scholarly journals NEGATIVE DOMINANT MUTATIONS OF THE uidR GENE IN ESCHERICHIA COLI: GENETIC PROOF FOR A COOPERATIVE REGULATION OF uidA EXPRESSION

Genetics ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 112 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-182
Author(s):  
Carlos Blanco ◽  
Paul Ritzenthaler ◽  
Mireille Mata-Gilsinger

ABSTRACT The uidA gene is the first gene involved in the hexuronide-hexuronate pathway in Escherichia coli K-12 and is under the dual control of the uidR and uxuR encoded repressors. Point mutations affecting the uidR regulatory gene were sought to investigate the regulation of uidA. When the uidR mutant allele was on a multicopy plasmid and the wild-type allele was on the chromosome, some of the mutant phenotypes were dominant to the wild-type phenotype, indicating that the active form of the UidR repressor is multimeric. We have demonstrated that expression of the mutant phenotype is dependent on gene dosage. The dominance of the uidR allele was also sensitive to the presence of the wild-type uxuR allele in the cell. This behavior probably results from UidR-UxuR repressor interactions. A mechanism is proposed: we suggest that the UidR and UxuR repressors interact after their binding to the operator site of uidA; the binding of one regulatory molecule may facilitate the binding of the other one in a cooperative process.

2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (9) ◽  
pp. 2699-2707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony R. Poteete

ABSTRACT The orf gene of bacteriophage λ, fused to a promoter, was placed in the galK locus of Escherichia coli K-12. Orf was found to suppress the recombination deficiency and sensitivity to UV radiation of mutants, in a Δ(recC ptr recB recD)::P tac gam bet exo pae cI ΔrecG background, lacking recF, recO, recR, ruvAB, and ruvC functions. It also suppressed defects of these mutants in establishing replication of a pSC101-related plasmid. Compared to orf, the recA803 allele had only small effects on recF, recO, and recR mutant phenotypes and no effect on a ruvAB mutant. In a fully wild-type background with respect to known recombination and repair functions, orf partially suppressed the UV sensitivity of ruvAB and ruvC mutants.


Genetics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 143 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J Sandler ◽  
Hardeep S Samra ◽  
Alvin J Clark

Abstract First identified as an essential component of the ϕX174 in vitro DNA replication system, PriA has ATPase, helicase, translocase, and primosome-assembly activities. priA1::kan strains of Escherichia coli are sensitive to UV irradiation, deficient in homologous recombination following transduction, and filamentous. priA2::kan strains have eightfold higher levels of uninduced SOS expression than wild type. We show that (1) priA1::kan strains have eightfold higher levels of uninduced SOS expression, (2) priA2::kan strains are UVS and Rec−, (3) lexA3 suppresses the high basal levels of SOS expression of a priA2::kan strain, and (4) plasmid-encoded priA300 (K230R), a mutant allele retaining only the primosome-assembly activity of priA+, restores both UVR and Rec+ phenotypes to a priA2::kan strain. Finally, we have isolated 17 independent UVR Rec+ revertants of priA2::kan strains that carry extragenic suppressors. All 17 map in the C-terminal half of the dnaC gene. DnaC loads the DnaB helicase onto DNA as a prelude for primosome assembly and DNA replication. We conclude that priA's primosome-assembly activity is essential for DNA repair and recombination and that the dnaC suppressor mutations allow these processes to occur in the absence of priA.


2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (13) ◽  
pp. 4402-4406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Volkmar Braun ◽  
Christina Herrmann

ABSTRACT Replacement of glutamate 176, the only charged amino acid in the third transmembrane helix of ExbB, with alanine (E176A) abolished ExbB activity in all determined ExbB-dependent functions of Escherichia coli. Combination of the mutations T148A in the second transmembrane helix and T181A in the third transmembrane helix, proposed to form part of a proton pathway through ExbB, also resulted in inactive ExbB. E176 and T148 are strictly conserved in ExbB and TolQ proteins, and T181 is almost strictly conserved in ExbB, TolQ, and MotA.


2004 ◽  
Vol 72 (12) ◽  
pp. 7030-7039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eckhard Strauch ◽  
Christoph Schaudinn ◽  
Lothar Beutin

ABSTRACT A bacteriophage encoding the Shiga toxin 2c variant (Stx2c) was isolated from the human Escherichia coli O157 strain CB2851 and shown to form lysogens on the E. coli K-12 laboratory strains C600 and MG1655. Production of Stx2c was found in the wild-type E. coli O157 strain and the K-12 lysogens and was inducible by growing bacteria in the presence of ciprofloxacin. Phage 2851 is the first reported viable bacteriophage which carries an stx 2c gene. Electron micrographs of phage 2851 showed particles with elongated hexagonal heads and long flexible tails resembling phage lambda. Sequence analysis of an 8.4-kb region flanking the stx 2c gene and other genetic elements revealed a mosaic gene structure, as found in other Stx phages. Phage 2851 showed lysis of E. coli K-12 strains lysogenic for Stx phages encoding Stx1 (H19), Stx2 (933W), Stx (7888), and Stx1c (6220) but showed superinfection immunity with phage lambda, presumably originating from the similarity of the cI repressor proteins of both phages. Apparently, phage 2851 integrates at a different chromosomal locus than Stx2 phage 933W and Stx1 phage H19 in E. coli, explaining why Stx2c is often found in combination with Stx1 or Stx2 in E. coli O157 strains. Diagnostic PCR was performed to determine gene sequences specific for phage 2851 in wild-type E. coli O157 strains producing Stx2c. The phage 2851 q and o genes were frequently detected in Stx2c-producing E. coli O157 strains, indicating that phages related to 2851 are associated with Stx2c production in strains of E. coli O157 that were isolated in different locations and time periods.


Genetics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 216 (2) ◽  
pp. 381-393
Author(s):  
Anastasiia N. Klimova ◽  
Steven J. Sandler

RecA is essential for double-strand-break repair (DSBR) and the SOS response in Escherichia coli K-12. RecN is an SOS protein and a member of the Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes family of proteins thought to play a role in sister chromatid cohesion/interactions during DSBR. Previous studies have shown that a plasmid-encoded recA4190 (Q300R) mutant had a phenotype similar to ∆recN (mitomycin C sensitive and UV resistant). It was hypothesized that RecN and RecA physically interact, and that recA4190 specifically eliminated this interaction. To test this model, an epistasis analysis between recA4190 and ∆recN was performed in wild-type and recBC sbcBC cells. To do this, recA4190 was first transferred to the chromosome. As single mutants, recA4190 and ∆recN were Rec+ as measured by transductional recombination, but were 3-fold and 10-fold decreased in their ability to do I-SceI-induced DSBR, respectively. In both cases, the double mutant had an additive phenotype relative to either single mutant. In the recBC sbcBC background, recA4190 and ∆recN cells were very UVS (sensitive), Rec−, had high basal levels of SOS expression and an altered distribution of RecA-GFP structures. In all cases, the double mutant had additive phenotypes. These data suggest that recA4190 (Q300R) and ∆recN remove functions in genetically distinct pathways important for DNA repair, and that RecA Q300 was not important for an interaction between RecN and RecA in vivo. recA4190 (Q300R) revealed modest phenotypes in a wild-type background and dramatic phenotypes in a recBC sbcBC strain, reflecting greater stringency of RecA’s role in that background.


2006 ◽  
Vol 74 (8) ◽  
pp. 4685-4693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiqing Sheng ◽  
Ji Youn Lim ◽  
Hannah J. Knecht ◽  
Jie Li ◽  
Carolyn J. Hovde

ABSTRACT The human pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7 causes hemorrhagic colitis and life-threatening sequelae and transiently colonizes healthy cattle at the terminal rectal mucosa. This study analyzed virulence factors important for the clinical manifestations of human E. coli O157:H7 infection for their contribution to the persistence of E. coli in cattle. The colonizing ability of E. coli O157:H7 was compared with those of nonpathogenic E. coli K-12 and isogenic deletion mutants missing Shiga toxin (Stx), the adhesin intimin, its receptor Tir, hemolysin, or the ∼92-kb pO157. Fully ruminant steers received a single rectal application of one E. coli strain so that effects of mucosal attachment and survival at the terminal rectum could be measured without the impact of bacterial passage through the entire gastrointestinal tract. Colonization was monitored by sensitive recto-anal junction mucosal swab culture. Nonpathogenic E. coli K-12 did not colonize as well as E. coli O157:H7 at the bovine terminal rectal mucosa. The E. coli O157:H7 best able to persist had intimin, Tir, and the pO157. Strains missing even one of these factors were recovered in lower numbers and were cleared faster than the wild type. In contrast, E. coli O157:H7 strains that were missing Stx or hemolysin colonized like the wild type. For these three strains, the number of bacteria increased between days 1 and 4 postapplication and then decreased slowly. In contrast, the numbers of noncolonizing strains (K-12, Δtir, and Δeae) decreased from the day of application. These patterns consistently predicted long-term colonization or clearance of the bacteria from the bovine terminal rectal mucosa.


2020 ◽  
Vol 202 (23) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasiia N. Klimova ◽  
Steven J. Sandler

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli PriA and PriC recognize abandoned replication forks and direct reloading of the DnaB replicative helicase onto the lagging-strand template coated with single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB). Both PriA and PriC have been shown by biochemical and structural studies to physically interact with the C terminus of SSB. In vitro, these interactions trigger remodeling of the SSB on ssDNA. priA341(R697A) and priC351(R155A) negated the SSB remodeling reaction in vitro. Plasmid-carried priC351(R155A) did not complement priC303::kan, and priA341(R697A) has not yet been tested for complementation. Here, we further studied the SSB-binding pockets of PriA and PriC by placing priA341(R697A), priA344(R697E), priA345(Q701E), and priC351(R155A) on the chromosome and characterizing the mutant strains. All three priA mutants behaved like the wild type. In a ΔpriB strain, the mutations caused modest increases in SOS expression, cell size, and defects in nucleoid partitioning (Par−). Overproduction of SSB partially suppressed these phenotypes for priA341(R697A) and priA344(R697E). The priC351(R155A) mutant behaved as expected: there was no phenotype in a single mutant, and there were severe growth defects when this mutation was combined with ΔpriB. Analysis of the priBC mutant revealed two populations of cells: those with wild-type phenotypes and those that were extremely filamentous and Par− and had high SOS expression. We conclude that in vivo, priC351(R155A) identified an essential residue and function for PriC, that PriA R697 and Q701 are important only in the absence of PriB, and that this region of the protein may have a complicated relationship with SSB. IMPORTANCE Escherichia coli PriA and PriC recruit the replication machinery to a collapsed replication fork after it is repaired and needs to be restarted. In vitro studies suggest that the C terminus of SSB interacts with certain residues in PriA and PriC to recruit those proteins to the repaired fork, where they help remodel it for restart. Here, we placed those mutations on the chromosome and tested the effect of mutating these residues in vivo. The priC mutation completely abolished function. The priA mutations had no effect by themselves. They did, however, display modest phenotypes in a priB-null strain. These phenotypes were partially suppressed by SSB overproduction. These studies give us further insight into the reactions needed for replication restart.


2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (11) ◽  
pp. 3708-3712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Nonaka ◽  
Sean R. Connell ◽  
Diane E. Taylor

ABSTRACT Tetracycline resistance in clinical isolates of Helicobacter pylori has been associated with nucleotide substitutions at positions 965 to 967 in the 16S rRNA. We constructed mutants which had different sequences at 965 to 967 in the 16S rRNA gene present on a multicopy plasmid in Escherichia coli strain TA527, in which all seven rrn genes were deleted. The MICs for tetracycline of all mutants having single, double, or triple substitutions at the 965 to 967 region that were previously found in highly resistant H. pylori isolates were higher than that of the mutant exhibiting the wild-type sequence of tetracycline-susceptible H. pylori. The MIC of the mutant with the 965TTC967 triple substitution was 32 times higher than that of the E. coli mutant with the 965AGA967 substitution present in wild-type H. pylori. The ribosomes extracted from the tetracycline-resistant E. coli 965TTC967 variant bound less tetracycline than E. coli with the wild-type H. pylori sequence at this region. The concentration of tetracycline bound to the ribosome was 40% that of the wild type. The results of this study suggest that tetracycline binding to the primary binding site (Tet-1) of the ribosome at positions 965 to 967 is influenced by its sequence patterns, which form the primary binding site for tetracycline.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian P. Anton ◽  
Alexey Fomenkov ◽  
Elisabeth A. Raleigh ◽  
Mehmet Berkmen

SHuffle strains are genetically engineered Escherichia coli strains that are capable of oxidizing cysteines within proteins to form disulfide bonds. Here we present the complete genome of both the K-12 and B versions of SHuffle strains along with their parental ancestors. These strains have been of significant use to both the general scientific community and the biotech industry, interested in producing novel disulfide-bonded proteins that were hitherto unable to be expressed in standard E. coli expression strains.


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