Isolation of amylolytic strains of Thermoactinomyces vulgaris and production of thermophilic actinomycete amylases

Kuo, M. J. (Iowa State University, Ames), and P. A. Hartman. Isolation of amylolytic strains of Thermoactinomyces vulgaris and production of thermophilic actinomycete amylases. J. Bacteriol. 92:723-726. 1966.-Of 759 isolates obtained from dung, compost, and soil samples, a culture of Thermoactinomyces vulgaris (strain 5) was selected for further study on the basis of quantities of amylase produced in synthetic and nonsynthetic media, rapid growth and sporulation, culture stability upon prolonged storage at 5 C, and growth temperature range. Inoculum preparation, temperature optimum for amylase formation, and the effects of various kinds and levels of carbon and nitrogen sources on amylase production were studied with T. vulgaris strain 5. An optimal procedure for production of T. vulgaris amylases is proposed.     

Pulsed-field gel analysis of human immunoglobulin heavy-chain constant region gene deletions reveals the extent of unmapped regions within the locus

The human immunoglobulin heavy-chain constant region gene locus is organized in three main gene groups, the physical distances of which are unknown. Different types of gene deletions, originated by unequal crossingover, have been found to encompass one or more genes in the locus. We have analyzed some of these deletions by means of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, which allows resolution of large DNA fragments. By identifying a fragment containing two of the main gene groups and by observing the size reduction of this fragment in subjects with deletions, we were able to estimate the distance between the two groups and better locate the pseudogene in-between.     

Endogenous Benzodiazepine Receptor Ligands in Human and Animal Hepatic Encephalopathy

The role of endogenous benzodiazepine receptor ligands in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy was studied in humans and in rat models of hepatic encephalopathy. Endogenous benzodiazepine ligands were extracted from rat brain and human CSF by acid treatment and purification by HPLC. Detection and partial characterization of these endogenous benzodiazepine ligands were carried out using both radioreceptor binding assays and radioimmunoassays with anti-benzodiazepine antibodies. Four different benzodiazepine receptor ligands were identified in human and rat tissue, two of which may be diazepam and desmethyldiazepam, based on elution profiles and anti-benzo-diazepine antibody reactivity. Human CSF and serum from patients with hepatic encephalopathy contained approximately 10 times more endogenous benzodiazepine receptor ligand than CSF from controls or nonencephalopathic patients with liver disease. The levels of brain benzodiazepine receptor ligand compounds were also increased approximately 10-fold in rats suffering from fulminant hepatic failure, but not in rats with portacaval shunts, a model of chronic hepatic disease. The increased concentrations of these substances could be behaviorally significant and may contribute to the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy.     

Comparison of different cationic probes for electron microscopic visualization of bacterial polyanionic capsular material

We have isolated from the ovine rumen eight bacterial strains belonging to the speciesButyrivibrio fibrisolvens. DNA hybridization studies showed that the eight strains could be divided into four homology groups, of which none was closely related to the type strain ATCC 19171. Measurement of cross-hybridization between selected pairs of bacterial strains showed that DNA types which produced low, but significant, cross-hybridization on dot-blots were able to form heteroduplexes with between 8.4% and 32.9% of the efficiency of homoduplex formation. Thermal denaturation of the same heteroduplexes resulted in Tm values 6.4–7.5°C lower than those of the homologous duplexes formed under the same conditions. In some cases, hybridization between strains was below the level of reliable measurement. Similar experiments with ten recently isolated strains ofBacteroides ruminicola sub-sp.brevis revealed a similar degree of genetic divergence between isolates.     

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae SOC8-1 gene and its relationship to a nucleotide kinase

The yeast SOC8-1 gene was originally identified by partial complementation of cdc8 mutant strains. We have carried out Bal31 deletion analysis of the SOC8-1 gene to define the minimal size which is required for the complementation of the cdc8 mutation. When the SOC8-1 gene is cloned in a multicopy plasmid, it enables temperature-resistant growth in the cdc8 mutant strain, while the SOC8-1 gene in a single copy plasmid does not. Thus, its suppression of the cdc8 mutant is dosage dependent. The high copy number vector carrying the SOC8-1 gene can complement five different cdc8 alleles, indicating that the suppression is not allele specific. Since CDC8 encodes thymidylate kinase, cells bearing a high copy number plasmid containing SOC8-1 gene were tested for the ability to phosphorylate several nucleoside monophosphates, including UMP, GMP and dTMP. Significantly increased phosphorylation activity was observed, suggesting that SOC8-1 encodes a nucleotide kinase. Both restriction enzyme analysis of the SOC8-1 gene and partial purification of the overproduced kinase in SOC8-1 overproducing strains suggest that SOC8-1 may be allelic with URA6. Consistent with these results, both SOC8-1 and URA6 are located on chromosome XI. Thus, one possible suppression mechanism is that SOC8-1 may provide a trans-acting dTMP kinase activity, bypassing the cdc8 gene defect.     

X-ray diffraction analysis on single crystals of recombinant Escherichia coli ornithine transcarbamoylase

Single crystals of recombinant Escherichia coli ornithine transcarbamoylase suitable for x-ray analysis have been grown from polyethylene glycol and 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol. The space group has been determined as P3(1) or P3(2), with one protein trimer of three identical 36.8-kDa subunits in the asymmetric unit. The unit cell dimensions are a = b = 105.1 A and c = 87.8 A. The crystals diffract well to 3-A resolution and are quite resistant to radiation damage. Single crystals have also been grown of a genetically engineered site-specific mutant for which the replacement of an arginine (Arg-57) to a glycine has been shown to not only drastically affect the enzyme activity but also its kinetic mechanism (Kuo, L. C., Miller, A. W., Lee, S., and Kozuma, C. (1988) Biochemistry 27, 8823-8832). The crystals of the Arg-57----Gly mutant protein are isomorphous to those of the wild type. Crystal soaking experiments using both wild-type and Arg-57----Gly crystals in the presence of various ligands have provided evidence of specific conformational changes upon substrate binding which supports our previous kinetic and spectroscopic observations.