Protoplast fusion: a tool for intergeneric gene transfer in bacteria

Protoplasts can be isolated from bacterial cells by digestion of the cell wall with the help of lysozyme in presence of osmotic stabilizers. Fusion of protoplasts can be induced by chemical fusogens like polyethylene glycol. The electrofusion technique has been reported in bacteria in which the fusion frequency is much higher than that obtained by PEG induced protoplast fusion. This technology allows recombination to take place not only between related species but also between unrelated genera and is of great potential in the breeding and improvement of industrial strains. This review includes the information and developments on the protoplast fusion in bacteria with special reference to genetic recombination by protoplast fusion between phylogenetically unrelated bacteria.     

Development of a system for cloning a DNA fragment, containing the determinant of resistance to actinomycin for Streptomyces chrysomallus No.2--a producer of actinomycin C]

To study the modes of actinomycin biosynthesis and the mechanism responsible for resistance to the antibiotic producing S. chrysomallus No. 2, the authors undertook an examination and studies into the cloning system for gene(s) of resistance to actinomycin from a S. chrysomallus No. 2 actinomycin C producer and the cloning of a S. chrysomallus No. DNA fragment to the actinomycin-sensitive Streptomyces Sp. 26-115 H-I on the vector plasmid pIJ702. The cloning gave rise to actinomycin-resistant strains. The character of actinomycin resistance is inheritable in a steady fashion.     

Protoplast fusion of Lactobacillus fermentum.

Tetracycline-resistant (Tetr) erythromycin-resistant (Eryr) fusants of Lactobacillus fermentum 604 carrying a 10-megadalton Tetr plasmid and L. fermentum 605 carrying a 38-megadalton Eryr plasmid were obtained by means of polyethylene glycol-induced protoplast fusion.     

Control of the actinomycin biosynthetic pathway in and actinomycin resistance of Streptomyces spp.

Using actinomycin-producing and nonproducing strains of Streptomyces antibioticus, I studied several steps in the biosynthetic pathway of this antibiotic. Actinomycin-nonproducing strains derived after acriflavine or novobiocin treatment showed activity of kynurenine formamidase and phenoxazinone synthase as high as that of the parental strain, but these nonproducing strains failed to convert 4-methyl-3-hydroxy-anthranilic acid to actinomycin. In addition, accumulation of 4-methyl-3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (in the presence of D-valine) was not detected in the nonproducing isolates. Actinomycin-nonproducing strains derived after acriflavine treatment of Streptomyces parvulus showed a drastic decrease of resistance to the antibiotic. However these strains regained resistance after preincubation with a small amount of actinomycin D.     

秦岭链霉菌的原生质体再生与诱变育种

在秦岭链霉菌(Streptomyces qinlingensis sp.nov.)的菌种改良中,应用原生质体再生并结合物理化学诱变能够得到产量较高、稳定性较好的菌株.筛选实验表明:秦岭链霉菌原生质体再生菌株R-72、诱变菌株NTG-1和H30-7对枯草芽孢杆菌的抗菌活性均提高了20%以上,并且连续培养10代,其遗传性状均比较稳定.进一步的生测实验表明菌株R-72,NTG-1和H30-7对5种病原细菌和5种植物病原真菌的抗菌活性相比原始菌株有显著提高.     

秦岭链霉菌的原生质体再生与诱变育种

在秦岭链霉菌(Streptomyces qinlingensis sp. nov.)的菌种改良中, 应用原生质体再生并结合物理化学诱变能够得到产量较高、稳定性较好的菌株。筛选实验表明：秦岭链霉菌原生质体再生菌株R-72、诱变菌株NTG-1和H30-7对枯草芽孢杆菌的抗菌活性均提高了20%以上, 并且连续培养10代, 其遗传性状均比较稳定。进一步的生测实验表明菌株R-72、NTG-1和H30-7对5种病原细菌和5种植物病原真菌的抗菌活性相比原始菌株有显著提高。     

Enhancement of Lignin Degradation in Streptomyces spp. by Protoplast Fusion

Protoplast fusion was investigated as a technique for genetically manipulating two lignin-degrading Streptomyces strains, Streptomyces viridosporus T7A and Streptomyces setonii 75Vi2. Four of 19 recombinants tested showed enhanced production of acid-precipitable polymeric lignin (APPL), producing 155 to 264% more APPL from corn stover lignocellulose than was produced by the wild-type S. viridosporus T7A. APPLs are lignin degradation intermediates known to be potentially valuable chemical products produced by bioconversion of lignin with Streptomyces spp. The prospects of utilizing protoplast fusion to construct APPL-overproducing Streptomyces strains was considered especially promising.     

Studies of the biosynthesis of actinomycin in protoplasts from Streptomyces antibioticus.

Protoplasts actively synthesizing actinomycins have been prepared from Streptomyces, antibioticus. They showed an absolute requirement for the presence of oxygen, galactose, and alkaline earth ions. Sucrose was most efficient as an osmotic stabilizer. However, in air-saturated buffer the protoplasts seemed to be slightly inhibited in their metabolism. This is expressed by the appearance of 4-methyl-3-hydroxyanthranilic acid and the inability to utilize [1?¹⁴C]sarcosine for actinomycin synthesis. Evidence has been obtained that sarcosine and N-methyl-l-valine are not free precursors of the peptide-bound N-methyl-amino acids. It is further demonstrated that synthesis of actinomycin IV and actinomycin V differ from each other with respect to their different susceptibilities against the changings in the physiological environment of the protoplasts. Actinomycin synthesis is severely reduced when protoplasts are incubated in the presence of 10^?3, m methionine.     

小麦白粉病生防菌G-1菌株原生质体诱变育种

以链霉菌G-1(Streptomyces sp.G-1)为出发菌株,通过研究菌株G-1原生质体形成与再生的条件,发现该菌株在含0.5%甘氨酸的菌丝体培养基中经过二次培养后,所得菌丝体用2 mg/mL溶菌酶在30℃下处理90 min,可获得大量原生质体,其再生率可达8.2%。菌株G-1的原生质体经紫外诱变和宁南霉素抗性筛选后,得到一高产突变株G-1-125,其有效组分A的产量达到794mg/L,较出发菌株提高了180%。     

Isolation of a plasmid from actinomycin C-producing Streptomyces chrysomallus and its characteristics

Until now the identification of plasmids in streptomyces, the producers of actinomycins, has not been reported, although there exist the genetic data on the possible plasmid participation in biosynthesis of these antibiotics. In this paper the data are presented on plasmid identification in two variants of Streptomyces chrysomallus. Plasmids are shown to be identical in both variants differing in productiveness. The restriction map is constructed for this 7000 b. p. plasmid. Plasmid participation in actinomycin biosynthesis and its possible use for molecular cloning in streptomyces are discussed.     

Episodic evolution mediates interspecies transfer of a murine coronavirus.

Molecular mechanisms permitting the establishment and dissemination of a virus within a newly adopted host species are poorly understood. Mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) strains (MHV-A59, MHV-JHM, and MHV-A59/MHV-JHM) were passaged in mixed cultures containing progressively increasing concentrations of nonpermissive Syrian baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells and decreasing concentrations of permissive murine DBT cells. From MHV-A59/MHV-JHM mixed infection, variant viruses (MHV-H1 and MHV-H2) which replicated efficiently in BHK cells were isolated. Under identical treatment conditions, the parental MHV-A59 or MHV-JHM strains failed to produce infectious virus or transcribe detectable levels of viral RNA or protein. The MHV-H isolates were polytrophic, replicating efficiently in normally nonpermissive Syrian hamster smooth muscle (DDT-1), Chinese hamster ovary (CHO), human adenocarcinoma (HRT), primate kidney (Vero), and murine 17Cl-1 cell lines. Little if any virus replication was detected in feline kidney (CRFK) and porcine testicular (ST) cell lines. The variant virus, MHV-H2, transcribed seven mRNAs equivalent in relative abundance and size to those synthesized by the parental virus strains. MHV-H2 was an RNA recombinant virus containing a crossover site in the S glycoprotein gene. At the molecular level, episodic evolution and positive Darwinian natural selection were apparent within the MHV-H2 S and HE glycoprotein genes. These findings differ from the hypothesis that neutral changes are the predominant feature of molecular evolution and argue that changing ecologies actuate episodic evolution in the MHV spike glycoprotein genes that govern interspecies transfer and spread into alternative hosts.     

Protoplast fusion as a means of producing new industrial yeast strains

The ability of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce ethanol and carbon dioxide from carbohydrates has been exploited by man for thousands of years. During its brief existence protoplast fusion has already become an invaluable tool for investigating the molecular genetics of yeast, as well as an important part of the arsenal of genetic manipulations available to develop new strains. In the case of industrial strains, a mating reaction is usually lacking. Protoplast fusion overcomes this barrier and allows for the genetic analysis of commercially valuable traits. A major block toward broader applicability of fusion is that hybrids becomes more unstable as the genetic backgrounds of the parents diverge. As greater progress in overcoming this problem is made, fusion, by itself and in conjunction with classical hybridization, will become increasingly important in the development of new strains. The incorporation of cytoplasmic elements into yeast protoplasts has the potential to vastly expand the array of biochemical reactions performed by yeasts, thereby increasing the importance of this microbe to mankind.     

Characterization of Streptomyces MITKK-103, a newly isolated actinomycin X2-producer

A new actinomycete strain designated MITKK-103 was isolated from the soil of a flowerpot using a humic acid agar medium. The newly isolated strain was able to produce a large amount of actinomycin X₂ even under nonoptimized growing conditions and serves as a promising source of this antibiotic. Actinomycin X₂ has higher cytotoxicity toward cultured human leukemia (HL-60) cells than does actinomycin D, and it induces cell death via apoptosis. A nearly complete 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequence from the isolate was determined and found to have high identity (98.5–100%) with Streptomyces galbus, Streptomyces griseofuscus, and Streptomyces padanus, indicating that MITKK-103 belongs to the genus Streptomyces. The isolate clustered with species belonging to the S. padanus clade in a 16S-rDNA-based phylogenetic tree and showed 75% overall homology to S. padanus ATCC 25646 in DNA–DNA relatedness analysis. Although the growth of the isolate was somewhat different from the three species mentioned, the strain MITKK-103 most closely resembles S. padanus on the basis of the morphological and phenotypic characteristics, phylogenetic analysis, and genotypic data. As such, this is the first report of a strain of S. padanus capable of producing actinomycins.     

A marine-derived Streptomyces sp. MS449 produces high yield of actinomycin X2 and actinomycin D with potent anti-tuberculosis activity

In the course of our screening program for anti-Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (MTB H37Rv) agents from our marine natural product library, a newly isolated actinomycete strain, designated as MS449, was picked out for further investigation. The strain MS449, isolated from a sediment sample collected from South China Sea, produced actinomycin X(2) and actinomycin D in substantial quantities, which showed strong inhibition of BCG and MTB H37Rv. The structures of actinomycins were elucidated by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometric analysis. The strain MS449 was taxonomically characterized on the basis of morphological and phenotypic characteristics, genotypic data, and phylogenetic analysis. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of the strain was determined and a database search indicated that the strain was closely associated with the type strain of Streptomyces avermitilis (99.7?% 16S rRNA gene similarity). S. avermitilis has not been previously reported to produce actinomycins. The marine-derived strain of Streptomyces sp. MS449 produced notably higher quantities of actinomycin X(2) (1.92?mg/ml) and actinomycin D (1.77?mg/ml) than previously reported actinomycins producing strains. Thus, MS449 was considered of great potential as a new industrial producing strain of actinomycin X(2) and actinomycin D.