scholarly journals Controlling the hypermutation: Exploitation of the MutS protein in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (7A) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Yuan On ◽  
Martin Welch

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections commonly develop in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF), and its adaptation in such an unfavourable condition is always found to be related to hypermutation. In fact, most of the hypermutation is due to the defects in mutS gene which involves in the mismatch repair mechanism, causing the acceleration of mutation rate and adaptive evolution. In order to rheostatically express the MutS protein and achieve “hypomutation” (in which the rate of mutation is lower than that of wild type strain), an exogenous mutS gene with rhamnose-inducible promoter was cloned into MPAO1 mutS::Tn mutant strain. Present findings demonstrate that this system is tightly-controlled and stable, with less rifampicin-resistant mutant frequency and more fluorescence intensity from a GFP-tagged MutS expressing cells were observed when the concentration of the inducer increases. Interestingly, the results from Western blot analysis show that less MutS protein is required to suppress hypermutation in the wild type strain, as compared to our construct that behaves similar to the wild type but obviously needs more MutS expression to achieve such state. This indicates that the exogenous MutS might be lacking of other important protein to work efficiently in mismatch recognition. Therefore, based on our cDNA analysis, we found that fdxA gene next to the mutS gene is in the same operon, which could suggest that they might be functionally related in the DNA repair machinery.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianlucca G. Nicastro ◽  
Gilberto H. Kaihami ◽  
André A. Pulschen ◽  
Jacobo Hernandez-Montelongo ◽  
Ana Laura Boechat ◽  
...  

Summaryc-di-GMP is a major player in the decision between biofilm and motile lifestyles. Several bacteria present a large number of c-di-GMP metabolizing proteins, thus a fine-tuning of this nucleotide levels may occur. It is hypothesized that some c-di-GMP metabolizing proteins would provide the global c-di-GMP levels inside the cell whereas others would maintain a localized pool, with the resulting c-di-GMP acting at the vicinity of its production. Although attractive, this hypothesis has yet to be proven in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We found that the diguanylate cyclase DgcP interacts with the cytosolic region of FimV, a peptidoglycan-binding protein involved in type IV pilus assembly. Moreover, DgcP is located at the cell poles in wild type cells, but scattered in the cytoplasm of cells lacking FimV. Overexpression of DgcP leads to the classical phenotypes of high c-di-GMP levels (increased biofilm and impaired motilities) in the wild-type strain, but not in a AfimV background. Therefore, our findings strongly suggest that DgcP is regulated by FimV and may provide the local c-di-GMP pool that can be sensed by other proteins at the cell pole, bringing to light a specialized function for a specific diguanylate cyclase.


Genetics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 142 (2) ◽  
pp. 383-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasumasa Tsukamoto ◽  
Jun-ichi Kato ◽  
Hideo Ikeda

Abstract To examine the mechanism of illegitimate recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we have developed a plasmid system for quantitative analysis of deletion formation. A can1 cyh2 cell carrying two negative selection markers, the CAN1 and CYH2 genes, on a YCp plasmid is sensitive to canavanine and cycloheximide, but the cell becomes resistant to both drugs when the plasmid has a deletion over the CAN1 and CYH2 genes. Structural analysis of the recombinant plasmids obtained from the resistant cells showed that the plasmids had deletions at various sites of the CAN1-CYH2 region and there were only short regions of homology (1-5 bp) at the recombination junctions. The results indicated that the deletion detected in this system were formed by illegitimate recombination. Study on the effect of several rad mutations showed that the recombination rate was reduced by 30-, 10-, 10-, and 10-fold in the rad52, rad50, mre11, and xrs2 mutants, respectively, while in the rud51, 54, 55, and 57 mutants, the rate was comparable to that in the wild-type strain. The rad52 mutation did not affect length of homology at junction sites of illegitimate recombination.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
José Francisco Cruz-Pérez ◽  
Roxana Lara-Oueilhe ◽  
Cynthia Marcos-Jiménez ◽  
Ricardo Cuatlayotl-Olarte ◽  
María Luisa Xiqui-Vázquez ◽  
...  

AbstractThe plant growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense contains several genes encoding proteins involved in the biosynthesis and degradation of the second messenger cyclic-di-GMP, which may control key bacterial functions, such as biofilm formation and motility. Here, we analysed the function and expression of the cdgD gene, encoding a multidomain protein that includes GGDEF-EAL domains and CHASE and PAS domains. An insertional cdgD gene mutant was constructed, and analysis of biofilm and extracellular polymeric substance production, as well as the motility phenotype indicated that cdgD encoded a functional diguanylate protein. These results were correlated with a reduced overall cellular concentration of cyclic-di-GMP in the mutant over 48 h compared with that observed in the wild-type strain, which was recovered in the complemented strain. In addition, cdgD gene expression was measured in cells growing under planktonic or biofilm conditions, and differential expression was observed when KNO3 or NH4Cl was added to the minimal medium as a nitrogen source. The transcriptional fusion of the cdgD promoter with the gene encoding the autofluorescent mCherry protein indicated that the cdgD gene was expressed both under abiotic conditions and in association with wheat roots. Reduced colonization of wheat roots was observed for the mutant compared with the wild-type strain grown in the same soil conditions. The Azospirillum-plant association begins with the motility of the bacterium towards the plant rhizosphere followed by the adsorption and adherence of these bacteria to plant roots. Therefore, it is important to study the genes that contribute to this initial interaction of the bacterium with its host plant.


1982 ◽  
Vol 152 (2) ◽  
pp. 687-691
Author(s):  
T H Watts ◽  
E A Worobec ◽  
W Paranchych

The proteins of purified inner and outer membranes obtained from Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains PAK and PAK/2Pfs were subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, transferred to nitrocellulose, and treated with antiserum raised against pure pili. Bound antipilus antibodies were visualized by reaction with 125I-labeled protein A from Staphylococcus aureus. The results showed that there are pools of pilin in both the inner and outer membranes of P. aeruginosa and that the pool size in the multipiliated strain is comparable with that of the wild-type strain.


2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduard Melief ◽  
Shilah A. Bonnett ◽  
Edison S. Zuniga ◽  
Tanya Parish

ABSTRACT The diaminoquinazoline series has good potency against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Resistant isolates have mutations in Rv3161c, a putative dioxygenase. We carried out metabolite analysis on a wild-type strain and an Rv3161c mutant strain after exposure to a diaminoquinazoline. The parental compound was found in intracellular extracts from the mutant but not the wild type. A metabolite consistent with a monohydroxylated form was identified in the wild type. These data support the hypothesis that Rv3161c metabolizes diaminoquinazolines in M. tuberculosis.


1986 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 436-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Berry ◽  
Andrew M. Kropinski

We have isolated, and characterized electrophoretically, two new lipopolysaccharide-defective (rough) mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO. These strains, AK1401 and AK1414, together with two previously characterized isolates, AK1012 and AK1282, were used as recipients in transformation experiments with plasmid pR01614 DNA. The roughest mutant, AK1282, was not transformable, while the transformation efficiency of AK1012, and to a lesser extent the wild-type strain, was dependent upon the growth temperature. The two new isolates which are less rough than AK1012 were transformed at a frequency equivalent to that of the wild type-strain.


Genetics ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 122 (3) ◽  
pp. 535-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
B A Kunz ◽  
M G Peters ◽  
S E Kohalmi ◽  
J D Armstrong ◽  
M Glattke ◽  
...  

Abstract Defects in the RAD52 gene of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae confer a mutator phenotype. To characterize this effect in detail, a collection of 238 spontaneous SUP4-o mutations arising in a strain having a disrupted RAD52 gene was analyzed by DNA sequencing. The resulting mutational spectrum was compared to that derived from an examination of 222 spontaneous mutations selected in a nearisogenic wild-type (RAD52) strain. This comparison revealed that the mutator phenotype was associated with an increase in the frequency of base-pair substitutions. All possible types of substitution were detected but there was a reduction in the relative fraction of A.T----G.C transitions and an increase in the proportion of G.C----C.G transversions. These changes were sufficient to cause a twofold greater preference for substitutions at G.C sites in the rad52 strain despite a decrease in the fraction of G.C----T.A transversions. There were also considerable differences between the distributions of substitutions within the SUP4-o gene. Base-pair changes occurred at fewer sites in the rad52 strain but the mutated sites included several that were not detected in the RAD52 background. Only two of the four sites that were mutated most frequently in the rad52 strain were also prominent in the wild-type strain and mutation frequencies at almost all sites common to both strains were greater for the rad52 derivative. Although single base-pair deletions occurred in the two strains with similar frequencies, several classes of mutation that were recovered in the wild-type background including multiple base-pair deletions, insertions of the yeast transposable element Ty, and more complex changes, were not detected in the rad52 strain.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1444
Author(s):  
Mitzi de la Cruz ◽  
Elisa A. Ramírez ◽  
Juan-Carlos Sigala ◽  
José Utrilla ◽  
Alvaro R. Lara

The design of optimal cell factories requires engineering resource allocation for maximizing product synthesis. A recently developed method to maximize the saving in cell resources released 0.5% of the proteome of Escherichia coli by deleting only three transcription factors. We assessed the capacity for plasmid DNA (pDNA) production in the proteome-reduced strain in a mineral medium, lysogeny, and terrific broths. In all three cases, the pDNA yield from biomass was between 33 and 53% higher in the proteome-reduced than in its wild type strain. When cultured in fed-batch mode in shake-flask, the proteome-reduced strain produced 74.8 mg L−1 pDNA, which was four times greater than its wild-type strain. Nevertheless, the pDNA supercoiled fraction was less than 60% in all cases. Deletion of recA increased the pDNA yields in the wild type, but not in the proteome-reduced strain. Furthermore, recA mutants produced a higher fraction of supercoiled pDNA, compared to their parents. These results show that the novel proteome reduction approach is a promising starting point for the design of improved pDNA production hosts.


1974 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan L. Betz ◽  
Jane E. Brown ◽  
Patricia H. Clarke ◽  
Martin Day

SUMMARYMutants ofPseudomonas aeruginosa, which differed in amide growth phenotype from the wild-type strain, were subjected to genetic analysis using the generalized transducing phage F116. The map order of some mutational sites was determined by 3-factor crosses in which a mutation in the linked regulator geneamiRwas used as the outside marker to determine the relative order of mutations in the amidase structural geneamiE. Acetamide-positive transductants were recovered in crosses between amidase-negative strains and strains PhB3(PAC377), V2(PAC353) and V5(PAC356) producing mutant amidases which hydrolyse phenylacetamide and valeramide but not acetamide. Some recombinants carried the mutationamiE16 determining the properties of the mutant B amidase produced by strain B6(PAC351) from which both PhB and V class mutants were derived, while other recombinants produced A amidase determined by the wild-typeamiEgene.


2005 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
pp. 1820-1828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Yoshimi ◽  
Kaihei Kojima ◽  
Yoshitaka Takano ◽  
Chihiro Tanaka

ABSTRACT We previously reported that the group III histidine kinase Dic1p in the maize pathogen Cochliobolus heterostrophus is involved in resistance to dicarboximide and phenylpyrrole fungicides and in osmotic adaptation. In addition, exposure to the phenylpyrrole fungicide fludioxonil led to improper activation of Hog1-type mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in some phytopathogenic fungi, including C. heterostrophus. Here we report, for the first time, the relationship between the group III histidine kinase and Hog1-related MAPK: group III histidine kinase is a positive regulator of Hog1-related MAPK in filamentous fungi. The phosphorylation pattern of C. heterostrophus BmHog1p (Hog1-type MAPK) was analyzed in wild-type and dic1-deficient strains by Western blotting. In the wild-type strain, phosphorylated BmHog1p was detected after exposure to both iprodione and fludioxonil at a concentration of 1 μg/ml. In the dic1-deficient strains, phosphorylated BmHog1p was not detected after exposure to 10 μg/ml of the fungicides. In response to osmotic stress (0.4 M KCl), a trace of phosphorylated BmHog1p was found in the dic1-deficient strains, whereas the band representing active BmHog1p was clearly detected in the wild-type strain. Similar results were obtained for Neurospora crassa Os-2p MAPK phosphorylation in the mutant of the group III histidine kinase gene os-1. These results indicate that group III histidine kinase positively regulates the activation of Hog1-type MAPKs in filamentous fungi. Notably, the Hog1-type MAPKs were activated at high fungicide (100 μg/ml) and osmotic stress (0.8 M KCl) levels in the histidine kinase mutants of both fungi, suggesting that another signaling pathway activates Hog1-type MAPKs in these conditions.


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