Genes for the biosynthesis of spinosyns: applications for yield improvement in Saccharopolyspora spinosa

Spinosyns A and D are the active ingredients in an insect control agent produced by fermentation of Saccharopolyspora spinosa. Spinosyns are macrolides with a 21-carbon, tetracyclic lactone backbone to which the deoxysugars forosamine and tri-O-methylrhamnose are attached. The spinosyn biosynthesis genes, except for the rhamnose genes, are located in a cluster that spans 74 kb of the S. spinosa genome. DNA sequence analysis, targeted gene disruptions and bioconversion studies identified five large genes encoding type I polyketide synthase subunits, and 14 genes involved in sugar biosynthesis, sugar attachment to the polyketide or cross-bridging of the polyketide. Four rhamnose biosynthetic genes, two of which are also necessary for forosamine biosynthesis, are located outside the spinosyn gene cluster. Duplication of the spinosyn genes linked to the polyketide synthase genes stimulated the final step in the biosynthesis — the conversion of the forosamine-less pseudoaglycones to endproducts. Duplication of genes involved in the early steps of deoxysugar biosynthesis increased spinosyn yield significantly. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (2001) 27, 399–402. Received 31 May 2001/ Accepted in revised form 09 July 2001     

Secretion of Mucor rennin, a fungal aspartic protease of Mucor pusillus, by recombinant yeast cells

Summary The aspartic protease gene of a zygomycete fungus Mucor pusillus was expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae under the control of the yeast GAL7 promoter. A putative preproenzyme with an NH₂-terminal extension of 66 amino acids directed by the gene was processed in yeast cells and the mature enzyme, whose NH₂-terminus was identical to that of the Mucor enzyme, was efficiently secreted into the medium at a concentration exceeding 150 mg/l. The enzyme secreted from the recombinant yeast was more glycosylated than the native Mucor enzyme but its enzymatic properties were almost identical with those of the native enzyme, which has been used as a milk coagulant in cheese manufacture.     

Fibrinolysis by urokinase endowed with magnetic property

The activated magnetic modifier was synthesized from magnetite, alpha, omega-dicarboxymethylpoly(oxyethylene) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 145, 908-914, 1987). Urokinase was directly coupled with the activated magnetic modifier to obtain magnetic urokinase. The magnetic urokinase dispersed in saline and exerted high fibrinolytic activity (13.8 X 10(4) IU/mg protein), and was readily recovered from saline by magnetic force of 250 Oe. By applying magnetic force, the urokinase was attracted at our will and local fibrinolysis was achieved on fibrin gel in a petri dish.     

The activity of alkaline phosphatase in the sera of DBA/2NCrj and CBA/BrA mice with calcified tongue lesions

Spontaneously occurring calcified lesions were found in the tongues of DBA/2NCrj and CBA/BrA mice. In the DBA/2NCrj strain, the frequency of the lesion was 80% (males) and 88% (females). The youngest age of a mouse with this lesion was 18 days after birth, and 3-4 lesions were found in the tongue of 6- to 8-week-old mice. In CBA/BrA mice, 20% of females and 48% of males had the lesions. No significant differences were found in the serum calcium concentrations in high and low lesion-developing strains, but the alkaline phosphatase activities in the high-developing DBA/2NCrj, DBA/LiA, and CBA/BrA strains were higher than in strains with no calcified lesions.     

Cloning of the Membrane-Bound Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Gene of Acetobacter polyoxogenes and Improvement of Acetic Acid Production by Use of the Cloned Gene

A genomic clone bank of Acetobacter polyoxogenes NBI1028 constructed in Escherichia coli by use of the expression vector pUC18 was screened with antibody raised against membrane-bound aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH; 75 kilodaltons [kDa]) from A. polyoxogenes NBI1028. A clone that synthesized a 41-kDa protein cross-reactive with anti-ALDH antibody was isolated. For cloning of the full-length ALDH structural gene, a cosmid gene bank was screened by Southern blot hybridization with the cloned DNA as a probe, and subcloning from the positive cosmid clone was performed with shuttle vector pMV24. Plasmid pAL25, containing the full-length ALDH structural gene, was isolated and expressed in both E. coli and Acetobacter aceti to produce a fused protein (78 kDa) with a short NH₂-terminal β-galactosidase peptide. pAL25 conferred ALDH production on a mutant of A. aceti lacking the enzyme activity. Transformation of A. aceti subsp. xylinum NBI2099 with pAL25 caused 2- and 1.4-fold increases in the production rate and in the maximum concentration of acetic acid in submerged fermentation, respectively.     

Production of monocyte chemotactic and activating factor (MCAF) by human dermal fibroblasts in response to interleukin 1 or tumor necrosis factor

Normal human dermal fibroblasts rapidly expressed (less than 30 min.) considerable mRNA for monocyte chemotactic and activating factor (MCAF) and released high levels of biological activity in response to interleukin 1 (IL 1) or tumor necrosis factor (TNF). In contrast, cultured normal human keratinocytes did not express MCAF mRNA when stimulated with IL 1 or TNF. These results suggest the important role of dermal fibroblasts, the predominant cells in dermal connective tissue, in the recruitment of monocytes during inflammation. This is the first report of the induction of MCAF by IL 1 or TNF in any cell type.     

Cloning and sequencing of the cDNA for human monocyte chemotactic and activating factor (MCAF)

cDNA clones having a nucleotide sequence encoding a human monocyte chemotactic and activating factor (MCAF) were isolated and sequenced. The amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence reveals the primary structure of the MCAF precursor to be composed of a putative signal peptide sequence of 23 amino acid residues and a mature MCAF sequence of 76 amino acid residues. The amino acid sequence of MCAF showed 25-55% homology with other members of an inducible cytokine family, including macrophage inflammatory protein and some putative polypeptide mediators known as JE, LD78, RANTES and TCA-3. This suggests that MCAF is a member of family of factors involved in immune and inflammatory responses.     

Nerve growth factor (NGF) induces neuronal differentiation in neuroblastoma cells transfected with the NGF receptor cDNA.

Human nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor (NGFR) cDNA was transfected into a neuroblastoma cell line (HTLA 230) which does not express a functional NGF-NGFR signal transduction cascade. Short-term treatment of stably transfected cells (98-3) expressing membrane-bound NGF receptor molecules resulted in a cell cycle-dependent, transient expression of the c-fos gene upon treatment with NGF, suggesting the presence of functional high-affinity NGFR. Extensive outgrowth of neurites and cessation of DNA synthesis occurred in transfectants grown on an extracellular matrix after long-term treatment with NGF, suggesting terminal differentiation. Our data support the idea that introduction of a constitutively expressed NGFR cDNA into cells with neuronal background results in the assembly of a functional NGF-NGFR signal cascade in a permissive extracellular environment.