scholarly journals The expression of canine cardiac phospholamban in heterologous systems

1989 ◽  
Vol 264 (2) ◽  
pp. 533-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
E A Cook ◽  
J P Huggins ◽  
G Sathe ◽  
P J England ◽  
J R Piggott

A synthetic phospholamban gene has been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, producing both native phospholamban and a fusion protein with 81 amino acids of the influenza virus NS1 protein. Both the native phospholamban and fusion proteins produced extensive cell lysis upon induction of gene expression, but only the native protein underwent spontaneous pentamer formation in E. coli. Translation in vitro of mRNA produced by transcription in vitro of phospholamban cDNA was used to demonstrate the spontaneous aggregation of phospholamban to form pentamers in this system also, both in the presence and absence of exogenous microsomes from canine pancreas or heart. Phospholamban produced by translation in vitro was apparently susceptible to proteolysis by enzymes present in the particulate fractions in these experiments.

1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (9) ◽  
pp. 2359-2366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Tan ◽  
Tamas Gaal ◽  
Richard L. Gourse ◽  
Joanne N. Engel

ABSTRACT We have characterized the Chlamydia trachomatisribosomal promoter, rRNA P1, by measuring the effect of substitutions and deletions on in vitro transcription with partially purifiedC. trachomatis RNA polymerase. Our analyses indicate that rRNA P1 contains potential −10 and −35 elements, analogous toEscherichia coli promoters recognized by E-ς70. We identified a novel AT-rich region immediately downstream of the −35 region. The effect of this region was specific for C. trachomatis RNA polymerase and strongly attenuated by single G or C substitutions. Upstream of the −35 region was an AT-rich sequence that enhanced transcription by C. trachomatis and E. coli RNA polymerases. We propose that this region functions as an UP element.


2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (9) ◽  
pp. 3442-3457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael S. Schwalbach ◽  
David H. Keating ◽  
Mary Tremaine ◽  
Wesley D. Marner ◽  
Yaoping Zhang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe physiology of ethanologenicEscherichia coligrown anaerobically in alkali-pretreated plant hydrolysates is complex and not well studied. To gain insight into howE. coliresponds to such hydrolysates, we studied anE. coliK-12 ethanologen fermenting a hydrolysate prepared from corn stover pretreated by ammonia fiber expansion. Despite the high sugar content (∼6% glucose, 3% xylose) and relatively low toxicity of this hydrolysate,E. coliceased growth long before glucose was depleted. Nevertheless, the cells remained metabolically active and continued conversion of glucose to ethanol until all glucose was consumed. Gene expression profiling revealed complex and changing patterns of metabolic physiology and cellular stress responses during an exponential growth phase, a transition phase, and the glycolytically active stationary phase. During the exponential and transition phases, high cell maintenance and stress response costs were mitigated, in part, by free amino acids available in the hydrolysate. However, after the majority of amino acids were depleted, the cells entered stationary phase, and ATP derived from glucose fermentation was consumed entirely by the demands of cell maintenance in the hydrolysate. Comparative gene expression profiling and metabolic modeling of the ethanologen suggested that the high energetic cost of mitigating osmotic, lignotoxin, and ethanol stress collectively limits growth, sugar utilization rates, and ethanol yields in alkali-pretreated lignocellulosic hydrolysates.


2010 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 1266-1269 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Briales ◽  
J. M. Rodríguez-Martínez ◽  
C. Velasco ◽  
P. Díaz de Alba ◽  
J. Domínguez-Herrera ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThis article provides an analysis of thein vitroeffect ofqnrA1,qnrB1, andqnrS1genes, combined with quinolone-resistant Ser83Leu substitutions in GyrA and/or Ser80Arg in ParC, on fluoroquinolone (FQ) resistance in isogenicEscherichia colistrains. The association of Ser83Leu substitution in GyrA, Ser80Arg substitution in ParC, andqnrgene expression increased the MIC of ciprofloxacin to 2 μg/ml.qnrgenes present inE. colithat harbored a Ser83Leu substitution in GyrA increased mutant prevention concentration (MPC) values to 8 to 32 μg/ml.qnrgene expression inE. colimay play an important role in selecting for one-step FQ-resistant mutants.


2020 ◽  
Vol 88 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail S. Mickey ◽  
James P. Nataro

ABSTRACT Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is an E. coli pathotype associated with diarrhea and growth faltering. EAEC virulence gene expression is controlled by the autoactivated AraC family transcriptional regulator, AggR. AggR activates transcription of a large number of virulence genes, including Aar, which in turn acts as a negative regulator of AggR itself. Aar has also been shown to affect expression of E. coli housekeeping genes, including H-NS, a global regulator that acts at multiple promoters and silences AT-rich genes (such as those in the AggR regulon). Although Aar has been shown to bind both AggR and H-NS in vitro, functional significance of these interactions has not been shown in vivo. In order to dissect this regulatory network, we removed the complex interdependence of aggR and aar by placing the genes under the control of titratable promoters. We measured phenotypic and genotypic changes on downstream genes in EAEC strain 042 and E. coli K-12 strain DH5α, which lacks the AggR regulon. In EAEC, we found that low expression of aar increases aafA fimbrial gene expression via H-NS; however, when aar is more highly expressed, it acts as a negative regulator via AggR. In DH5α, aar affected expression of E. coli genes in some cases via H-NS and in some cases independent of H-NS. Our data support the model that Aar interacts in concert with AggR, H-NS, and possibly other regulators and that these interactions are likely to be functionally significant in vivo.


1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (20) ◽  
pp. 5375-5383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilma Ross ◽  
Sarah E. Aiyar ◽  
Julia Salomon ◽  
Richard L. Gourse

ABSTRACT The α subunit of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase (RNAP) participates in promoter recognition through specific interactions with UP element DNA, a region upstream of the recognition hexamers for the ς subunit (the −10 and −35 hexamers). UP elements have been described in only a small number of promoters, including the rRNA promoter rrnB P1, where the sequence has a very large (30- to 70-fold) effect on promoter activity. Here, we analyzed the effects of upstream sequences from several additional E. coli promoters (rrnD P1, rrnB P2, λp R, lac, merT, and RNA II). The relative effects of different upstream sequences were compared in the context of their own core promoters or as hybrids to thelac core promoter. Different upstream sequences had different effects, increasing transcription from 1.5- to ∼90-fold, and several had the properties of UP elements: they increased transcription in vitro in the absence of accessory protein factors, and transcription stimulation required the C-terminal domain of the RNAP α subunit. The effects of the upstream sequences correlated generally with their degree of similarity to an UP element consensus sequence derived previously. Protection of upstream sequences by RNAP in footprinting experiments occurred in all cases and was thus not a reliable indicator of UP element strength. These data support a modular view of bacterial promoters in which activity reflects the composite effects of RNAP interactions with appropriately spaced recognition elements (−10, −35, and UP elements), each of which contributes to activity depending on its similarity to the consensus.


Author(s):  
Chuqiao Zhang ◽  
Yuka Yashiro ◽  
Yuriko Sakaguchi ◽  
Tsutomu Suzuki ◽  
Kozo Tomita

Abstract Escherichia coli ItaT toxin reportedly acetylates the α-amino group of the aminoacyl-moiety of Ile-tRNAIle specifically, using acetyl-CoA as an acetyl donor, thereby inhibiting protein synthesis. The mechanism of the substrate specificity of ItaT had remained elusive. Here, we present functional and structural analyses of E. coli ItaT, which revealed the mechanism of ItaT recognition of specific aminoacyl-tRNAs for acetylation. In addition to Ile-tRNAIle, aminoacyl-tRNAs charged with hydrophobic residues, such as Val-tRNAVal and Met-tRNAMet, were acetylated by ItaT in vivo. Ile-tRNAIle, Val-tRNAVal and Met-tRNAMet were acetylated by ItaT in vitro, while aminoacyl-tRNAs charged with other hydrophobic residues, such as Ala-tRNAAla, Leu-tRNALeu and Phe-tRNAPhe, were less efficiently acetylated. A comparison of the structures of E. coli ItaT and the protein N-terminal acetyltransferase identified the hydrophobic residues in ItaT that possibly interact with the aminoacyl moiety of aminoacyl-tRNAs. Mutations of the hydrophobic residues of ItaT reduced the acetylation activity of ItaT toward Ile-tRNAIlein vitro, as well as the ItaT toxicity in vivo. Altogether, the size and shape of the hydrophobic pocket of ItaT are suitable for the accommodation of the specific aminoacyl-moieties of aminoacyl-tRNAs, and ItaT has broader specificity toward aminoacyl-tRNAs charged with certain hydrophobic amino acids.


2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (5) ◽  
pp. 1407-1416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judah L. Rosner ◽  
Bindi Dangi ◽  
Angela M. Gronenborn ◽  
Robert G. Martin

ABSTRACT The transcriptional activator Rob consists of an N-terminal domain (NTD) of 120 amino acids responsible for DNA binding and promoter activation and a C-terminal domain (CTD) of 169 amino acids of unknown function. Although several thousand molecules of Rob are normally present per Escherichia coli cell, they activate promoters of the rob regulon poorly. We report here that in cells treated with either 2,2"- or 4,4"-dipyridyl (the latter is not a metal chelator), Rob-mediated transcription of various rob regulon promoters was increased substantially. A small, growth-phase-dependent effect of dipyridyl on the rob promoter was observed. However, dipyridyl enhanced Rob's activity even when rob was regulated by a heterologous (lac) promoter showing that the action of dipyridyl is mainly posttranscriptional. Mutants lacking from 30 to 166 of the C-terminal amino acids of Rob had basal levels of activity similar to that of wild-type cells, but dipyridyl treatment did not enhance this activity. Thus, the CTD is not an inhibitor of Rob but is required for activation of Rob by dipyridyl. In contrast to its relatively low activity in vivo, Rob binding to cognate DNA and activation of transcription in vitro is similar to that of MarA, which has a homologous NTD but no CTD. In vitro nuclear magnetic resonance studies demonstrated that 2,2"-dipyridyl binds to Rob but not to the CTD-truncated Rob or to MarA, suggesting that the effect of dipyridyl on Rob is direct. Thus, it appears that Rob can be converted from a low activity state to a high-activity state by a CTD-mediated mechanism in vivo or by purification in vitro.


2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (9) ◽  
pp. 3243-3254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sybille Schwendener ◽  
Vincent Perreten

ABSTRACTFourStaphylococcus aureus-Escherichia colishuttle vectors were constructed for gene expression and production of tagged fusion proteins. Vectors pBUS1-HC and pTSSCm have no promoter upstream of the multiple cloning site (MCS), and this allows study of genes under the control of their native promoters, and pBUS1-Pcap-HC and pTSSCm-Pcapcontain the strong constitutive promoter ofS. aureustype 1 capsule gene 1A (Pcap) upstream of a novel MCS harboring codons for the peptide tag Arg-Gly-Ser-hexa-His (rgs-his6). All plasmids contained the backbone derived from pBUS1, including theE. coliorigin ColE1, five copies of terminatorrrnBT1, and tetracycline resistance markertet(L) forS. aureusandE. coli. The minimum pAMα1 replicon from pBUS1 was improved through either complementation with the single-strand originoriLfrom pUB110 (pBUS1-HC and pBUS1-Pcap-HC) or substitution with a pT181-family replicon (pTSSCm and pTSSCm-Pcap). The new constructs displayed increased plasmid yield and segregational stability inS. aureus. Furthermore, pBUS1-Pcap-HC and pTSSCm-Pcapoffer the potential to generate C-terminal RGS-His6translational fusions of cloned genes using simple molecular manipulation. BcgI-induced DNA excision followed by religation converts the TGA stop codon of the MCS into a TGC codon and links thergs-his6codons to the 3′ end of the target gene. The generation of thergs-his6codon-fusion, gene expression, and protein purification were demonstrated in bothS. aureusandE. coliusing the macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B resistance geneerm(44) inserted downstream of Pcap. The new His tag expression system represents a helpful tool for the direct analysis of target gene function in staphylococcal cells.


1999 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 260-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Weger ◽  
Meike Wendland ◽  
Jürgen A. Kleinschmidt ◽  
Regine Heilbronn

ABSTRACT The adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV-2) Rep78/Rep68 regulatory proteins are pleiotropic effectors of viral and cellular DNA replication, of cellular transformation by viral and cellular oncogenes, and of homologous and heterologous gene expression. To search for cellular proteins involved in mediating these functions, we used Rep68 as bait in the yeast two-hybrid system and identified the transcriptional coactivator PC4 as a Rep interaction partner. PC4 has been shown to mediate transcriptional activation by a variety of sequence-specific transcription factors in vitro. Rep amino acids 172 to 530 were sufficient and amino acids 172 to 224 were absolutely necessary for the interaction with PC4. The PC4 domains required for interaction were mapped to the C-terminal single-stranded DNA-binding domain of PC4. In glutathione S-transferase (GST) pull-down assays, in vitro-transcribed and -translated Rep78 or Rep68 proteins were bound specifically by GST-PC4 fusion proteins. Similarly, PC4 expressed in Escherichia coli was bound by GST-Rep fusion proteins, confirming the direct interaction between Rep and PC4 in vitro. Rep was found to have a higher affinity for the nonphosphorylated, transcriptionally active form of PC4 than for the phosphorylated, transcriptionally inactive form. The latter is predominant in nuclear extracts of HeLa or 293 cells. In the yeast system, but not in vitro, Rep-PC4 interaction was disrupted by a point mutation in the putative nucleotide-binding site of Rep68, suggesting that a stable interaction between Rep and PC4 in vivo is ATP dependent. This mutation has also been shown to impair Rep function in AAV-2 DNA replication and in inhibition of gene expression and inducible DNA amplification. Cytomegalovirus promoter-driven overexpression of PC4 led to transient accumulation of nonphosphorylated PC4 with concomitant downregulation of all three AAV-2 promoters in the absence of helper virus. In the presence of adenovirus, this effect was relieved. These results imply an involvement of the transcriptional coactivator PC4 in the regulation of AAV-2 gene expression in the absence of helper virus.


2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (2) ◽  
pp. 488-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel A. Valvano ◽  
Cristina L. Marolda ◽  
Mauricio Bittner ◽  
Mike Glaskin-Clay ◽  
Tania L. Simon ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The intermediate steps in the biosynthesis of the ADP-l-glycero-d-manno-heptose precursor of inner core lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are not yet elucidated. We isolated a mini-Tn10 insertion that confers a heptoseless LPS phenotype in the chromosome of Escherichia coli K-12. The mutation was in a gene homologous to the previously reported rfaE gene from Haemophilus influenzae. The E. coli rfaE gene was cloned into an expression vector, and an in vitro transcription-translation experiment revealed a polypeptide of approximately 55 kDa in mass. Comparisons of the predicted amino acid sequence with other proteins in the database showed the presence of two clearly separate domains. Domain I (amino acids 1 to 318) shared structural features with members of the ribokinase family, while Domain II (amino acids 344 to 477) had conserved features of the cytidylyltransferase superfamily that includes the aut gene product of Ralstonia eutrophus. Each domain was expressed individually, demonstrating that only Domain I could complement therfaE::Tn10 mutation in E. coli, as well as the rfaE543 mutation ofSalmonella enterica SL1102. DNA sequencing of therfaE543 gene revealed that Domain I had one amino acid substitution and a 12-bp in-frame deletion resulting in the loss of four amino acids, while Domain II remained intact. We also demonstrated that the aut::Tn5 mutation inR. eutrophus is associated with heptoseless LPS, and this phenotype was restored following the introduction of a plasmid expressing the E. coli Domain II. Thus, both domains ofrfaE are functionally different and genetically separable confirming that the encoded protein is bifunctional. We propose that Domain I is involved in the synthesis ofd-glycero-d-manno-heptose 1-phosphate, whereas Domain II catalyzes the ADP transfer to form ADP-d-glycero-d-manno-heptose.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document