Synthetic ColE1 plasmids carrying genes for penicillin-binding proteins in Escherichia coli

Clarke and Carbon's collection of 2000 Escherichia coli strains which harbor ColE1 plasmids carrying small random segments of the E. coli chromosome was screened for the correction of mutational defects in penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs): ponA (PBP-1a), ponB (PBP-1b), dacB (PBP-4), and pfv (PBP-5). We found plasmids carrying chromosomal segments containing ponA⁺-aroB⁺ (pLC29-47), ponB⁺-tonA⁺ (pLC4-43, pLC4-44, and pLC19-19), and argG⁺-dacB⁺ (pLC10-46 and pLC18-38). Characters of these plasmids were analyzed. Two other plasmids (pLC26-6 and pLC4-14) previously found to correct ftsI mutation (Y. Nishimura, Y. Takeda, A. Nishimura, H. Suzuki, M. Inouye, and Y. Hirota (1977)Plasmid1, 67–77) were also investigated further. Restriction maps of chromosomal DNAs carried by pLC29-47, pLC4-44, pLC19-19, pLC18-38, pLC26-6, and pLC4-14 were constructed. The regions of ponB-tonA on pLC4-44 and pLC19-19, and of leuA-ftsI-murE and F on pLC26-6 were located on the restriction maps. Although both pLC26-6 and pLC4-14 corrected a thermosensitive mutation, ftsI, which causes a defect in cell division due to abnormal PBP-3, only pLC26-6 led to restoration of PBP-3 production by an ftsI mutant, while pLC4-14 did not. Restriction and heteroduplex analyses of pLC26-6 and pLC4-14 have shown the absence of nucleotide sequence homology between them. The plasmids, pLC29-47 carrying ponA⁺ and pLC4-43, pLC4-44, and pLC19-19 carrying ponB⁺ led the host cell to overproduce the respective PBP.     

Purification and properties of human serum dopamine-β -hydroxylase

1. Two different molecular forms of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase were isolated from human serum; a major component (Peak I enzyme) with a molecular weight of 368000 and with a higher specific activity and a minor component (Peak II enzyme) with a molecular weight of 188000 and with a lower specific activity. 2. Both forms require ascorbic acid for the activity, and are stimulated by fumarate. Addition of N-ethylmaleimide or copper also increased the activity. The optimal pH of both forms in the presence of 20mM tyramine as substrate is 5.0. 3. Km values toward tyramine of Peak I enzyme and Peak II enzyme were 1.67 mM and 14.2 mM respectively. 4. Both Peak I enzyme and Peak II enzyme are glycoprotein.     

Immune Response to Toxoplasma gondii

Peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) from patients with toxoplasmosis were shown to be highly responsive to in vitro stimulation with Toxoplasma gondii extract as measured by incorporation of [³H]methylated thymidine. Analysis of Toxoplasma-specific proliferative cells in PBL by using monoclonal antibodies specific for human T cell subsets revealed that the Toxoplasma-specific proliferation response of PBL from the patients was mediated by Leu 1, Leu 3a positive cells, that is, helper/inducer T cells. Tests for the Toxoplasma-specific proliferation response may provide a readily available method for the diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis, especially during the newborn period.     

Synthesis of a polymide containing a glucose unit in the main chain

A new type polyamide containing a glucose unit in the main chain has been synthesized by the polymerization of C₁, C₃, C₄ blocked C₆-carboxymethylglucosamine, prepared from chitin. The deblocking procedure gave the water-soluble polyamide, of MW 1.5 × 10⁴, which can be regarded as a model for the recognition site of lectin.     

Synthesis and properties of ApU analogues containing 2'-halo-2'-deoxyadenosines. Effects of 2' substituents on oligonucleotide conformation

Five A-U analogues containing deoxyadenosine or 2'-halo-2'-deoxyadenosines, which are known to have widely different C3'-endo conformer populations according to their electronegativities of the halogen substituents, dAfl-U, dAcl-U, dAbr-U, dAio-U, and dA-U, were synthesized chemically. Characterization of these dimers has been performed by UV absorption, circular dichroism, and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The results show that the dimers containing 2'-halo-2'-deoxyadenosines have stacked conformations with a geometry similar to that of A-U and the degree of stacking decreases in the order dAfl-U greater than dAcl-U greater than dAbr-U greater than dAio-U. dAcl-U is assumed to have the same degree of stacking as A-U. dA-U takes a more stacked conformation than does dAio-U, but the mode of stacking is different from those of the other dimers. The effects of the 2' substituents on dimer conformation are discussed in terms of electronegativity, molecular size, and hydrophobicity.     

Expression of a synthetic gene for human cap binding protein (human IF-4E) in Escherichia coli and fluorescence studies on interaction with mRNA cap structure analogues

An artificial gene coding for the human cap binding protein (hCBP: human IF-4E) was chemically synthesized and expressed in Escherichia coli under the control of a trp promoter. The DNA duplex of 662 bp was designed and constructed from 44 oligodeoxynucleotide fragments of typically 30 nucleotides in length. Although the hCBP gene was not directly expressed in E. coli HB101, we succeeded in its high-level expression as a fusion protein connected with a portion of human growth hormone through a tetradecapeptide (Asp-Asp-Pro-Pro-Thr-Val-Glu-Leu-Gln-Gly-Leu-Val-Pro-Arg) that contains the recognition sequence for a site-specific protease alpha-thrombin. Upon induction with 3-indoleacrylic acid, the fusion protein accumulated with a yield of about 20% of the total proteins of the host cell. Upon the treatment of the fusion protein with alpha-thrombin, which recognizes the sequence "Val-Pro-Arg," specific proteolysis at the fused junction occurred efficiently. In this system, nonspecific digestion by alpha-thrombin was not marked. About 15 mg of recombinant hCBP was obtained from a 1-liter culture. Association constants between the recombinant hCBP and mRNA cap structure analogues were determined by fluorescence spectroscopy. The values obtained for the m7GpppA, m7GTP, and m7GMP were almost the same as those reported for the IF-4E isolated from human erythrocyte cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Non-cognizable ribonucleotide, 2''AMP, binds to a mutant ribonuclease T1 (Y45W) at a new base-binding site but not at the guanine-recognition site.

Complex of a mutant ribonuclease T₁ (Y4SW) with a non-cognizable ribonucleotide, 2′AMP, has been determined and refined by X-ray diffraction at 1.7 Å resolution. The 2′AMP molecule locates at a new base-binding site which is remote from the guanine-recognition site, where 2′GMP was found to be bound. The nucleotide adopts the anti conformation of the glycosidic bond and C3′-exo sugar pucker. There exists a single hydrogen bond between the adenine base and the enzyme, and, therefore, the site found is apparently a non-specific binding site. The results indicate that the binding of 2′AMP to the guanine-recognition site is weaker than that to the new binding site.     

Reductive and nucleophilic activation products of dynemicin A with methyl thioglycolate. A rational mechanism for DNA cleavage of the thiol-activated dynemicin A

The reaction products of methyl thioglycolate with dynemicin A, dynemicin H and dynemicin S, were isolated by HPLC purification and identified spectroscopically. The major product, dynemicin H (C30H23NO9), was determined to be a C-8 hydrogen analogue of dynemicins L and N in which the enediyne core is aromatized. The minor product, dynemicin S (C33H27No11S), is an adduct of methyl thioglycolate at the C-8 position. By using NADPH instead of methyl thioglycolate, the reaction with dynemicin A also gives the same major product (dynemicin H). The nucleotide-specific cleavage of dynemicin A induced by addition of methyl thioglycolate is remarkably similar to that induced by addition of NADPH, whereas dynemicins H and S show no DNA cleavage activities. The formation of dynemicins H and S provides a rationale for the reductive and nucleophilic activations of dynemicin A.     

Alicyclic acid metabolism in plants 8. Association, of two enzymes of the shikimate pathway in shoots of Phaseolus mungo seedlings

The association of two enzymes involved in the shikimate pathway,3-dehydroquinate hydro-lyase (EC 4.2.1.10 [EC] ) and shikimate: NADPoxidoreductase (EC 1.1.1.25 [EC] ), was studied with shoots of etiolated4-day-old Phaseolus mungo seedlings. The enzymes were not separableby ammonium sulfate fractionation, sucrose density gradientcentrifugation, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and chromatographyon Sephadex G-100 and DEAE-Sephadex A-50. The results are discussedin relation to the channelling function of metabolites in thealicyclic acid metabolism in higher plants. (Received October 28, 1975; )