Cloning of a Gene Encoding Acetate Kinase from Methanosarcina mazei 2-P Isolated from a Japanese Paddy Field Soil

The ack gene encoding acetate kinase from the mesophilic Methanosarcina mazei 2-P, isolated from a paddy field soil in Japan, was cloned, sequenced, and functionally expressed in Escherichia coli. The terminal region of the putative pta gene, probably encoding phosphotransacetylase, was found upstream of the ack gene. The deduced amino acid sequence of the acetate kinase is 86.5% identical to that of the Methanosarcina thermophila acetate kinase. The activity of the His₆-tagged acetate kinase purified from E. coli JM109 was optimal at 35°C. Received: 28 January 2002 / Accepted: 27 February 2002     

Cloning of a gene coding for phosphotransacetylase fromEscherichia coli

Summary A phosphotransacetylase gene (pta) has been cloned from a genomic DNA library ofEscherichia coli 1100, a derivative of strain K-12. The phosphotransacetylase activities ofpta ⁺ plasmid-containing strains were amplified about 150-fold under control of thelac promoter. The molecular weight of the phosphotransacetylase was estimated to be about 81,000 by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Thepta gene was found to be downstream ofackA by a combination of restriction analysis and plasmid subcloning. It is located about 13 kb upstream of thepurF-folC-hisT region of the chromosome.     

Cloning of the histidine transport genes from salmonella typhimurium and characterization of an analogous transport system in escherichia coli

The genes for the well-characterized high-affinity histidine transport system of S typhimurium have been cloned in λgt4. Genetic and physiological analyses of the analogous transport system of E coli were undertaken in order that available λ vectors, recombinant DNA techniques, and a genetic selection for transport function might be used to isolate the Salmonella genes. The presence of the transport genes on a 12.4 Kb cloned DNA fragment has been confirmed (1) genetically, by complementation studies; (2) physiologically, by the rates of histidine uptake by bacteria containing this DNA; and (3) by demonstrating that the cloned DNA codes for the previously identified transport proteins J and P. The isolated fragment carries the entire transport operon, the argT gene and the ubiX locus, but neither the purF gene nor the ack/pta loci.     

Analyses of the acetate-producing pathways in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Corynebacterium glutamicum</Emphasis> under oxygen-deprived conditions

Corynebacterium glutamicum R efficiently produces valuable chemicals from glucose under oxygen-deprived conditions. In an effort to reduce acetate as a byproduct, acetate productivity of several mutant-disrupted genes encoding possible key enzymes for acetate formation was determined. Disruption of the aceE gene that encodes the E1 enzyme of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex resulted in almost complete elimination of acetate formation under oxygen-deprived conditions, implying that acetate synthesis under these conditions was essentially via acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA). Simultaneous disruption of pta, encoding phosphotransacetylase, and ack, encoding acetate kinase, resulted in no measurable change in acetate productivity. A mutant strain with disruptions in pta, ack and as-yet uncharacterized gene (cgR2472) exhibited 65% reduced acetate productivity compared to the parental strain, although a single disruption of cgR2472 exhibited no effect on acetate productivity. The gene cgR2472 was shown to encode a CoA-transferase (CTF) that catalyzes the formation of acetate from acetyl-CoA. These results indicate that PTA-ACK as well as CTF is involved in acetate production in C. glutamicum. This study provided basic information to reduce acetate production under oxygen-deprived conditions. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Cloning,Expression, and Characterization of an Acetate Kinase from a High Rate of Biohydrogen Bacterial Strain <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ethanoligenens</Emphasis> sp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">hit B49</Emphasis>

The acetate kinase (ack) gene from Ethanoligenens sp. hit B49, isolated from a biohydrogen production bioreactor, is a key enzyme and responsible for dephosphorylation of acetyl phosphate with the concomitant production of acetate and ATP; it was cloned, sequenced, and functionally expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). It contained a 1200-bp open reading frame and encoded a 399-amino-acid protein kinase (molecular weight, 43.22 kDa; isoionic point, pH 5.93) sharing 58% similarity with Thermotoga maritima MSB8 ack. Ack was heterologously expressed in E.coli BL21 (DE3). Ack specific activities of the refolded ack inclusion body from Ethanoligenens sp. hit B49 is 42.12 U at 25°C, and the renaturation percent is 14.36%.     

Characterization and evaluation of a pta (phosphotransacetylase) negative mutant of Escherichia coli HB101 as production host of foreign lipase

In order to evaluate the pta(phosphotransacetylase) (–) mutant of Escherichia coli as a potential host of foreign lipase expression, the pta(–) mutant HB101 was constructed for the purpose of blocking the acetate synthetic pathway. Since acetate is known as a major inhibitory by-product of cell growth and foreign protein production, the growth characteristics and expression kinetics of the microbial lipase of the pta(–) E. coli mutant were investigated. The growth rate was considerably decreased (about 30%) when grown on M9 minimal media containing glucose, mannose or glycerol. Growth retardation was not observed when a gluconeogenic carbon source (acetate, malate or succinate) was utilized. It should be noted that the growth rate of the mutant was enhanced (about 20%) in modified M9 media including a gluconeogenic carbon source and NZ-amine. Growth inhibition of the pta(–) mutant by menadione, a representative redox-cycling drug, was more pronounced than that of the parental type of E. coli. Furthermore, the inhibition effect was more pronounced in glucose minimal medium, whereas the menadione sensitivity was not observed when a gluconeogenic carbon source was used as a sole carbon source or the lactate dehydrogenase gene from Lactobacillus casei was introduced in the pta(–) mutant. Therefore, it is suggested that the growth deficiency of the pta(–) mutant is closely related to the intracellular redox balance. When the pseudomonad lipase was expressed in the pta(–) mutant, a comparable expression rate and yield to the parental type strain was observed. High-cell-density culture if the mutant was easy to achieve even under the fluctuating conditions of residual glucose concentration.     

Improving poly-3-hydroxybutyrate production in Escherichia coli by combining the increase in the NADPH pool and acetyl-CoA availability

The biosynthesis of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB), a biodegradable bio-plastic, requires acetyl-CoA as precursor and NADPH as cofactor. Escherichia coli has been used as a heterologous production model for P3HB, but metabolic pathway analysis shows a deficiency in maintaining high levels of NADPH and that the acetyl-CoA is mainly converted to acetic acid by native pathways. In this work the pool of NADPH was increased 1.7-fold in E. coli MG1655 through plasmid overexpression of the NADP⁺-dependent glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (gapN) from Streptococcus mutans (pTrcgapN). Additionally, by deleting the main acetate production pathway (ackA-pta), the acetic acid production was abolished, thus increasing the acetyl-CoA pool. The P3HB biosynthetic pathway was heterologously expressed in strain MG1655 Δack-pta/pTrcgapN, using an IPTG inducible vector with the P3HB operon from Azotobacter vinelandii (pPHB _Av ). Cultures were performed in controlled fermentors using mineral medium with glucose as the carbon source. Accordingly, the mass yield of P3HB on glucose increased to 73 % of the maximum theoretical and was 30 % higher when compared to the progenitor strain (MG1655/pPHB _Av ). In comparison with the wild type strain expressing pPHB _Av , the specific accumulation of PHB (g_PHB/g_DCW) in MG1655 Δack-pta/pTrcgapN/pPHB _Av increased twofold, indicating that as the availability of NADPH is raised and the production of acetate abolished, a P3HB intracellular accumulation of up to 84 % of the E. coli dry weight is attainable.     

Acetate accumulation through alternative metabolic pathways in ackA?pta?poxB? triple mutant in E. coli B (BL21)

Individual deletions of acs and aceA genes in E. coli B (BL21) showed little difference in the metabolite accumulation patterns but deletion of the ackA gene alone or together with pta showed acetic acid gradually accumulated to 3.1 and 1.7 g/l, respectively, with a minimal extended lag in bacterial growth and a higher pyruvate formation. Single poxB deletion in E. coli B (BL21) or additional poxB deletion in the ackA-pta mutants did not change the acetate accumulation pattern. When the acetate production genes (ackA-pta-poxB) were deleted in E. coli B (BL21) acetate still accumulated. This may be an indication that perhaps acetate is not only a by-product of carbon metabolism; it is possible that acetate plays also a role in other cellular metabolite pathways. It is likely that there are alternative acetate production pathways.     

Production of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine by coupling metabolically engineered bacteria

A production system of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) was established by using recombinant Escherichia coli and Corynebacterium ammoniagenes in combination. E. coli overexpressed the UDP-GlcNAc biosynthetic genes, glmM, glmU, glk, ppa, ack, and pta, whereas C. ammoniagenes contributed to the formation of UTP from orotic acid. Glucose 1,6-diphosphate (Glc-1,6-P₂), which was required for the activity of phosphoglucosamine mutase involved in UDP-GlcNAc biosynthesis, was supplied by phosphoglucomutase and phosphofructokinase. Starting with orotic acid (65 mM) and glucosamine (400 mM), UDP-GlcNAc accumulated at 11.4 mM (7.4 g l^–1) after 8 h.     

Single-step linker-based combinatorial assembly of promoter and gene cassettes for pathway engineering

A linker-based approach for combinatorial assembly of promoter and gene cassettes into a biochemical pathway is developed. A synthetic library containing 144 combinations, with 3 promoters and 4 gene variants, was constructed for the ackA and pta genes of the acetate utilization pathway in E. coli. The in vitro isothermal assembled library was then introduced into E. coli mutant (acs-, pta-, ackA-) and selected for restoration of acetate utilization. 81% of the colonies screened contained the complete functional pathway. Thirty positive clones were analyzed and accounted for 10% of the 144 promoter?Cgene combinations.     

Identification of three distinct Clostridium thermocellum xylanase genes by molecular cloning

Three genes coding for xylanase synthesis in Clostridium thermocellum were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Genomic DNA from Clostridium thermocellum was digested to completion with HindIII, BamHI, and SalI. The fragments were ligated into the corresponding sites of pUC19 and transformed into Escherichia coli. Two of the genes encoded for xylanases which depolymerized xylans but were unable to extensively convert these substrates to reducing sugar. The third gene encoded for an enzyme that extensively hydrolyzed xylan. The insert containing the latter gene was subjected to extensive mapping and was found to encode for a xylanase with a molecular weight of approximately 25,000. The protein product of the cloned gene was obtained in a relatively pure form by heat treatment, ion exchange and gel permeation steps. The enzyme was quite stable to high temperatures with a half-life of 24 h at 70°C.Issued as National Research Council of Canada No. 30545     

Cloning of the Pachysolen tannophilus Xylulokinase Gene by Complementation in Escherichia coli

The gene coding for xylulokinase has been isolated from the yeast Pachysolen tannophilus by complementation of Escherichia coli xylulokinase (xylB) mutants. Through subcloning, the gene has been localized at one end of a 3.2-kilobase EcoRI-PstI fragment. Expression of the cloned gene was insensitive to glucose inhibition. Furthermore, the cloned gene did not cross-hybridize with E. coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae xylulokinase genes.     

Cloning the dapA dapB cluster of the lysine-secreting bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum

Summary The genes encoding the two successive enzymes of the lysine biosynthetic pathway, dihydrodipicolinate synthase (dapA) and dihydrodipicolinate reductase (dapB), have been isolated from Corynebacterium glutamicum by heterologous complementation of Escherichia coli mutants. The two genes reside on a single 3.8-kb chromosomal fragment. They were subcloned as non overlapping fragments on an E. coli/C. glutamicum shuttle vector and introduced into C. glutamicum. This resulted in overexpression of both enzyme activities which was irrespective of the orientation of the inserts and comparable to that obtained with the large 3.8-kb fragment. Therefore, both genes are located in close proximity to each other on the C. glutamicum chromosome, but are apparently independently transcribed.     

A T4 DNA fragment containing genes for the baseplate central plug: Endonuclease restriction, gene expression and cell wall changes

Summary A fragment of Escherichia coli bacteriophage T4D DNA, containing 6.1 Kbp which included the six genes (genes 25, 26, 51, 27, 28 and 29) coding for the tail baseplate central plug has been partially characterized. This DNA fragment was obtained originally by Wilson et al. (1977) by the action of the restriction enzyme EcoRI on a modified form of T4 DNA and was inserted in the pBR322 plasmid and then incorporated into an E. coli K12 strain called RRI. This plasmid containing the phage DNA fragment has now been reisolated and screened for cleavage sites for various restriction endonucleases. Restriction enzymes Bgl 11 and Xbal each attacked one restriction site and the enzyme Hpa 1 attacked two restriction sites on this fragment. The combined digestion of the hybrid plasmid containing the T4 EcoRI DNA fragment conjugated to the pBR322 plasmid with one of these enzymes plus Bam H1 restriction enzyme resulted in the localization of the restriction site for Bgl 11, Xba 1 and Hpa 1. Escherichia coli strain B cells were transformed with this hybrid plasmid and found to have some unexpected properties. E. coli B cells, which are normally restrictive for T4 amber mutants and for T4 temperature sensitive mutants (at 44°) after transformation, were permissive for 25am, 26am and 26^Ts, 51am, and 51^Ts, 27^Ts, and 28^Ts T4 mutants. Extracts from the transformed E. coli cells were found in complementation experiments to contain the gene 29 product, as well as the gene 26 product, the gene 51 product, and the gene 27 product. The complementation experiments and the permissiveness of the transformed E. coli B cells to the various conditional lethal mutants clearly showed that the six T4 genes were producing all six gene products in these transformed cells. However, these cells were not permissive for T4 amber mutants in genes 27, 28, and 29. The transformed E. coli B cells, as compared to untransformed cells, were found to have altered outer cell walls which made them highly labile to osmotic shock and to an increased rate of killing by wild type T4 and all T4 amber mutants except for T4 am29. The change in cell walls of the transformed cells has been found to be due to the T4 baseplate genes on the hybrid plasmid, since E. coli B transformed by the pBR322 plasmid alone does not show the increase in osmotic sensitivity.     

Gene replacement and elimination using λRed- and FLP-based tool to re-direct carbon flux in acetogen biocatalyst during continuous CO2/H2 blend fermentation

A time- and cost-efficient two-step gene elimination procedure was used for acetogen Clostridium sp. MT1834 capable of fermenting CO₂/H₂ blend to 245 mM acetate (p < 0.005). The first step rendered the targeted gene replacement without affecting the total genome size. We replaced the acetate pta-ack cluster with synthetic bi-functional acetaldehyde-alcohol dehydrogenase (al-adh). Replacement of pta-ack with al-adh rendered initiation of 243 mM ethanol accumulation at the expense of acetate production during CO₂/H₂ blend continuous fermentation (p < 0.005). At the second step, al-adh was eliminated to reduce the genome size. Resulting recombinants accumulated 25 mM mevalonate in fermentation broth (p < 0.005). Cell duplication time for recombinants with reduced genome size decreased by 9.5 % compared to Clostridium sp. MT1834 strain under the same fermentation conditions suggesting better cell energy pool management in the absence of the ack-pta gene cluster in the engineered biocatalyst. If the first gene elimination step was used alone for spo0A gene replacement with two copies of synthetic formate dehydrogenase in recombinants with a shortened genome, mevalonate production was replaced with 76.5 mM formate production in a single step continuous CO₂/H₂ blend fermentation (p < 0.005) with cell duplication time almost nearing that of the wild strain.     

Molecular Cloning and Nucleotide Sequence of the Porphobilinogen Deaminase Gene,hemC, from Chlorobium vibrioforme

We previously reported the DNA sequence and expression of the Chlorobium vibrioforme glutamyl-tRNA reductase (hemA) gene (Majumdar et al., Arch Microbiol 156:281, 1991). The sequence downstream of the hemA gene indicated homology to Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis porphobilinogen deaminase (hemC) gene. The Chlorobium gene was confirmed to be the porphobilinogen deaminase gene, and complete sequence of the structural gene was obtained. A 2.8-kb DNA fragment containing the 1.3-kb hemA gene of Chlorobium was cloned into a hemC auxotroph (Sz16) of Bacillus subtilis, and complementation of the auxotroph to prototrophy was achieved. DNA sequence data showed a single open reading frame of 840 bp coding a protein of 279 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence of the Chlorobium porphobilinogen deaminase revealed 39% to 46% homology with the corresponding prokaryotic and eukaryotic sequences. Received: 20 September 1996 / Accepted: 26 October 1996