Cloning, sequence analysis, and heterologous expression of a β-mannanase gene from Bacillus subtilis Z-2

Mannanase, an extracellular enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of hemicelluloses to produce oligosaccharides, has potential to be applied in food industries. In this study a mannanase gene from B. subtilis Z-2 was isolated through PCR screening of a genomic DNA library. The nucleotide sequence of the mannanase gene, man, contained an open reading frame of 1080 bp, which codes for a deduced 26 amino-acid signal peptide and a mature protein with a deduced molecular mass of 38 kDa. The man gene can both be expressed heterologously into the periplasm from the plasmid pET22b(+) containing an intact signal peptide (pET-NdeI18) or the pelB signal peptide of the pET22b(+)vector (pET-NcoI3). Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) containing pET-NcoI3 secreted about twice as much mannanase as that harboring pET-NdeI18. The E. coli DH5α expression of man was under the control of the lac promoter in the pRK415 vector; it was much more effective when the Shine Dalgarno (SD) sequence was changed from GGGGAG to AAGGAG and the start codon was changed from TTG to ATG, respectively. These results suggest that genetic modification of the SD sequence and start codon is practical for a high-level mannanase expression in different bacterial strains. Published in Russian in Molekulyarnaya Biologiya, 2006, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp. 418–424. This article was submitted by the authors in English.     

Cloning,characterization, expression analysis and inhibition studies of a novel gene encoding Bowman–Birk type protease inhibitor from rice bean

This paper presents the first study describing the isolation, cloning and characterization of a full length gene encoding Bowman–Birk protease inhibitor (RbTI) from rice bean (Vigna umbellata). A full-length protease inhibitor gene with complete open reading frame of 327 bp encoding 109 amino acids was cloned from rice bean seeds using degenerate primer set. BlastP search revealed that the RbTI encoded amino acid of approx 13.0 kDa and shared 99% homology each with BBI from Phaseolus parvulus, Vigna trilobata and Vigna vexilata. Phylogenetic tree also showed close relationship of RbTI with BBI from other members of Leguminaceae family. RbTI gene was further confirmed as intronless (GenBank accession no. KJ159908). The secondary and 3D-structural models for the RbTI were predicted with homology modeling. qRT-PCR studies revealed the highest RbTI expression in the seeds nearing maturity, whereas the low expression of the gene was noticed in young leaves. The isolated RbTI was successfully expressed in Escherichiacoli and the highest expression was recorded after 5.5 h of induction. Study on the inhibitory activity of expressed protein against the gut proteases of Hessian fly larvae revealed 87% inhibition. The novel RbTI gene will further broaden the pool of plant defense genes and could be an ideal choice for developing transgenic crops resistant to insect pests with high economic value. In addition, it has the potential to be used as a probe for selection of insect- and pathogen-resistant genotypes.     

Molecular cloning and primary sequence analysis of a gene encoding a putative shitinase gene in Brassica oleracea var.capitata

Chitinase,which catalyzes the hydrolysis of the β-1,4-acetyl-D-glucosamine linkages of the fungal cell wall polymer chitin,is involved in inducible plants defense system.By construction of cabbage(Brassica oleracea var. capitata) genomic library and screening the library with pRCH8,a probe of rice chitinase gene fragment,a chitinase genomic sequence was isolated.The complete uncleotide sequence of the putative cabbage chitinase gene (cabch29) was determined,with its longest open reading frame (ORF) encoding a polypeptide of 413 aa.This polypeptide consists of a 21 aa N-terminal signal peptide,two chitin-binding domains different from those of other classes of plant chitinases,and a catalytic domain.Homology analysis illustrated that this cabch29 gene has 58.8% identity at the nucleotide level with the pRCH8 ORF probe and has 50% identity at the amino acid level tiwh the catalytic domains of chitinase from bean,maize and sugar beet.Meanwhile,several kinds of cis-elements,such as TATA box,CAAT box,GATA motif,ASF-1 binding site,wound-response elements and AATAAA,have also been discovered in the flanking region of cabch29 gene.     

Cloning of a Picea abies monosaccharide transporter gene and expression – analysis in plant tissues and ectomycorrhizas

Ectomycorrhizas are formed between certain soil fungi and fine roots of woody plants. An important feature of this symbiosis is the supply of photoassimilates to the fungus. Hexoses, formed from sucrose in the common apoplast at the root/fungus interface, can be taken up by both plant and fungal monosaccharide transporters. Recently we characterised a monosaccharide transporter from the ectomycorrhizal fungus Amanita muscaria. This transporter was up-regulated in mycorrhizas, thus increasing the hexose uptake capacity of the fungal partner in symbiosis. In order to characterise host (Picea abies) root monosaccharide transporters, degenerate oligonucleotide primers, designed to match conserved regions from known plant hexose transporters, were used to isolate a cDNA fragment of a transporter by PCR. This fragment was used to identify a presumably full length clone (PaMST1) in a P. abies/A. muscaria mycorrhizal cDNA library. The entire cDNA code for an open reading frame of 513 amino acids, revealing best homology to H⁺/monosaccharide transporters from Ara- bidopsis, Saccharum and Ricinus. PaMST1 was highly expressed in the hypocotyl and in roots of P. abies seedlings, but not in needles. Mycorrhiza formation led to a slight reduction of PaMST1 expression. The results are discussed with special reference to carbon allocation in ectomycorrhizas. Received: 9 October 1999 / Accepted: 22 December 1999     

Cloning and expression of two sterol C-24 methyltransferase genes from upland cotton （Gossypium hirsuturm L.）

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are an important class of plant steroidal hormones that are essential in a wide variety of physiological processes. Two kinds of intermediates, sitosterol and campesterol, play a crucial role in cell elongation, cellulose biosynthesis, and accumulation. To illuminate the effects of sitosterol and campesterol on the development of cotton (Gossypium hirsuturm L.) fibers through screening cotton fiber EST database and contigging the candidate ESTs, two key genes GhSMT2-1 and GhSMT2-2 controlling the sitosterol biosynthesis were cloned from developing fibers of upland cotton cv. Xuzhou 142. The full length of GhSMT2-1 was 1, 151bp, including an 8bp 5'-untranslated region (UTR), a 1, 086bp open reading frame (ORF), and a 57bp 3'-UTR. GhSMT2-1 gene encoded a polypeptide of 361 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 40kDa. The full length of GhSMT2-2 was 1, 166bp, including an 18bp 5'-UTR, a 1, 086bp ORF, and a 62bp 3'-UTR. GhSMT2-2 gene encoded a polypeptide of 361 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 40kDa. The two deduced amino acid sequences had high homology with the SMT2 from Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana tabacum. Furthermore, the typical conserved structures characterized by the sterol C-24 methyltransferase, such as region I (LDVGCGVGGPIVIRAI), region Ⅱ (IEATCHAP), and region Ⅲ (YEWGWGQSFHF), were present in both deduced proteins. Southern blotting analysis indicated that GhSMT2-1 or GhSMT2-2 was a single copy in upland cotton genome. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed that the highest expression levels of both genes were detected in 10 DPA (day post anthesis) fibers, while the lowest levels were observed in cotyledon and leaves. The expression level of GhSMT2-1 was 10 times higher than that of GhSMT2-2 in all the organs and tissues detected. These results indicate that the homologue of sterol C-24 methyltransferase gene was cloned from upland cotton and both GhSMT2 genes play a crucial role in fiber elongation. The role of GhSMT2-1 may be more important than that of GhSMT2-2.     

过量表达棉花液泡H+-ATPase C亚基基因促进酵母细胞伸长和提高盐胁迫耐受性

棉花液泡H -ATPase在纤维细胞的伸长过程中具有重要作用,能够通过对纤维细胞膨压的调节而介导细胞的极性膨大.拟南芥液泡H -ATPase C亚基(DET3)具有调节液泡H -ATPase活性,进而调控细胞伸长的作用.为了快速鉴定棉花液泡H -ATPase C亚基基因(GhDET3)的功能和推测其在棉花纤维生长中的作用,作者构建了GhDET3的酵母表达载体pREP5N( ).GhDET3,并进行了裂殖酵母的遗传转化.结果表明,在酵母细胞中过量表达GhDET3基因,能够促进酵母细胞的伸长和提高酵母细胞对NaCl和高pH的耐受性,说明GhDET3对液泡H -ATPase的活性有重要影响,由此推测GhDET3基因与棉花纤维细胞的伸长生长具有密切关系.     

Structural features of a gene encoding the vacuolar H+-ATPase c subunit from a marine red alga, Porphyra yezoensis.

We report the nucleotide sequence of a gene encoding the c ('16 kDa') subunit of the vacuolar-type H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) from a marine red alga, Porphyra yezoensis. A cDNA clone was isolated from a leafy gametophyte cDNA library and analyzed for the sequence. The genomic DNA sequence was directly determined by nested PCR. The structural gene contained four introns within a coding sequence of 483 base pairs which encodes a polypeptide of 161-amino acids with four hydrophobic transmembrane-spanning regions. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences showed higher similarity to the land plant Oryza sativa (69.1%) than to the Ulvophyceae Acetabularia acetabulum (64.1%). The mRNA was detected both in the leafy gametophytes and filamentous sporophytes.     

Cloning and mutational analysis of the gene encoding subunit C of yeast vacuolar H(+)-ATPase.

A DNA fragment containing the gene encoding subunit C of vaculor H(+)-ATPase (V-ATPase) was cloned from a yeast library. The predicted amino acid sequence indicated that the C subunit consists of 373 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 42,287 Da. The protein from yeast is 37% identical in its amino acid sequence to the C subunit of bovine V-ATPase. The DNA fragment that was cloned in this study contained two additional reading frames. At the 5' end an amino acid sequence that is homologous to Artemia elongation factor 1 was detected. At the 3' end the N-terminal part of a kinesin-like protein was observed. The gene encoding subunit C of the V-ATPase was interrupted, and the resulting mutant could not grow at high pH and was sensitive to low and high Ca2+ concentrations in the growth medium. Transformation of the mutant by a plasmid containing the gene encoding subunit C repaired the phenotype of the mutant. Substitution of more than half of the coding region by a corresponding DNA fragment encoding the bovine subunit C resulted in a phenotype indistinguishable from wild type. Immunological studies with the disruptant mutant revealed that subunit C is necessary for the assembly of the catalytic sector of the enzyme.     

Ancient origin of the vacuolar H+-ATPase 69-kilodalton catalytic subunit superfamily

Recently, two distinct cDNA clones encoding the catalytic subunit of the vacuolar H⁺-ATPase (V-ATPase) were isolated from the allotetraploid cotton species Gossypium hirsutum L. cv Acala SJ-2 (Wilkins 1992, 1993). Differences in the nucleotide sequence of these clones were used as molecular markers to explore the organization and structure of the V-ATPase catalytic subunit genes in the A and D genomes of diploid and allotetraploid cotton species. Nucleotide sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products amplified from G. arboreum (A₂, 2n=26), G. raimondii (D₅, 2n=26), and G. hirsutum cv Acala SJ-2 [(AD)₁, 2n=4x=52] revealed a V-ATPase catalytic subunit organization more complex than indicated hitherto in any species, including higher plants. In the genus Gossypium, the V-ATPase catalytic subunit genes are organized as a superfamily comprising two diverse but closely related multigene families, designated as vat69A and vat69B, present in both diploid and allotetraploid species. As expected, each vat69 subfamily is correspondingly more complex in the allotetraploid species due to the presence of both A and D alloalleles. Because of this, about one-half of the complex organization of V-ATPase catalytic subunit genes predates polyploidization and speciation of New World tetraploid species. Comparison of plant and fungal V-ATPase catalytic subunit gene structure indicates that introns accrued in the plant homologs following the bifurcation of plant and fungi but prior to the gene duplication event that gave rise to the vat69A and vat69B genes approximately 45 million years ago. The structural complexity of plant V-ATPase catalytic subunit genes is highly conserved, indicating the presence of at least ten introns dispersed throughout the coding region.     

The d subunit plays a central role in human vacuolar H+-ATPases

The multi-subunit vacuolar-type H⁺-ATPase consists of a V₁ domain (A–H subunits) catalyzing ATP hydrolysis and a V₀ domain (a, c, c', c", d, e) responsible for H⁺ translocation. The mammalian V₀ d subunit is one of the least-well characterized, and its function and position within the pump are still unclear. It has two different forms encoded by separate genes, d1 being ubiquitous while d2 is predominantly expressed at the cell surface in kidney and osteoclast. To determine whether it forms part of the pump’s central stalk as suggested by bacterial A-ATPase studies, or is peripheral as hypothesized from a yeast model, we investigated both human d subunit isoforms. In silico structural modelling demonstrated that human d1 and d2 are structural orthologues of bacterial subunit C, despite poor sequence identity. Expression studies of d1 and d2 showed that each can pull down the central stalk’s D and F subunits from human kidney membrane, and in vitro studies using D and F further showed that the interactions between these proteins and the d subunit is direct. These data indicate that the d subunit in man is centrally located within the pump and is thus important in its rotary mechanism.     

A site-directed cross-linking approach to the characterization of subunit E-subunit G contacts in the vacuolar H+-ATPase stator

Abstract

To operate as a rotary motor, the ATP-hydrolyzing domain of the vacuolar H⁺-ATPase must be connected to a fixed structure in its membrane-bound proton pump domain by a mechanical stator. Although low-resolution structural data and spectroscopic analysis indicate that a filament-like subunit E/subunit G heterodimer performs this role, more detailed information about the relative arrangement of these subunits is limited. We have used a site-directed cross-linking approach to show that, in both bacterial and yeast V-type ATPases, the N-terminal α-helical segments of the G and E subunits are closely aligned over a distance of up to 40 Å. Furthermore, cross-linking coupled to mass spectrometry shows that the C-terminal end of G is anchored at the C-terminal globular domain of subunit E. These data are consistent with a stator model comprising two ～ 150 Å long parallel α-helices linked to each other at both ends, stabilized by a coiled-coil arrangement and capped by the globular C-terminal domain of E that connects the cytoplasmic end of the helical structure to the V-ATPase catalytic domain.     

a4, a unique kidney-specific isoform of mouse vacuolar H+-ATPase subunit a

The vacuolar-type H+ -ATPase (V-ATPase) translocates protons across membranes. Here, we have identified a mouse cDNA coding for a fourth isoform (a4) of the membrane sector subunit a of V-ATPase. This isoform was specifically expressed in kidney, but not in the heart, brain, spleen, lung, liver, muscle, or testis. Immunoprecipitation experiments, together with sequence similarities for other isoforms (a1, a2, and a3), indicate that the a4 isoform is a component of V-ATPase. Moreover, histochemical studies show that a4 is localized in the apical and basolateral plasma membranes of cortical alpha- and beta-intercalated cells, respectively. These results suggest that the V-ATPase, with the a4 isoform, is important for renal acid/base homeostasis.     

褐飞虱V-ATPase d亚基基因的克隆与mRNA表达分析

液泡型H+-ATPase(V-ATPase)在昆虫生长发育过程中具有重要作用。本文通过RT-PCR获得褐飞虱Nilaparvata lugens(Stl)V-ATPase d亚基基因NlVHA-d的cDNA序列,并通过实时荧光定量PCR对NlVHA-d基因的表达进行了分析。结果表明,NlVHA-d基因编码349个氨基酸,不同昆虫V-ATPase d亚基高度保守。NlVHA-d基因在褐飞虱2龄若虫中表达量最高,雌虫表达量显著高于雄虫表达量。LD10和LD30三唑磷处理的羽化3 d短翅雄虫NlVHA-d基因相对表达倍数分别是丙酮处理的2.15和2.46倍。亚致死剂量三唑磷处理褐飞虱短翅雄虫NlVHA-d基因的表达上调可能与褐飞虱再猖獗相关。