产异丁醇关键基因在大肠杆菌中表达的研究

[目的]改造大肠杆菌缬氨酸合成途径,使其能够代谢合成异丁醇.[方法]将乳酸乳球菌(Lactococcus lactis) 1.2829的2-酮异戊酸脱羧酶基因(kivD)和醇脱氢酶基因(adhA)串联克隆到大肠杆菌DH5α宿主中表达.[结果]经过改造的宿主菌发酵24 h后异丁醇产量为0.12 g/L.酶活测定实验发现,kivD和adhA基因在宿主菌中均得到表达,但由于KivD的低表达量导致宿主菌最终的异丁醇合成能力偏低.通过研究温度和pH对KivD和AdhA酶活的影响,最终选定二者的最适温度为30℃,最适pH为6.5. [结论]通过向宿主菌导入外源异丁醇合成基因能够改造其自身代谢途径,从而合成异丁醇.     

secD, a new gene involved in protein export in Escherichia coli.

New mutants of Escherichia coli altered in protein export were identified in phoA-lacZ and lamB-lacZ gene fusion strains by searching for mutants that showed an altered lactose phenotype. Several mutations mapped in a new gene, secD. These mutants were, in general, cold sensitive for growth, and the mutations led to an accumulation of precursor of exported proteins. The secD gene is closely linked to tsx on the E. coli chromosome, but separable from another gene proposed to be involved in export, ssaD, which maps nearby. A plasmid carrying secD+ was identified and used to show that the mutations are recessive. The secD gene may code for a component of the cellular export machinery.     

Identification of a phi X174 coded protein involved in the inhibition of beta-galactosidase synthesis in Escherichia coli

The synthesis of β-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.23: β-D-galactoside galactohydrolase) in $\text{Escherichia}\text{coli}$ is repressed as a result of infection with single-stranded DNA phage ØX174. An $\text{amber}$ mutant in ØX174 cistron A, which codes for two proteins, does not inhibit the enzyme synthesis while $\text{amber}$ mutants in all other genes do cause repression. A mutant near the amino-terminal end of cistron A, which produces the small 35,000 molecular weight cistron A polypeptide, also inhibits the synthesis of β-galactosidase. Inhibition is also observed in an $\text{Escherichia}\text{coli}\text{rep}$ mutant which does not support the replication of replicative-form DNA. Exogenous nucleotide bases and cyclic 3′,5′-adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP) do not have any effect on the degree of repression.     

Identification of new genes regulated by the marRAB operon in Escherichia coli.

Random TnphoA and TnlacZ translational fusions were introduced into an Escherichia coli strain with a deletion of the multiple antibiotic resistance (mar) locus, complemented in trans by a temperature-sensitive plasmid bearing the mar locus with a constitutively expressed mar operon. Five gene fusions (two with lacZ and three with phoA) regulated by the mar operon were identified by increased or decreased marker enzyme activity following loss of the complementary plasmid at the restrictive temperature. Expression of LacZ from both lacZ fusions increased in the presence of the mar operon; expression from the three phoA fusions was represented by the mar operon. The lacZ fusions were mapped at 31.5 and 14 min on the Escherichia coli chromosome. One of the phoA fusions was located at 51.6 min while the two others mapped at 77 min. Cloning and sequencing of a portion of the fused genes showed all of them to be different. The phoA fusions at 77 min were located in a recently identified gene, slp, a lipoprotein of unknown function (D.M. Alexander and A. C. St. John, Mol. Microb. 11:1059-1071, 1994). The others showed no homology with any known genes of E. coli. The insertions caused small but reproducible changes in the antibiotic susceptibility profile. This approach has enabled the identification of new genes in E. coli which are regulated by the marRAB operon and involved in the Mar phenotype.     

Identification of novel essential Escherichia coli genes conserved among pathogenic bacteria

We deleted a subset of 27 open reading frames (ORFs) from Escherichia coli which encode previously uncharacterized, probably soluble gene products homologous to proteins from a broad spectrum of bacterial pathogens such as Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecalis and only distantly related to eukaryotic proteins. Six novel bacteria-specific genes essential for growth in complex medium could be identified through a combination of bioinformatics-based and experimental approaches. We also compared our data to published results of gene inactivation projects with Mycoplasma genitalium and Bacillus subtilis and looked for homologs in all known prokaryotic genomes. Such analyses highlight the enormous metabolic flexibility of prokaryotes. Six of 27 studied genes have been functionally characterized up to now, amongst these four of the essential genes. The gene products YgbP, YgbB and YchB are involved in the non-mevalonate pathway of isoprenoid biosynthesis. KdtB is characterized as the posphopantetheine adenylyltransferase CoaD. There are indications that the other two essential gene products YjeE and YqgF, which we have identified, also possess enzymatic functions. These findings demonstrate the potential of such proteins to be used in screening of large chemical libraries for inhibitors which could be further developed to novel broad-spectrum antibiotics.     

Identification of new cell division genes in Escherichia coli by using extragenic suppressors.

To facilitate the analysis of the cell division control apparatus in Escherichia coli, we studied extragenic suppressor mutations of a previously characterized temperature-sensitive division mutation, ftsM1. Cells of strain GD40 which harbor this mutation were spread on agar plates and incubated at 42 degrees C, and the surviving cells were analyzed for the presence of a suppressor mutation. One group of suppressed mutants had acquired a new mutation which, by conjugation, was found to be located in the 30- to 40-min region of the E. coli genetic map. The other group comprised revertants carrying a suppressor which appeared to map between thr and leu. This suppressor gene, called sftA, was cloned with a mini-Mu-derived in vivo cloning system by selection for suppression of temperature sensitivity in GD40 cells. Subsequent subcloning of a fragment of the chromosomal DNA from the mini-Mu plasmid into pBR325 resulted in the delineation of the suppressor gene on a 1.8-kilobase XhoI-PvuI fragment. A strain, CV514, which does not express the temperature sensitivity phenotype of the ftsM1 mutation, was found to harbor a natural suppressor of this mutation. UV sensitivity, another known phenotype of the ftsM1 mutation, was also corrected by the presence of the sftA suppressor in the cell. Thus, the characterization of extragenic suppressors may allow the identification of new genes involved in the control of cell division.     

Blue ghosts: a new method for isolating amber mutants defective in essential genes of Escherichia coli.

We describe a technique which permits an easy screening for amber mutants defective in essential genes of Escherichia coli. Using this approach, we have isolated three amber mutants defective in the rho gene. An extension of the technique allows the detection of ochre mutants and transposon insertions in essential genes.     

Identification of cutC and cutF (nlpE) genes involved in copper tolerance in Escherichia coli.

It has been suggested previously that copper transport in Escherichia coli is mediated by the products of at least six genes, cutA, cutB, cutC, cutD, cutE, and cutF. A mutation in one or more of these genes results in an increased copper sensitivity (D. Rouch, J. Camakaris, and B. T. O. Lee, p. 469-477, in D. H. Hamer and D. R. Winge, ed., Metal Ion Homeostasis: Molecular Biology and Chemistry, 1989). Copper-sensitive cutC and cutF mutants were transformed with a genomic library of E. coli, and copper-tolerant transformants were selected. Two distinct clones were identified, each of which partially restores copper tolerance in both the cutC and cutF mutants of E. coli. Subcloning, physical mapping, and sequence analysis have revealed that the cutC gene is located at 42.15 min on the E. coli genome and encodes a cytoplasmic protein of 146 amino acids and that the cutF gene is located at 4.77 min on the E. coli genome and is allelic to the nlpE gene independently identified by Silhavy and coworkers (W. B. Snyder, L. J. B. Davis, P. N. Danese, C. L. Cosma, and T. J. Silhavy, J. Bacteriol. 177:4216-4223, 1995). Results from the genetic mapping of the copper-sensitive mutations in the cutF mutant and sequencing of the cutC and cutF (nlpE) alleles from both cutC and cutF mutants indicate that both the cutC and cutF mutants are in fact double mutants altered in these two genes, and mutations in both the genes appear to be required for the copper-sensitive phenotype in each mutant.     

Structure of Escherichia coli dnaC. Identification of a cysteine residue possibly involved in association with dnaB protein

The nucleotide sequence of the Escherichia coli dnaC gene and the primary structure of the dnaC protein were determined. The NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of the dnaC protein matched that predicted from the nucleotide sequence of the 735-base pair coding region. The dnaC gene lacks characteristic promoter structures; neither the "Pribnow box" nor the "-35 sequence" was detected within 222 base pairs upstream from the initiator ATG codon. There is, however, a typical Shine-Dalgarno sequence 7-10 base pairs before the ATG codon. An upstream open reading frame, separated by just 2 base pairs from the coding region of dnaC, encodes the COOH-terminal half of the dnaT product (protein i; Masai, H., Bond, M. W., and Arai, K. (1986) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 83, 1256-1260). The dnaC protein contains 245 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 27,894 consistent with the observed value (29,000). Similar to dnaG and dnaT, dnaC uses several minor codons; the significance of these minor codons to the low level expression of the protein product in E. coli cells remains to be determined. The in vitro site-directed mutagenesis method was employed to determine the functional region involved in interaction with dnaB protein. The first cysteine residue located in the NH2-terminal region of the dnaC protein (Cys69) was shown to be important for this activity. Overall sequence homology between dnaC protein and lambda P protein, functionally analogous to the dnaC protein in the lambda phage DNA replication, is not extensive. There are, however, several short stretches of homologous regions including the NH2-terminal eight amino acids and the Cys78 region of dnaC protein.     

Identification of a new gene, molR, essential for utilization of molybdate by Escherichia coli.

A mutation in a new gene, molR, prevented the synthesis in Escherichia coli of molybdoenzymes, including the two formate dehydrogenase isoenzymes, nitrate reductase and trimethylamine-N-oxide reductase. This phenotype was suppressed by supplementing the media with molybdate. Thus, the molR mutant was phenotypically similar to previously described chlD mutants, thought to be defective in molybdate transport. The molR gene is located at 65.3 min in the E. coli chromosome, in contrast to the chlD gene, which maps at 17 min and thus can be readily distinguished. The molR gene is also cotransducible with a hitherto unidentified gene essential for the production of 2-oxoglutarate from isocitrate, designated icdB (located at 66 min). The molR mutant strain SE1100 also failed to produce the hydrogenase component of formate hydrogenlyase (HYD3) in molybdate-unsupplemented media. The amount of molybdate required by strain SE1100 for the production of parental levels of formate hydrogenlyase activity was dependent on the growth medium. In Luria-Bertani medium, this value was about 100 microM, and in glucose-minimal medium, 1.0 microM was sufficient. In low-sulfur medium, this value decreased to about 50 nM. The addition of sulfate or selenite increased the amount of molybdate needed for the production of formate hydrogenlyase activity. These data suggest that in the absence of the high-affinity molybdate transport system, E. coli utilizes sulfate and selenite transport systems for transporting molybdate, preferring sulfate transport over the selenite transport system.     

Expression of the tolQRA genes of Escherichia coli K-12 is controlled by the RcsC sensor protein involved in capsule synthesis

The tolQRABpal cluster of Escherichia coli K-12 encodes proteins involved in the maintenance of cell-envelope integrity. In addition, toi/pal mutations result in a mucoid colony phenotype at low temperature. The synthesis of capsular polysaccharides by the cps genes is controlled by the positive regulator RcsA and the two-component RcsC/RcsB system. It was shown that the mucoid phenotype of the tol/pal mutants was due to an rcsCB-dependent activation of the cps genes. Furthermore, we have identified a mutation in the rcsC gene that decreased the activity of a tolA-lac operon fusion independently of RcsA and partially independently of RcsB activators. The corresponding rcsC338 mutation resulted in a Glu to Lys substitution at residue 338 of RcsC. This mutation induced mucoidy even at high temperature. We propose that RcsC modulates the phosphorylated forms of RcsB and an uncharacterized regulatory protein involved in the control of the tolQRA genes in an opposite manner. Moreover, our findings strengthen the previous suggestion that RcsC senses some alterations in the cell surface such as those induced by tol, pal or rfa mutations, and activates capsule synthesis to protect the cell against deleterious agents.     

Escherichia coli genes whose products are involved in selenium metabolism.

Mutants of Escherichia coli were isolated which were affected in the formation of both formate dehydrogenase N (phenazine methosulfate reducing) (FDHN) and formate dehydrogenase H (benzylviologen reducing) (FDHH). They were analyzed, together with previously characterized pleiotropic fdh mutants (fdhA, fdhB, and fdhC), for their ability to incorporate selenium into the selenopolypeptide subunits of FDHN and FDHH. Eight of the isolated strains, along with the fdhA and fdhC mutants, maintained the ability to selenylate tRNA, but were unable to insert selenocysteine into the two selenopolypeptides. The fdhB mutant tested had lost the ability to incorporate selenium into both protein and tRNA. fdhF, which is the gene coding for the 80-kilodalton selenopolypeptide of FDHH, was expressed from the T7 promoter-polymerase system in the pleiotropic fdh mutants. A truncated polypeptide of 15 kilodaltons was formed; but no full-length (80-kilodalton) gene product was detected, indicating that translation terminates at the UGA codon directing the insertion of selenocysteine. A mutant fdhF gene in which the UGA was changed to UCA expressed the 80-kilodalton gene product exclusively. This strongly supports the notion that the pleiotropic fdh mutants analyzed possess a lesion in the gene(s) encoding the biosynthesis or the incorporation of selenocysteine. The gene complementing the defect in one of the isolated mutants was cloned from a cosmid library. Subclones were tested for complementation of other pleiotropic fdh mutants. The results revealed that the mutations in the eight isolates fell into two complementation groups, one of them containing the fdhA mutation. fdhB, fdhC, and two of the new fdh isolates do not belong to these complementation groups. A new nomenclature (sel) is proposed for pleiotropic fdh mutations affecting selenium metabolism. Four genes have been identified so far: selA and selB (at the fdhA locus), selC (previously fdhC), and selD (previously fdhB).     

Carbon source-dependent synthesis of SecB, a cytosolic chaperone involved in protein translocation across Escherichia coli membranes.

SecB is a cytosolic chaperone involved in protein translocation across cytoplasmic membranes in Escherichia coli. It has been shown to be required for efficient translocation of a subset of precursor proteins but is not essential for cell viability. This study investigated whether synthesis of SecB is growth rate dependent. Interestingly, the total amount of SecB synthesized in the cells was relatively small. Moreover, the levels of SecB were found to be carbon source dependent since more SecB was produced in cells grown in glycerol media than in cells grown in glucose media, regardless of the growth rate. This is in contrast to the other Sec proteins, whose synthesis is growth rate dependent and not related to glucose as a carbon source. In addition, cyclic AMP (cAMP) partially relieves the lower levels of SecB observed in glucose medium, a compensatory effect that depends on the presence of both cya and crp gene products. Thus, the glucose-dependent synthesis of SecB may be related to the cAMP-cAMP receptor protein complex-mediated activation.     

Identification and genetic mapping of the structural gene for an essential Escherichia coli membrane protein.

Attempts to isolate conditionally lethal recB and recC mutations of Escherichia coli K-12 by P1 localized mutagenesis led to the identification of the structural gene for an essential membrane protein. Located on a 1.5-kilobase-pair DNA fragment which physically mapped immediately 5' to the thyA gene, the product of the umpA (unidentified membrane protein) gene is a 25,000 Mr membrane-associated polypeptide. These results provide an explanation for why several research groups have been unable to obtain chromosomal deletions of the entire thyA gene. A possible interaction between the umpA and thyA genes is also discussed.     

Identification and characterization of a new disulfide isomerase-like protein (DsbD) in Escherichia coli.

Previous studies have established that DsbA and DsbC, periplasmic proteins of Escherichia coli, are two key players involved in disulfide bond formation. A search for extragenic mutations able to compensate for the lack of dsbA function in vivo led us to the identification of a new gene, designated dsbD. Lack of DsbD protein leads to some, but not all, of the phenotypic defects observed with other dsb mutations, such as hypersensitivity to dithiothreitol and to benzylpenicillin. In addition, unlike the rest of the dsb genes, dsbD is essential for bacterial growth at temperatures above 42 degrees C. Cloning of the wild-type gene and sequencing and overexpression of the protein show that dsbD is part of an operon and encodes an inner membrane protein. A 138 amino acid subdomain of the protein was purified and shown to possess an oxido-reductase activity in vitro. Expressing this subdomain in the periplasmic space helped restore the phenotypic defects associated with a dsbD null mutation. Interestingly, this domain shares 45% identity with the portion of the eukaryotic protein disulfide isomerase carrying the active site. We further show that in dsbD mutant bacteria the dithiol active sites of DsbA and DsbC proteins are mostly oxidized, as compared with wild-type bacteria. Our results argue that DsbD generates a reducing source in the periplasm, which is required for maintaining proper redox conditions. The finding that overexpression of DsbD leads to a Dsb- phenotype, very similar to that exhibited by dsbA null mutants, is in good agreement with such a model.     

Immunocytological investigation of protein synthesis in Escherichia coli.

Ferritin-conjugated specific antibodies have been used to localize beta-galactosidase and both the monomer and active dimer of alkaline phosphatase in frozen thin sections of cells of Escherichia coli O8 strain F515. The even distribution of the ferritin marker throughout cells that had been induced for beta-galactosidase synthesis, frozen, sectioned, and exposed to ferritin-anti-beta-galactosidase conjugate showed that this enzyme was present throughout the cytoplasm of these cells. Frozen thin sections of cells that had been derepressed for the synthesis of alkaline phosphatase were exposed to both ferritin-anti-alkaline phosphatase monomer and ferritin-anti-alkaline phosphatase dimer conjugates, and the ferritin markers showed a peripheral distribution of both the monomer and the dimer of this enzyme. This indicates that alkaline phosphatase is present only in the peripheral regions of the cell and argues against the existence of a cytoplasmic pool of inactive monomers of this enzyme. This peripheral location of both the monomers and dimers of alkaline phosphatase supports the developing concensus that this enzyme is, like other wall-associated enzymes, synthesized in association with the cytoplasmic membrane and vectorially transported to the periplasmic area, where it assumes its tertiary and quaternary structure and acquires its enzymatic activity.