Cloning, mapping, and expression of the fumarase gene of Escherichia coli K-12.
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Two classes of fumarase-transducing phages, lambda fumA and lambda fumB, were isolated from populations of recombinant phages containing HindIII fragments of Escherichia coli DNA; they were isolated by virtue of their ability to complement the metabolic lesion of a fumarase-negative mutant. The strongly complementing lambda fumA phages contained a 6.2-kilobase HindIII fragment encoding: the fumA gene, located at 35.5 min in the E. coli linkage map and expressing the major fumarase activity; the mannosephosphate isomerase gene, manA; and an unidentified gene, g48. The three genes were located relative to the restriction map of the cloned fragment and the genetic linkage map (terC-g48-fumA-manA-uidAoR), their transcription polarities were defined as anticlockwise in the chromosome, and the molecular weights of the corresponding gene products were established: fumA, 61,500; manA, 42,000; g48, 48,000. Organisms containing the fumA gene sub-cloned in multicopy plasmids overproduced fumarase up to 50-fold. The weakly complementing class of transducing phages, lambda fumB, contained several genes in an 8.2-kilobase HindIII fragment, including one (fumB) that determines a minor fumarase activity. Complementation by fumB was only observed in high-copy situations such as transduction plaques and in strains containing a multicopy plasmid in which 40% of normal fumarase activity was detected. The basis for the complementation by fumB was not defined. (+info)
An Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS571 locus involved in lipopolysaccharide production and nodule formation on Sesbania rostrata stems and roots.
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Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS571 is able to nodulate roots and stems of the tropical legume Sesbania rostrata. An ORS571 Tn5 insertion mutant, strain ORS571-X15, had a rough colony morphology, was nonmotile, and showed clumping behavior on various media. When this pleiotropic mutant was inoculated on roots or stems of the host, no nodules developed (Nod-). Compared with the wild type, strain ORS571-X15 produced lipopolysaccharides (LPS) with an altered ladder pattern on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gels, suggestive of a different O-antigen structure with a lower degree of polymerization. A cosmid clone, pRG20, that fully complemented all phenotypes of ORS571-X15 was isolated. With a 6-kb EcoRI subfragment of pRG20, clumping was relieved and nodulation was almost completely restored, but the strain was still nonmotile. LPS preparations from these complemented strains resembled the wild-type LPS, although minor quantitative and qualitative differences were evident. The sequence of the locus hit by the Tn5 in ORS571-X15 (the oac locus) revealed a striking homology with the rfb locus of Salmonella typhimurium, which is involved in O-antigen biosynthesis. The Tn5 insertion position was mapped to the oac3 gene, homologous to rfbA, encoding dTDP-D-glucose synthase. Biochemical assaying showed that ORS571-X15 is indeed defective in dTDP-D-glucose synthase activity, essential for the production of particular deoxyhexoses. Therefore, it was proposed that the O antigen of the mutant strain is devoid of such sugars. (+info)
Structure of the O antigen of Escherichia coli K-12 and the sequence of its rfb gene cluster.
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Escherichia coli K-12 has long been known not to produce an O antigen. We recently identified two independent mutations in different lineages of K-12 which had led to loss of O antigen synthesis (D. Liu and P. R. Reeves, Microbiology 140:49-57, 1994) and constructed a strain with all rfb (O antigen) genes intact which synthesized a variant of O antigen O16, giving cross-reaction with anti-O17 antibody. We determined the structure of this O antigen to be -->2)-beta-D-Galf-(1-->6)-alpha-D-Glcp- (1-->3)-alpha-L-Rhap-(1-->3)-alpha-D-GlcpNAc-(1-->, with an O-acetyl group on C-2 of the rhamnose and a side chain alpha-D-Glcp on C-6 of GlcNAc. O antigen synthesis is rfe dependent, and D-GlcpNAc is the first sugar of the biological repeat unit. We sequenced the rfb (O antigen) gene cluster and found 11 open reading frames. Four rhamnose pathway genes are identified by similarity to those of other strains, the rhamnose transferase gene is identified by assay of its product, and the identities of other genes are predicted with various degrees of confidence. We interpret earlier observations on interaction between the rfb region of Escherichia coli K-12 and those of E. coli O4 and E. coli Flexneri. All K-12 rfb genes were of low G+C content for E. coli. The rhamnose pathway genes were similar in sequence to those of (Shigella) Dysenteriae 1 and Flexneri, but the other genes showed distant or no similarity. We suggest that the K-12 gene cluster is a member of a family of rfb gene clusters, including those of Dysenteriae 1 and Flexneri, which evolved outside E. coli and was acquired by lateral gene transfer. (+info)
Identification of rfbA, involved in B-band lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa serotype O5.
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Previous work from this laboratory has shown that a 26-kb insert in cosmid clone pFV100, isolated from a Pseudomonas aeruginosa gene library, contained genes that could restore serotype-specific B-band lipopolysaccharide (LPS) expression in rough mutant ge6. In this study, subclones from pFV100 were made to identify genes responsible for B-band LPS synthesis. Transformation of Escherichia coli HB101 with cosmid clone pFV100 resulted in expression of P. aeruginosa serotype O5 B-band LPS, indicating the presence of an rfb cluster in pFV100. Expression of P. aeruginosa LPS could not be achieved in E. coli HB101 transformed with any of the subclones. Complementation studies of well-characterized rough mutants of P. aeruginosa PAO1 deficient in B-band LPS biosynthesis were performed with the various subclones. Subclone pFV110, containing a 1.4-kb XbaI-HindIII insert, restored B-band LPS biosynthesis in mutant AK44 (A+B-; complete core). Probing chromosomal DNA from the 20 International Antigenic Typing Scheme serotypes with the 1.4-kb insert from pFV110 in Southern hybridizations revealed a positive reaction to restriction fragments in serotypes O2, O5, O16, O20, and O18. LPS of serotypes O2, O5, O16, and O20 were shown earlier to have a similar backbone structure in their O antigen. The insert in pFV110 was sequenced, and the deduced amino acid sequence was compared with sequences of protein databases. No significant homology could be detected with any sequences in the database. Open reading frame analysis identified one region, ORF303, which could encode a 33-kDa protein. Using E. coli maxicells for protein expression, orf303 mediated the expression of a unique polypeptide with an apparent molecular mass of 32.5 kDa. The deficiency in the synthesis of B-band LPS biosynthesis in mutant AK44 is apparently complemented by the 33-kDa protein encoded by orf303. We have designated this ORF rfbA. This investigation is the first report on cloning and sequencing of an rfb gene involved specifically in O-antigen biosynthesis in P. aeruginosa PAO1. (+info)
Selenomethionine labelling of phosphomannose isomerase changes its kinetic properties.
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Phosphomannose isomerase (PMI) is an essential enzyme in the early steps of the protein glycosylation pathway in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Lack of the enzyme is lethal for fungal organisms and it is thus a potential fungicidal target. To facilitate the solution of the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme from the pathogen Candida albicans, we have produced the recombinant selenomethionine-labelled enzyme (SeMet-PMI). DL41, a methionine auxotroph Escherichia coli strain, was transformed with a PMI expression plasmid and grown on an enriched selenomethionine-containing medium to high-cell densities. The SeMet-PMI protein has been purified and found by amino acid analysis to have its methionine residues replaced by selenomethionine residues. Electrospray mass spectroscopy showed a major species of 49,063 +/- 10 Da for SeMet-PMI compared to 48,735 +/- 6 Da for the normal recombinant enzyme, accounting for the incorporation of seven selenomethionine residues. SeMet-PMI crystallised isomorphously with the normal PMI protein and the crystals diffract to 0.23 nm. Kinetic characterisation of SeMet-PMI showed that its Km for the substrate mannose-6-phosphate was fourfold higher than that of its methionine-containing counterpart. The inhibition constant for zinc ions was also increased by a similar factor. However, the Vmax was unaltered. These results suggested that one or more methionine residues must be in close proximity to the substrate-binding pocket in the active site, rendering substrate access more difficult compared to the normal enzyme. This hypothesis was confirmed by the finding of four methionine residues lying along one wall of the active site. (+info)
Strong natural selection causes microscale allozyme variation in a marine snail.
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Natural selection is one of the most fundamental processes in biology. However, there is still a controversy over the importance of selection in microevolution of molecular traits. Despite the general lack of data most authors hold the view that selection on molecular characters may be important, but at lower rates than selection on most phenotypic traits. Here we present evidence that natural selection may contribute substantially to molecular variation on a scale of meters only. In populations of the marine snail Littorina saxatilis living on exposed rocky shores, steep microclines in allele frequencies between splash and surf zone groups are present in the enzyme aspartate aminotransferase (allozyme locus Aat; EC. 2.6.1.1). We followed one population over 7 years, including a period of strong natural perturbation. The surf zone part of the population dominated by the allele Aat100 was suddenly eliminated by a bloom of a toxin-producing microflagellate. Downshore migration of splash zone snails with predominantly Aat120 alleles resulted in a drastic increase in surf zone frequency of Aat120, from 0.4 to 0.8 over 2 years. Over the next four to six generations, however, the frequency of Aat120 returned to the original value. We estimated the coefficient of selection of Aat120 in the surf zone to be about 0.4. Earlier studies show similar or even sharper Aat clines in other countries. Thus, we conclude that microclinal selection is an important evolutionary force in this system. (+info)
The identification of cryptic rhamnose biosynthesis genes in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and their relationship to lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis.
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Neisseria gonorrhoeae synthesizes a rough lipopolysaccharide that does not contain any of the repetitive units characteristic of the smooth lipopolysaccharide of members of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Three gonococcal homologs of Salmonella serovar typhimurium genes involved in the synthesis of the rhamnose component of the repetitive subunits have been isolated. Gonococcal homologs for rfbB, rfbA, and rfbD were found downstream of the galE gene in a region of the chromosome which shows overall homology with the meningococcal capsule gene complex region D. Sequence alignment demonstrated that the gonococcal gene products have 69, 65, and 54% amino acid identity with the Salmonella proteins RfbB, RfbA, and RfbD. The gonococcal RfbB and RfbA amino acid sequences share even more identical residues (73 and 65%, respectively) with the amino acid sequences derived from Escherichia coli genes o355 and o292, respectively. These genes are clustered with the genes involved in the biosynthesis of enterobacterial common antigen, and o355 is listed in the GenBank and Swiss Protein data banks as rffE (encoding UDP-GlcNAc-2-epimerase). However, complementation studies demonstrated that o355 does not encode the enzyme UDP-GlcNAc-2-epimerase. Gonococcal strains constructed with null mutations in the rfbBAD genes were unchanged in lipopolysaccharide phenotype and in the synthesis of gonococcal carbohydrate-containing C antigen. We were unable to detect any changes in gonococcal phenotype with respect to lipopolysaccharide sialylation, monoclonal-antibody binding, serum sensitivity, or interaction with eukaryotic cells in vitro. We conclude that the absence of a homolog for rfbC precludes the existence of a functional dTDP-rhamnose biosynthesis pathway in the gonococcal strains examined and that these genes are only maintained in N. gonorrhoeae either because of the presence of the galE gene or because of another as yet unrecognized function. (+info)
Hyphal tip extension in Aspergillus nidulans requires the manA gene, which encodes phosphomannose isomerase.
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A strain of Aspergillus nidulans carrying a temperature-sensitive mutation in the manA gene produces cell walls depleted of D-mannose and forms hyphal tip balloons at the restrictive temperature (B.P. Valentine and B.W. Bainbridge, J. Gen. Microbiol. 109:155-168, 1978). We have isolated and characterized the manA gene and physically located it between 3.5 and 5.5 kb centromere distal of the riboB locus on chromosome VIII. The manA gene contains four introns and encodes a 50.6-kDa protein which has significant sequence identity to type I phosphomannose isomerase proteins from other eukaryotes. We have constructed by integrative transformation a null mutation in the manA gene which can only be maintained in a heterokaryotic strain with wild-type manA+ nuclei. Thus, a manA null mutation is lethal in A. nidulans. The phenotype of the mutation was analyzed in germinating conidia. Such conidia are able to commence germination but swell abnormally, sometimes producing a misshapen germ tube, before growth ceases. The reason for the lethality is probably the lack of synthesis of mannose-containing cell wall polymers that must be required for normal cell wall development in growing hyphae. (+info)