Isolation and Characterization of Bacteria That Grow on Methane and Organic Compounds as Sole Sources of Carbon and Energy

Bacteria capable of growth on methane and a variety of complex organic substrates as sole sources of carbon and energy have been isolated. Conditions used to rigorously establish the purity of the cultures are described. One facultative methylotroph has been studied in detail. This organism has peripherally arranged pairs of intracytoplasmic membranes characteristic of obligate methylotrophs. This isolate apparently utilizes the serine pathway of formaldehyde fixation. The location of methane oxidizers in a dimictic lake indicates that these organisms prefer less than saturating levels of dissolved oxygen. Laboratory experiments confirmed the preference of these organisms for atmospheres containing less oxygen than air.     

Isolation and Genetic Characterization of Bacteria That Degrade Chloroaromatic Compounds

Bacteria were isolated from a landfill site previously used for disposal of chlorinated organic wastes. These soil isolates were capable of utilizing various chloroaromatic compounds. One such bacterial strain, designated Pseudomonas cepacia HCV (2,6-DCT) and growing on 2,6-dichlorotoluene, transferred this trait to a catechol-1,2-oxygenase mutant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.     

人Sef基因重组腺病毒载体的构建与鉴定

构建人Sef-L和Sef-S基因的复制缺陷型重组腺病毒表达载体, 为研究Sef的功能和作用机制以及Sef的基因治疗奠定基础。通过PCR方法以hSef的表达质粒为模板扩增得到hSef的编码序列, 亚克隆到穿梭载体pAdTrack-CMV中, 经测序验证之后, 将穿梭载体使用Pme I酶切线性化, 然后与腺病毒基因组质粒pAdEasy-1共转化大肠杆菌BJ5183, 得到重组的Ad-hSef-L和Ad-hSef-S质粒, 最后将Ad-hSef-L和Ad-hSef-S质粒使用Pac I线性化, 转染到HEK293细胞中, 包装收获病毒颗粒, 免疫印迹实验鉴定表达, 荧光素酶报告实验验证其功能。成功构建了人Sef基因的复制缺陷型重组腺病毒表达载体, 获得了有功能的Ad-hSef-L和Ad-hSef-S病毒重组子。     

人Sef基因重组腺病毒载体的构建与鉴定

构建人Sef-L和Sef-S基因的复制缺陷型重组腺病毒表达载体, 为研究Sef的功能和作用机制以及Sef的基因治疗奠定基础。通过PCR方法以hSef的表达质粒为模板扩增得到hSef的编码序列, 亚克隆到穿梭载体pAdTrack-CMV中, 经测序验证之后, 将穿梭载体使用Pme I酶切线性化, 然后与腺病毒基因组质粒pAdEasy-1共转化大肠杆菌BJ5183, 得到重组的Ad-hSef-L和Ad-hSef-S质粒, 最后将Ad-hSef-L和Ad-hSef-S质粒使用Pac I线性化, 转染到HEK293细胞中, 包装收获病毒颗粒, 免疫印迹实验鉴定表达, 荧光素酶报告实验验证其功能。成功构建了人Sef基因的复制缺陷型重组腺病毒表达载体, 获得了有功能的Ad-hSef-L和Ad-hSef-S病毒重组子。     

Characterization of Two Extracellular Polysaccharides from Marine Bacteria

Two bacterial isolates from the intertidal zone produced significant quantities of extracellular polysaccharide with interesting properties. One polysaccharide was named PS 3a24; the other was named PS 3a35. The relative proportion of sugars in PS 3a35 was 51.6% glucose, 39.0% galactose, 3.1% mannose, and 6.3% rhamnose, with a trace of an unidentified sugar. PS 3a24 was composed of 40.2% glucose, 57.2% galactose, and 2.6% mannose. PS 3a35 contained 6% pyruvate, whereas PS 3a24 contained no pyruvate. Both exhibited high specific viscosity, pseudoplasticity, and stability over a wide range of pH in the presence of a variety of salts. The viscosity of PS 3a35 was relatively insensitive to increasing temperature, whereas that of PS 3a24 showed an irreversible drop on heating.     

蛇神经毒素的表达和鉴定

抽提中华眼镜蛇毒腺总RNA,通过反转录PCR扩增Cobrotoxin cDNA,克隆并测序。该cDNA编码83个氨基酸,包括21个氨基酸的信号肽和62个氨基酸的成熟蛋白。该成熟蛋白的氨基酸序列和通过蛋白测序从台湾眼镜蛇鉴定的Cobrotoxin完全一致。PCR扩增编码Cobrotoxin的DNA,并亚克隆到表达载体pMAL-P₂。此外,通过合成寡核苷酸片段,拼接成完整的CM11基因,并将其克隆至pMAL-P₂。经IPTG诱导,两种神经毒素基因在大肠杆菌中都得到高效的可溶性融合表达。表达产物通过SDS-PAGE和蛋白印迹杂交加以鉴定。表达的融合蛋白经过Sepharose 6Bamylose亲和色谱和DEAESepharose FF离子交换色谱得到有效纯化。经Xa因子酶切后得到的两种重组神经毒素都具有小白鼠体内毒性。     

Characterization of a Corynebacterium Strain That Can Grow in Medium Containing up to 2 M Nitrate

A gram-positive bacterium, identified as Corynebacterium K37, was isolated from the waste effluent of a dairy farm. The bacterium thrived and expressed nitrate-reducing activity at nitrate concentrations of up to 2 M, and reduced nitrate concentration from 0.4 M to 11.4 mM and also from 0.4 M to 23.4 mM in aerobic and anaerobic fed-batch cultures, respectively. Cells of K37 were able to utilize a variety of carbon sources for nitrate reduction with little or no accumulation of nitrite. In aerobic cultures, the residual nitrite was minimal and it was completely reduced after prolonged incubation. Growth on acetate or pyruvate in anaerobic cultures resulted in lower nitrite reductase activities and concomitant higher residual nitrite concentrations than did growth on ethanol or glucose, suggesting that diminished electron availability was a factor in the accumulation of residual nitrite. The bacterium also survived in 2 M concentrations of NaCl, KCl, and CaCl₂. Corynebacterium sp. K37 may be useful in bioremediation of high nitrate pollution in contaminated soils and water.     

Characterization of Two Novel Propachlor Degradation Pathways in Two Species of Soil Bacteria

Propachlor (2-chloro-N-isopropylacetanilide) is an acetamide herbicide used in preemergence. In this study, we isolated and characterized a soil bacterium, Acinetobacter strain BEM2, that was able to utilize this herbicide as the sole and limiting carbon source. Identification of the intermediates of propachlor degradation by this strain and characterization of new metabolites in the degradation of propachlor by a previously reported strain of Pseudomonas (PEM1) support two different propachlor degradation pathways. Washed-cell suspensions of strain PEM1 with propachlor accumulated N-isopropylacetanilide, acetanilide, acetamide, and catechol. Pseudomonas strain PEM1 grew on propachlor with a generation time of 3.4 h and a K_s of 0.17 ± 0.04 mM. Acinetobacter strain BEM2 grew on propachlor with a generation time of 3.1 h and a K_s of 0.3 ± 0.07 mM. Incubations with strain BEM2 resulted in accumulation of N-isopropylacetanilide, N-isopropylaniline, isopropylamine, and catechol. Both degradative pathways were inducible, and the principal product of the carbon atoms in the propachlor ring was carbon dioxide. These results and biodegradation experiments with the identified metabolites indicate that metabolism of propachlor by Pseudomonas sp. strain PEM1 proceeds through a different pathway from metabolism by Acinetobacter sp. strain BEM2.     

Characterization of Two Streptomyces Enzymes That Convert Ferulic Acid to Vanillin

Production of flavors from natural substrates by microbial transformation has become a growing and expanding field of study over the past decades. Vanillin, a major component of vanilla flavor, is a principal flavoring compound used worldwide. Streptomyces sp. strain V-1 is known to be one of the most promising microbial producers of natural vanillin from ferulic acid. Although identification of the microbial genes involved in the biotransformation of ferulic acid to vanillin has been previously reported, purification and detailed characterization of the corresponding enzymes with important functions have rarely been studied. In this study, we isolated and identified 2 critical genes, fcs and ech, encoding feruloyl-CoA synthetase and enoyl-CoA hydratase/aldolase, respectively, which are involved in the vanillin production from ferulic acid. Both genes were heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli, and the resting cell reactions for converting ferulic acid to vanillin were performed. The corresponding crucial enzymes, Fcs and Ech, were purified for the first time and the enzymatic activity of each purified protein was studied. Furthermore, Fcs was comprehensively characterized, at an optimal pH of 7.0 and temperature of 30°C. Kinetic constants for Fcs revealed the apparent K _m, k _cat, and V _max values to be 0.35 mM, 67.7 s⁻¹, and 78.2 U mg⁻¹, respectively. The catalytic efficiency (k _cat/K _m) value of Fcs was 193.4 mM⁻¹ s⁻¹ for ferulic acid. The characterization of Fcs and Ech may be helpful for further research in the field of enzymatic engineering and metabolic regulation.     

Characterization of a Recombinant Mouse t Haplotype That Expresses a Dominant Lethal Maternal Effect

The t^wLub2 chromosome was generated by rare recombination between a complete t haplotype and a wild-type form of mouse chromosome 17. This recombinant chromosome expresses a dominant lethal effect in all embryos that inherit the mutant chromosome from their mothers. The phenotype of this maternal effect is indistinguishable from that expressed by the previously described T^hp deletion chromosome. It appears likely that the crossing over event that gave rise to t^wLub2 was unequal and resulted in the alteration or deletion of a gene (which is named the T-associated maternal effect locus, Tme) that must be inherited from the mother in order for normal development to proceed through late stages of gestation. The results presented here allow a mapping of the Tme locus between the quaking and tufted loci which are 3 cM apart within the proximal region of chromosome 17.     

Isolation and Characterization of Two Groups of Novel Marine Bacteria Producing Violacein

Thirteen strains of novel marine bacteria producing a purple pigment were isolated from the Pacific coast of Japan. They were divided into two groups based on their 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences, and both groups of bacteria belonged to the genus Pseudoalteromonas. The UV-visible spectrum of the pigment was identical to those of violacein, a pigment produced by several species of bacteria including Chromobacterium violaceum, an opportunistic pathogen. Further analysis of the chemical structure of the pigment by mass spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy showed that the pigment was violacein. The high purity of violacein in the crude extract enabled us to employ simple and nonpolluting procedures to purify the pigment. Isolated bacteria may be useful as a C. violaceum substitute for the safe production of violacein.     

双基因双重组AcNPV的构建及其杀虫活性

质粒pAcIEneo携带杆状病毒极早期基因IE1启动子驱动的新霉素抗性基因(neo),经酶切回收后插入到质粒pAc34DZ1的SacI位点上,构建成多角体外膜蛋白基因(pe)失活的转移载体pAc34DZ2。我们曾构建了一个多角体完整(ocu+)的表达苏云金杆菌(Bt)截短cryIab基因的重组病毒(1)vAcPhBtT。为了改进这一重组病毒的杀虫效率,将转移载体pAc34DZ2与重组病毒(1)vAcPhBtT DNA共转染Sf9细胞,进行第二次同源重组。由于neo基因的表达,用G418筛选得到重组病毒(2)vAcPhBtTPE^-;Southern blot证明vAcPhBtTPE-的构建是正确的,经SDS-PAGE分析,重组病毒(2)仍然能在昆虫细胞中表达80kD的Bt截短毒蛋白,但不表达34kD的多角体外膜蛋白。电镜观察重组病毒(2)无多角体外膜,碱解时病毒粒子释放的速度快于重组病毒(1)。以重组病毒(2)感染甜菜夜蛾三龄幼虫,LC₅₀比野生型病毒小了接近1倍,LT₅₀提前近2d。     

Characterization of Subsurface Bacteria Associated with Two Shallow Aquifers in Oklahoma

The bacterial microflora of two shallow aquifers (saturated subsurface zones) in Oklahoma was characterized by direct observation with light and electron microscopy, by plating, and by examination of colony morphology and distribution. Isolated bacterial strains were also examined. Total cell counts varied only slightly (2.9 × 10⁶ to 9.8 × 10⁶ g [dry wt]⁻¹) from sample to sample, whereas colony counts varied widely (6.3 × 10² to 6.5 × 10⁶ CFU g [dry wt]⁻¹). Colony counts on nutritionally rich media were lower than on low-nutrient media, especially in samples from the saturated zone. The variety of colony types growing on nutritionally rich media decreased with increasing depth and saturation. Colony counts of anaerobic bacteria also decreased with depth but were at least 100-fold lower than aerobic counts on most media. Cell morphologies of bacteria grown aerobically on plates included short rods, cocci, and actinomycete-like forms. Direct light microscopic observation of sediments revealed short, rod-shaped, and coccoid bacterial cells; endospores, actinomycete spores, and eucaryotic forms were not observed by light microscopy. Electron microscopic observation of bacteria released from the samples revealed that 85 to 90% of them were coccoid, gram-positive, Arthrobacter-like organisms, some of which were dividing or contained completed division septa; other types of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria were present in lower numbers. Isolated bacterial strains were able to grow on both nutritionally rich and low-nutrient media. A higher proportion of gram-negative organisms was isolated than gram-positive organisms. Most of the isolates were capable of storing polyphosphate, poly-β-hydroxybutyrate, or polysaccharide. The results of this study suggest that the microbial population of these two shallow aquifers is dominated by aerobic, nutritionally versatile bacteria that can subsist on low concentrations of organic compounds without forming specialized resting cells. Other types of microorganisms, such as facultatively anaerobic bacteria and microeucaryotes, may also be present, but they represent only a small fraction of the microflora.     

Characterization of T4 Mutants That Partially Suppress the Inability of T4rII to Grow in Lambda Lysogens

In the course of isolating viable T4 deletions that affect plaque morphology (Homyk and Weil 1974), two closely linked point mutants, sip1 and sip2, were obtained. They map between genes t and 52, cause a reduction in plaque size and burst size, and partially suppress the lethality of rII mutants for growth in lambda lysogens. These characteristics demonstrate that sip1 and sip2 are similar to mutants previously reported by Freedman and Brenner (1972). In addition, D. Hall (personal communication) has shown that sip1 and sip2 are similar to the mutant farP85, which affects the regulation of a number of early genes ( Chace and Hall 1975).——Sip suppression of rII mutants can be demonstrated in one-step growth experiments, even when both rII genes are completely deleted. This indicates that sip mutants do not simply reduce the level of rII gene products required for growth in a lambda lysogen. Instead, they alter the growth cycle so as to partially circumvent the need for any rII products.——Mutations at two other sites, designated L₁ and L₂, reverse the poor phage growth caused by sip and, in the one case tested, reverse the rII-suppressing ability of sip.     

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.     

Identification and Characterization of Sulfur-Oxidizing Bacteria in an Artificial Wetland That Treats Wastewater From a Tannery

Wastewater from tanneries contains high concentrations of organic matter, chromium, nitrogen, and sulfur compounds. In this study, an artificial wetland is is used as the tertiary treatment in a tannery in León Gto., México. It consists of three subplots with an area of about 450 m². Two subplots were planted with Typha sp. and the third with Scirpus americanus. Geochemical analyses along the flowpath of the wetland show that contaminants were effectively attenuated. The most probable number technique was used to determine rhizospheric microbial populations involved in the sulfur cycle and suggested that there were 10⁴–10⁶ cells g^?1 sediment of sulfate-reducing bacteria and 10²–10⁵ of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB). Representatives of SOB were isolated on media containing thiosulfate. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA of SOB isolates shows that they belong to the genera Acinetobacter, Alcaligenes, Ochrobactrum, and Pseudomonas. Most of the isolates are organotrophic and can oxidize reduced sulfur compounds such as elemental sulfur or thiosulfate, accumulating thiosulfate, or tetrathionate during growth. All isolates can use reduced-sulfur compounds as their sole sulfur source and some can use nitrate as an electron acceptor to grow anaerobically. Our results illustrate the relevance of SOB in the functioning of the wetland constructed for tannery wastewater remediation.     

细菌内同源重组法构建靶向Survivin 的腺病毒载体的研究

目的:研究细菌内同源重组法构建靶向Survivin的腺病毒载体及其体外扩增表达。方法:将survivin基因克隆至穿梭质粒载体中,特异性酶切后回收、连接、转化,构建负载survivin片段的重组腺病毒载体。提取重组病毒基因酶切鉴定后,包装成病毒,并扩增到所需滴度。行Western blotting鉴定,观察重组腺病毒载体在真核细胞的表达。结果:(1)重组穿梭质粒的Mlu I酶切鉴定结果显示,酶切结果均与相应的载体及目的片段的大小相符合,基因测序结果基本一致。(2)凝胶电泳产生了两条大约15 kb和8.5kb的片段,由图2可知重组腺病毒质粒酶切充分完全,且回收率较高。(3)重组腺病毒载体转染AD293细胞24 h后已出现细胞病变效应,病变细胞细胞核变大。(4)D260/OD280的值为1.92,表明重组腺病毒纯度较高。(5)AD293细胞病毒上清中有能与抗Survivin单抗反应的蛋白,其相对分子质量与理论值相吻合,阴性对照组无对应条带出现。结论:本方法成功构建表达了含Survivin的重组腺病毒载体,为进一步进行Survivin基因功能的研究提供了实验基础和理论支持。     

抑制RAGE表达的siRNA重组腺病毒载体的构建及鉴定

目的构建特异性针对细胞膜上晚期糖基化终末产物受体（RAGE）的小干扰RNA（siRNA）腺病毒载体,鉴定其对大鼠胰岛β细胞系INS-1细胞RAGE表达的影响。方法设计并合成针对大鼠RAGE基因的siRNA的靶DNA序列,克隆于穿梭载体pAdTrack中,与腺病毒骨架质粒pAdeasy-1在BJ5183细菌中进行同源重组,脂质体法转染至QB1293A细胞中包装,获得RAGE—siRNA的重组腺病毒,荧光显微镜观察RAGE—siRNA感染INS-1细胞后绿色荧光蛋白（GFP）的表达,Western印迹检测RAGE的蛋白表达。结果成功制备RAGE—siRNA重组腺病毒,在INS-1细胞中RAGE—siRNA感染效率达到90％以上,并能够抑制INS-1细胞RAGE的表达。结论成功构建了携带RAGE的siRNA重组腺病毒载体,能有效沉默INS-1细胞中RAGE的表达。     

表达绿色荧光蛋白的重组CVI988病毒的构建及特性

提取马立克氏病毒Ⅰ型疫苗毒株CVI988的总DNA为模板,利用PCR技术扩增出病毒生长非必需的US2基因并克隆入T—easy载体。将CMV启动子和增强子控制的含GFP基因表达盒克隆入US2基因中,成功构建了含GFP基因的转移质粒载体pGUS2GFP。用脂质体将其与CVI988株共转染CEF细胞,用96孔板稀释法得到纯化的表达绿色荧光蛋白的重组CVI988病毒株rCVIGFP,并分别测定其在体内和体外的生长情况。表达EGFP基因的重组病毒在细胞上生长曲线与亲本毒CVI988类似,体外实验表明,1日龄腹腔接种该重组毒后,可以从鸡体内分离到表达绿色荧光的病毒。