Study of population dynamic for a recombinant bacterium during continuous cultures: application of data filtering and smoothing

A numerical method to process experimental data concerning plasmid stability of a recombinant bacteria during continuous cultures with nonselective media is proposed here. This method differs from previous ones in that it uses the derivatve form of the state equation of the Imanaka-Aiba model for recombinant cultures. The methodology proposed here allows one to estimate values for the two model parameters without forcing them to be constant. Until now, this could not be done using classical analytical techniques because these parameters have been considered invariable because of the integration used in the evaluation of the model. These parameters are (1) the difference in the specific growth rates between plasmid-carrying cells and plasmid-free cells (deltamu), and (2) the probability of plasmid loss by plasmid-containing cells (rho(r) mu(+)). The derivative technique used here is completed by mathematical treatments involving data filtering and smoothing. The values of the two parameters are in agreement with those already publised. The current technique does not impose preconditions and permit us to further study related phenomena.     

Effect of growth conditions on the rate of loss of the plasmid pAT153 from continuous cultures of Escherichia coli HB101

Abstract The plasmid pAT153 was lost less rapidly from carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous or sulphur-limited continuous cultures of Escherichia coli HB101 as the dilution rate increased. At a fixed dilution rate of 0.3 h⁻¹, the plasmid was maintained longer as the growth-limiting nutrient was changed from glucose to casamino acids (nitrogen-limited), phosphate or sulphate. These differences in the stability of maintenance were not due to parallel changes in the plasmid copy number. We propose that the rate of loss of pAT153 from E. coli HB101 is determined primarily by the ratio of growth rates of plasmid-containing bacteria and plasmid-free bacteria. This ratio increases with increasing growth rate and depends markedly on the growth-limiting nutrient, sulphate-limited growth being particularly suitable for the maintenance of this host-plasmid combination.     

Cytotoxic effect of multinucleation in HeLa cell cultures associated with the presence of Vir plasmid in Escherichia coli strains

The occurrence activity and localization of calmodulin in three heterocystous cyanobacteria of the genus Anabaena were studied. Boiled crude extracts caused a Ca2+-dependent stimulation of NAD kinase. Such a stimulation was blocked by EGTA and chlorpromazine, SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis using antiserum against eukaryotic spinach calmodulin, revealed a polypeptide of about 17 kDa. Immunogold localization of calmodulin gave a dense gold label in both vegetative cells and heterocysts. The label was mainly confined to the centroplasm in vegetative cells, while it was evenly distributed in the cytoplasm of mature heterocysts.     

Characterization of a pH-inducible promoter system for high-level expression of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli

A pH-inducible promoter system was characterized and its potential applicability in recombinant protein production was evaluated using a plasmid construct, pSM552-545C(-), in which the promoter and activator coding sequences of the cad operon were inserted into the upstream region of a lacZ' reporter gene. Graded gene expression levels with respect to culture pH between 8.0 and 5.5 were observed and the induction range can be as high as 200-fold. The effects of several cultivation parameters, including pH, temperature, induction cell density, and inoculum size, were systematically examined. The practical application of this expression system to high level production of recombinant proteins was successfully demonstrated using a rich medium, superbroth. An extremely high recombinant protein productivity at a value of approximately 1.4 g/L with a specific expression level as high as 35% of total cellular protein can be obtained in a simple batch cultivation. The behavior of this expression system was further investigated using chemostat cultures. An uncommon relationship between the volumetric or specific recombinant protein activity and the dilution rate, with a maximal activity at a dilution rate of approximately 0.4 h(-1)was observed. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Effect of growth rate on the penicillin-binding proteins of Escherichia coli

Abstract In an Escherichia coli strain, the levels of penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) 1A plus 1B, both peptidoglycan transglycosylase/transpeptidases, were found to be relatively independent of the imposed growth ratw in chemostat cultures under different nutrient limitation conditions. A considerable increase in levels of PBP 6 was observed as the growth rate was reduced, whilst, in contrast, a decrease was observed in levels of the other PBPs.     

Transformation and expression of a staphylococcal plasmid in Escherichia coli

Abstract A multiple antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , was found to possess three plasmid bands in agarose gel electrophoresis. A plasmid of approximately 4.3 kb (pMC790/2) was found to code for ampicillin and tetracycline resistance and to have one Eco RI site when transformed into S. aureus RN 4220. pMC790/2 in unmodified form was transformed into a recA⁻ E. coli at a frequency of 1.2×10⁴ transformants/μg of plasmid DNA. Plasmid (pMC790/2) replicated, maintained itself stably and expressed far better in the E. coli host than in S. aureus .     

Control of Escherichia coli growth rate through cell density

The transition from the exponential to the stationary phase of Escherichia coli cultures has been investigated regarding nutrient availability. This analysis strongly suggests that the declining of the cell division rate is not caused by mere nutrient limitation but also by an immediate sensing of cell concentration. In addition, both the growth rate and the final biomass achieved by a batch culture can be manipulated by altering its density during the early exponential phase. This result, which has been confirmed by using different experimental approaches, supports the hypothesis that the E. coli quorum sensing is not only determined by the release of soluble cell-to-cell communicators. Cell-associated sensing elements might also be involved in modulating the bacterial growth even in the presence of non-limiting (although declining) nutrient concentrations, thus promoting their economical utilisation in dense populations.     

Factors and markers of virulence in Escherichia coli from human septicemia

A lethal and necrotic factor which causes cell multinucleation in HeLa cell cultures has previously been shown to be coded by the Vir plasmid of Escherichia coli. Using an absorbed rabbit antiserum which neutralized the Vir toxic properties, we have compared the SDS-PAGE immunoblots from laboratory and field strains which either produce or do not produce Vir toxicity. A single band of 110 kDa was found to be specifically associated with vir toxicity in E. coli strains. This antiserum also recognized the 115 kDa protein band which was previously identified as the cytotoxic necretozing factor (CNF) of certain E. coli strains. These results suggest that the toxin coded by the Vir plasmid is a protein of 110 kDa distinct from, but immunologically related to CNF.     

Adenosine monophosphate-induced amplification of ColE1 plasmid DNA in Escherichia coli

ColE1 plasmid copy number was analyzed in relaxed (relA) and stringent (relA(+)) Escherichia coli cells after supplementation of culture media with adenosine monophosphate (AMP). When a relaxed E. coli strain bearing ColE1 plasmid was cultured in LB medium for 18 h and induced with AMP for 4h, the plasmid DNA yield was significantly increased, from 2.6 to 16.4 mgl(-1). However no AMP-induced amplification of ColE1 plasmid DNA was observed in the stringent host. Some plasmid amplification was observed in relA mutant cultures in the presence of adenosine, while adenine, ADP, ATP, ribose, potassium pyrophosphate and sodium phosphate caused a minor, if any, increase in ColE1 copy number. A mechanism for amplification of ColE1 plasmid DNA with AMP in relA mutant bacteria is suggested, in which AMP interferes with the aminoacylation of tRNAs, increases the abundance of uncharged tRNAs, and uncharged tRNAs promote plasmid DNA replication. According to this proposal, in relA(+) cells, the AMP induction could not increase ColE1 plasmid copy number because of lower abundance of uncharged tRNAs. Our results suggest that the induction with AMP can be used as an effective method of amplification of ColE1 plasmid DNA in relaxed strains of E. coli.     

Temperature shift-up leads to simultaneous and continuous plasmid DNA relaxation and induction of DnaK and GroEL proteins in anaerobically growing Escherichia coli cells

Abstract We previously reported that plasmid DNA in Escherichia coli cells growing under aerobic conditions relaxed immediately and transiently after heat shock (Mizushima, T., Natori, S. and Sekimizu, K., Mol. Gen. Genet. (1993) 238, 1–5). We next examined DNA relaxation and induction of heat shock proteins after heat shock in cells growing under anaerobic conditions. DNA in these cells relaxed rapidly (2 min) after heat shock (42°C), as was the case with aerobically growing cells, but full superhelicity was not recovered. The relaxed state of DNA topology was maintained for 60 min after heat shock. Induction of DnaK and GroEL proteins, which was transient in aerobically growing cells, was continuous in anaerobically growing cells. Therefore, induction of heat shock proteins correlated with DNA relaxation in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions.     

Characterization of the α-haemolysin determinant from the human enteropathogenic Escherichia coli O26 plasmid pEO5

The 157-kb conjugative plasmid pEO5 encoding α-haemolysin in strains of human enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) O26 was investigated for its relationship with EHEC-haemolysin-encoding plasmids of enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) O26 and O157 strains. Plasmid pEO5 was found to be compatible with EHEC-virulence plasmids and did not hybridize in Southern blots with plasmid pO157 from the EHEC O157:H7 strain EDL933, indicating that both plasmids were unrelated. A 9227-bp stretch of pEO5 DNA encompassing the entire α- hly CABD operon was sequenced and compared for similarity to plasmid and chromosomally inherited α- hly determinants. The α- hly determinant of pEO5 (7252 bp) and its upstream region was most similar to corresponding sequences of the murine E. coli α-hly plasmid pHly152, in particular, the structural α- hly CABD genes (99.2% identity) and the regulatory hly R regions (98.8% identity). pEO5 and α-hly plasmids of EPEC O26 strains from humans and cattle were very similar for the regions encompassing the structural α- hly CABD genes. The major difference found between the hly regions of pHly152 and pEO5 is caused by the insertion of an IS 2 element upstream of the hly C gene in pHly152. The presence of transposon-like structures at both ends of the α- hly sequence indicates that this pEO5 virulence factor was probably acquired by horizontal gene transfer.     

The synthesis and function of the Escherichia coli hemolysin and related RTX exotoxins

Abstract The RTX group of exotoxins represents a branch of a family of exoproteins produced by Gram-negative bacteria which share the properties of being secreted by a leader-independent pathway and a tandemly-repeated nine-amino-acid sequence that is responsible for calcium binding. The Escherichia coli hemolysin (HlyA) is the prototype for the RTX exotoxin family which includes the leukotoxins of Pasteurella haemolytica and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and hemolysins from four Gram-negative genera. A review of the genetics, synthesis, export and target cell reactivity of the E. coli hemolysin is given. An evolutionary tree of the RTX toxin family based on amino acid sequence similarity is presented.     

Long-term survival and plasmid maintenance of Escherichia coli in marine microcosms

Abstract The survival pattern and plasmid maintenance of Escherichia coli was examined in an artificial seawater microcosm. It was found that the three strains of E. coli (EK3C, H10407 and 34309) included in the study were able to maintain a portion of cells in the culturable phase for at least 3 years in artificial seawater. Along with retaining culturability, that portion of the cell population also maintained their indigenous plasmids over the 3-year period. It is concluded that cells of E. coli maintaining culturability in seawater are selectively adapted to the salinity of seawater, remaining in a culturable state. The results of the study are significant in that it has been assumed by many public health authorities that E. coli cannot survive, without nutrient addition, in seawater for long periods of time, i.e., years of exposure to seawater.     

温度对大肠杆菌L-色氨酸发酵过程的影响

目的：研究变温控制对大肠杆菌TRTH L-色氨酸补料分批发酵过程中生物量、色氨酸产量、比生长速率及质粒稳定性的影响。方法：利用5L自控发酵罐对L-色氨酸补料分批发酵过程进行温度控制,对不同温度下相关参数进行分析比较,确定优化的温度控制方案。结果：以30-36％顺序升温的工艺进行发酵得到理想结果,与单一温度控制策略相比,L-色氨酸产量提高了15．4％;色氨酸的比合成速率提高了21．6％;质粒稳定性增加,未出现质粒丢失现象,质粒拷贝数保持在恒定水平。结论：温度对大肠杆菌L-色氨酸发酵有重要影响。     

Improved stability and expression of a recombinant shuttle plasmid in Escherichia coli during fedbatch cultivation

The effect of higher cell densities on the expression and segregational stability of a recombinant E. coli- B. subtilisshuttle plasmid coding for carboxymethylcellulase (CMCase) activity, was studied in E. coli DH5. Of the various feeding policies adopted for maximal expression and stability, exponential feeding resulted in the highest biomass of 15g dry cell weight (DCW) l^–1 and plasmid stability of 45%. A CMCase activity of 11400 Uml^–1 was achieved as compared to 230 Uml^–1 during batch cultivation. In the case of other feeding strategies viz., constant feeding, linear feeding or intermittent feeding, the plasmid stability varied between 20% to 60%. Biomass achieved ranged from 5.0 g DCW l^–1 to 9.0 g DCW l^–1 and enzyme activities were between 2550 Uml^–1 and 6000 Uml^–1.     

Horizontal transfer of nonconjugative plasmids in a colony biofilm of Escherichia coli

We tested the possibility of nonconjugative lateral DNA transfer in a colony biofilm of mixed Escherichia coli strains. By simply coculturing a plasmid-free F(-) strain and another F(-) strain harboring a nonconjugative plasmid in a colony biofilm on antibiotic-free agar media, transformed cells were produced within 24-48 h at the frequency of 10(-10)-10(-9) per recipient cell. PCR analysis of the transformed cells demonstrated the occurrence of lateral plasmid transfer. These cells survived until at least day 7 under antibiotic-free conditions. Liquid cultures of the same strains in Luria-Bertani broth produced no or few transformants, suggesting the importance of colony-biofilm formation for plasmid transfer. This is a novel line of evidence indicating that nonconjugative, nonviral horizontal gene transfer can occur between E. coli cells.     

猪源大肠杆菌耐药质粒图谱及耐药性分析

目的:探讨猪大肠杆菌的耐药质粒图谱、耐药性及耐药基因之间的关系。方法:从湖南省株洲、益阳的四个猪场分离出9株大肠杆菌,进行质粒电泳图谱分析、用PCR法检测耐喹诺酮类耐药基因Gyr A、Par C和耐四环素类耐药基因Tet A、Tet B,并采用Kirby-bauer法对这9株大肠杆菌进行药敏(18种抗生素)试验。结果:其中9株大肠杆菌含有三条或者三条以上的质粒条带,且其质粒谱型均不相同;9株大肠杆菌均检测出4种耐药基因Gyr A、Par C、Tet A和Tet B;9株大肠杆菌对所选用的抗生素存在不同程度的耐药性,其中7株大肠杆菌对10种或10种以上的抗生素耐药,最高对13种抗生素耐药,氨苄西林、青霉素、阿莫西林、红霉素的耐药率达100%,对四环素、多西环素的耐药率达到88.9%,而多粘菌素B、阿奇霉素、大观霉素耐药率较低。结论:耐药性与质粒条带数、耐药基因之间并无明显的相关性;猪大肠杆菌呈多重耐药之势,在治疗大肠杆菌病时最好根据药敏实验结果选用合适的抗生素。     

Optimization of a two-stage recombinant fermentation process: the dilution rate effect

The effects of dilution rates on the performance of a two-stage fermentation system for a recombinant Escherichia coli culture were studied. Dilution rate determines the apparent or averaged specific growth rate of a heterogeneous population of cells in the recombinant culture. The specific growht rate affects the genetic parameters involved in product formation in the second stage, such as plasmid stability, plasmid content, and specific gene expression rate. Kinetic models and correlations were developed for these parameters based on experimental data. Simulations of plasmid stability in the first stage showed that for longer fermentation periods, plasmid stability is better at higher dilution rates. However, the plasmid content is lower at these dilution rates. The optimal apparent specific growth rate for maximum productivity in the second stage was determined using two methods: (1) direct search for a constant specific growth rate, and (2) dynamic optimization using the maximum principle for a time-dependent specific growth rate profile. The results of the calculations showed that the optimum constant apparent specific growth rate for maximum over-all productivity is 0.40 h(-1). This coincides with the optimal specific growht rate for maximum plasmid content in the expressed stage. A 3.5% increase in overall productivity can be obtained by using a linear time dependent apparent specific growth rate control, mu(2)(t) = 0.0007t, in the course of the fermentation time.     

Isolation, renaturation, and formation of disulfide bonds of eukaryotic proteins expressed in Escherichia coli as inclusion bodies

Expression of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli often results in the formation of insoluble inclusion bodies, In case of expression of eukaryotic proteins containing cysteine, which may form disulfide bonds in the native active protein, often nonnative inter- and intramolecular disulfide bonds exist in the inclusion bodies. Hence, several methods have been developed to isolate recombinant eukaryotic polypeptides from inclusion bodies, and to generate native disulfide bonds, to get active proteins. This article summarizes the different steps and methods of isolation and renaturation of eukaryotic proteins containing disulfide bonds, which have been expressed in E. coli as inclusion bodies, and shows which methods originally developed for studying the folding mechanism of naturally occurring proteins have been successfully adapted for reactivation of recombinant eukaryotic proteins. (c) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.