An nptI-sacB-sacR cartridge for constructing directed, unmarked mutations in gram-negative bacteria by marker exchange-eviction mutagenesis

A technique for marker exchange-eviction mutagenesis that enables the construction of directed, unmarked mutations in Gram-negative bacteria was demonstrated in Erwinia chrysanthemi. The technique employs an nptI-sacB-sacR cartridge that is carried on a 3.8-kb BamHI fragment and confers kanamycin (Km) resistance and sucrose sensitivity (due to the production of levansucrase by sacB) in E. chrysanthemi. The cartridge was inserted into a Sau3A site in a cloned E. chrysanthemi pelC gene (encoding pectate lyase isozyme PLc) and then introduced into the Erwinia genome by gene exchange recombination. The resulting mutant was KmR, sucrose-sensitive, and PLc-deficient. The cartridge was then excised from the plasmid-borne pelC gene by PstI cleavage to leave a 28-bp frame-shifting insertion. The pelC allele containing the 28-bp insertion was exchanged for the chromosomal allele containing the nptI-sacB-sacR cartridge by selection for sucrose tolerance. The resulting E. chrysanthemi mutant was Kms and PLc-deficient. The technique permits the construction of complex strains with many directed mutations without the introduction of a corresponding number of antibiotic resistance markers and should prove useful, for example, in exploring the role of the multiple pel genes in E. chrysanthemi.     

Evidence of homology between the pectate lyase-encoding pelB and pelC genes in Erwinia chrysanthemi.

The genes for two of several pectate lyase isozymes produced by the phytopathogenic enterobacterium Erwinia chrysanthemi 1237 were subcloned and compared by DNA-DNA hybridization, and the encoded proteins were analyzed. The borders of the genes were located on a restriction map by incremental exonuclease III deletions. DNA-DNA hybridization studies revealed a low percentage of mismatch (7 to 17%) between pelB and pelC. No homology was detected between pelC and other regions of the E. chrysanthemi 1237 chromosome, in which three other isozyme genes apparently reside. The pectate lyase isozymes were readily purified by chromatofocusing or granulated-gel bed isoelectric focusing from the periplasmic shock fluids of Escherichia coli subclones. The molecular weights of PLb and PLc were 30,000 and 33,000 as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Their isoelectric points were 7.6 and 8.1, respectively, as determined by equilibrium isoelectric focusing in ultrathin polyacrylamide gels. The Km values for PLb and PLc were 0.20 and 0.32 mg/ml, respectively, with polygalacturonate as a substrate. Thin-layer chromatography of reaction products and viscometric assays revealed little difference between the two isozymes. All our data indicate that the genes are duplicates and that the proteins are isofunctional.     

Comparison of pectic enzymes produced by Erwinia chrysanthemi, Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora, and Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica

Erwinia spp. that cause soft-rot diseases in plants produce a variety of extracellular pectic enzymes. To assess the correlation between patterns of pectic enzyme production and taxonomic classification, we compared the enzymes from representative strains. Supernatants obtained from polygalacturonate-grown cultures of nine strains of Erwinia chrysanthemi, three strains of E. carotovora subsp. carotovora, and three strains of E. carotovora subsp. atroseptica were concentrated and subjected to ultrathin-layer polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing. Pectate lyase, polygalacturonase, and exo-poly-alpha-D-galacturonosidase activities were visualized by staining diagnostically buffered pectate-agarose overlays with ruthenium red after incubation of the overlays with the isoelectric focusing gels. The isoelectric focusing profiles of pectate lyase and polygalacturonase were nearly identical for strains of E. carotovora subsp. carotovora and E. carotovora subsp. atroseptica, showing three pectate lyase isozymes with isoelectric points higher than 8.7 and a polygalacturonase with pI of ca. 10.2. Isoelectric focusing profiles of the E. chrysanthemi pectic enzymes were substantially different. Although there was considerable intraspecific heterogeneity, all strains produced at least four isozymes of pectate lyase, which could be divided into three groups: basic (pI, ca. 9.0 to 10.0), slightly basic (pI, ca. 7.0 to 8.5), and acidic (pI, ca. 4.0 to 5.0). Several strains of E. chrysanthemi also produced a single form of exo-poly-alpha-D-galacturonosidase (pI, ca. 8.0).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Molecular cloning, nucleotide sequence, and marker exchange mutagenesis of the exo-poly-alpha-D-galacturonosidase-encoding pehX gene of Erwinia chrysanthemi EC16.

The pehX gene encoding extracellular exo-poly-alpha-D-galacturonosidase (exoPG; EC 3.2.1.82) was isolated from a genomic library of the pectate lyase-deficient Erwinia chrysanthemi mutant UM1005 (a Nalr Kanr delta pelABCE derivative of EC16) by immunoscreening 2,800 Escherichia coli HB101 transformants with an antibody against exoPG protein. The cloned pehX gene was expressed highly from its own promoter in E. coli, and most of the enzyme was localized in the periplasm. The nucleotide sequence of pehX revealed the presence of an amino-terminal signal peptide and an open reading frame encoding a preprotein of 64,608 daltons. The cloned pehX gene was insertionally inactivated with TnphoA and used to mutate the chromosomal pehX gene of E. chrysanthemi AC4150 (Nalr) and CUCPB5006 (Nalr Kans delta pelABCE) by marker exchange mutagenesis. Analysis of the resulting mutants, CUCPB5008 (Pel+ Peh-) and CUCPB5009 (Pel- Peh-), indicated that exoPG can contribute significantly to bacterial utilization of polygalacturonate and the induction of pectate lyase in the presence of extracellular pectic polymers. CUCPB5009 retained a slight ability to pit polygalacturonate semisolid agar and macerated chrysanthemum pith tissues when large numbers of bacteria were inoculated.     

Characterization of transposon insertion out- mutants of Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora defective in enzyme export and of a DNA segment that complements out mutations in E. carotovora subsp. carotovora, E. carotovora subsp. atroseptica, and Erwinia chrysanthemi.

Soft-rotting Erwinia spp. export degradative enzymes to the cell exterior (Out+), a process contributing to their ability to macerate plant tissues. Transposon (Tn5, Tn10, Tn10-lacZ) insertion Out- mutants were obtained in Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora 71 by using plasmid and bacteriophage lambda delivery systems. In these mutants, pectate lyases, polygalacturonase, and cellulase, which are normally excreted into the growth medium, accumulated in the periplasm. However, localization of the extracellular protease was not affected. The Out- mutants were impaired in their ability to macerate potato tuber tissue. Out+ clones were identified in a cosmid library of E. carotovora subsp. carotovora 71 by their ability to complement mutants. Localization of cyclic phosphodiesterase in the periplasm indicated that the Out+ plasmids did not cause lysis or a nonspecific protein release. The Out+ derivatives of the E. carotovora subsp. carotovora 71 mutants regained the ability to macerate potato tuber tissue. Our data indicate that a cluster of several genes is required for the Out+ phenotype. While one plasmid, pAKC260, restored the Out+ phenotype in each of the 31 mutants of E. carotovora subsp. carotovora, E. carotovora subsp. atroseptica, and Erwinia chrysanthemi, it failed to render Escherichia coli export proficient. Homologs of E. carotovora subsp. carotovora 71 out DNA were detected by Southern hybridizations in subspecies of E. carotovora under high-stringency conditions. In contrast, E. chrysanthemi sequences bearing homology to the E. carotovora subsp. carotovora 71 out DNA were detectable only under low-stringency hybridization. Thus, although the out genes are functional in these two soft-rotting bacterial groups, the genes appear to have diverged.     

Trophoblast–endothelium signaling involves angiogenesis and apoptosis in a dynamic bioprinted placenta model

Trophoblast invasion and remodeling of the maternal spiral arteries are required for pregnancy success. Aberrant endothelium–trophoblast crosstalk may lead to preeclampsia, a pregnancy complication that has serious effects on both the mother and the baby. However, our understanding of the mechanisms involved in this pathology remains elementary because the current in vitro models cannot describe trophoblast–endothelium interactions under dynamic culture. In this study, we developed a dynamic three-dimensional (3D) placenta model by bioprinting trophoblasts and an endothelialized lumen in a perfusion bioreactor. We found the 3D printed perfusion bioreactor system significantly augmented responses of endothelial cells by encouraging network formations and expressions of angiogenic markers, cluster of differentiation 31 (CD31), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9), and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA). Bioprinting favored colocalization of trophoblasts with endothelial cells, similar to in vivo observations. Additional analysis revealed that trophoblasts reduced the angiogenic responses by reducing network formation and motility rates while inducing apoptosis of endothelial cells. Moreover, the presence of endothelial cells appeared to inhibit trophoblast invasion rates. These results clearly demonstrated the utility and potential of bioprinting and perfusion bioreactor system to model trophoblast–endothelium interactions in vitro. Our bioprinted placenta model represents a crucial step to develop advanced research approach that will expand our understanding and treatment options of preeclampsia and other pregnancy-related pathologies.