scholarly journals THYMIDINE UTILIZATION BY tut MUTANTS AND FACILE CLONING OF MUTANT ALLELES BY PLASMID CONVERSION IN S. CEREVISIAE

Genetics ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 114 (3) ◽  
pp. 753-767
Author(s):  
Robert A Sclafani ◽  
Walton L Fangman

ABSTRACT Plasmid pJM81 contains a Herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (TK) gene that is expressed in yeast. Cells containing the plasmid utilize thymidine (TdR) and the analogue 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BUdR) for specific incorporation into DNA. TdR auxotrophs, harboring plasmid pJM81 and a mutation in the yeast gene TMP1 require high concentrations of TdR (300 μg/ml) to support normal growth rates and the wild-type mitochondrial genome (ρ+) cannot be maintained. We have identified a yeast gene, TUT1, in which recessive mutations allow efficient utilization of lower concentrations of TdR. Strains containing the mutations tmp1 and tut1, as well as plasmid pJM81, form colonies at 2 μg/ml TdR, grow at nearly normal rates and maintain the ρ+ genome at 50 μg/ml TdR. These strains can be used to radiolabel DNA specifically and to synchronize DNA replication by TdR starvation. In addition, the substitution of BUdR for TdR allows the selective killing of DNA-synthesizing cells by 310-nm irradiation and allows the separation of replicated and unreplicated forms of DNA by CsCl equilibrium density banding. We also describe a unique, generally applicable system for cloning mutant alleles that exploits the fact that Tk+ yeast cells are sensitive to 5-fluorodeoxyuridine (FUdR) and that gene conversions can occur between a yeast chromosome and a TK-containing plasmid.

1999 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norihiro Mutoh ◽  
Chiaki W Nakagawa ◽  
Kenichiro Yamada

The role of catalase in hydrogen peroxide resistance in Schizosaccharomyces pombe was investigated. A catalase gene disruptant completely lacking catalase activity is more sensitive to hydrogen peroxide than the parent strain. The mutant does not acquire hydrogen peroxide resistance by osmotic stress, a treatment that induces catalase activity in the wild-type cells. The growth rate of the disruptant is not different from that of the parent strain. Additionally, transformed cells that overexpress the catalase activity are more resistant to hydrogen peroxide than wild-type cells with normal catalase activity. These results indicate that the catalase of S. pombe plays an important role in resistance to high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide but offers little in the way of protection from the hydrogen peroxide generated in small amounts under normal growth conditions.Key words: catalase, gene disruption, induced hydrogen peroxide resistance, overexpression, Schizosaccharomyces pombe.


1988 ◽  
Vol 34 (12) ◽  
pp. 1338-1343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hisao Miyata ◽  
Machiko Miyata ◽  
Byron F. Johnson

The growth patterns of individual cells of the fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe wild-type cells, strain 972 h−; cells exposed to hydroxyurea; and cdc mutants, 11-123, 2-33) were investigated by time-lapse photomicrography. Wild-type cells showed one, two, or three linear-growth segments followed by a constant-length stage. Cells with two segments were most frequent. Hydroxyurea cells that divided as oversized cells (about three times the birth length) had three linear-growth segments in a cycle. Mutant cdc11-123 cells did not divide but had a constant-length stage separating the cycles; both the first and second cycles consisted of two linear-growth segments, and cells were oversized at the second constant-length stage (about 3.5 times the birth length). Elongating cdc2-33 cells that did not divide and were oversized (about five times the birth length) while under observation, showed four linear-growth segments. Cells of all strains showed 30 to 40% increase in growth rate at the rate-change point and maintained approximate exponential (pseudo-exponential) growth. We conclude that the normal growth pattern of individual fission-yeast cells is the pseudo-exponential pattern.


2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (5) ◽  
pp. 1721-1732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gonçalo Real ◽  
Adriano O. Henriques

ABSTRACT The Bacillus subtilis murB gene, encoding UDP-N-acetylenolpyruvoylglucosamine reductase, a key enzyme in the peptidoglycan (PG) biosynthetic pathway, is embedded in the dcw (for “division and cell wall”) cluster immediately upstream of divIB. Previous attempts to inactivate murB were unsuccessful, suggesting its essentiality. Here we show that the cell morphology, growth rate, and resistance to cell wall-active antibiotics of murB conditional mutants is a function of the expression level of murB. In one mutant, in which murB was insertionally inactivated in a merodiploid bearing a second xylose-inducible PxylA-murB allele, DivIB levels were reduced and a normal growth rate was achieved only if MurB levels were threefold that of the wild-type strain. However, expression of an extra copy of divIB restored normal growth at wild-type levels of MurB. In contrast, DivIB levels were normal in a second mutant containing an in-frame deletion of murB (ΔmurB) in the presence of the PxylA-murB gene. Furthermore, this strain grew normally with wild-type levels of MurB. During sporulation, the levels of MurB were highest at the time of synthesis of the spore cortex PG. Interestingly, the ΔmurB PxylA-murB mutant did not sporulate efficiently even at high concentrations of inducer. Since high levels of inducer did not interfere with sporulation of a murB + PxylA-murB strain, it appears that ectopic expression of murB fails to support efficient sporulation. These data suggest that coordinate expression of divIB and murB is important for growth and sporulation. The genetic context of the murB gene within the dcw cluster is unique to the Bacillus group and, taken together with our data, suggests that in these species it contributes to the optimal expression of cell division and PG biosynthetic functions during both vegetative growth and spore development.


Genetics ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 153 (4) ◽  
pp. 1573-1581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanna Chou ◽  
Sukalyan Chatterjee ◽  
Mark Lee ◽  
Kevin Struhl

Abstract The general transcription factor IIA (TFIIA) forms a complex with TFIID at the TATA promoter element, and it inhibits the function of several negative regulators of the TATA-binding protein (TBP) subunit of TFIID. Biochemical experiments suggest that TFIIA is important in the response to transcriptional activators because activation domains can interact with TFIIA, increase recruitment of TFIID and TFIIA to the promoter, and promote isomerization of the TFIID-TFIIA-TATA complex. Here, we describe a double-shut-off approach to deplete yeast cells of Toa1, the large subunit of TFIIA, to <1% of the wild-type level. Interestingly, such TFIIA-depleted cells are essentially unaffected for activation by heat shock factor, Ace1, and Gal4-VP16. However, depletion of TFIIA causes a general two- to threefold decrease of transcription from most yeast promoters and a specific cell-cycle arrest at the G2-M boundary. These results indicate that transcriptional activation in vivo can occur in the absence of TFIIA.


Genetics ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 137 (3) ◽  
pp. 867-874
Author(s):  
P A Okubara ◽  
P A Anderson ◽  
O E Ochoa ◽  
R W Michelmore

Abstract As part of our investigation of disease resistance in lettuce, we generated mutants that have lost resistance to Bremia lactucae, the casual fungus of downy mildew. Using a rapid and reliable screen, we identified 16 distinct mutants of Latuca sativa that have lost activity of one of four different downy mildew resistance genes (Dm). In all mutants, only a single Dm specificity was affected. Genetic analysis indicated that the lesions segregated as single, recessive mutations at the Dm loci. Dm3 was inactivated in nine of the mutants. One of five Dm 1 mutants was selected from a population of untreated seeds and therefore carried a spontaneous mutation. All other Dm1, Dm3, Dm5/8 and Dm7 mutants were derived from gamma- or fast neutron-irradiated seed. In two separate Dm 1 mutants and in each of the eight Dm3 mutants analyzed, at least one closely linked molecular marker was absent. Also, high molecular weight genomic DNA fragments that hybridized to a tightly linked molecular marker in wild type were either missing entirely or were truncated in two of the Dm3 mutants, providing additional evidence that deletions had occurred in these mutants. Absence of mutations at loci epistatic to the Dm genes suggested that such loci were either members of multigene families, were critical for plant survival, or encoded components of duplicated pathways for resistance; alternatively, the genes determining downy mildew resistance might be limited to the Dm loci.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1009
Author(s):  
Kirill Tkachenko ◽  
Irina Kosareva ◽  
Marina Frontasyeva

Manganese, as one of the xenobionts, belongs to the group of heavy metals, which, in high concentrations, can negatively affect the development of plants. In small concentrations, it is necessary for plants for normal growth and development. It is present in soils and is available to plants to varying degrees. In acidic soils, it often acts as a toxic element, and plants do not develop well and can even die. Screening major crops for manganese tolerance is essential. Based on the analysis of the collection of barley (Hordeum L., Poaceae), the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR) presented data that manganese-tolerant varieties and samples are concentrated in western and northern countries with a wide distribution of soils with low pH levels and high contents of mobile manganese. It follows from the diagnostic results that the maximum number of barley genotypes resistant to manganese is concentrated in Sweden, Finland, the northwestern and northern regions of the CIS countries, and the Russian Federation. In most cases, the samples tolerant to Al showed resistance to Mn as well, which is of great interest for further study of the mechanisms of plant resistance to these stressors. As a rule, samples from the northern territories—zones of distribution of acidic soils—were highly resistant. In this case, the role of the species belonging to the sample was leveled out. The highlighted areas (Scandinavia (Finland, Sweden), northern and northwestern regions of Russia, Belarus, and the Baltic countries) are sources of germplasm valuable for selection for acid resistance of barley.


2017 ◽  
Vol 91 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fumio Maeda ◽  
Jun Arii ◽  
Yoshitaka Hirohata ◽  
Yuhei Maruzuru ◽  
Naoto Koyanagi ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Upon herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection, the CD98 heavy chain (CD98hc) is redistributed around the nuclear membrane (NM), where it promotes viral de-envelopment during the nuclear egress of nucleocapsids. In this study, we attempted to identify the factor(s) involved in CD98hc accumulation and demonstrated the following: (i) the null mutation of HSV-1 UL34 caused specific dispersion throughout the cytoplasm of CD98hc and the HSV-1 de-envelopment regulators, glycoproteins B and H (gB and gH); (ii) as observed with CD98hc, gB, and gH, wild-type HSV-1 infection caused redistribution of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) markers calnexin and ERp57 around the NM, whereas the UL34-null mutation caused cytoplasmic dispersion of these markers; (iii) the ER markers colocalized efficiently with CD98hc, gB, and gH in the presence and absence of UL34 in HSV-1-infected cells; (iv) at the ultrastructural level, wild-type HSV-1 infection caused ER compression around the NM, whereas the UL34-null mutation caused cytoplasmic dispersion of the ER; and (v) the UL34-null mutation significantly decreased the colocalization efficiency of lamin protein markers of the NM with CD98hc and gB. Collectively, these results indicate that HSV-1 infection causes redistribution of the ER around the NM, with resulting accumulation of ER-associated CD98hc, gB, and gH around the NM and that UL34 is required for ER redistribution, as well as for efficient recruitment to the NM of the ER-associated de-envelopment factors. Our study suggests that HSV-1 induces remodeling of the global ER architecture for recruitment of regulators mediating viral nuclear egress to the NM. IMPORTANCE The ER is an important cellular organelle that exists as a complex network extending throughout the cytoplasm. Although viruses often remodel the ER to facilitate viral replication, information on the effects of herpesvirus infections on ER morphological integrity is limited. Here, we showed that HSV-1 infection led to compression of the global ER architecture around the NM, resulting in accumulation of ER-associated regulators associated with nuclear egress of HSV-1 nucleocapsids. We also identified HSV-1 UL34 as a viral factor that mediated ER remodeling. Furthermore, we demonstrated that UL34 was required for efficient targeting of these regulators to the NM. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing that a herpesvirus remodels ER global architecture. Our study also provides insight into the mechanism by which the regulators for HSV-1 nuclear egress are recruited to the NM, where this viral event occurs.


1978 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Godeleine Fonty ◽  
Regina Goursot ◽  
David Wilkie ◽  
Giorgio Bernardi

2006 ◽  
Vol 74 (7) ◽  
pp. 3874-3879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinghong Yang ◽  
Todd Becker ◽  
Nancy Walters ◽  
David W. Pascual

ABSTRACT znuA is known to be an important factor for survival and normal growth under low Zn2+ concentrations for Escherichia coli, Haemophilus spp., Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Pasteurella multocida. We hypothesized that the znuA gene present in Brucella melitensis 16 M would be similar to znuA in B. abortus and questioned whether it may also be an important factor for growth and virulence of Brucella abortus. Using the B. melitensis 16 M genome sequence, primers were designed to construct a B. abortus deletion mutant. A znuA knockout mutation in B. abortus 2308 (ΔznuA) was constructed and found to be lethal in low-Zn2+ medium. When used to infect macrophages, ΔznuA B. abortus showed minimal growth. Further study with ΔznuA B. abortus showed that its virulence in BALB/c mice was attenuated, and most of the bacteria were cleared from the spleen within 8 weeks. Protection studies confirmed the ΔznuA mutant as a potential live vaccine, since protection against wild-type B. abortus 2308 challenge was as effective as that obtained with the RB51 or S19 vaccine strain.


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