Isolation, genetic mapping, and characterization of Escherichia coli K-12 mutants lacking gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase.

Escherichia coli K-12 mutants lacking gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (EC 2.3.2.2) were isolated after mutagenesis of cells with ethyl methanesulfonate. They lost the enzyme activity to different extents. The mutations of two mutants that had lost the enzyme activity completely were mapped at 76 min of the E. coli K-12 linkage map. These mutations made the cells neither nutrient requiring nor cold sensitive. The mutants leaked much more glutathione into the medium than the wild type. We propose the symbol ggt for these mutations.     

Molecular cloning of the lactose-metabolizing genes from Streptococcus lactis

Restriction endonucleases and agarose gel electrophoresis were used to analyze plasmid pLM2001, which is required for lactose metabolism by Streptococcus lactis LM0232. The enzymes XhoI, SstI, BamHI, and KpnI each cleaved the plasmid into two fragments, whereas EcoRI and BglII cleaved the plasmid into seven and five fragments, respectively. Sizing of fragments and multiple digestions allowed construction of a composite restriction map. The KpnI fragments of pLM2001 were cloned into the KpnI cleavage site of the vector plasmid pDB101. A recombinant plasmid (pSH3) obtained from a lactose-fermenting, erythromycin-resistant (Lac+ Eryr) transformant of Streptococcus sanguis Challis was analyzed by enzyme digestion and agarose gel electrophoresis. Plasmid pSH3 contained 7 of the 11 KpnI-HindIII fragments from pLM2001 and 5 of the 7 fragments from pDB101. It was determined that a 23-kilobase (kb) KpnI-generated fragment from pLM2001 had been cloned into pDB101 with deletion of part of the vector plasmid. The recombinant plasmid could be transformed with high frequency into several Lac- strains of S. sanguis, conferring the ability to ferment lactose and erythromycin resistance. The presence of pSH3 allowed a strain deficient in Enzyme IIlac, Factor IIIlac, and phospho-beta-galactosidase of the lactose phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system to efficiently ferment lactose. Under conditions designed to maximize curing of plasmid DNA with acriflavin, no Lac- derivatives could be isolated from cells transformed with pSH3. Seven of the 40 Lac+ colonies isolated after 10 transfers in acriflavin were shown to be sensitive to erythromycin and did not appear to harbor plasmid DNA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Molecular cloning of the lactose-metabolizing genes from Streptococcus lactis.

Restriction endonucleases and agarose gel electrophoresis were used to analyze plasmid pLM2001, which is required for lactose metabolism by Streptococcus lactis LM0232. The enzymes XhoI, SstI, BamHI, and KpnI each cleaved the plasmid into two fragments, whereas EcoRI and BglII cleaved the plasmid into seven and five fragments, respectively. Sizing of fragments and multiple digestions allowed construction of a composite restriction map. The KpnI fragments of pLM2001 were cloned into the KpnI cleavage site of the vector plasmid pDB101. A recombinant plasmid (pSH3) obtained from a lactose-fermenting, erythromycin-resistant (Lac+ Eryr) transformant of Streptococcus sanguis Challis was analyzed by enzyme digestion and agarose gel electrophoresis. Plasmid pSH3 contained 7 of the 11 KpnI-HindIII fragments from pLM2001 and 5 of the 7 fragments from pDB101. It was determined that a 23-kilobase (kb) KpnI-generated fragment from pLM2001 had been cloned into pDB101 with deletion of part of the vector plasmid. The recombinant plasmid could be transformed with high frequency into several Lac- strains of S. sanguis, conferring the ability to ferment lactose and erythromycin resistance. The presence of pSH3 allowed a strain deficient in Enzyme IIlac, Factor IIIlac, and phospho-beta-galactosidase of the lactose phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system to efficiently ferment lactose. Under conditions designed to maximize curing of plasmid DNA with acriflavin, no Lac- derivatives could be isolated from cells transformed with pSH3. Seven of the 40 Lac+ colonies isolated after 10 transfers in acriflavin were shown to be sensitive to erythromycin and did not appear to harbor plasmid DNA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Abrogation of the transactivation activity of p53 by BCCIP down-regulation

The tumor suppression function of p53 is mostly conferred by its transactivation activity, which is inactivated by p53 mutations in approximately 50% of human cancers. In cancers harboring wild type p53, the p53 transactivation activity may be compromised by other mechanisms. Identifying the mechanisms by which wild type p53 transactivation activity can be abrogated may provide insights into the molecular etiology of cancers harboring wild type p53. In this report, we show that BCCIP, a BRCA2 and CDKN1A-interacting protein, is required for the transactivation activity of wild type p53. In p53 wild type cells, BCCIP knock down by RNA interference diminishes the transactivation activity of p53 without reducing the p53 protein level, inhibits the binding of p53 to the promoters of p53 target genes p21 and HDM2, and reduces the tetrameric formation of p53. These data demonstrate a critical role of BCCIP in maintaining the transactivation activity of wild type p53 and further suggest down-regulation of BCCIP as a novel mechanism to impair the p53 function in cells harboring wild type p53.     

Characterization of a plasmid from Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2).

Covalently closed circular deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) with a molecular weight of 20 X 10(6) was identified in strains of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) of various fertility types. Hybridization studies and digestion by various restriction endonucleases indicated that the circular DNAs (pSH1) were identical regardless of the fertility type (UF, IF, or NF) of the strain from which it was isolated. The pSH1 DNA was cleaved to many fragments by the endonucleases HincII, SmaI, and SalI and to three or four fragments by BamHI and PstI. Plasmid pSH1 carries single sites for each of the two restriction enzymes, EcoRI and HindIII. These sites are 7.6 X 10(6) daltons apart. Attempts to isolate the fertility factor SCP1 as covalently closed circular DNA were unsuccessful. These data suggest that the biochemically isolated plasmid pSH1 is not identical to the genetically characterized fertility factor SCP1, which has been identified in an autonomous state in IF-type strains and in an integrated state in NF-type strains.     

A trans-acting regulatory mutation that causes overproduction of phosphatidylserine synthase in Escherichia coli

We have isolated three mutants of Escherichia coli which have elevated levels of the phospholipid synthetic enzyme phosphatidylserine synthase. One of these strains carries a mutation, designated pssR1, which maps near minute 84 of the chromosome, distinct from the synthase structural gene (pss) at minute 56. The pssR1 mutation causes selective overproduction of phosphatidylserine synthase, since the levels of six other lipid synthetic enzymes are unaltered. The specific activity of the synthase in crude cell extracts of mutants harboring pssR1 is about five times greater than wild type. The synthase can also be overproduced 10-fold in wild type strains with hybrid ColE1 plasmids carrying the synthase structural gene (pss). A pssR1 mutant harboring such a pss plasmid overproduces the synthase about 50-fold. This multiplicative interaction of pssR1 and cloned pss demonstrates that pssR1 is trans-acting. The synthase has been purified in parallel from pssR1 and pssR+ strains. The pssR1 mutant yields more total synthase protein than pssR+, but the pure enzyme has the same specific activity in both cases. Therefore, pssR1 acts by increasing the amount of the normal protein, not by activating the enzyme. The discovery of pssR shows that there are regulatory loci which control the production of enzymes involved in membrane lipid synthesis.     

Molecular cloning of the L-phenylalanine transaminase gene from Paracoccus denitrificans in Escherichia coli K-12

The L-phenylalanine transaminase gene of Paracoccus denitrificans was cloned by a shotgun method using the Escherichia coli K-12 mutant DG30, which lacks three distinct transaminase genes. Plasmid pPAP142 was constructed by inserting a 2.2-kb fragment carrying the transaminase gene into pUC18. Strain E. coli K-12 HB101 cells harboring the plasmid produced 20-fold to 30-fold more transaminase than wild type P. denitrificans cells. The nucleotide sequence of the 2.2-kb fragment was determined, revealing that the deduced amino acid sequence of the transaminase of P. denitrificans is similar to that of other transaminases.     

Recombinant plasmid conferring proline overproduction and osmotic tolerance

A recombinant plasmid carrying the proBA (pro-74) mutant allele which governs osmotic tolerance and proline overproduction was constructed by using the broad-host-range plasmid vector pQSR49. The physiological, biochemical, and genetic properties of strains carrying the pQSR49 derivatives pMJ101 and pMJ1, mutant and wild type, respectively, were investigated. pMJ101 conferred enhanced osmotolerance compared with strains carrying the wild type, pMJ1. These results are in contrast to those obtained previously with strains carrying recombinant plasmids based on pBR322 that failed to confer the osmotic tolerance phenotype. gamma-Glutamyl kinase (first step in proline biosynthesis) from strains carrying pMJ101 was 200-fold less sensitive to feedback inhibition than was the wild-type enzyme. As expected, the intracellular proline levels of strains carrying pMJ101 were more than an order of magnitude higher than those of the wild type. An analysis of copy number revealed that the pQSR49 constructs were present in the cell at a level six- to eightfold lower than those of the pBR322 recombinants, which may account for the difference in phenotype. We found that the genetic stability of the pQSR49 derivative in a variety of gram-negative bacteria was dependent on the insert orientation and the presence of foreign DNA on the plasmid. These factors may be significant in future studies aimed at expanding the osmotolerance phenotype to a broad range of gram-negative bacteria.     

Recombinant plasmid conferring proline overproduction and osmotic tolerance.

A recombinant plasmid carrying the proBA (pro-74) mutant allele which governs osmotic tolerance and proline overproduction was constructed by using the broad-host-range plasmid vector pQSR49. The physiological, biochemical, and genetic properties of strains carrying the pQSR49 derivatives pMJ101 and pMJ1, mutant and wild type, respectively, were investigated. pMJ101 conferred enhanced osmotolerance compared with strains carrying the wild type, pMJ1. These results are in contrast to those obtained previously with strains carrying recombinant plasmids based on pBR322 that failed to confer the osmotic tolerance phenotype. gamma-Glutamyl kinase (first step in proline biosynthesis) from strains carrying pMJ101 was 200-fold less sensitive to feedback inhibition than was the wild-type enzyme. As expected, the intracellular proline levels of strains carrying pMJ101 were more than an order of magnitude higher than those of the wild type. An analysis of copy number revealed that the pQSR49 constructs were present in the cell at a level six- to eightfold lower than those of the pBR322 recombinants, which may account for the difference in phenotype. We found that the genetic stability of the pQSR49 derivative in a variety of gram-negative bacteria was dependent on the insert orientation and the presence of foreign DNA on the plasmid. These factors may be significant in future studies aimed at expanding the osmotolerance phenotype to a broad range of gram-negative bacteria.     

Evasion of Legionella pneumophila from the bactericidal system by reactive oxygen species (ROS) in macrophages

We demonstrated that the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by U937 macrophage-like cells was suppressed upon infection with a wild type Legionella pneumophila strain, whereas such suppression was not observed in the case of infection with intracellular growth-deficient mutants. This was supported not only by measuring ROS released into the supernatants of cell cultures by chemiluminescence assaying but also by detecting intracellular ROS with a fluorescent probe, 2-[6-(4'-amino)phenoxy-3H-xanthen-3-on-9-yl]benzoic acid (APF), under a confocal laser scanning microscope. Furthermore, more than 60% of the phagosomes containing intracellular growth-deficient mutants were colocalized with p47(phox), which is the cytosolic subunit of NADPH oxidase, consistently throughout the observation period in an early stage of bacterial infection. In contrast, the colocalization of p47(phox) was suppressed after infection with the wild type strain. These results suggest that the interference with ROS production by U937 cells infected with wild type L. pneumophila is due to a failure of NADPH oxidase activation through inhibition of p47(phox) recruitment to phagosomes harboring bacteria. The results also highlighted the difference in the nature of phagosomes between ones harboring the wild type and ones the intracellular growth-deficient strains.     

Cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase in Salmonella typhimurium: characteristics and physiological function.

The physiological function of cyclic AMP (cAMP) phosphodiesterase in Salmonella typhimurium was investigated with strains which were isogenic except for the cpd locus. In crude broken-cell extracts the properties of the enzyme were found to be similar to those reported for Escherichia coli. The specific activity in the mutant was less than 1% that in the wild type. Rates of cAMP production in the mutant were as much as twice those observed in the wild type. The amount of cAMP accumulated when cells grew overnight with limiting glucose was 4.5-fold greater in the mutant than in the wild type. The intracellular concentration of cAMP in the two strains was measured directly, using four different techniques to wash the cells to remove extracellular cAMP. The cAMP level in the cpd strain was only 25% greater than in the wild type. The functional concentration of the cAMP receptor protein-cAMP complex was estimated indirectly from the specific activity of beta-galactosidase in the two strains after introducing F'lac. When cells were grown with carbon sources permitting synthesis of different levels of cAMP, the specific activity of the enzyme was at most 25% greater in the cpd strain. The cpd strain was more sensitive to the effects of exogenous cAMP. Exogenous cAMP relieved both permanent and transient catabolite repression of the lac operon at lower concentrations in the cpd strain than in the wild type. When cells grew with glucose, glycerol, or ribose, exogenous cAMP inhibited growth of the mutant strain more than the wild type.     

The effect of mutations altering biogenic amine metabolism in Drosophila on viability and the response to environmental stresses

Dopamine (DA) content, tyrosine decarboxylase (TDC) activity and survival were studied under normal and environmental stress conditions in the ste and e strains carrying ebony mutation increasing DA level and the octopamineless strain Tbetah(nM18) of Drosophila melanogaster. Wild-type strains Canton S and Oregon R, and strain p845 from which Tbetah(nM18) strain was derived were used as controls. Sexual dimorphism of TDC activity, DA content, and survival in flies of all D. melanogaster strains under study was found. Tbetah(nM18) mutation sharply reduced TDC activity in females, while ebony had no such effect. DA content and survival under heat stress in Tbetah(nM18) flies did not differ from those in the wild type. ste and e flies had drastically increased DA content under normal conditions, dramatically decreased survival under heat stress, but increased survival under starvation. DA content and survival under heat stress were also studied in the reciprocal hybrids (males) F(1) of the cross D. virilis strains 101 (wild type) and 147 with X-linked mutation, which significantly increases DA content. 147x101 males had a considerably higher DA content and lower survival than 101x147 ones. Individuals of all D. melanogaster strains under study developed the stress reaction, as judged by changes in TDC activity and DA levels. The role of biogenic amines in the stress reaction development and adaptation to environmental stresses in Drosophila is discussed. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 55:55-67, 2004.     

Essential role of Helicobacter pylori gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase for the colonization of the gastric mucosa of mice

Constitutive expression of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) activity is common to all Helicobacter pylori strains, and is used as a marker for identifying H. pylori isolates. Helicobacter pylori GGT was purified from sonicated extracts of H. pylori strain 85P by anion exchange chromatography. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of two of the generated endo-proteolysed peptides were determined, allowing the cloning and sequencing of the corresponding gene from a genomic H. pylori library. The H. pylori ggt gene consists of a 1681 basepair (bp) open reading frame encoding a protein with a signal sequence and a calculated molecular mass of 61 kDa. Escherichia coli clones harbouring the H. pylori ggt gene exhibited GGT activity at 37 degrees C, in contrast to E. coli host cells (MC1061, HB101), which were GGT negative at 37 degrees C. GGT activity was found to be constitutively expressed by similar genes in Helicobacter felis, Helicobacter canis, Helicobacter bilis, Helicobacter hepaticus and Helicobacter mustelae. Western immunoblots using rabbit antibodies raised against a His-tagged-GGT recombinant protein demonstrated that H. pylori GGT is synthesized in both H. pylori and E. coli as a pro-GGT that is processed into a large and a small subunit. Deletion of a 700 bp fragment within the GGT-encoding gene of a mouse-adapted H. pylori strain (SS1) resulted in mutants that were GGT negative yet grew normally in vitro. These mutants, however, were unable to colonize the gastric mucosa of mice when orally administered alone or together (co-infection) with the parental strain. These results demonstrate that H. pylori GGT activity has an essential role for the establishment of the infection in the mouse model, demonstrating for the first time a physiological role for a bacterial GGT enzyme.     

A single amino acid substitution in the enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase confers resistance to the herbicide glyphosate

The enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EC 2.5.1.19), encoded by the aroA locus, is a target site of glyphosate inhibition in bacteria. A glyphosate-resistant aroA allele has been cloned in Escherichia coli from a mutagenized strain of Salmonella typhimurium. Subcloning of this mutant aroA allele shows the gene to reside on a 1.3-kilobase segment of S. typhimurium DNA. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this mutant gene indicates a protein-coding region 427 amino acids in length. Comparison of the mutant and wild type aroA gene sequences reveals a single base pair change resulting in a Pro to Ser amino acid substitution at the 101st codon of the protein. A hybrid gene fusion between mutant and wild type aroA gene sequences was constructed. 5-Enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase was prepared from E. coli cells harboring this construct. The glyphosate-resistant phenotype is shown to be associated with the single amino acid substitution described above.     

Effect of mutations in extracellular nuclease on the characteristics of the pigmented and nonpigmented <Emphasis Type="Italic">Serratia marcescens</Emphasis> strains

Comparative characterization of the pigmented and nonpigmented Serratia marcescens strains and their extracellular nuclease mutants was carried out. Biomass accumulation by the mutant strains decreased on average by 20%, while proteolytic activity of the culture liquid was 4–5 times lower than in the case of the wild type strains. The mutants with impaired extracellular nuclease genes exhibited higher sensitivity to reactive oxygen species. Comparative analysis of motility of the strains revealed the highest flagellar activity in the wild type nonpigmented strain, while the cells of its mutant completely lost this feature.     

Plasmid pKM101 sensitization of Escherichia coli strains to the action of ionizing radiation: the effect of the plasmid on survivability and induced mutagenesis

The wild type Escherichia coli K-12 has been shown to be sensitized to inactivation by gamma-irradiation by the plasmid pKM101. The dnaA strains of E. coli are more sensitive to gamma-rays killing effect, as compared with the wild type E. coli, pKM101 plasmid showing only slight sensitizing effect. "Cis" or "trans" position of the plasmid in relation to the chromosome plays no role in sensitization, while the plasmid effect on UV-induced killing and mutability depends on "trans" position of the plasmid before irradiation. gamma-Rays induced mutability to prototrophy is completely dependent on the presence of pKM101 in "trans" in wild type and dnaA strains before irradiation.     

在兽疫链球菌中表达vgb基因和HA合成基因提高透明质酸产量

透明质酸(HA)是一种在医药及化妆品领域具有广泛应用的天然粘多糖。兽疫链球菌(Streptococcuszooepidemicus)是工业上生产透明质酸的菌种之一。透明颤菌血红蛋白(VHb)具有增强细胞摄氧的作用。对生产透明质酸的兽疫链球菌进行了基因改造:将兽疫链球菌HA的合成基因hasABC以及合成透明颤菌血红蛋白的vgb基因(Vitreoscillahemoglobingene,vgb)分别或同时插入阳性菌表达质粒pEU308中,通过电转化导入兽疫链球菌中。通过一氧化碳(CO)差光谱检测到了VHb的表达。在摇瓶实验中,同时带有hasABC和vgb基因的重组菌比野生菌的透明质酸产量提高了30％。而在发酵罐中,带有这2个基因的重组菌的透明质酸产量达到了6．9g／L,高于重组菌5．5g／L的产量。实验结果表明,vgb基因的存在促进了细胞的生长,hasABC操纵子的过表达增强了透明质酸的合成。首次将VHb导入兽疫链球菌中,获得了表达,并证明其对菌体生长及透明质酸合成有促进作用。通过研究,VHb将可以在阳性菌中获得更广泛的应用。     

Allyl Alcohol Selection for Lower Alcohol Dehydrogenase Activity in Nicotiana plumbaginifolia Cultured Cells

One cell strain with stable tolerance to allyl alcohol (AA^r) was selected from 6 × 10⁸ suspension cultured Nicotiana plumbaginifolia Viviani cells. The selected strain contained one-half the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity of the wild type (NP) due to the loss of two of three bands of ADH activity seen on starch gels following electrophoresis of wild-type cell extracts. Anaerobic conditions, simulated by not shaking the suspension cultures, increased the ADH specific activity to more than 3-fold the initial level in both strains but did not change the number of activity bands or the relative levels of activity. The cell strain with decreased ADH activity lost viability more rapidly than the wild type under the anaerobic conditions. The AA^r cells were 10 times more tolerant to ethanol than the NP cells and were also somewhat more tolerant to acetaldehyde and antimycin A. The substrate specificities of the ADH enzymes from both strains were very similar. Further selection of AA^r cells with allyl alcohol produced strains with even lower ADH activity and selection under anaerobic conditions produced strains with increased ADH activity. Genetic studies indicate that the N. plumbaginifolia ADH activity bands arise from subunits produced by two nonallelic genes. This is the first example of the use of allyl alcohol to select for decreased ADH using cultured plant cells.