Construction of a Shuttle Vector for Use between Pasteurella multocida and Escherichia coli

The isolation of a small plasmid from Pasteurella multocida has enabled to construction of a shuttle vector for use between P. multocida and Escherichia coli. The vector pBAC64 contains the origin of replication from P. multocida, an antibiotic resistance gene which functions in P. multocida, and the E. coli vector pUC18. The presence of the pUC18 multiple cloning site together with the lacZ′ gene provides a screening method and allows cloning and manipulation in E. coli as well as cloning in P. multocida.     

Construction of Plasmid Vectors for Screening Replicons from Gram-Positive Bacteria and Their Use as Shuttle Cloning Vectors

Plasmids play a central role in engineering recombinant bacteria because they are the primary vehicles used to manipulate targeted sequences. In some cases, bacteria of interest are poorly provided with suitable tools for these molecular or genetic manipulations. In this context, we constructed from two shuttle cloning vectors, pUCB2871 and pUCB2872, the basic vectors pUCB30 and pUCB31, which could represent suitable tools to isolate replicons from Gram-positive bacteria. These plasmid vectors are characterized by the following after-features: (a) the pUC origin of replication is unable to replicate in Gram-positive bacteria; (b) an erythromycin-resistance encoding gene that is functional in both Gram-negative and -positive bacteria; (c) the pUC19 multiple cloning site (MCS) within the lacZα reporter gene; and (4) an additional multiple cloning site (MCS). Cloning replicons from Gram-positive bacteria in this additional MCS would allow the derivative vectors to function directly as shuttle cloning vectors.     

Biology of Moderately Halophilic Aerobic Bacteria

The moderately halophilic heterotrophic aerobic bacteria form a diverse group of microorganisms. The property of halophilism is widespread within the bacterial domain. Bacterial halophiles are abundant in environments such as salt lakes, saline soils, and salted food products. Most species keep their intracellular ionic concentrations at low levels while synthesizing or accumulating organic solutes to provide osmotic equilibrium of the cytoplasm with the surrounding medium. Complex mechanisms of adjustment of the intracellular environments and the properties of the cytoplasmic membrane enable rapid adaptation to changes in the salt concentration of the environment. Approaches to the study of genetic processes have recently been developed for several moderate halophiles, opening the way toward an understanding of haloadaptation at the molecular level. The new information obtained is also expected to contribute to the development of novel biotechnological uses for these organisms.     

Clostridium perfringens-Escherichia coli Shuttle Vectors That Carry Single Antibiotic Resistance Determinants

Two versatile Clostridium perfringens-Escherichia coli shuttle vectors were constructed. Each plasmid carried a single antibiotic resistance gene which was expressed in both organisms. The plasmid pJIR750 encoded resistance to chloramphenicol and pJIR751 encoded resistance to erythromycin. Each plasmid contained the pUC18-derived multiple cloning site and the lacZ′ gene which enabled direct screening for recombinants in E. coli . These plasmids should prove invaluable for the genetic manipulation of C. perfringens.     

Construction and Characterization of Shuttle Vectors for Succinic Acid-Producing Rumen Bacteria

Shuttle vectors carrying the origins of replication that function in Escherichia coli and two capnophilic rumen bacteria, Mannheimia succiniciproducens and Actinobacillus succinogenes, were constructed. These vectors were found to be present at ca. 10 copies per cell. They were found to be stably maintained in rumen bacteria during the serial subcultures in the absence of antibiotic pressure for 216 generations. By optimizing the electroporation condition, the transformation efficiencies of 3.0 × 10⁶ and 7.1 × 10⁶ transformants/μg DNA were obtained with M. succiniciproducens and A. succinogenes, respectively. A 1.7-kb minimal replicon was identified that consists of the rep gene, four iterons, A+T-rich regions, and a dnaA box. It was found that the shuttle vector replicates via the theta mode, which was confirmed by sequence analysis and Southern hybridization. These shuttle vectors were found to be suitable as expression vectors as the homologous fumC gene encoding fumarase and the heterologous genes encoding green fluorescence protein and red fluorescence protein could be expressed successfully. Thus, the shuttle vectors developed in this study should be useful for genetic and metabolic engineering of succinic acid-producing rumen bacteria.     

Construction of New Shuttle Vectors for Acetbacter

Shuttle vector pMV301 was constructed by ligation of pMV102 found in A. aceti subsp. xylinum NBI 1002 to E. coli plasmid pACYC177. It is 6.0 kb in size, has unique restriction sites suitable for insertion of a foreign DNA fragment and confers ampicillin resistance to the Acetobacter host. This vector transforms A. aceti subsp. aceti 10-80S1 and industrial vinegar producer A. aceti subsp. xylinum NBI 1002 as well as E. coli. Various chimeric plasmids were also constructed by ligation of pMV102 to E. coli plasmids to examine the expression of drug resistance genes. In addition to the ampicillin resistance gene, resistance genes for kanamycin, chloramphenicol and tetracycline derived from E. coli plasmids were expressed in Acetobacter. Most of the constructed shuttle vectors were stably maintained in Acetobacter.     

Isolation and Characterization of Moderately Halophilic Bacteria from Tunisian Solar Saltern

Bacterial screenings from solar saltern in Sfax (Tunisia) lead to the isolation of 40 moderately halophilic bacteria which were able to grow optimally in media with 5–15% of salt. These isolates were phylogenetically characterized using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Two groups were identified including 36 strains of Gamma-Proteobacteria (90%) and 4 strains of Firmicutes (10%). The Gamma-Proteobacteria group consisted of several subgroups of the Halomonadaceae (52.5%), the Vibrionaceae (15%), the Alteromonadaceae (10%), the Idiomarinaceae (7.5%), and the Alcanivoracaceae (5%). Moreover, three novel species: 183ZD08, 191ZA02, and 191ZA09 were found, show <97% sequence similarity of the 16S rRNA sequences while compared to previously published cultivated species. Most of these strains (70%) were able to produce hydrolases: amylases, proteases, phosphatases, and DNAases. Over the isolates, 60% produced phosphatases, 15.0% proteases, 12.5% amylases and DNAases equally. This study showed that the solar saltern of Sfax is an optimal environment for halophilic bacterial growth, where diverse viable bacterial communities are available and may have many industrial applications.     

新疆艾丁湖中度嗜盐苯酚降解菌多样性研究

高盐含酚废水属于极难处理的废水之一,筛选具有生物学降解能力的嗜盐菌有助于解决这一难题。从新疆艾丁湖盐湖中分离筛选能够降解苯酚的中度嗜盐菌,了解盐湖中度嗜盐苯酚降解菌的多样性组成和降解能力。研究结果表明,10%(质量分数)的盐浓度条件下,分离得到166株嗜盐菌,通过以苯酚为唯一碳源的培养基进行降解活性筛选后得到45株阳性菌,根据细菌16S rRNA基因序列系统进化分析,这45株菌分别归类到3个门,5个科,9个属。其中拟诺卡氏菌属(Nocardiopsis)是优势菌,占总量的68.8%,其余菌分布于Bacillus、Gracilibacillus、Pontibacillus、Halobacillus、Marinococcus和Halomonas属。在含100 mg/L苯酚的液体培养基,经过10 d培养后,这45株菌降解效率为1%~17%。本研究为工业应用提供了嗜盐微生物种质资源,极具进一步发掘和研究价值。     

Versatile Escherichia coli Expression Vectors for Production of Truncated Proteins

Several expression vector plasmids containing the tac promoter, the rrnBT₁T₂ terminator, and the pUC ori sequence were constructed. Some of them, the pES series, have a start codon in all three reading frames and multiple cloning sites downstream of the tac promoter and have stop codons also in all three frames and additional stop codons accompanying restriction sites. They are designed for versatile expression of truncated proteins which are produced by deleting portions of the inserted DNA.     

人工高盐环境中可培养嗜盐菌的分离与分析

嗜盐菌属于极端微生物中的一种,其结构与理化性质的研究受到国内外同行的关注.国际同行在嗜盐菌的研究领域已经做了大量的工作,而国内的研究工作相对较少.     

Ability of Moderately Halophilic Bacteria to Control Grey Mould Disease on Tomato Fruits

Tomato is one of the leading crops in Tunisia in terms of weight consumed (20 kg/per person/year). Preserving the quality of the fruit from field to consumer is essential to successful marketing. Grey mould rot induced by Botrytis cinerea is an important cause of postharvest loss depending on season and handling practices. We describe here the ability of halotolerant to moderately halophilic bacteria isolated from different Tunisian Sebkhas (hypersaline soils) to protect fresh‐market tomato fruits from B. cinerea. The tomatoes tested were at two different stages of ripening, (i) mature‐green and (ii) red. Six strains significantly reduced growth of the pathogens from 67% to 87%. The effectiveness of these antagonists was also confirmed on green tomatoes; in which the fruit rot protection rate ranged from 74% to 100%. The antagonists were characterized by morphological, biochemical and physiological tests as well as 16S rDNA sequencing. The halotolerant effective isolates were identified as belonging to one of the species Bacillus subtilis (M1‐20, J9) or B. licheniformis (J24). One effective moderately halophilic isolate (M2‐26) was identified as Planococcus rifietoensis. These strains are a source of hydrolytic enzymes such as chitinases, proteases, laminarinases, amylases, lipases and cellulases. For comparison, 12 halotolerant or moderately halophilic strains obtained from DSM culture collection were also evaluated for their antifungal activity against B. cinerea on tomato fruits. The most effective strains were Halomonas subglaciescola, Halobacillus litoralis, Marinococcus halophilus, Salinococcus roseus, Halovibrio variabilis and Halobacillus halophilus with a percentage of grey mould rot reduction ranging from 71% to 97%. Inoculation of mature‐green tomatoes by the bacterial antagonist of Halobacillus trueperi resulted in no disease development. Our results indicate that the use of halotolerant to halophilic micro‐organisms should be helpful in reducing grey mould disease of stored tomatoes.     

一株中度嗜盐菌的分离鉴定及特性研究

目的：从盘锦红海滩泥样中分离中度嗜盐菌,对其进行鉴定及特性研究。方法：CZ培养基分离纯化,通过形态学、生理生化实验、16SrDNA序列比对分析进行鉴定,吸光光度法测定生长特性。结果：分离得到一株中度嗜盐菌CNY0802,该菌革兰氏阳性反应,菌体杆状,宽度0.7μm～0.9μm,长度2μm～3μm,产芽孢,接触酶、酯酶、明胶液化和硝酸盐还原反应阳性,氧化酶、淀粉酶、MR和VP反应均为阴性。生长的盐度范围0.5%～25%（NaCl,W/V）,最适盐度5%;温度范围10℃～45℃,最适温度30℃;pH范围4.0～12.0,最适pH8.0～10.0;不同的阴阳离子对CNY0802生长影响显著。经16S rDNA序列比对及系统发育树分析,与Halobacillus salinus亲缘关系最近。结论：该菌的分离鉴定对我国辽宁沿海地区极端环境微生物资源的开发研究有一定意义。     

盐地碱蓬内生中度嗜盐菌的分离与系统发育多样性分析

为了了解东营滨海盐地碱蓬植株内生中度嗜盐菌的多样性,采用传统分离鉴定技术和基于16S rRNA序列分析对样品中可培养细菌的多样性进行研究。根据其生理生化特征、16S rRNA序列测定和系统发育分析,分离获得的15株内生菌可分为4个类群,涉及Halomonadaceae科的Chromohalobacter属、Kushneria属、Halomonas属以及Bacillaceae科的Bacillus属。类群I中4菌株的16S rRNA序列与Chromohalobacter israelensis的最高相似性为95%。类群II共7株菌,归属于Kushneria属,是碱蓬内生中度嗜盐菌中的优势类群。类群III菌株的16S rRNA序列与一株尚无明确分类地位的Gammaproteobacteria亚门耐盐固氮细菌Haererehalobacter sp.JG11的相似性为99%。类群IV中的芽孢杆菌的16S rRNA序列与已知细菌的相似性为96%,很可能代表了Bacillus属的新种。各种水解酶类的分析表明,在分离的15株菌中有3株菌产蛋白酶,14株产酯酶,8株产DNA酶,11株产半乳糖苷酶,14株产脲酶。研究结果揭示,盐地碱蓬中存在较为丰富的中度嗜盐菌多样性和系统发育多样性,并且潜藏着较多的新的微生物类群。     

短短小芽孢杆菌大肠杆菌穿梭分泌表达载体的构建

应用PCR技术从具有分泌蛋白能力强且没有胞外蛋白酶活性的短短小芽孢杆菌50中分离出细胞壁蛋白基因的多启动子和信号肽编码序列,利用它与质粒pUB110和pKF3-起构建成穿梭分泌表达载体pBKE50,将α0淀粉酶基因引入该载体转化短短小芽孢杆菌50后,发现α－淀粉酶可以活性形式分泌表达,此工作为下一步建立短短小芽孢杆菌高效分泌表达系统奠定了基础。     

Construction and Characterization of Versatile Cloning Vectors for Efficient Delivery of Native Foreign Proteins to the Periplasm ofEscherichia coli

Induction of the wild type cholera toxin operon (ctxAB) from multicopy clones inEscherichia coliinhibited growth and resulted in low yields of cholera toxin (CT). We found that production of wild type CT or its B subunit (CT-B) as a periplasmic protein was toxic forE. coli,but by replacing the native signal sequences of both CT-A and CT-B with the signal sequence from the B subunit ofE. coliheat-labile enterotoxin LTIIb we succeeded for the first time in producing CT holotoxin in high yield inE. coli.Based on these findings, we designed and constructed versatile cloning vectors that use the LTIIb-B signal sequence to direct recombinant native proteins with high efficiency to the periplasm ofE. coli.We confirmed the usefulness of these vectors by producing two other secreted recombinant proteins. First, usingphoAfromE. coli,we demonstrated that alkaline phosphatase activity was 17-fold greater when the LTIIb-B signal sequence was used than when the native leader for alkaline phosphatase was used. Second, using thepspAgene that encodes pneumococcal surface protein A fromStreptococcus pneumoniae,we produced a 299-residue amino-terminal fragment of PspA inE. coliin large amounts as a soluble periplasmic protein and showed that it was immunoreactive in Western blots with antibodies against native PspA. The vectors described here will be useful for further studies on structure–function relationships and vaccine development with CT and PspA, and they should be valuable as general tools for delivery of other secretion-competent recombinant proteins to the periplasm inE. coli.     

大肠杆菌-链霉菌穿梭载体的构建及应用

pIJ6021和pIJ4123是链霉菌的高拷贝表达载体,它们携带有受硫链丝菌素诱导的强启动子P_tipA。分别在它们的合适位点插入大肠杆菌质粒的复制子和在大肠杆菌中选择用的抗性标记基因(bla),得到了两个能在大肠杆菌和链霉菌中穿梭复制、并保持结构稳定的链霉菌表达载体：pHZ1271和pHZ1272。将透明颤菌(Vitreoscillia sp.)血红蛋白基因(vhb)克隆到pHZ1272中,用它转化变铅青链霉菌(Streptomyces lividans),经Western blotting分析和CO结合实验表明,在变铅青链霉菌中表达出了有生物活性的透明颤菌血红蛋白,从而证明所构建的pHZ1272载体具有在链霉菌中表达外源基因的功能。     

Movement of Shuttle Plasmids from Escherichia coli into Yeasts Other Than Saccharomyces cerevisiae Using Trans-kingdom Conjugation

Transfer of bacteria/yeast shuttle plasmids from Escherichia coli into the yeast species Kluyveromyces lactis, Pichia angusta (Hansenula polymorpha), and Pachysolen tannophilus has been accomplished, presumably through inter-kingdom conjugal transfer. Plasmid pEK2 was transferred into a K. lactis mutant to complement trp auxotrophy, while plasmid YEp13 was mobilized into and complemented P. angusta and P. tannophilus Leu^- auxotrophs. Plasmid DNA in the recipient strains was detected by transformation of E. coli with crude yeast cell extracts. Freely replicating plasmids without detectable alterations as well as plasmids with rearrangements were recovered from yeast transconjugants.