-Lys-MCA is a specific substrate for E. coli OpdB. We also found that compared to OpdA, OpdB is much more sensitive to GMCHA-OPh(t)Bu, a synthetic trypsin inhibitor that can retard the growth of E. coli.     

Cell yields of Escherichia coli during anaerobic growth on fumarate and molecular hydrogen

Escherichia coli was grown anaerobically on sodium fumarate and molecular hydrogen or sodium formate in continuous culture. The maximal growth yield and the maintenance coefficient were determined. In a mineral medium a Y _fum ^max value of 6.6 g dry weight per mol fumarate was found. This value increased to 7.5 when casamino acids were present in the medium. From these data and the corresponding Y _ATP ^max values it could be calculated that per mol of fumarate reduced, 0.4 mol of ATP became available for growth. In batch culture a Y_fum value of 4.8 g dry weight per mol fumarate was determined.     

Methylation strongly enhances DNA bending in the replication origin region of the Escherichia coli chromosome

Summary Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, at high and low temperatures, and gel mobilities of circularly permuted DNA segments showed a large bending locus about 50 bp downstream from the right border of the 245 by oriC box, a minimal essential region of autonomous replication on the Escherichia coli chromosome. Bending was strongly enhanced by Dam methylation. In DNA from a Dam^– strain, the mobility anomaly arising from altered conformation was much reduced, but was raised to the original level by methylation in vivo or in vitro. Enhancement of the mobility anomaly was also observed by hybrid formation of the Dam^– strand with the Dam⁺ strand. Near the bending center, GATC, the target of Dam methylase, occurs seven times arranged essentially on the same face of the helix with 10.5 by per turn. We concluded that small bends at each Dam site added up to the large bending detectable by gel electrophoresis.     

Identification of the recR locus of Escherichia coli K-12 and analysis of its role in recombination and DNA repair

Summary A new recombination gene called recR has been identified and located near dnaZ at minute 11 on the current linkage map of Escherichia coli. The gene was detected after transposon mutagenesis of a recB sbcB sbcC strain and screening for insertion mutants that had a reduced efficiency of recombination in Hfr crosses. The recR insertions obtained conferred a recombination deficient and extremely UV sensitive phenotype in both recB recC sbcA and recB recC sbcB sbcC genetic backgrounds. recR derivatives of recBC ⁺ sbc ⁺ strains were proficient in conjugational and transductional recombination but deficient in plasmid recombination and sensitive to UV light. Strains carrying recR insertions combined with mutations uvrA and other rec genes revealed that the gene is involved in a recombinational process of DNA repair that relies also on recF and recO, and possibly recJ, but which is independent of recB, recC and recD. The properties of two other insertions, one located near pyrE and the other near guaA, are discussed in relation to their proximity to recG and xse (the gene for exonuclease VII), respectively.     

不同胁迫条件下产志贺毒素大肠杆菌生长及产毒能力异质性分析

【目的】本文旨在探究产志贺毒素大肠杆菌(Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, STEC)在不同胁迫条件下的生长情况以及产毒状况的变化,为STEC菌株在胁迫压力下应激机制研究提供基础数据参考。【方法】选取3株STEC菌株分别在不同pH值、不同盐浓度、不同温度下进行适应性传代培养,使用一级生长模型Gompertz模型分析其在胁迫环境下的生长异质性;通过Vero细胞毒性实验分析胁迫条件下菌株的产毒状况。【结果】除了pH 5.0条件下的ST462菌株,在pH5.0和9.0、较高盐浓度1.5%NaCl和2.5%NaCl以及低温10℃胁迫条件下STEC菌株都表现出最大比生长速率(μmax)降低、迟缓期(λ)延长,差异显著(P<0.01);不同胁迫条件下提取的STEC菌株毒素侵染细胞后测得的细胞存活率均低于对照最适条件,而pH 5.0条件下相反。【结论】STEC菌株在碱性、较高浓度盐以及低温环境胁迫压力下响应应激机制,生长虽受到抑制,但其所产毒素对Vero细胞造成的损伤加重,毒性增强。本研究通过胁迫环境下生长和产毒状况的异质性分析,将有助于全面了解ST...     

Initiation of DNA replication in Escherichia coli after overproduction of the DnaA protein

Summary Flow cytometry was used to study initiation of DNA replication in Escherichia coli K12 after induced expression of a plasmid-borne dnaA ⁺ gene. When the dnaA gene was induced from either the plac or the pL promoter initiation was stimulated, as evidenced by an increase in the number of origins and in DNA content per mass unit. During prolonged growth under inducing conditions the origin and DNA content per mass unit were stabilized at levels significantly higher than those found before induction or in similarly treated control cells. The largest increase was observed when using the stronger promoter pL compared to plac. Synchrony of initiation was reasonably well maintained with elevated DnaA protein concentrations, indicating that simultaneous initiation of all origins was still preferred under these conditions. A reduced rate of replication fork movement was found in the presence of rifampin when the DnaA protein was overproduced. We conclude that increased synthesis levels or increased concentrations of the DnaA protein stimulate initiation of DNA replication. The data suggest that the DnaA protein may be the limiting factor for initiation under normal physiological conditions.     

Effects of temperature on the size and shape of Escherichia coli cells

Two substrains of Escherichia coli B/r were grown to steady-state in batch cultures at temperatures between 22 and 42° C in different growth media. The size and shape of the cells were measured from light and electron micrographs and with the Coulter channelizer. The results indicate that cells are shorter and somewhat thicker at the lower temperatures, especially in rich growth media; cell volume is then slightly smaller. A lower temperature was further found to increase the relative duration of the constriction period. The shapes of the cell size distributions are indistinguishable, indicating that the pattern of growth of the cells is the same at all temperatures. The adaptation of the cells to a temperature shift lasted several generations, indicating that the morphological effects of temperature are mediated by the cell's physiology.     

On the precision and accuracy achieved by Escherichia coli cells at fission about their middle

Length and width of each of the prospective siblings of constricted Escherichia coli cells from different strains and culture conditions were measured from electron micrographs. The data were statistically analyzed to investigate how equally the length and volume of one cell was divided into two. The analysis showed that, for all cultures, bipartition is unbiased or very nearly so, i.e. sibling cells were on the average equally long and large. The precision of bipartition attained by the cells was usually high; it was related to the average cell shape (length/width): slender E. coli cells divided into two less precisely than squat cells. Absolute size, growth rate and strain specificity affected the precision of bipartition only indirectly, i.e. in as much as they influenced cell shape.     

Microcalorimetric study of Escherichia coli growth inhibited by the selenomorpholine complexes

The inhibitory or antibiotic action of four kinds of the selenomorpholine complex on a strain of Escherichia coli was studied by microcalorimetry. Differences in their capacities to inhibit the metabolism of this bacterium were observed. The extent and duration of the inhibitory effect on the metabolism as judged from the rate constant, k, and the half-inhibitory concentration, IC₅₀, varied with the different drugs. The rate constant (k) of Escherichia coli (in the log phase) in the presence of the drugs decreased with increasing concentrations of the drugs (C). The relationship of k and C is nearly linear for (1) selenomorpholine and (2) selenomorpholine hydrochloride, but for (3) N,N′-methylene bisselenomorpholine and (4) N-dodecyl selenomorpholine, it is not linear. The experimental results reveal that the sequence of antibiotic activity of selenomorpholines is (3) and (4)>(1)>(2).