scholarly journals Engineering gene overlaps to sustain genetic constructs in vivo

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine L. Decrulle ◽  
Antoine Frenoy ◽  
Thomas A. Meiller-Legrand ◽  
Aude Bernheim ◽  
Chantal Lotton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fitness Landscape ◽  
Essential Gene ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Evolutionary Potential ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
E Coli ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Genetic Constructs ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractEvolution is often an obstacle to the engineering of stable biological systems due to the selection of mutations inactivating costly gene circuits. Gene overlaps induce important constraints on sequences and their evolution. We show that these constraints can be harnessed to increase the stability of synthetic circuits by purging loss-of-function mutations. We combine computational and synthetic biology approaches to rationally design an overlapping reading frame expressing an essential gene within an existing gene to protect. Our algorithm succeeded in creating overlapping reading frames in 80% of E. coli genes. Experimentally, scoring mutations in both genes of such overlapping construct, we found that a significant fraction of mutations impacting the gene to protect have a deleterious effect on the essential gene. Such an overlap thus protects a costly gene from removal by natural selection by associating the benefit of this removal with a larger or even lethal cost. In our synthetic constructs, the overlap converts many of the possible mutants into evolutionary dead-ends, effectively changing the fitness landscape and reducing the evolutionary potential of the system.

scholarly journals Engineering gene overlaps to sustain genetic constructs in vivo

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. e1009475
Author(s):  
Antoine L. Decrulle ◽  
Antoine Frénoy ◽  
Thomas A. Meiller-Legrand ◽  
Aude Bernheim ◽  
Chantal Lotton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Essential Gene ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Evolutionary Potential ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Overlapping Reading Frames ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Genetic Constructs ◽  
Selection Of

Evolution is often an obstacle to the engineering of stable biological systems due to the selection of mutations inactivating costly gene circuits. Gene overlaps induce important constraints on sequences and their evolution. We show that these constraints can be harnessed to increase the stability of costly genes by purging loss-of-function mutations. We combine computational and synthetic biology approaches to rationally design an overlapping reading frame expressing an essential gene within an existing gene to protect. Our algorithm succeeded in creating overlapping reading frames in 80% of E. coli genes. Experimentally, scoring mutations in both genes of such overlapping construct, we found that a significant fraction of mutations impacting the gene to protect have a deleterious effect on the essential gene. Such an overlap thus protects a costly gene from removal by natural selection by associating the benefit of this removal with a larger or even lethal cost. In our synthetic constructs, the overlap converts many of the possible mutants into evolutionary dead-ends, reducing the evolutionary potential of the system and thus increasing its stability over time.

scholarly journals In Vitro and In Vivo Assessment of the Potential of Escherichia coli Phages to Treat Infections and Survive Gastric Conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1869
Author(s):  
Joanna Kaczorowska ◽  
Eoghan Casey ◽  
Gabriele A. Lugli ◽  
Marco Ventura ◽  
David J. Clarke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Galleria Mellonella ◽  
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia Coli ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Composite Mixture ◽  
Ph Conditions ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Higher Sensitivity

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) and Shigella ssp. infections are associated with high rates of mortality, especially in infants in developing countries. Due to increasing levels of global antibiotic resistance exhibited by many pathogenic organisms, alternative strategies to combat such infections are urgently required. In this study, we evaluated the stability of five coliphages (four Myoviridae and one Siphoviridae phage) over a range of pH conditions and in simulated gastric conditions. The Myoviridae phages were stable across the range of pH 2 to 7, while the Siphoviridae phage, JK16, exhibited higher sensitivity to low pH. A composite mixture of these five phages was tested in vivo in a Galleria mellonella model. The obtained data clearly shows potential in treating E. coli infections prophylactically.

scholarly journals Supercoil Levels in E. coli and Salmonella Chromosomes Are Regulated by the C-Terminal 35–38 Amino Acids of GyrA

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolay Rovinskiy ◽  
Andrews Agbleke ◽  
Olga Chesnokova ◽  
N. Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Essential Gene ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Chromosomal Dna ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Sister Chromosome ◽  
Negative Supercoiling ◽  
Close Relatives ◽  
Negative Supercoils

Prokaryotes have an essential gene—gyrase—that catalyzes negative supercoiling of plasmid and chromosomal DNA. Negative supercoils influence DNA replication, transcription, homologous recombination, site-specific recombination, genetic transposition and sister chromosome segregation. Although E. coli and Salmonella Typhimurium are close relatives with a conserved set of essential genes, E. coli DNA has a supercoil density 15% higher than Salmonella, and E. coli cannot grow at the supercoil density maintained by wild type (WT) Salmonella. E. coli is addicted to high supercoiling levels for efficient chromosomal folding. In vitro experiments were performed with four gyrase isoforms of the tetrameric enzyme (GyrA2:GyrB2). E. coli gyrase was more processive and faster than the Salmonella enzyme, but Salmonella strains with chromosomal swaps of E. coli GyrA lost 40% of the chromosomal supercoil density. Reciprocal experiments in E. coli showed chromosomal dysfunction for strains harboring Salmonella GyrA. One GyrA segment responsible for dis-regulation was uncovered by constructing and testing GyrA chimeras in vivo. The six pinwheel elements and the C-terminal 35–38 acidic residues of GyrA controlled WT chromosome-wide supercoiling density in both species. A model of enzyme processivity modulated by competition between DNA and the GyrA acidic tail for access to β-pinwheel elements is presented.

scholarly journals Dysbindin deficiency Alters Cardiac BLOC-1 Complex and Myozap Levels in Mice

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 2390
Author(s):  
Ankush Borlepawar ◽  
Nesrin Schmiedel ◽  
Matthias Eden ◽  
Lynn Christen ◽  
Alexandra Rosskopf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophy ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Interaction Partners ◽  
Lysosome Related Organelles ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Schizophrenia Susceptibility

Dysbindin, a schizophrenia susceptibility marker and an essential constituent of BLOC-1 (biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles complex-1), has recently been associated with cardiomyocyte hypertrophy through the activation of Myozap-RhoA-mediated SRF signaling. We employed sandy mice (Dtnbp1_KO), which completely lack Dysbindin protein because of a spontaneous deletion of introns 5–7 of the Dtnbp1 gene, for pathophysiological characterization of the heart. Unlike in vitro, the loss-of-function of Dysbindin did not attenuate cardiac hypertrophy, either in response to transverse aortic constriction stress or upon phenylephrine treatment. Interestingly, however, the levels of hypertrophy-inducing interaction partner Myozap as well as the BLOC-1 partners of Dysbindin like Muted and Pallidin were dramatically reduced in Dtnbp1_KO mouse hearts. Taken together, our data suggest that Dysbindin’s role in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy is redundant in vivo, yet essential to maintain the stability of its direct interaction partners like Myozap, Pallidin and Muted.

scholarly journals HSP90 is a chaperone for DLK and is required for axon injury signaling

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (42) ◽  
pp. E9899-E9908 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Karney-Grobe ◽  
Alexandra Russo ◽  
Erin Frey ◽  
Jeffrey Milbrandt ◽  
Aaron DiAntonio
Keyword(s):  
Leucine Zipper ◽  
Axon Regeneration ◽  
Heat Shock Protein 90 ◽  
Hsp90 Inhibitor ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Hsp90 Inhibition ◽  
Axon Injury ◽  
Evolutionarily Conserved ◽  
The Stability

Peripheral nerve injury induces a robust proregenerative program that drives axon regeneration. While many regeneration-associated genes are known, the mechanisms by which injury activates them are less well-understood. To identify such mechanisms, we performed a loss-of-function pharmacological screen in cultured adult mouse sensory neurons for proteins required to activate this program. Well-characterized inhibitors were present as injury signaling was induced but were removed before axon outgrowth to identify molecules that block induction of the program. Of 480 compounds, 35 prevented injury-induced neurite regrowth. The top hits were inhibitors to heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), a chaperone with no known role in axon injury. HSP90 inhibition blocks injury-induced activation of the proregenerative transcription factor cJun and several regeneration-associated genes. These phenotypes mimic loss of the proregenerative kinase, dual leucine zipper kinase (DLK), a critical neuronal stress sensor that drives axon degeneration, axon regeneration, and cell death. HSP90 is an atypical chaperone that promotes the stability of signaling molecules. HSP90 and DLK show two hallmarks of HSP90–client relationships: (i) HSP90 binds DLK, and (ii) HSP90 inhibition leads to rapid degradation of existing DLK protein. Moreover, HSP90 is required for DLK stability in vivo, where HSP90 inhibitor reduces DLK protein in the sciatic nerve. This phenomenon is evolutionarily conserved in Drosophila. Genetic knockdown of Drosophila HSP90, Hsp83, decreases levels of Drosophila DLK, Wallenda, and blocks Wallenda-dependent synaptic terminal overgrowth and injury signaling. Our findings support the hypothesis that HSP90 chaperones DLK and is required for DLK functions, including proregenerative axon injury signaling.

scholarly journals Cloning of the Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) Genome as an Infectious Bacterial Artificial Chromosome in Escherichia coli: a New Approach for Construction of HCMV Mutants

1999 ◽  
Vol 73 (10) ◽  
pp. 8320-8329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva-Maria Borst ◽  
Gabriele Hahn ◽  
Ulrich H. Koszinowski ◽  
Martin Messerle
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Human Cytomegalovirus ◽  
Human Fibroblasts ◽  
Artificial Chromosome ◽  
Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Artificial Chromosomes ◽  
Internal Repeat ◽  
The Stability

ABSTRACT We have recently introduced a novel procedure for the construction of herpesvirus mutants that is based on the cloning and mutagenesis of herpesvirus genomes as infectious bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) in Escherichia coli (M. Messerle, I. Crnković, W. Hammerschmidt, H. Ziegler, and U. H. Koszinowski, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94:14759–14763, 1997). Here we describe the application of this technique to the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) strain AD169. Since it was not clear whether the terminal and internal repeat sequences of the HCMV genome would give rise to recombination, the stability of the cloned HCMV genome was examined during propagation inE. coli, during mutagenesis, and after transfection in permissive fibroblasts. Interestingly, the HCMV BACs were frozen in defined conformations in E. coli. The transfection of the HCMV BACs into human fibroblasts resulted in the reconstitution of infectious virus and isomerization of the reconstituted genomes. The power of the BAC mutagenesis procedure was exemplarily demonstrated by the disruption of the gpUL37 open reading frame. The transfection of the mutated BAC led to plaque formation, indicating that the gpUL37 gene product is dispensable for growth of HCMV in fibroblasts. The new procedure will considerably speed up the construction of HCMV mutants and facilitate genetic analysis of HCMV functions.

scholarly journals The p23 Protein of Hibiscus Chlorotic Ringspot Virus Is Indispensable for Host-Specific Replication

2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (23) ◽  
pp. 12312-12319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Zhen Liang ◽  
Andrew P. Lucy ◽  
Shou-Wei Ding ◽  
Sek-Man Wong
Keyword(s):  
Viral Replication ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Chenopodium Quinoa ◽  
Hibiscus Cannabinus ◽  
Ringspot Virus ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Reading Frame

ABSTRACT Hibiscus chlorotic ringspot virus (HCRSV) possesses a novel open reading frame (ORF) which encodes a putative 23-kDa protein (p23). We report here the in vivo detection of p23 and demonstrate its essential role in viral replication. The expression of p23 could be detected in protein extracts from transfected kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) protoplasts and in HCRSV-infected leaves. Further, direct immunoblotting of infected kenaf leaves also showed the presence of p23, and transient expression in onion and kenaf cells demonstrated that the protein is distributed throughout the cell. Site-directed mutagenesis showed that mutations introduced into the ORF of p23 abolished viral replication in kenaf protoplasts and plants but not in Chenopodium quinoa L. The loss of function of the p23 mutant M23/S33-1 could be complemented in trans upon the induced expression of p23 from an infiltrated construct bearing the ORF (pCam23). Altogether, these results demonstrate that p23 is a bona fide HCRSV protein that is expressed in vivo and suggest that p23 is indispensable for the host-specific replication of HCRSV. In addition, we show that p23 does not bind nucleic acids in vitro and does not act as a suppressor of posttranscriptional gene silencing in transgenic tobacco carrying a green fluorescent protein.

Selection of In Vivo Expressed Genes of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Strain EDL933 in Ground Meat under Elevated Temperature Conditions

2012 ◽  
Vol 75 (10) ◽  
pp. 1743-1750 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANDREA KROJ ◽  
HERBERT SCHMIDT
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Genomic Library ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia Coli ◽  
Escherichia Coli O157 ◽  
Ground Meat ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Selection Of

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains are important foodborne pathogens that are often transmitted to humans by the ingestion of raw or undercooked meat of bovine origin. To investigate adaptation of this pathogen during persistence and growth in ground meat, we established an in vivo expression technology model to identify genes that are expressed during growth in this food matrix under elevated temperatures (42°C). To improve on the antibiotic-based selection method, we constructed the promoter trap vector pAK-1, containing a promoterless kanamycin resistance gene. A genomic library of E. coli O157:H7 strain EDL933 was constructed in pAK-1 and used for promoter selection in ground meat. The 20 in vivo expressed genes identified were associated with transport processes, metabolism, macromolecule synthesis, and stress response. For most of the identified genes, only hypothetical functions could be assigned. The results of our study provide the first insights into the complex response of E. coli O157:H7 to a ground meat environment under elevated temperatures and establish a suitable vector for promoter studies or selection of in vivo induced promoters in foods such as ground meat.

scholarly journals Virulence and genotype stability ofSalmonella entericaserovar Berta during a natural outbreak

1996 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 267-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Olsen ◽  
M. N. Skov ◽  
D. J. Brown ◽  
J. P. Christensen ◽  
M. Bisgaard
Keyword(s):  
Mdck Cells ◽  
Electrophoretic Pattern ◽  
Plasmid Profile ◽  
Internal Organs ◽  
Hierarchical Selection ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Natural Outbreak ◽  
Selection Of

SUMMARYStrains ofSalmonella entericaserotype Berta, collected over a period of 6 years from a well documented natural outbreak in Denmark, have been characterized in order to assess the stability of chromosomal typing systems and virulence properties. Outbreak strains were identical inPvuII andPstI IS200profiles, all but two strains showed the sameSmaI ribotype, and all but one strain showed the sameNotI pulsed field gel electrophoretic pattern, indicating that these molecular markers remained almost constant during the outbreak. In general, strains ofS. Berta were found to be of moderate to low virulence; log VC10values were found to vary between 3·0 and 4·4 after i.p. challenge of mice, and maximum CFU in internal organs of day-old chicks varied between 2 and 4 log10units following oral challenge. The minor differences observed between strainsin vivodid not correlate with differences inin vitroinvasion into cultured MDCK cells, nor within vitrogrowth characteristics. A succession of different plasmid profile types was observed during the outbreak but a hierarchical selection of clones based on differences in virulence was unlikely to have caused the succession of types ofS. Berta during this outbreak.

scholarly journals Genetic Footprinting in Bacteria

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (5) ◽  
pp. 1694-1706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta S. Hare ◽  
Scott S. Walker ◽  
Thomas E. Dorman ◽  
Jonathan R. Greene ◽  
Luz-Maria Guzman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Recombinant Proteins ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Sequence Specificity ◽  
Bacteriophage Λ ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Genetic Footprinting ◽  
Transposon Insertions ◽  
Selection Of

ABSTRACT In vivo genetic footprinting was developed in the yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae to simultaneously assess the importance of thousands of genes for the fitness of the cell under any growth condition. We have developed in vivo genetic footprinting forEscherichia coli, a model bacterium and pathogen. We further demonstrate the utility of this technology for rapidly discovering genes that affect the fitness of E. coli under a variety of growth conditions. The definitive features of this system include a conditionally regulated Tn10 transposase with relaxed sequence specificity and a conditionally regulated replicon for the vector containing the transposase and mini-Tn10transposon with an outwardly oriented promoter. This system results in a high frequency of randomly distributed transposon insertions, eliminating the need for the selection of a population containing transposon insertions, stringent suppression of transposon mutagenesis, and few polar effects. Successful footprints have been achieved for most genes longer than 400 bp, including genes located in operons. In addition, the ability of recombinant proteins to complement mutagenized hosts has been evaluated by genetic footprinting using a bacteriophage λ transposon delivery system.

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