A stable plasmid vector and control of its copy number in Bacillus brevis 47, a protein-producing bacterium.

A low-copy-number plasmid vector, pHY481, was constructed by combining a macrolide resistance gene of a Staphylococcus aureus plasmid with a cryptic plasmid found in a Bacillus brevis strain isolated from soil. The plasmid introduced into B. brevis 47, an extensively investigated protein-producing bacterium, was maintained very stably in the absence of selective antibiotics. A Bacillus megaterium alpha-amylase gene subcloned into pHY481 was retained much more stably in B. brevis 47 than one subcloned into a plasmid of S. aureus origin. B. brevis 47 mutants were also isolated in which the copy number of pHY481 was amplified about 10-fold. The copy number of pHY481 with the inserted amylase gene also increased in the mutants. As a result, a severalfold-higher amount of the enzyme was produced in the mutants compared with that produced in wild-type B. brevis 47. Thus, the plasmid vector constructed here and the copy-number mutants of B. brevis 47 are useful for cloning foreign genes and performing genetic engineering in the protein-producing bacterium.     

A stable plasmid vector and control of its copy number in Bacillus brevis 47, a protein-producing bacterium

A low-copy-number plasmid vector, pHY481, was constructed by combining a macrolide resistance gene of a Staphylococcus aureus plasmid with a cryptic plasmid found in a Bacillus brevis strain isolated from soil. The plasmid introduced into B. brevis 47, an extensively investigated protein-producing bacterium, was maintained very stably in the absence of selective antibiotics. A Bacillus megaterium alpha-amylase gene subcloned into pHY481 was retained much more stably in B. brevis 47 than one subcloned into a plasmid of S. aureus origin. B. brevis 47 mutants were also isolated in which the copy number of pHY481 was amplified about 10-fold. The copy number of pHY481 with the inserted amylase gene also increased in the mutants. As a result, a severalfold-higher amount of the enzyme was produced in the mutants compared with that produced in wild-type B. brevis 47. Thus, the plasmid vector constructed here and the copy-number mutants of B. brevis 47 are useful for cloning foreign genes and performing genetic engineering in the protein-producing bacterium.     

Two novel positive cis-regulatory elements involved in green tissue-specific promoter activity in rice (Oryza sativa L ssp.)

In plant genetic engineering, using tissue-specific promoters to control the expression of target gene is an effective way to avoid potential negative effects of using constitutive promoter, such as metabolic burden and so on. However, until now, there are few tissue-specific promoters with strong and reliable expression that could be used in crop biotechnology application. In this study, based on microarray and RT-PCR data, we identified a rice green tissue-specific expression gene DX1 (LOC_Os12g33120). The expression pattern of DX1 gene promoter was examined by using the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene and analyzed in transgenic rice plants in different tissues. Histochemical assays and quantitative analyses of GUS activity confirmed that P (DX1):GUS was highly expressed in green tissues. To identify the regulatory elements controlling the expression of the DX1 gene, a series of 5' and 3' deletions of DX1 promoter were fused to GUS gene and stably introduced into rice plants. In addition, gel mobility shift assays and site-directed mutagenesis studies were used, allowing for the identification of two novel tissue-specific cis-acting elements (GSE1 and GSE2) within P(DX1). GSE1 acted as a positive regulator in all green tissues (leaf, sheath, stem and panicle). Compared with GSE1, GSE2 acted as a positive regulator only in sheath and stem tissue, and had a weaker effect on gene expression. In addition, P(DX1):GUS was not expressed in anther and seed, this characteristic reduced the potential ecological risk and potential food safety issues. Taken together, our results strongly suggest that the identified promoter, P(DX1), and its cis regulatory elements, GSE1 and GSE2, are potentially useful in the field of rice transgenic breeding. KEY MESSAGE: We have isolated and characterized the rice green tissue-specific promoter P(DX1), and identified two novel positive cis-acting elements in P(DX1).     

蛋白激发子PeaT1在枯草芽胞杆菌中的分泌表达及重组菌株提高小麦抗旱和促生的作用

PeaT1是从极细链格孢菌Alternaria tenuissima中分离的一种蛋白激发子,具有促进植物生长和诱导植物产生系统获得抗性的功能,为了实现peaT1基因在枯草芽胞杆菌Bacillus subtilis中的分泌表达,增加其应用途径,从枯草芽胞杆菌基因组DNA中分别扩增获得P43启动子和nprB基因的信号肽序列,并用SOE (Splicing by over lapping extension) 方法与peaT1基因连接,将连接产物克隆到大肠杆菌-枯草芽胞杆菌穿梭表达载体pHY300-PLK上,构建了重组表达载体pHY43N-peaT1。将重组载体转化枯草芽胞杆菌WB800菌株,SDS-PAGE和Western blotting分析证实,在NprB信号肽的引导下,枯草芽胞杆菌成功分泌表达了PeaT1蛋白。构建的重组菌株能够显著增强幼苗抗旱性,提高小麦株高。     

重组枯草芽胞杆菌不对称还原产d-伪麻黄碱

为了实现羰基还原酶基因mldh在枯草芽胞杆菌Bacillus subtilis中的表达并通过细胞内的葡萄糖脱氢酶完成辅酶的再生,以枯草芽胞杆菌rpsD基因的启动子PrpsD和终止子TrpsD为表达元件,将羰基还原酶基因mldh连接至构建好的质粒(pHY300plk-PrpsD-TrpsD上,得到质粒pHY300plk-PrpsD-mldh-TrpsD;进一步将重组质粒转化入B. subtilis Wb600中获得重组菌B. subtilis Wb600 (pHY300plk-PrpsD-mldh-Trps     

Enhancement of the antifungal activity of Bacillus subtilis F29-3 by the chitinase encoded by Bacillus circulans chiA gene

Bacillus subtilis F29-3 is an antagonistic bacterium against a wide range of fungal species. In order to determine the effect of chitinase on the antifungal activity of B. subtilis F29-3, a 2.4-kb DNA fragment containing the chiA gene of Bacillus circulans WL-12 was ligated into a shuttle vector pHY300PLK and transformed into B. subtilis F29-3. A bioassay conducted on the culture supernatant showed that, in comparison to the B. subtilis control strain, B. subtilis F29-3 expressing the chiA gene exhibited a greater inhibition of spore germination of Botrytis elliptica, indicating that chitinase could enhance the antifungal function conferred by B. subtilis F29-3.     

gfp-Tagged Cells as a Useful Tool to Study the Survival of Escherichia coli in the Presence of the River Microbial Community

We have used an Escherichia coli strain DH5a containing pGreenTIR to study the survival of this bacterium in river water. As green fluorescence was maintained throughout survival both in dark and illuminated conditions, gfp-tagged E. coli cells were clearly distinguished from the microbial community of the river Butrón. gfp-tagged E. coli cells were monitored to estimate total density as well as the density of the culturable and viable (active electron transport system, CTC+) cells. Our results indicate that autochthonous bacteria and introduced E. coli are predated by flagellates. The autochthonous bacterial community behaves as predation-escaping prey, showing a tendency to cellular miniaturization and so maintaining the density of the population. In contrast, introduced E. coli behaves as predation-non-escaping prey, so E. coli was eliminated from the system. When comparing the elimination by predation of heat-treated and non-heated gfp-tagged E. coli cells we deduce that the flagellates do not discriminate between live and heat-treated cells. Finally, in the presence of the river microbial community, the E. coli cells appeared to be ingested before cellular deterioration could occur. Thus predation reduces the quantitative importance of the viable but nonculturable (VBNC) population of E. coli in the aquatic systems.     

Apparent incompatibility of plasmid pSfrYC4b of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sinorhizobium fredii</Emphasis> with two different plasmids in another strain

Sinorhizobium fredii YC4B is a spontaneous mutant derivative of strain YC4 that is unable to nodulate soybeans. The second-largest plasmid of strain YC4B, termed pSfrYC4b (810 kb), was transferred to S. fredii HN01SR, a strain which contains three large indigenous plasmids (pSfrHN01a, pSfrHN01b and pSfrHN01c). Surprisingly, two stable indigenous plasmids (pSfrHN01a and pSfrHN01b) of strain HN01SR were cured simultaneously by the introduction of pSfrYC4b. Furthermore, a novel, unstable plasmid (pHY4) became visible in agarose gels. The electrophoretic mobility of plasmid pHY4 was slower than that shown by the cured plasmids, indicating that the molecular weight of the former is higher than that of plasmids pSfrYC4b and pSfrHN01b. Replication gene repC-like sequences were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on pSfrHN01a and pSfrYC4b, but not on pSfrHN01b. Sau3AI and PstI restriction patterns of the PCR-amplified repC-like sequences from HN01SR and YC4B were very similar.     

Effect of starvation and the viable-but-nonculturable state on green fluorescent protein (GFP) fluorescence in GFP-tagged Pseudomonas fluorescens A506

The green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene, gfp, of the jellyfish Aequorea victoria is being used as a reporter system for gene expression and as a marker for tracking prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Cells that have been genetically altered with the gfp gene produce a protein that fluoresces when it is excited by UV light. This unique phenotype allows gfp-tagged cells to be specifically monitored by nondestructive means. In this study we determined whether a gfp-tagged strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens continued to fluoresce under conditions under which the cells were starved, viable but nonculturable (VBNC), or dead. Epifluorescent microscopy, flow cytometry, and spectrofluorometry were used to measure fluorescence intensity in starved, VBNC, and dead or dying cells. Results obtained by using flow cytometry indicated that microcosms containing VBNC cells, which were obtained by incubation under stress conditions (starvation at 37.5 degrees C), fluoresced at an intensity that was at least 80% of the intensity of nonstressed cultures. Similarly, microcosms containing starved cells incubated at 5 and 30 degrees C had fluorescence intensities that were 90 to 110% of the intensity of nonstressed cells. VBNC cells remained fluorescent during the entire 6-month incubation period. In addition, cells starved at 5 or 30 degrees C remained fluorescent for at least 11 months. Treatment of the cells with UV light or incubation at 39 or 50 degrees C resulted in a loss of GFP from the cells. There was a strong correlation between cell death and leakage of GFP from the cells, although the extent of leakage varied depending on the treatment. Most dead cells were not GFP fluorescent, but a small proportion of the dead cells retained some GFP at a lower concentration than the concentration in live cells. Our results suggest that gfp-tagged cells remain fluorescent following starvation and entry into the VBNC state but that fluorescence is lost when the cells die, presumably because membrane integrity is lost.     

Cloning and expression of a bpr gene encoding Bacillopeptidase F from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens CH86-1

A gene encoding bacillopeptidase F, bpr86-1, was cloned from B. amyloliquefaciens CH86-1 isolated from cheonggukjang. This gene could encode a preproenzyme of 1,431 amino acids. When bpr86-1 was introduced into B. subtilis WB600 via pHY300PLK, an E. coli-Bacillus shuttle vector, the transformant showed fibrinolytic activity. During growth on LB, the fibrinolytic activity of cells increased sharply when they entered the stationary phase. The highest activity (761.4 mU/mg protein) was observed at 96 h of cultivation.     

Secretory expression of a glutamic-acid-specific endopeptidase (SPase) from Staphylococcus aureus ATCC12600 in Bacillus subtilis

Summary In order to obtain a large quantity of glutamic-acid-specific endopeptidase of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC12600 (SPase) without cultivating its pathogenic host bacterium, expression plasmids enabling secretion of SPase from Bacillus subtilis were constructed by inserting the SPase gene into B. subtilis-Escherichia coli shuttle vectors. B. subtilis harbouring a simple recombinant plasmid containing the coding and the 5-flanking regions of SPase in the shuttle vector pHY300PLK secreted 22 mg/l of SPase into the medium. As this level was lower than that of the natural strain (45 mg/l), we tried to increase the expression level by constructing a series of hybrid plasmids with the following features: (1) the terminator sequence of the alkaline protease gene from B. subtilis, (2) the promoter and the leader sequences of the -amylase gene or of alkaline protease gene from B. amyloliquefaciens, (3) the vector pHY300PLK and the fused vector of pHY300PLK and pUB110. By using a variety of hybrid plasmids, the resulting transformants secreted SPase at levels of 33–120 mg/l. The recombinant SPase isolated from the medium was indistinguishable from the natural one with respect to its behaviour on sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blotting as well as its enzyme activity.Correspondence to: S. Kakudo     

地衣芽孢杆菌YP1A耐有机溶剂蛋白酶基因的克隆与功能表达

根据B．licheniformis YP1A来源的碱性蛋白酶具有的高强度耐有机溶剂性能及相关数据库分析,采用PCR克隆B．licheniformis YP1A耐有机溶剂碱性蛋白酶基因,序列分析显示该基因（1264bp）包含启动子与编码380个氨基酸的开放阅读框（ORF）,ORF包括信号肽、前肽及编码254个氨基酸的成熟肽序列。相关基因分析表明,YP1A耐有机溶剂碱性蛋白酶基因与地衣芽孢杆菌ATCC14580的碱性蛋白酶基因仅有6个氨基酸残基差异：构建2种含YP1A碱性蛋白酶CDS的组成型穿梭表达载体pHY／aprYP与pHY／aprP43,前者采用YP1A蛋白酶自带的启动子,后者则采用来自于质粒pP43NMK的P43强启动子。利用这2种表达载体在枯草芽孢杆菌WB800中成功进行蛋白酶的功能表达．其中P43强启动子的表达能力明显优于碱性蛋白酶自带的启动子,表达的蛋白酶比酶活为395U／ml。重组菌表达的碱性蛋白酶在体积分数50％的亲水及疏水有机溶剂中表现出了很好的耐受性,验证了克隆基因为地衣芽孢杆菌YP1A的高强度耐有机溶剂碱性蛋白酶基因.     

灰树花gpd-Gf启动子的功能分析

利用从灰树花菌丝体中克隆的gpd-Gf（615bp）启动子片段串联于报告基因gfp上游,构建启动子功能活性检测表达质粒pGg-gfp。采用PEG介导法把表达质粒pGg-gfp与辅助质粒pCc1001（含有trp1基因）共转化进色氨酸营养缺陷型的灰盖鬼伞粉孢子的原生质体中。经过选择培养基筛选、假定转化子的分子鉴定以及GFP荧光检测, 结果表明：灰树花gpd-Gf启动子在灰盖鬼伞菌丝中具有较强驱动gfp基因表达的活性,在荧光显微镜和共聚焦显微镜下可以观察到转化子菌丝发出的强烈荧光。     

Isolation and characterization of a new strain of Methanothermobacter marburgensis DX01 from hot springs in China

Strain DX01, a thermophilic methanogen, was isolated from a hot spring in China. Strain DX01 grew only on H₂/CO₂. The DNA G + C content is 52 mol% and optimal growth temperature is 65 °C. The cell pellet is brick red. By analyzing 16S rRNA sequence, methyl-coenzyme M reductase I, gamma subunit protein sequences, we determined the DX01 strain to be closely related to the species of Methanothermobacter marburgensis. In addition, Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus delta H^T and strain DX01 had clear differences in their biochemical composition and protein expression profiles. Based on the above analysis, we propose that strain DX01 is a novel strain within thermoautotrophicus the species of M. marburgensis, namely M. marburgensis DX01. The isolation and characterization of the new M. marburgensis DX01 strain expands the known range of the Methanothermobacter genus.     

香菇印gpd-Le和ras-Le启动子的功能分析

利用从香菇菌丝体中克隆的启动子片段gpd-Le(613bp)和ras-Le(715bp)分别连接于报告基因gfp(绿色荧光蛋白基因)的上游,构建了启动子功能活性检测表达质粒pLg-gfp和pLr-gfp。采用PEG介导法把表达质粒pLg-gfp和pLr-gfp分别与辅助质粒pCc1001(含有trp1基因)共转化进色氨酸营养缺陷型的灰盖鬼伞粉孢子的原生质体中。经过选择培养基筛选、假定转化子的分子鉴定以及GFP荧光检测。结果表明:香菇gpd-Le启动子在灰盖鬼伞的菌丝中具有较强驱动外源gfp基因表达的活性,在荧光显微镜和共聚焦显微镜下观察到gfp基因表达的绿色荧光。而香菇ras-Le启动子没有检测到有驱动外源gfp基因表达的活性。