Incompatibility behavior of a megaplasmid pMhHN3015c in Mesorhizobium huakuii HN3015

The Tn5-sacB-labeled symbiotic megaplasmid pMhHN3015c of Mesorhizobium huakuii HN3015 was, respectively, transferred into M. huakuii HN308SR containing three large plasmids of pMhHN308a, pMhHN308b and pMhHN308c, and 7653R-1SR, a symbiotic plasmid pMh7653Rb deleted mutant from M. huakuii 7653R by tri-parent mating. The stable indigenous plasmid pMhHN308c of HN308SR was cured by the introduction of pMhHN3015c and the transconjugant was named as HN308SRN18. The results implied that pMhHN3015c and pMhHN308c were incompatible and might be ascribed to the same incompatibility group. Furthermore, the results from plasmid curing tests of HN308SRN18 containing pMhHN3015c, pMhHN308b, and pMhHN308a showed that not only was pMhHN3015c deleted, but that pMhHN308a was also cured simultaneously. The plasmid profiles of transconjugant 7653R-1SRN18 showed pMhHN3015c could coexist with pMh7563Ra. The plasmid replication repC-like gene sequences were detected by polymerase chain reaction from 7653R-1SRN18, HN308SRN18 and its plasmid-curing derivatives, but failed to detect from plasmid-curing derivatives of 7653R-1SRN18. The repC gene sequence similarities of strains tested were up to 99%. Results from plant nodulation tests showed that introduction of pMhHN3015c failed to restore the nitrogen fixation ability of HN308SRN18 and 7653R-1SRN18.     

运用生色基因标记黄瓜根围促生菌(PGPR)筛选菌株

采用三亲交配方法 ,通过Tn7转座系统将lacZY标记基因导入黄瓜根围促生菌 (PG PR)筛选菌株PseudomonasfluorescensCN1 1 6和PseudomonascorrugataCN31的利福平抗性突变株中 ;标记假单胞菌菌株则被赋予了利用乳糖作为唯一碳源的能力 ,在只有乳糖的M9培养基上生长能分解X Gal,菌落显出特有的蓝色 ;经Southern杂交分析 ,证明标记基因lacZY存在于转化菌株的染色体上 ;经验证标记菌株标记性状稳定 ,与对应的野生菌株比较其它性状如培养性状、形态特征、生防效果等基本不变 ;PGPR菌株利福平抗性和生色基因标记的结合 (双标记 )能最大限度地将土壤中引入的PGPR菌株与土著细菌分开 ,检测下限可达 1 0CFU mL ,为PGPR在根围的分子生态学研究提供了一个较好的工具。     

Interaction between alpha-2 macroglobulin and trypsin with synthetic trypsin inhibitors]

The complex formed between trypsin (Tn) and alpha 2 Macroglobulin (alpha 2 M) retains the whole hydrolytic activity of the enzyme for synthetic substrates. Moreover synthetic inhibitors of low molecular weight stiel inhibit this activity. A comparative study of three inhibitors (Benzylamine, Butylamine, Benzamidine) has been carried out and shows that their behavior is similar. These inhibitors bind trypsin when it is bound to alpha 2 M and reciprocally alpha 2 M can bind Tn-inhibitor complex. Nevertheless the dissociation constant of the enzyme-inhibitor complex (Ki) is increased by alpha 2 M. In the case of Benzamidine the value of Ki is 2.22.10(-5) M for native enzyme and 13.4.10(-5) M for Tn-alpha 2 M and in the case of Butylamine this value increases from 0.5.10(-3) M to 2.95.10(-3) M. These variations of the Ki values are due to the modification of the accessibility of the inhibitor to the active site. Unpublished results show that the alpha 2 M molecule undergoes a deep structural modification in the course of the complex formation, which must lead to an increase of the value of Ki. This structural modification is probably irreversible so that the alpha 2 M complex has never been dissociated without altering the alpha 2 M molecule. The increase of the values of Ki cannot therefore result in an effective decrease of the association constant of the Tn-alpha 2 M complex.     

毛萼田菁茎瘤菌(Azorhizobium caulinodans)吸氢活性缺陷株的筛选及特性

利用转座子Tn5随机插入突变法,从毛萼田菁茎瘤菌（Azorhizobiumcaulinodans）中筛选得到两株吸氢活性缺陷突变株（Hup-）R－49和R－309,其固氮酶活性也大大降低,约为野生型固氮酶活性的6％～8％。以带有Bradyrhizobiumjaponicum的5．9kb的hup基因的质粒pHR11为探针与A．caulinodansORS571和B.japonicum122DES（Hup＋）的总DNA进行分子杂交,放射自显影表明,A．coulinodans基因组含有与B.japonicum的hup基因同源的DNA片段,将携带B．japonicumhup基因的嵌合质粒pHR11与A.caulinodansHup-突变株进行体内遗传互补,接合转移子吸氢酶活性可以恢复至野生型的60％,同时固氮酶的活性亦有所提高。     

Genetic complementation of rhizobial nod mutants with Frankia DNA: artifact or reality?

Two divergent reports have been published on the genetic complementation of rhizobial nod mutants using Frankia DNA. In 1991 putative Frankia cosmid library clones were reported to restore normal nodulation properties to Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar viciaenodD::Tn5, but no supporting sequence data were published. In 1992 a second group reported a failure to find any evidence of functional complementation of various rhizobial nod mutants by Frankia DNA (nodA, nodB and nodC). Complementation tests of nine Nod⁻ R. leguminosarum bv. viciae or Sinorhizobium meliloti Tn5 mutants (nodA ⁻ , nodB ⁻ , nodC ⁻ , nodD ⁻ , nodF  ⁻ , nodL ⁻ , nodH ⁻ ) were thus performed using a Frankia gene library in pLAFR3 to clarify this situation. Rhizobial transconjugants obtained by tri-parental matings were screened for restoration of the nodulation phenotype on their host plants, Vicia sativa subsp. nigra or Medicago sativa. Nodulation was observed on plants inoculated with transconjugants of the R. leguminosarum bv. viciaenodC::Tn5 mutant. The Nod⁺ rhizobial transconjugants were isolated and analysed. The Nod⁺ phenotype of these transconjugants was found to be due to Tn5 excision/transposition. No functional complementation was found with any of the mutants used, suggesting that rhizobial complementation of nod mutants with Frankia DNA is unlikely to occur. Received: 17 April 1998 / Accepted: 22 July 1998     

转座子Tn5096对刺孢吸水链霉菌北京变种RF220转座的诱变

用大肠杆菌/链霉菌穿梭质粒pCZA168(bla,tsr,Tn5096,ColEI rep,Strep repts)多次转化农抗120产生菌刺孢吸水链霉菌北京变种(S.Streptomyces hygrospinocus var. beijingensis)RF220的原生质体,均未得到转化子。来自吸水链霉菌应城变种(S.Streptomyces hygroscopicus var.)10-22突变株的链霉菌质粒pIJ702(tsr mel+)可以转化RF220,但转化频率只有数十个转化子/μgDNA。用来自RF220本身的pIJ702对消除pIJ702后的RF220的原生质体进行了再转化,转化率没有明显的提高。用氨苄青霉素和甘氨酸协同处理RF220的菌丝体,并经-70℃冷冻原生质体再转化,得到了4个pCZA168的转化子。质粒提取、酶切、抗性测定表明：4个转化子中pCZA168中大肠杆菌DNA部分均被切除,成为大小约50～60kb的小质粒,命名为pWZH102(tsr,Tn5096,strep repts)。用pWZH102上的转座子Tn5096对RF220进行转座实验,在168个转座个体中,有2株可能为抗生素生物合成阻断变株,另有产生抗生素水平各异的变株,说明Tn5096的转座可以引起表型的不同变化。     

Isolation and Characterization of NH+4-Excreting Mutants of Enterobacter gergoviae

NH4+-excreting mutants were isolated from Enterobacter gergoviae 57–7 wild type as methylamine resistant strains which were obtained by mutagenesis with a transposable element Tn5. The MG 61 mutants excreted 2 mmol/L of ammonium during a diazotrophic growth. The growth of MG 61 mutants were slower than the growth of wild types because of its excreting ammonium. MG 61 mutants expressed up to 86% of the fully depressed nitrogenase activity when grown in a medium containing 20 mmol/L ammonium. By contrast the ammonium grown cultures of wild type had no nitrogenase activity. In the presence of 5 mmol/L or 30 mmol/L of ammonium in the medium, the growth of MG 61 mutants was as same as CK and much slower than that of the wild types which means that the mutants could not utilize amonium very well in the medium. But MG 61 mutants could utilize glutamate as a sole nitrogen source. In the presence of nitrate (10 mmol/L) in the medium, MG 61 mutants grew slowly but excreted 7.8 mmol/L of ammonium.     

Isolation and characterization of toluene-sensitive mutants from Pseudomonas putida IH-2000

Two toluene-sensitive mutants were generated from Pseudomonas putida IH-2000, the first known toluene-tolerant isolate, by Tn5 transposon mutagenesis. These mutants were unable to grow in the presence of toluene (log P_ow 2.8) but they could grow in medium overlaid with organic solvents having a log P_ow value higher than that of toluene such as p-xylene (log P_ow 3.1), cyclohexane (log P_ow 3.4) and n-hexane (log P_ow 3.9). The Tn5 transposable element knocked out a cyoB-like gene in one mutant and a cyoC-like gene in the other mutant. Seven open reading frames were found in a 5.5-kb region containing the cyoB- and cyoC-like genes of strain IH-2000. ORFs 3–7 showed significant identity to the cyoABCDE gene products of Escherichia coli, but ORFs 1 and 2 showed no significant homology to any protein reported so far. The growth patterns of the Tn5 mutants with the inactivated cyo-like gene were similar to that of the wild-type strain in the absence of organic solvents, although the doubling times were slightly longer than that of the wild-type strain. Our findings indicate that cyo is an important gene for toluene tolerance, although its role is still unclear.