Conjugative transfer, stability and expression of a plasmid encoding a cry1Ac gene in Bacillus cereus group strains

The plasmid pHT73 containing cry1Ac and tagged with an erythromycin resistance gene was transferred from Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki KT0 to several Bacillus cereus group strains by conjugation. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and phase contrast microscopy showed that the transconjugants containing plasmid pHT73 could express Cry1Ac toxin and produce bipyramidal crystalline inclusion bodies during sporulation. The study demonstrated that pHT73 could be transferred to B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki, several B. cereus strains and Bacillus mycoides. Under non-selective conditions, the stability of the pHT73 plasmid in the transconjugants was found to be 58.2-100% after 100 generations and 4-96% after 200 generations. The variations are mainly caused by the choice of receptor strain.     

Complete nucleotide sequence of a cryptic plasmid, pbaw301, from the ruminai anaerobe Ruminococcus flavefaciens R13e2

Abstract The complete nucleotide sequence of a cryptic plasmid designated pBAW301, from the Gram-positive ruminai bacterium Ruminococcus flavefaciens R13e2, has been determined. This plasmid is 1768 bp in size and has an overall G+C content of 43.5%. Computer analysis of the sequence data revealed an open reading frame, ORF1 (256 amino acids), which is similar to the Rep protein of the Bacillus borstelensis plasmid pHT926. ORF1 is preceded by Shine-Dalgarno and Escherichia coli —10 and —35 like sequences. Nine smaller open reading frames showed no significant homologies to known protein sequences. Analysis of replication intermediates and the nucleotide sequence indicate that the plasmid does not replicate by a rolling-circle mode of replication similar to other plasmids from Gram-positive bacteria. Moreover, sequences typical of theta replication origins were not found in the nucleotide sequence of pBAW301. These data suggest that this plasmid either replicates by an as yet undescribed mechanism, or represents a new class of theta replicating plasmids.     

spbA locus ensures the segregational stability of pTH1030, a novel type of Gram-positive replicon

The replication region of the plasmid pHT1030 of Bacillus thuringiensis was previously mapped to a 2.9 kb DNA fragment. The DNA sequence was analysed and it was shown that the minimal replicon resides within a 1 kb fragment of DNA carrying no potential protein coding sequence. Moreover, no production of single-stranded DNA intermediates was detected in the plasmid-containing cells. pHT1030 therefore belongs to a class of replicons not previously described in Gram-positive bacteria. Examination of the segregational stability of deletion derivatives of pHT1030 in bacilli defined two stability regions. One is located within the minimal replicon of pHT1030, whereas the second (spbA) is not required for replication. spbA encodes a 15 kDa protein and ensures the segregational stability of the plasmid. This effect of spbA is particularly highlighted in sporulation. The absence of the spbA locus gives rise to plasmid-free spores at high frequency, whereas the spbA+ plasmids are stably maintained. The stability of the plasmids during sporulation seems to be correlated with an unequal division of the cell by the sporulation septum.     

Efficient Transformation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cellulomonas flavigena</Emphasis> by Electroporation and Conjugation with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus thuringiensis</Emphasis>

The conjugative self-transmissible plasmid pHT73, harbored in Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki, was demonstrated to be transferred to Cellulomonas flavigena, a cellulolytic bacterium. Both conjugation and transformation procedures yielded resistant colonies; however, chromosomal integration was observed only when bacterial conjugation occurred. The efficiency of conjugation was 10% of recipient strain, which is considered a very efficient process. When the plasmid pHT73 was introduced by transformation, erythromycin-resistant cells contained the plasmid as an episome with no arrangements, as assayed by Southern blot analysis. In contrast, conjugated-resistant cells harbor the plasmid integrated into the chromosome. These data suggest a common mechanism of cell communication between nonrelated bacterial species with similar ecological habitats, and also that both electroporation and conjugation can be used to transform C. flavigena efficiently.     

Pilot scale production of a recombinant human epidermal growth factor, secreted by Bacillus brevis, using expanded bed adsorption

Recombinant Bacillus brevis which carried an expression plasmid encoding the human epidermal growth factor (EGF) gene on a cryptic high-copy number plasmid, pHT926, extracellularly produced EGF in its biologically active form at a concentration of over 1.5 g L⁻¹ in the culture broth in a 30-L jar fermenter. The culture broth also contained some other EGF compounds, which mainly consisted of oligomeric and polymeric forms with disulfide bonds. We developed a simple purification method for EGF, without prior cell removal from the culture broth, comprising cation exchange expanded bed adsorption followed by ultrafiltration with UF 10 000 and 3000 membranes. The EGF compounds were efficiently separated from the EGF in its native form in the expanded bed adsorption step. With this purification method, only EGF in its native form was recovered from the culture broth, with a yield of nearly 80%, and 90% purity. This efficient and economic system has made it possible to use EGF as a pharmaceutical in the livestock industry. Received 10 June 1998/ Accepted in revised form 10 September 1998     

Constructing Bacillus thuringiensis strain that co-expresses Cry2Aa and chitinase

A triple recombineering technique was used with plasmid pHT315 to produce pHTEC, a construct carrying chitinase and cry2Aa genes from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki 4.0718. Transformation of wild-type B. thuringiensis strain HD73 and the acrystalliferous strain Cry-B with pHTEC resulted in the recovery of recombinant strains that expressed Cry2Aa as cubic crystals in the cell pellet and soluble chitinase protein. The toxicity of HD73 (pHTEC) against Helicoverpa armigera larvae increased sevenfold when compared with HD73 (pHT315) harboring pHT315 vector. The triple recombineering protocol was optimized by comparing recombination efficacy mediated by RecE/RecT and Redα/Redβ and by using single-strand DNA as substrate.     

Construction of cloning vectors for Bacillus thuringiensis.

The replication region of the Bacillus thuringiensis plasmid, pHT1030, was treated with hydroxylamine. Various copy-number mutants were selected and subsequently used to construct shuttle vectors with multiple cloning sites. These recombinant plasmids are very stable and allowed the cloning of a delta-endotoxin-encoding gene in B. thuringiensis. Comparison between gene expression level and vector copy-number indicated that a plateau in delta-endotoxin production is reached with a copy-number of about fifteen per equivalent chromosome.     

Transference of a crystal protein gene from Bacillus thuringiensis and its expression in Bradyrhizobium sp. cells

The plasmid pHT409 that harbours the cryIA(a) gene for the production of a -endotoxin (crystal protein) from Bacillus thuringiensis was transferred into Bradyrhizobium sp. A conjugal transfer system aiming to introduce the plasmid into the Bradyrhizobium sp. host from colonies of an Escherichia coli donor strain (DH5::pHT409) has been developed. As a result exconjugants were obtained in which the transferred plasmid has been detected by both microbiological and electrophoresis techniques. The cryIA(a) gene when inside the new host had a low expression level which was detected by immunoblotting.     

B.t.c.cry 1C全长基因的克隆及其在增产菌中的表达

设计的一对引物,对苏云金芽孢杆菌科默尔亚种(Bacillus thuringiensis subsp．colmeri)15A3菌株中的cry1C基因进行PER扩增,得到包括结构基因,调节基因在内的全长为4．0kb的PCR产物。经两步克隆,将此基因连接至穿梭表达载体pHT315上,得到重组质粒pHT-1C。通过电转化将其导入一株增产菌蜡状芽孢杆菌(Bacillus cereus)9509菌株,SDS-PAGE检测到1条60kD左右的蛋白带,镜检观察到菱形晶体,生测结果表明,cry1C基因的导人使Bc9509菌株获得了对甜菜夜蛾的杀虫活性。     

苏云金芽胞杆菌高效表达载体的构建

[目的]通过比较cry1A、cry3A、cry4A和cry8E四个基因的启动子转录活性,筛选出一个强启动子,利用强启动子构建一个苏云金芽胞杆菌(Bacillus thuringiensis,简称Bt)高效表达载体.[方法]利用启动子融合lacZ技术检测了4种启动子的转录活性.通过扫描电子显微镜观察晶体、SDS-PAGE、蛋白定量和生物活性测定等方法对新建高效表达载体进行功能验证.[结果]构建了Pcry1A、Pcry3A、Pcry4A和Pcry8E4个启动子融合报告基因lacZ的表达载体,经β-半乳糖苷酶活性分析得知,启动子活性从高到低依次为Pcry8E＞Pcry1A＞Pcry4A＞Pcry3A.选取cry8E启动子,以pHT315作为基础载体构建苏云金芽胞杆菌高效表达载体pHT315-8E21b,将cry1Ac基因连接到pHT315-8E21b和广泛应用的cry3A启动子指导的pSXY-422b上,分别转入无晶体突变株HD-73-,获得菌株HD-8E1Ac和HD-422-1Ac.扫描电子显微镜观察显示,HD-8E1Ac菌株可以形成菱形晶体,说明正确表达了cry1Ac基因.SDS-PAGE分析结合蛋白定量实验表明pHT315-8E21b表达效率高于pSXY-422b.对小菜蛾(Plutella xylostella)的生物活性测定表明HD-8E1Ac菌株对小菜蛾有生物活性,且菌株活性高于HD-422-1Ac.[结论]利用强启动子Pcry8E构建了一个能在Bt中高效表达的穿梭载体pHT315-8E21b,该载体可正确表达cry1Ac基因,其表达效率高于被广泛应用的pSXY422b.     

绿色荧光蛋白基因原核表达载体的构建及其在昆虫肠道短短芽孢杆菌和苏云金芽孢杆菌中的表达

【目的】构建带有苏云金芽孢杆菌cry3a基因非芽孢依赖启动子和绿色荧光蛋白基因gfp(Green Fluorescent Protein)的原核表达载体,并转化从桑粒肩天牛幼虫肠道分离的两株常驻细菌短短芽孢杆菌CQUBb和苏云金芽孢杆菌CQUBt,以检测cry3a启动子在昆虫肠道常驻菌中的启动子活性,获得GFP标记菌株,为常驻菌在昆虫幼虫肠道中的定殖情况和杀虫工程菌的构建奠定基础。【方法】采用重叠延伸PCR将cry3a基因启动子和gfp基因进行融合,并与pHT304载体连接构建重组质粒pHT3AG,获得的重组质粒以电脉冲转化肠道常驻菌短短芽孢杆菌CQUBb和苏云金芽孢杆菌CQUBt,于可见光和荧光显微镜下观察荧光并通过SDS-PAGE分析重组菌株的蛋白表达情况,然后对重组菌株进行生长动力学分析和稳定性测试。【结果】重组菌在营养期大量组成型表达GFP,经电泳分离在凝胶上出现约29kDa的特异蛋白条带;重组菌生长曲线与出发菌没有显著差异,说明外源质粒未对宿主菌的生长带来明显不利影响;抗性条件下传代30次后两菌株外源质粒稳定性仍可达95%、67%;两个菌株比较,CQUBb比CQUBt质粒转化率高、重组菌GFP表达时间长、表达量大,并且重组菌株稳定性好。【结论】成功地将cry3a基因核心启动子和gfp基因转入桑粒肩天牛幼虫肠道常驻菌,实现了该启动子在Bt之外的菌株中发挥作用,构建了两个GFP标记菌株;重组基因工程菌株表达量大,稳定性好,可以用作昆虫肠道内微生态研究和芽孢杆菌表达系统以及杀虫菌株的构建。     

特异性杀虫基因Bt cry3A在桑粒肩天牛幼虫两种肠道常驻内生菌中的转化和表达

[目的]将特异性杀虫毒蛋白基因Bt cry3A转入桑粒肩天牛(Apriona germari Hope,Ag)幼虫肠道常驻内生菌中,构建能在天牛幼虫肠道中定殖并表达特异性杀虫基因Bt cry3A的工程菌.[方法]以传统方法和16S rDNA分子生物学分析等方法分离、鉴定Ag幼虫肠道优势的常驻内生菌,从中筛选出适合转化的候选菌株.利用电转化技术将含有对鞘翅目昆虫具专一性毒力Bt cry3A基因的Escherichia coli-Bacillus thuringiensis穿梭表达质粒pHT305a和pHT7911分别转入Ag幼虫肠道常驻内生菌短短芽孢杆菌(Brevibacillus brevis Ag12,Ag12)和苏云金芽孢杆菌(Bacillus thuringiensis Ag13,Ag13)中.[结果]从Ag幼虫肠道共分离获得18个不同种的可培养细菌菌株,并从中选取菌株Ag12和Ag13作为出发菌株转入Bt cry3A基因.经质粒稳定性试验、转化子生长特性测试、伴胞晶体电镜检测、毒蛋白SDS-PAGE分析、工程菌定殖性分析以及生物毒力测试,结果显示cry3A基因已经成功转入Ag幼虫的常驻内生菌短短芽孢杆菌和苏云金芽孢杆菌中,并且工程菌Ag12-305a、Ag13-305a、Ag 12-7911和Ag13-7911都能在天牛幼虫肠道内稳定生长、繁殖并表达分子量约65kDa的伴孢晶体杀虫蛋白Cry3A.[结论]Bt cry3A基因已成功转入桑粒肩天牛幼虫肠道优势常驻内生菌中,获得了四株能在桑粒肩天牛幼虫肠道内定殖,并能表达目的杀虫基因Btcry3A的转基因工程菌.     

Improvement of Bacillus sphaericus toxicity against dipteran larvae by integration, via homologous recombination, of the Cry11A toxin gene from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis.

Integrative plasmids were constructed to enable integration of foreign DNA into the chromosome of Bacillus sphaericus 2297 by in vivo recombination. Integration of the aphA3 kanamycin resistance gene by a two-step procedure demonstrated that this strategy was applicable with antibiotic resistance selection. Hybridization experiments evidenced two copies of the operon encoding the binary toxin from B. sphaericus in the recipient strain. The Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis cry11Aal gene (referred to as cry11A), encoding a delta-endotoxin with toxicity against Culex, Aedes, and Anopheles larvae, was integrated either by a single crossover event [strain 2297 (::pHT5601), harboring the entire recombinant plasmid] or by two successive crossover events [strain 2297 (::cry11A)]. The level of the Cry11A production in B. sphaericus was high; two crystalline inclusions were produced in strain 2297 (::pHT5601). Synthesis of the Cry11A toxin conferred toxicity to the recombinant strains against Aedes aegypti larvae, for which the parental strain was not toxic. Interestingly, the level of larvicidal activity of strain 2297 (::pHT5601) against Anopheles stephensi was as high as that of B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis and suggested synergy between the B. thuringiensis and B. sphaericus toxins. The toxicities of parental and recombinant B. sphaericus strains against Culex quinquefasciatus were similar, but the recombinant strains killed the larvae more rapidly. The production of the Cry11A toxin in B. sphaericus also partially restored toxicity for C. quinquefasciatus larvae from a population resistant to B. sphaericus 1593. In vivo recombination therefore appears to be a promising approach to the creation of new B. sphaericus strains for vector control.     

苏云金素合成基因簇中非核糖体肽合成酶基因thu2功能的初步分析

对苏云金素生物合成基因簇中编码非核糖体肽合成酶基因thu2进行基因缺失插入失活的研究。用温敏型质粒pHT304-TS构建基因thu2的插入缺失质粒pEMB1434,电转化苏云金芽胞杆菌菌株CT-43后,通过抗性筛选和PCR验证得到thu2基因同源双交换基因敲除突变株CT-43-22。HPLC(高效液相色谱,High Performance Liquid Chromatography)检测发现CT-43-22没有苏云金素特征吸收峰;用pHT304构建得到含有完整thu2基因的回补质粒pEMB1435,电转化CT-43-22后得到互补重组菌CT-43-22b,发现其恢复了苏云金素的产生。显微镜观察突变株和互补重组菌均能产生正常的晶体和芽胞。thu2的基因敲除和基因互补实验证明,thu2基因为CT-43苏云金素生物合成的必需基因,但对晶体和芽胞的形成没有影响。     

Bt杀虫基因在桑粒肩天牛幼虫肠道内生优势菌中的转化研究

桑粒肩天牛(Apriona germariHope,Ag)幼虫是一种营钻蛀性生活的重要林业害虫,通过传统纯培养、生理生化鉴定和16SrDNA分子生物学分析等方法分离、鉴定出其肠道优势内生菌溶血葡萄球菌(Staphylococcus haem olyticus,S.haem olytic-us)Ag06菌株和人葡萄球菌(Staphylococcus hom is)Ag08菌株。从中筛选菌株S.haem olyticusAg06进行质粒消除后作为出发菌株,利用电转化技术将含有对鞘翅目昆虫具专一性毒力B t杀虫基因cry3A的Escherichia coli-Bacillus thuringiensis穿梭表达质粒pHT305 a和pHT7911分别转入其中。经质粒稳定性试验、转化子生长特性测试等分析,结果显示cry3A基因已经成功转入Ag幼虫的优势内生菌溶血葡萄球菌中。     

Construction of Novel Bacillus thuringiensis Strains with Different Insecticidal Activities by Transduction and Transformation

The shuttle vector pHT3101 and its derivative pHT408, bearing a copy of a cryIA(a) δ-endotoxin gene, were transferred into several Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies through phage CP-54Ber-mediated transduction, with frequencies ranging from 5 × 10^-8 to 2 × 10^-6 transductant per CFU, depending on the strain and on the plasmid. In Cry^- and Cry⁺ native recipients, the introduction of the cryIA(a) gene resulted in the formation of large bipyramidal crystals that were active against the insect Plutella xylostella (order Lepidoptera). In both cases, high levels of gene expression were observed. Transductants displaying a dual specificity were constructed by using as recipients the new isolates LM63 and LM79, which have larvicidal activity against insects of the order Coleoptera. It was not possible, however, to introduce pHT7911 into B. thuringiensis subsp. entomocidus, aizawai, or israelensis by transduction. However, electrotransformation was successful, and transformants expressing the toxin gene cryIIIA, carried by pHT7911, were obtained. Again, high levels of expression of the cloned gene were observed. The results indicate that CP-54Ber-mediated transduction is a useful procedure for introducing cloned crystal protein genes into various B. thuringiensis recipients and thereby creating strains with new combinations of genes. Finally it was also shown that pHT3101 is a very good expression vector for the cloned δ-endotoxin genes in the different recipients.     

富含蛋氨酸玉米醇溶蛋白在枯草芽胞杆菌中的表达

蛋氨酸是畜禽饲料中的第一限制性氨基酸,也是饲料产品进行质量控制与质量评价最为关注的指标之一。利用基因工程方法,从玉米胚乳中克隆高蛋氨酸蛋白基因（10kuδzein）,与pHT43构建重组表达质粒,将其转入枯草芽胞杆菌中,IPTG诱导其表达,发现重组菌在26ku处出现了1条明显条带。HPLC检测蛋氨酸含量,重组菌的蛋氨酸含量比野生型菌株提高了20．51％。该重组菌为以后将其做为饲料添加剂进一步应用提供了技术基础。     

Survival and conjugation of Bacillus thuringiensis in a soil microcosm

The survival and conjugation ability of sporogenic and asporogenic Bacillus thuringiensis strains were investigated in broth, in non-amended sterile clay soil monoculture and in mixed soil culture. The 75 kb pHT73 plasmid carrying an erythromycin resistance determinant and a cry1Ac gene was transferred in mating broth and soil microcosm. Survival of strains was assessed in soil monoculture and in mixed soil culture for up to 20 days. Sporogenic strains rapidly formed viable spores which were maintained until the end of the experiment. The asporogenic strains were no longer recovered after 8 days of incubation. This study shows that the environmental impact of asporogenic B. thuringiensis strains is lower than that of sporogenic B. thuringiensis strains. Thus, the use of asporogenic strains may significantly reduce any potential risk (gene transfer, soil and plant contamination) due to the dissemination of B. thuringiensis-based biopesticides in the environment.     

含质粒复制起始区ori44的苏云金芽胞杆菌解离载体的构建

将苏云金芽胞杆菌转座子Tn4430的解离酶识别位点res分别插入克隆载体pRSET B和pUC19得到质粒pBMB1201和pBMB1202。这两个质粒分别经BamHI/Hin dⅢ和EcoRI/HindⅢ双酶切回收含res位点的小DNA片段,与穿梭载体pHT3101经EcoRI/HindⅢ双酶切后加收的含大肠杆菌复制起始区、氨苄青霉素抗性基因和红霉素抗性基因的3．3kb片段连接,获得重组质粒pBMB1203。封闭pBMB1203两res位点外的BamHI和EcoRI位点后,得到解离载体pBMB1204。将来源于苏云金芽胞杆菌库斯塔克亚种YBT－1520的质粒复制起始区ori44片段插入pBMB1204的两res位点之间,得到解离穿梭载体pBMB1205。该解离载体插入壮观霉素抗性基因后电转化无晶体突变株,在辅助质粒所提供的解离酶作用下可发生解离消除抗性基因,解离频率为100％,解离后的质粒稳定性为93％。利用解离穿梭载体pBMB1205可在用抗性筛选到转化子后特定消除抗性标记基因和其它非苏云金芽胞杆菌DNA片段。