scholarly journals Correlation of Rhs elements with Escherichia coli population structure.

Genetics ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 141 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-24
Author(s):  
C W Hill ◽  
G Feulner ◽  
M S Brody ◽  
S Zhao ◽  
A B Sadosky ◽  
...  

Abstract The Rhs family of composite genetic elements was assessed for variation among independent Escherichia coli strains of the ECOR reference collection. The location and content of the RhsA-B-C-F subfamily correlates highly with the clonal structure of the ECOR collection. This correlation exists at several levels: the presence of Rhs core homology in the strain, the location of the Rhs elements present, and the identity of the Rhs core-extensions associated with each element. A provocative finding was that an identical 1518-bp segment, covering core-extension-b1 and its associated downstream open reading frame, is present in two distinct clonal groups, but in association with different Rhs elements. The sequence identity of this segment when contrasted with the divergence of other chromosomal segments suggests that shuffling of Rhs core extensions has been a relatively recent variation. Nevertheless the copies of core-extension-b1 were placed within the respective Rhs elements before the emergence of the clonal groups. In the course of this analysis, two new Rhs elements absent from E. coli K-12 were discovered: RhsF, a fourth member of the RhsA-B-C-F subfamily, and RhsG, the prototype of a third Rhs subfamily.

1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (16) ◽  
pp. 4102-4110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-Dong Wang ◽  
Sheng Zhao ◽  
Charles W. Hill

ABSTRACT The Rhs elements are complex genetic composites widely spread among Escherichia coli isolates. One of their components, a 3.7-kb, GC-rich core, maintains a single open reading frame that extends the full length of the core and then 400 to 600 bp beyond into an AT-rich region. Whereas Rhs cores are homologous, core extensions from different elements are dissimilar. Two new Rhs elements from strains of the ECOR reference collection have been characterized. RhsG (from strain ECOR-11) maps to min 5.3, and RhsH (from strain ECOR-45) maps to min 32.8, where it lies in tandem with RhsE. Comparison of strain K-12 to ECOR-11 indicates that RhsGwas once present in but has been largely deleted from an ancestor of K-12. Phylogenetic analysis shows that the cores from eight known elements fall into three subfamilies, RhsA-B-C-F,RhsD-E, and RhsG-H. Cores from different subfamilies diverge 22 to 29%. Analysis of substitutions that distinguish between subfamilies shows that the origin of the ancestral core as well as the process of subfamily separation occurred in a GC-rich background. Furthermore, each subfamily independently passed from the GC-rich background to a less GC-rich background such asE. coli. A new example of core-extension shuffling provides the first example of exchange between cores of different subfamilies. A novel component of RhsE and RhsG,vgr, encodes a large protein distinguished by 18 to 19 repetitions of a Val-Gly dipeptide occurring with a eight-residue periodicity.


2004 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 1151-1158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryuichi Nakano ◽  
Ryoichi Okamoto ◽  
Yumiko Nakano ◽  
Kenichi Kaneko ◽  
Naohiro Okitsu ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT A clinical isolate of Escherichia coli from a patient in Japan, isolate KU6400, was found to produce a plasmid-encoded β-lactamase that conferred resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins and cephamycins. Resistance arising from production of a β-lactamase could be transferred by either conjugation or transformation with plasmid pKU601 into E. coli ML4947. The substrate and inhibition profiles of this enzyme resembled those of the AmpC β-lactamase. The resistance gene of pKU601, which was cloned and expressed in E. coli, proved to contain an open reading frame showing 99.8% DNA sequence identity with the ampC gene of Citrobacter freundii GC3. DNA sequence analysis also identified a gene upstream of ampC whose sequence was 99.0% identical to the ampR gene from C. freundii GC3. In addition, a fumarate operon (frdABCD) and an outer membrane lipoprotein (blc) surrounding the ampR-ampC genes in C. freundii were identified, and insertion sequence (IS26) elements were observed on both sides of the sequences identified (forming an IS26 composite transposon); these results confirm the evidence of the translocation of a β-lactamase-associated gene region from the chromosome to a plasmid. Finally, we describe a novel plasmid-encoded AmpC β-lactamase, CFE-1, with an ampR gene derived from C. freundii.


1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (7) ◽  
pp. 1814-1821 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Yang ◽  
Ho-Ching Tiffany Tsui ◽  
Tsz-Kwong Man ◽  
Malcolm E. Winkler

ABSTRACT pdxK encodes a pyridoxine (PN)/pyridoxal (PL)/pyridoxamine (PM) kinase thought to function in the salvage pathway of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) coenzyme biosynthesis. The observation that pdxK null mutants still contain PL kinase activity led to the hypothesis that Escherichia coli K-12 contains at least one other B6-vitamer kinase. Here we support this hypothesis by identifying the pdxY gene (formally, open reading frame f287b) at 36.92 min, which encodes a novel PL kinase. PdxY was first identified by its homology to PdxK in searches of the complete E. coli genome. Minimal clones of pdxY + overexpressed PL kinase specific activity about 10-fold. We inserted an omega cassette intopdxY and crossed the resultingpdxY::ΩKanr mutation into the bacterial chromosome of a pdxB mutant, in which de novo PLP biosynthesis is blocked. We then determined the growth characteristics and PL and PN kinase specific activities in extracts ofpdxK and pdxY single and double mutants. Significantly, the requirement of the pdxB pdxK pdxY triple mutant for PLP was not satisfied by PL and PN, and the triple mutant had negligible PL and PN kinase specific activities. Our combined results suggest that the PL kinase PdxY and the PN/PL/PM kinase PdxK are the only physiologically important B6vitamer kinases in E. coli and that their function is confined to the PLP salvage pathway. Last, we show thatpdxY is located downstream from pdxH (encoding PNP/PMP oxidase) and essential tyrS (encoding aminoacyl-tRNATyr synthetase) in a multifunctional operon.pdxY is completely cotranscribed with tyrS, but about 92% of tyrS transcripts terminate at a putative Rho-factor-dependent attenuator located in thetyrS-pdxY intercistronic region.


2004 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 1570-1575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dae Heoun Baek ◽  
Jae Jun Song ◽  
Seok-Joon Kwon ◽  
Chung Park ◽  
Chang-Min Jung ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT A new thermostable dipeptidase gene was cloned from the thermophile Brevibacillus borstelensis BCS-1 by genetic complementation of the d-Glu auxotroph Escherichia coli WM335 on a plate containing d-Ala-d-Glu. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that the gene included an open reading frame coding for a 307-amino-acid sequence with an M r of 35,000. The deduced amino acid sequence of the dipeptidase exhibited 52% similarity with the dipeptidase from Listeria monocytogenes. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity from recombinant E. coli WM335 harboring the dipeptidase gene from B. borstelensis BCS-1. Investigation of the enantioselectivity (E) to the P1 and P1′ site of Ala-Ala revealed that the ratio of the specificity constant (k cat /Km ) for l-enantioselectivity to the P1 site of Ala-Ala was 23.4 � 2.2 [E = (k cat /Km ) l,d /(k cat /Km ) d,d ], while the d-enantioselectivity to the P1′ site of Ala-Ala was 16.4 � 0.5 [E = (k cat /Km ) l,d /(k cat /Km ) l,l ] at 55�C. The enzyme was stable up to 55�C, and the optimal pH and temperature were 8.5 and 65�C, respectively. The enzyme was able to hydrolyze l-Asp-d-Ala, l-Asp-d-AlaOMe, Z-d-Ala-d-AlaOBzl, and Z-l-Asp-d-AlaOBzl, yet it could not hydrolyze d-Ala-l-Asp, d-Ala-l-Ala, d-AlaNH2, and l-AlaNH2. The enzyme also exhibited β-lactamase activity similar to that of a human renal dipeptidase. The dipeptidase successfully synthesized the precursor of the dipeptide sweetener Z-l-Asp-d-AlaOBzl.


1999 ◽  
Vol 181 (15) ◽  
pp. 4499-4504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick M. Hahn ◽  
Anthony P. Hurlburt ◽  
C. Dale Poulter

ABSTRACT Isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase catalyzes the interconversion of isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP). In eukaryotes, archaebacteria, and some bacteria, IPP is synthesized from acetyl coenzyme A by the mevalonate pathway. The subsequent isomerization of IPP to DMAPP activates the five-carbon isoprene unit for subsequent prenyl transfer reactions. In Escherichia coli, the isoprene unit is synthesized from pyruvate and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate by the recently discovered nonmevalonate pathway. An open reading frame (ORF696) encoding a putative IPP isomerase was identified in the E. coli chromosome at 65.3 min. ORF696 was cloned into an expression vector; the 20.5 kDa recombinant protein was purified in three steps, and its identity as an IPP isomerase was established biochemically. The gene for IPP isomerase, idi, is not clustered with other known genes for enzymes in the isoprenoid pathway. E. coli FH12 was constructed by disruption of the chromosomal idi gene with the aminoglycoside 3′-phosphotransferase gene and complemented by the wild-type idi gene on plasmid pFMH33 with a temperature-sensitive origin of replication. FH12/pFMH33 was able to grow at the restrictive temperature of 44°C and FH12 lacking the plasmid grew on minimal medium, thereby establishing thatidi is a nonessential gene. Although theV max of the bacterial protein was 20-fold lower than that of its yeast counterpart, the catalytic efficiencies of the two enzymes were similar through a counterbalance inKm s. The E. coli protein requires Mg2+ or Mn2+ for activity. The enzyme contains conserved cysteine and glutamate active-site residues found in other IPP isomerases.


1999 ◽  
Vol 181 (23) ◽  
pp. 7256-7265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgitta Esberg ◽  
Hon-Chiu Eastwood Leung ◽  
Ho-Ching Tiffany Tsui ◽  
Glenn R. Björk ◽  
Malcolm E. Winkler

ABSTRACT The tRNA of the miaB2508::Tn10dCm mutant of Salmonella typhimurium is deficient in the methylthio group of the modified nucleosideN 6-(4-hydroxyisopentenyl)-2-methylthioadenosine (ms2io6A37). By sequencing, we found that the Tn10dCm of this strain had been inserted into thef474 (yleA) open reading frame, which is located close to the nag locus in both S. typhimurium and Escherichia coli. By complementation of the miaB2508::Tn10dCm mutation with a minimal subcloned f474 fragment, we showed thatf474 could be identified as the miaB gene, which is transcribed in the counterclockwise direction on the bacterial chromosome. Transcriptional studies revealed two promoters upstream ofmiaB in E. coli and S. typhimurium. A Rho-independent terminator was identified downstream of themiaB gene, at which the majority (96%) of themiaB transcripts terminate in E. coli, showing that the miaB gene is part of a monocistronic operon. A highly conserved motif with three cysteine residues was present in MiaB. This motif resembles iron-binding sites in other proteins. Only a weak similarity to an AdoMet-binding site was found, favoring the idea that the MiaB protein is involved in the thiolation step and not in the methylating reaction of ms2i(o)6A37 formation.


2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (23) ◽  
pp. 8317-8320
Author(s):  
Zubin Thacker ◽  
Elise Darmon ◽  
France Keppel ◽  
Millicent Masters

ABSTRACT We found that a new mutant with a deletion/replacement of the Escherichia coli K-12 htrC gene, a gene previously reported to be required for growth at elevated temperatures, is not temperature sensitive. Furthermore, the original mutants, kindly provided by the original authors, although temperature sensitive, do not have mutations in the open reading frame designated htrC. We found that htrC requires RpoS for enhanced expression in the early stationary phase and is expressed at very low levels until then. The growth of our htrC mutant slowed during the early stationary phase, and the mutant was replaced by its parent in mixed cultures. Since we cannot assign a function or distinctive phenotype to htrC, we suggest that this open reading frame should be given a positional designation, yjaZ, until a specific function is identified.


2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenwen Zhou ◽  
Ruili Guan ◽  
Yiyu Yang ◽  
Ling Chen ◽  
Jie Fu ◽  
...  

New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) is a novel type of metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) responsible for bacterial resistance to β-lactam antibiotics. Acinetobacter junii was previously shown to possess a MBL phenotype; however, the genes responsible for this phenotype were not identified. In this study, we reported the identification of NDM-1 gene in a clinical isolate of A. junii from a child patient in China, which was resistant to all β-lactams except aztreonam but sensitive to aminoglycosides and quinolones. The cloned NDM-1 gene contained an open reading frame of 813 bp and had a nucleotide sequence 99.9% identical (812/813) to reported NDM-1 genes carried by Acinetobacter baumannii , Enterococcus faecium , Escherichia coli , and Klebsiella pneumoniae . Recombinant NDM-1 protein was successfully expressed in E. coli BL21, and antibiotic sensitivities of the NDM-1-producing E. coli were largely similar to the A. junii 1454 isolate. The findings of this study raise attention to the emergence and spread of NDM-1-carrying bacteria in China.


1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishna G. Peri ◽  
Hughes Goldie ◽  
E. Bruce Waygood

Three enzymes are required for N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) utilization in Escherichia coli: enzyme IInag (gene nagE), N-acetylglucosamine-6-phosphate deacetylase (gene nagA), and glucosamine-6-phosphate isomerase (gene nagB). The three genes are located near 16 min on the E. coli chromosome. A strain of E. coli, KPN9, incapable of utilizing N-acetylglucosamine, was used to screen a genomic library of E. coli for a complementing recombinant colicin E1 plasmid that allowed for growth on N-acetylglucosamine. Plasmid pLC5-21 was found to contain all three known nag genes on a 5.7-kilobase (5.7-kb) fragment of DNA. The products of these nag genes were identified by complementation of E. coli strains with mutations in nagA, nagB, and nagE. The gene products from the 5.7-kb fragment were identified by [35S]methionine-labelled maxicells and autoradiography of sodium dodecyl sulphate – polyacrylamide electrophoresis gels. The gene products had the following relative masses (Mrs: nagE, 62 000; nagA, 45 000; nagB, 29 000. In addition, another product of Mr 44 000 was detected. The genes have been sequenced to reveal an additional open reading frame (nagC), a putative catabolite activator protein binding site that may control nagB and nagE, putative rho-independent terminator sites for nagB and nagE, and sequence homologies for RNA polymerase binding sites preceding each of the open reading frames, except for nagA. The calculated molecular weights (MWs) of the gene products derived from the sequence are as follows: nagA, 40 954; nagB, 29 657; nagC, 44 664; nagE, 68 356. No role is known for nagC, although a number of regulatory roles appear to be plausible. No obvious transcriptional termination site distal to nagC was found and another open reading frame begins after nagC. This gene, nagD, was isolated separately from pLC5-21, and the sequence revealed a protein with a calculated MW of 27 181. The nagD gene is followed by repetitive extragenic palindromic sequences. The nag genes appear to be organized in an operon: [Formula: see text]Key words: N-acetylglucosamine, N-acetylglucosamine-6-P deacetylase, glucosamine-6-P isomerase, repetitive extragenic palindromic sequences, catabolite repression.


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