枯草杆菌ylyA基因的绿色荧光蛋白标记

[目的]本研究对枯草杆菌ylyA基因进行荧光标记以便对其产物YlyA在菌体中的位置进行初步观察.[方法]以不同菌株基因组DNA为模板,对ylyA基因进行PCR扩增和序列分析;重新设计引物扩增全长的ylyA并将其克隆到载体pSG1729中,形成gfpmut1-ylyA融合而构建重组载体pNG426;将pNG426转化枯草杆菌168菌株,双交换使gfpmut1-ylyA插入染色体的amyE位点,用碘染色法和菌落PCR对阳性转化子BS363进行鉴定.NA固体培养基上生长的BS363经0.5%木糖诱导表达后,利用表面荧光显微镜技术进行观察.[结果]通过对多个PCR产物的序列分析确定了ylyA基因的正确序列以及正确的翻译起始位点;成功将重组载体pNG426转化枯草杆菌得到了BS363菌株;荧光检测结果表明GFP标记的YlyA分布于菌体的外周,在位置上靠近细胞膜并与之平行排列.[结论]生长缓慢的BS363菌体,在0.5%木糖诱导下产生的荧光标记YlyA蛋白分布在细胞外周,可能在膜生物学中发挥作用.     

An improved cyan fluorescent protein variant useful for FRET

Many genetically encoded biosensors use F?rster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between fluorescent proteins to report biochemical phenomena in living cells. Most commonly, the enhanced cyan fluorescent protein (ECFP) is used as the donor fluorophore, coupled with one of several yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) variants as the acceptor. ECFP is used despite several spectroscopic disadvantages, namely a low quantum yield, a low extinction coefficient and a fluorescence lifetime that is best fit by a double exponential. To improve the characteristics of ECFP for FRET measurements, we used a site-directed mutagenesis approach to overcome these disadvantages. The resulting variant, which we named Cerulean (ECFP/S72A/Y145A/H148D), has a greatly improved quantum yield, a higher extinction coefficient and a fluorescence lifetime that is best fit by a single exponential. Cerulean is 2.5-fold brighter than ECFP and replacement of ECFP with Cerulean substantially improves the signal-to-noise ratio of a FRET-based sensor for glucokinase activation.     

微流控芯片监测绿色荧光蛋白在枯草芽孢杆菌中的表达

目前主要使用激光共聚焦扫描显微镜观察绿色荧光蛋白的表达,但需要昂贵的仪器并耗费大量时间。本研究开发了一种新型激光诱导的微流芯片检测系统来监测绿色荧光蛋白在枯草芽孢杆菌中的表达。该系统主要由激光装置、光路系统、微流控芯片、光电倍增管和计算机处理系统等5部分组成。对该系统的测试结果显示,随着诱导强度的增强监测信号峰也随之增强,并且与激光共聚焦显微镜观察的结果一致。利用该芯片系统能够快速准确地筛选和鉴定用绿色荧光蛋白作为标记的细胞克隆,可以替代PCR鉴定方法。但该系统仅仅能够监测表达强度,不能够满足蛋白定位等高水平研究,因此,该系统适合应用于环境的微生物监测、药物筛选和其他无需观察蛋白定位等研究。     

Improved plasmid vectors for the production of multiple fluorescent protein fusions in Bacillus subtilis

The intrinsically fluorescent green fluorescent protein has been used in many laboratories as a cytological marker to monitor protein localisation in live cells. Multiple spectrally modified mutant versions and novel fluorescent proteins from other species have subsequently been reported and used for labelling cells with multiple fluorescent protein fusions. In this work we report the design and use of vectors containing some of these spectral variants of GFP for use in the Gram positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. These vectors complement those previously described (Lewis and Marston, 1999. Gene 227, 101-109) to provide a large suite of plasmid vectors for use in this and other related Gram positive organisms. Using these vectors we have been able to directly demonstrate the sequential assembly/disassembly of proteins involved in the generation of cellular asymmetry during development.     

Self-inducible Bacillus subtilis expression system for reliable and inexpensive protein production by high-cell-density fermentation

A novel technically compliant expression system was developed for heterologous protein production in Bacillus subtilis with the aim of increasing product yields at the same time as decreasing production costs. Standard systems involve the positively regulated manP promoter of the mannose operon, which led to relatively high product yields of 5.3% (5.3 g enhanced green fluorescent protein [eGFP] per 100 g cell dry weight [CDW]) but required large quantities of mannose to induce the reactions, thus rendering the system's technical application rather expensive. To improve this situation, mutant B. subtilis strains were used: the ΔmanA (mannose metabolism) strain TQ281 and the ΔmanP (mannose uptake) strain TQ356. The total amount of inducer could be reduced with TQ281, which, however, displayed sensitivity to mannose. An inducer-independent self-induction system was developed with TQ356 to further improve the cost efficiency and product yield of the system, in which glucose prevents induction by carbon catabolite repression. To create optimal self-induction conditions, a glucose-limited process strategy, namely, a fed-batch process, was utilized as follows. The initiation of self-induction at the beginning of the glucose-restricted transition phase between the batch and fed-batch phase of fermentation and its maintenance throughout the glucose-limiting fed-batch phase led to a nearly 3-fold increase of product yield, to 14.6%. The novel B. subtilis self-induction system thus makes a considerable contribution to improving product yield and reducing the costs associated with its technical application.     

Medium optimization for recombinant protein production by Bacillus subtilis

Summary Optimal concentrations of glucose, yeast extract and nutrient broth for the production of -lactamase by B. subtilis were predicted using a statistical experimental design and then tested. More yeast extract (13 vs. 1 g/L), less glucose (7.4 vs. 10 g/L), and less nutrient broth (12.6 vs. 15 g/L) were required to achieve high -lactamase activities (5700 U/L) instead of high cell growth rates (1.2 h^-1).     

Concatenation of cyan and yellow fluorescent proteins for efficient resonance energy transfer

Highly efficient fluorescence resonance energy transfer between cyan(CFP) and yellow fluorescent proteins (YFP), the cyan- and yellow-emitting variants of the Aequorea green fluorescent protein, respectively, was achieved by tightly concatenating the two proteins. After the C-terminus of CFP and the N-terminus of YFP were truncated by 11 and 5 amino acids, respectively, the proteins were fused through a leucine-glutamate dipeptide. The resulting chimeric protein, which we called Cy11.5, exhibited a simple emission spectrum that peaked at 527 nm when the protein was excited at 436 nm. The time-resolved emission of Cy11.5 was measured using a streak camera. After excitation of Cy11.5 with a 400 nm ultrashort pulse, a fast decay of the CFP emission and a concomitant rise of the YFP emission were observed with a lifetime of 66 ps. By contrast, the emission from CFP alone showed a decay component with a lifetime of 2.9 ns. We concluded that in fully folded Cy11.5 molecules, intramolecular FRET occurred with an efficiency of 98%. Importantly, most Cy11.5 molecules were properly folded, and the protein was highly resistant to all of the tested proteases. In living cells, therefore, Cy11.5 behaved as a single fluorescent protein with a broad excitation spectrum. Moreover, Cy11.5 was used as an optical highlighter after photobleaching of YFP. When HeLa cells expressing Cy11.5 were irradiated at 514.5 nm, a 10-fold increase in the 475 nm fluorescence intensity was observed. These features make Cy11.5 useful as an optical highlighter and a new-colored fluorescent protein for multicolor imaging.     

拆分获得(S)-酮基布洛芬脂肪酶基因在枯草芽孢杆菌中的克隆与表达

【目的】筛选具有不对称拆分消旋酮基布洛芬氯乙酯能力的脂肪酶基因,构建其表达分泌型工程菌,并进一步提高该脂肪酶的立体选择性。【方法】以自筛选出的一株具有不对称拆分消旋酮基布洛芬氯乙酯能力的菌株NK13为材料,通过构建其基因组文库,筛选具有不对称拆分消旋酮基布洛芬氯乙酯能力的脂肪酶基因。通过构建该脂肪酶基因的分泌型诱导表达载体pHY300-plk-sacR-gene,将其转入枯草芽孢杆菌WB600,获得基因重组菌WB600(pHY300-plk-sacR-gene)。用SDS-PAGE检测其表达和转化情况,采用非变性聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳的方法纯化脂肪酶;并利用TLC和HPLC检测该酶的立体选择专一性。【结果】得到了具有专一性拆分获得(S)-酮基布洛芬能力、长度为633bp的脂肪酶基因(GenBank登录号为:EU381317)。该脂肪酶在枯草芽孢杆菌WB600中得到了分泌表达。TLC和HPLC检测结果显示,纯化的脂肪酶对底物转化40h时转化率为30%,生成(S)-酮基布洛芬的e.e.%值最高,达60.02%,与未加Tween-80的枯草芽孢杆菌转化子体系相同。而在含Tween-80的环境下,枯草芽孢杆菌表达重组菌对底物转化36h时转化率约为45%,生成(S)-酮基布洛芬的e.e.%值最高,达93.64%,是野生菌NK13的16倍。【结论】从NK13号菌株中筛选得到的新的脂肪酶具有很高的不对称拆分获得(S)-酮基布洛芬的能力,实现了NK13菌中633bp脂肪酶基因在枯草芽孢杆菌中的分泌表达,研究证明Tween-80能提高该脂肪酶的拆分专一性。     

The forespore line of gene expression in Bacillus subtilis

Endospore formation by Bacillus subtilis involves three differentiating cell types, the predivisional cell, the mother cell, and the forespore. Here we report the program of gene expression in the forespore, which is governed by the RNA polymerase sigma factors sigma(F) and sigma(G) and the DNA-binding proteins RsfA and SpoVT. The sigma(F) factor turns on about 48 genes, including the gene for RsfA, which represses a gene in the sigma(F) regulon, and the gene for sigma(G). The sigma(G) factor newly activates 81 genes, including the gene for SpoVT, which turns on (in nine cases) or stimulates (in 11 cases) the expression of 20 genes that had been turned on by sigma(G) and represses the expression of 27 others. The forespore line of gene expression consists of many genes that contribute to morphogenesis and to the resistance and germination properties of the spore but few that have metabolic functions. Comparative genomics reveals a core of genes in the sigma(F) and sigma(G) regulons that are widely conserved among endospore-forming species but are absent from closely related, but non-spore-forming Listeria spp. Two such partially conserved genes (ykoU and ykoV), which are members of the sigma(G) regulon, are shown to confer dry-heat resistance to dormant spores. The ykoV gene product, a homolog of the non-homologous end-joining protein Ku, is shown to associate with the nucleoid during germination. Extending earlier work on gene expression in the predivisional cell and the mother cell, we present an integrated overview of the entire program of sporulation gene expression.     

Patterns of gene expression in Bacillus subtilis colonies.

Bacillus subtilis 5:7, a derivative of macrofiber-producing strain FJ7, carries the lacZ reporter gene within Tn917 at an unknown location in the host genome. Expression of the host gene carrying lacZ within colonies of 5:7 was observed by examining growth under different conditions in the presence of 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (X-Gal). At a high plating density small colonies arose that expressed the host gene early and throughout the colony, whereas at a low density large colonies were produced that expressed the host gene late in development and only in cells forming a ring pattern close to the colony periphery. A highly regulated spatial and temporal gene expression pattern was observed in growth from cross-streaks, suggesting that gene expression is responsive to concentration gradient fields established by neighboring growth. Colonies cultured on agar blocks revealed that expression was governed by depletion of a medium component and also by the geometry of the substrate upon which the colonies grew. At least three factors influenced the control of expression: (i) the concentration of a diffusible component of the medium exhausted by cell growth, (ii) a spatial-temporal factor related to growth within the colony, and (iii) the geometry of the growth substrate.     

苏云金芽孢杆菌以色列亚种130kDa杀蚊蛋白基因在枯草...

Two recombinant plasmid pFZ1 and pFZ2 containing Bti 130kDa mosquitocidal protein gene in opposite insertion orientation were constructed. The expression of 130kDa mosquitocidal protein of Bti in Bacillus subtilis was confirmed by western blotting. The mosquito-larvicidal activity against the larvae of Aedes albopictus was shown by the bioassay.     

Regulation of pho regulon gene expression by the carbon control protein A, CcpA, in Bacillus subtilis

Bacterial regulons involved in carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus metabolism must interact for purposes of coordination, but the mechanisms involved are not understood. We here report that the carbon control pro-tein-A (CcpA) of Bacillus subtilis, primarily concerned with carbon metabolism, influences expression of various phosphorus (pho) regulon genes including the two alkaline phosphatase structural genes, phoA and phoB. The directions and magnitudes of the effects of glucose and the loss of CcpA on these two genes depend on growth conditions, but they always correlate inversely. Absolute expression levels of phoA and phoB depend on a rich nitrogen source, and gene activation by a fermentable substrate such as glucose depends on the presence of a respiratory substrate such as succinate. We show that these CcpA-dependent glucose effects can be explained by the effects of glucose and CcpA acting on the phoPR operon. Although a good CcpA-binding site (CRE) is found in the control region of the phoPR operon, direct regulation of phoPR gene expression by CcpA via this CRE could not account for the effects of glucose and CcpA on phoA and phoB gene expression. We conclude that CcpA exerts indirect control over the pho regulon by a mechanism that involves CcpA and PhoRP but does not involve the phoPR operon CRE.     

The expression of the serine proteinase gene of Bacillus intermedius in Bacillus subtilis

The gene encoding for Bacillus intermedius serine proteinase was cloned and the complete nucleotide sequence was determined. Gene expression was explored in the protease-deficient strain Bacillus subtilis AJ73 during different stages of growth. Catabolite repression involved in control of proteinase expression during transition state and onset of sporulation was not efficient at the late stationary phase. Salt stress leads to induction of serine proteinase production during B. subtilis AJ73(pCS9) post-exponential growth. Expression of proteinase in B. subtilis deg-mutants may be controlled by DegU regulator. B. subtilis spo0-mutants failed to accomplish B. intermedius proteinase production. These data suggest complex network regulation of B. intermedius serine proteinase expression, including the action of spo0, degU, catabolite repression and demonstrate changes in control of enzyme biosynthesis at different stages of growth.