scholarly journals An Aminotransferase Is Responsible for the Deamination of the N-Terminal Leucine and Required for Formation of Oxazolone Ring A in Methanobactin of Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b

2016 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenyu Gu ◽  
Bipin S. Baral ◽  
Alan A. DiSpirito ◽  
Jeremy D. Semrau
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Gene Cluster ◽  
Wilson Disease ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Broad Host Range ◽  
Copper Binding ◽  
Copper Uptake ◽  
Methylosinus Trichosporium ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Oxazolone Ring

ABSTRACT Gene expression in methanotrophs has been shown to be affected by the availability of a variety of metals, most notably copper-regulating expression of alternative forms of methane monooxygenase. A copper-binding compound, or chalkophore, called methanobactin plays a key role in copper uptake in methanotrophs. Methanobactin is a ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptide (RiPP) with two heterocyclic rings with an associated thioamide for each ring, formed from X-Cys dipeptide sequences that bind copper. The gene coding for the precursor polypeptide of methanobactin, mbnA, is part of a gene cluster, but the role of other genes in methanobactin biosynthesis is unclear. To begin to elucidate the function of these genes, we constructed an unmarked deletion of mbnABCMN in Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b and then homologously expressed mbnABCM using a broad-host-range cloning vector to determine the function of mbnN, annotated as coding for an aminotransferase. Methanobactin produced by this strain was found to be substantially different from wild-type methanobactin in that the C-terminal methionine was missing and only one of the two oxazolone rings was formed. Rather, in place of the N-terminal 3-methylbutanoyl-oxazolone-thioamide group, a leucine and a thioamide-containing glycine (Gly-Ψ) were found, indicating that MbnN is used for deamination of the N-terminal leucine of methanobactin and that this posttranslational modification is critical for closure of the N-terminal oxazolone ring in M. trichosporium OB3b. These studies provide new insights into methanobactin biosynthesis and also provide a platform for understanding the function of other genes in the methanobactin gene cluster. IMPORTANCE Methanotrophs, microbes that play a critical role in the carbon cycle, are influenced by copper, with gene expression and enzyme activity changing as copper levels change. Methanotrophs produce a copper-binding compound, or chalkophore, called methanobactin for copper uptake, and methanobactin plays a key role in controlling methanotrophic activity. Methanobactin has also been shown to be effective in the treatment of Wilson disease, an autosomal recessive disorder where the human body cannot correctly assimilate copper. It is important to characterize the methanobactin biosynthesis pathway to understand how methanotrophs respond to their environment as well as to optimize the use of methanobactin for the treatment of copper-related diseases such as Wilson disease. Here we show that mbnN, encoding an aminotransferase, is involved in the deamination of the N-terminal leucine and necessary for the formation of one but not both of the heterocyclic rings in methanobactin that are responsible for copper binding.

scholarly journals Methanobactin from Methylocystis sp. Strain SB2 Affects Gene Expression and Methane Monooxygenase Activity in Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b

2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (7) ◽  
pp. 2466-2473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Farhan Ul-Haque ◽  
Bhagyalakshmi Kalidass ◽  
Alexey Vorobev ◽  
Bipin S. Baral ◽  
Alan A. DiSpirito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Methane Monooxygenase ◽  
Particulate Methane Monooxygenase ◽  
Methylosinus Trichosporium Ob3b ◽  
Methylosinus Trichosporium ◽  
Monooxygenase Activity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Soluble Methane Monooxygenase ◽  
A Subunit ◽  
Membrane Bound

ABSTRACTMethanotrophs can express a cytoplasmic (soluble) methane monooxygenase (sMMO) or membrane-bound (particulate) methane monooxygenase (pMMO). Expression of these MMOs is strongly regulated by the availability of copper. Many methanotrophs have been found to synthesize a novel compound, methanobactin (Mb), that is responsible for the uptake of copper, and methanobactin produced byMethylosinus trichosporiumOB3b plays a key role in controlling expression of MMO genes in this strain. As all known forms of methanobactin are structurally similar, it was hypothesized that methanobactin from one methanotroph may alter gene expression in another. WhenMethylosinus trichosporiumOB3b was grown in the presence of 1 μM CuCl2, expression ofmmoX, encoding a subunit of the hydroxylase component of sMMO, was very low.mmoXexpression increased, however, when methanobactin fromMethylocystissp. strain SB2 (SB2-Mb) was added, as did whole-cell sMMO activity, but there was no significant change in the amount of copper associated withM. trichosporiumOB3b. IfM. trichosporiumOB3b was grown in the absence of CuCl2, themmoXexpression level was high but decreased by several orders of magnitude if copper prebound to SB2-Mb (Cu-SB2-Mb) was added, and biomass-associated copper was increased. Exposure ofMethylosinus trichosporiumOB3b to SB2-Mb had no effect on expression ofmbnA, encoding the polypeptide precursor of methanobactin in either the presence or absence of CuCl2.mbnAexpression, however, was reduced when Cu-SB2-Mb was added in both the absence and presence of CuCl2. These data suggest that methanobactin acts as a general signaling molecule in methanotrophs and that methanobactin “piracy” may be commonplace.

scholarly journals Construction of a Broad-Host-Range Tn7-Based Vector for Single-Copy PBAD-Controlled Gene Expression in Gram-Negative Bacteria

2012 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 718-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Heath Damron ◽  
Elizabeth S. McKenney ◽  
Herbert P. Schweizer ◽  
Joanna B. Goldberg
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Host Range ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Broad Host Range ◽  
Gram Negative Bacteria ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Delivery Vector ◽  
Inducible Gene

ABSTRACTWe describe a mini-Tn7-based broad-host-range expression cassette for arabinose-inducible gene expression from the PBADpromoter. This delivery vector, pTJ1, can integrate a single copy of a gene into the chromosome of Gram-negative bacteria for diverse genetic applications, of which several are discussed, usingPseudomonas aeruginosaas the model host.

scholarly journals The Pseudomonas aeruginosa PrrF Small RNAs Regulate Iron Homeostasis during Acute Murine Lung Infection

2017 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandria A. Reinhart ◽  
Angela T. Nguyen ◽  
Luke K. Brewer ◽  
Justin Bevere ◽  
Jace W. Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Small Rnas ◽  
Iron Homeostasis ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogen ◽  
Lung Infection ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Individual

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen that requires iron for virulence. Iron homeostasis is maintained in part by the PrrF1 and PrrF2 small RNAs (sRNAs), which block the expression of iron-containing proteins under iron-depleted conditions. The PrrF sRNAs also promote the production of the Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS), a quorum sensing molecule that activates the expression of several virulence genes. The tandem arrangement of the prrF genes allows for expression of a third sRNA, PrrH, which is predicted to regulate gene expression through its unique sequence derived from the prrF1-prrF2 intergenic (IG) sequence (the PrrHIG sequence). Previous studies showed that the prrF locus is required for acute lung infection. However, the individual functions of the PrrF and PrrH sRNAs were not determined. Here, we describe a system for differentiating PrrF and PrrH functions by deleting the PrrHIG sequence [prrF(ΔHIG)]. Our analyses of this construct indicate that the PrrF sRNAs, but not PrrH, are required for acute lung infection by P. aeruginosa. Moreover, we show that the virulence defect of the ΔprrF1-prrF2 mutant is due to decreased bacterial burden during acute lung infection. In vivo analysis of gene expression in lung homogenates shows that PrrF-mediated regulation of genes for iron-containing proteins is disrupted in the ΔprrF1-prrF2 mutant during infection, while the expression of genes that mediate PrrF-regulated PQS production are not affected by prrF deletion in vivo. Combined, these studies demonstrate that regulation of iron utilization plays a critical role in P. aeruginosa's ability to survive during infection.

scholarly journals Tetrahymena thermophila JMJD3 Homolog Regulates H3K27 Methylation and Nuclear Differentiation

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 601-614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pei-Han Chung ◽  
Meng-Chao Yao
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Tetrahymena Thermophila ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Chromatin Dynamics ◽  
H3k27 Methylation ◽  
Dna Elimination ◽  
Severe Reduction ◽  
Nuclear Development ◽  
Important Regulator

ABSTRACT Histone H3K27me3 modification is an important regulator for development and gene expression. In Tetrahymena thermophila , the complex chromatin dynamics of H3K27me3 marks during nuclear development suggested that an H3K27me3 demethylase might exist. Here, we report an H3K27me3 demethylase homolog, JMJ1 , in Tetrahymena . During conjugation, JMJ1 expression is upregulated and the protein is localized first in the parental macronucleus and then in the new macronucleus. In conjugating cells, knockdown of JMJ1 expression resulted in a severe reduction in the production of progeny, suggesting that JMJ1 is essential for Tetrahymena conjugation. Furthermore, knockdown of JMJ1 resulted in increased H3K27 trimethylation in the new macronucleus and reduced transcription of genes related to DNA elimination, while the DNA elimination process was also partially blocked. Knockdown of the H3K27 methyltransferase EZL2 but not that of EZL1 partially restored progeny production in JMJ1 -knockdown cells and reduced abnormal H3K27me3 accumulation in the new macronucleus. Taken together, these results demonstrate a critical role for JMJ1 in regulating H3K27me3 during conjugation and the importance of JMJ1 in regulating gene expression in the new macronucleus but not in regulating the formation of heterochromatin associated with programmed DNA deletion.

scholarly journals Campylobacter jejuniColonization in the Crow Gut Involves Many Deletions within the Cytolethal Distending Toxin Gene Cluster

2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keya Sen ◽  
Jingrang Lu ◽  
Piyali Mukherjee ◽  
Tanner Berglund ◽  
Eunice Varughese ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Cluster ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Farm Animals ◽  
Toxin Gene ◽  
Broad Host Range ◽  
Cytolethal Distending Toxin ◽  
Gene Markers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
Geographical Regions

ABSTRACTCampylobacterspp. are major causes of gastroenteritis worldwide. The virulence potential ofCampylobactershed in crow feces obtained from a roost area in Bothell, Washington, was studied and compared with that from isolates from other parts of Washington and from a different crow species 7,000 miles away in Kolkata, India.Campylobacterorganisms were isolated from 61% and 69% of the fecal samples obtained from Washington and Kolkata, respectively, and were confirmed to beC. jejuni. The cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) gene cluster from these isolates revealed a truncated sequence of approximately 1,350 bp. Sequencing of the gene cluster revealed two types of mutations: a 668-bp deletion acrosscdtAandcdtBand a 51-bp deletion withincdtB. Some strains had additional 20-bp deletions incdtB. In either case, a functional toxin is not expected; a functional toxin is produced by the expression of three tandem genes,cdtA,cdtB, andcdtC. Reverse transcriptase PCR with total RNA extracted from the isolates showed no expression ofcdtB. A toxin assay performed with these isolates on HeLa cells failed to show cytotoxic effects on the cells. However, the isolates were able to colonize the chicken ceca for a period of at least 4 weeks, similar to that of a clinical isolate. Other virulence gene markers, flagellin A and CadF, were present in 100% of the isolates. Our study suggests that crows carry the bacteriumC. jejunibut with a dysfunctional toxin protein that is expected to drastically reduce its potential to cause diarrhea.IMPORTANCECampylobacters are a major cause of gastroenteritis in humans. Since outbreaks have most often been correlated with poultry or unpasteurized dairy products, contact with farm animals, or contaminated water, historically, the majority of the studies have been with campylobacter isolates from poultry, domestic animals, and human patients. However, the bacterium has a broad host range that includes birds. These reservoirs need to be investigated, because the identification of the source and a determination of the transmission routes for a pathogen are important for the development of evidence-based disease control programs. In this study, two species of the human-commensal crow, from two different geographical regions separated by 7,000 miles of land and water, have been examined for their ability to cause disease by shedding campylobacters. Our results show that the crow may not play a significant role in campylobacteriosis, because the campylobacter organisms they shed produce a nonfunctional toxin.

scholarly journals A SilencedvanAGene Cluster on a Transferable Plasmid Caused an Outbreak of Vancomycin-Variable Enterococci

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (7) ◽  
pp. 4119-4127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audun Sivertsen ◽  
Torunn Pedersen ◽  
Kjersti Wik Larssen ◽  
Kåre Bergh ◽  
Torunn Gresdal Rønning ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Cluster ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Genetic Difference ◽  
Brain Heart Infusion ◽  
Broad Host Range ◽  
S1 Nuclease ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transcription Profiles

ABSTRACTWe report an outbreak of vancomycin-variablevanA+enterococci (VVE) able to escape phenotypic detection by current guidelines and demonstrate the molecular mechanisms forin vivoswitching into vancomycin resistance and horizontal spread of thevanAcluster. Forty-eightvanA+Enterococcus faeciumisolates and oneEnterococcus faecalisisolate were analyzed for clonality with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and theirvanAgene cluster compositions were assessed by PCR and whole-genome sequencing of six isolates. The susceptible VVE strains were cultivated in brain heart infusion broth containing vancomycin at 8 μg/ml forin vitrodevelopment of resistant VVE. The transcription profiles of susceptible VVE and their resistant revertants were assessed using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR. Plasmid content was analyzed with S1 nuclease PFGE and hybridizations. Conjugative transfer ofvanAwas assessed by filter mating. The only genetic difference between thevanAclusters of susceptible and resistant VVE was an ISL3-family element upstream ofvanHAX, which silencedvanHAXgene transcription in susceptible VVE. Furthermore, the VVE had an insertion of IS1542betweenorf2andvanRthat attenuated the expression ofvanHAX. Growth of susceptible VVE occurred after 24 to 72 h of exposure to vancomycin due to excision of the ISL3-family element. ThevanAgene cluster was located on a transferable broad-host-range plasmid also detected in outbreak isolates with different pulsotypes, including oneE. faecalisisolate. Horizontally transferable silencedvanAable to escape detection and revert into resistance during vancomycin therapy represents a new challenge in the clinic. Genotypic testing of invasive vancomycin-susceptible enterococci byvanA-PCR is advised.

scholarly journals A TonB-Dependent Transporter Is Responsible for Methanobactin Uptake by Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b

2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (6) ◽  
pp. 1917-1923 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenyu Gu ◽  
Muhammad Farhan Ul Haque ◽  
Bipin S. Baral ◽  
Erick A. Turpin ◽  
Nathan L. Bandow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Methane Monooxygenase ◽  
Copper Uptake ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Particulate Methane Monooxygenase ◽  
Methylosinus Trichosporium Ob3b ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Methylosinus Trichosporium ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Soluble Methane Monooxygenase ◽  
Genes Encoding

ABSTRACTMethanobactin, a small modified polypeptide synthesized by methanotrophs for copper uptake, has been found to be chromosomally encoded. The gene encoding the polypeptide precursor of methanobactin,mbnA, is part of a gene cluster that also includes several genes encoding proteins of unknown function (but speculated to be involved in methanobactin formation) as well asmbnT, which encodes a TonB-dependent transporter hypothesized to be responsible for methanobactin uptake. To determine ifmbnTis truly responsible for methanobactin uptake, a knockout was constructed inMethylosinus trichosporiumOB3b using marker exchange mutagenesis. The resultingM. trichosporiummbnT::Gmrmutant was found to be able to produce methanobactin but was unable to internalize it. Further, if this mutant was grown in the presence of copper and exogenous methanobactin, copper uptake was significantly reduced. Expression ofmmoXandpmoA, encoding polypeptides of the soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) and particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO), respectively, also changed significantly when methanobactin was added, which indicates that the mutant was unable to collect copper under these conditions. Copper uptake and gene expression, however, were not affected in wild-typeM. trichosporiumOB3b, indicating that the TonB-dependent transporter encoded bymbnTis responsible for methanobactin uptake and that methanobactin is a key mechanism used by methanotrophs for copper uptake. When thembnT::Gmrmutant was grown under a range of copper concentrations in the absence of methanobactin, however, the phenotype of the mutant was indistinguishable from that of wild-typeM. trichosporiumOB3b, indicating that this methanotroph has multiple mechanisms for copper uptake.

scholarly journals Conserved ESX-1 Substrates EspE and EspF Are Virulence Factors That Regulate Gene Expression

2020 ◽  
Vol 88 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra E. Chirakos ◽  
Kathleen R. Nicholson ◽  
Allison Huffman ◽  
Patricia A. Champion
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Protein Secretion ◽  
Control Mechanism ◽  
Broad Host Range ◽  
Regulate Gene Expression ◽  
Unknown Mechanism ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Link Type ◽  
First Time ◽  
Dual Functions

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the cause of human tuberculosis, and Mycobacterium marinum, a nontubercular pathogen with a broad host range, require the ESX-1 secretion system for virulence. The ESX-1 system secretes proteins which cause phagosomal lysis within the macrophage via an unknown mechanism. As reported elsewhere (R. E. Bosserman et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 114:E10772–E10781, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1710167114), we recently discovered that the ESX-1 system regulates gene expression in M. marinum This finding was confirmed in M. tuberculosis in reports by C. Sala et al. (PLoS Pathog 14:e1007491, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1007491) and A. M. Abdallah et al. (PLoS One 14:e0211003, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0211003). We further demonstrated that a feedback control mechanism connects protein secretion to WhiB6-dependent expression of the esx-1 genes via an unknown mechanism. Here, we connect protein secretion and gene expression by showing for the first time that specific ESX-1 substrates have dual functions inside and outside the mycobacterial cell. We demonstrate that the EspE and EspF substrates negatively control esx-1 gene expression in the M. marinum cytoplasm through the conserved WhiB6 transcription factor. We found that EspE and EspF are required for virulence and promote lytic activity independently of the major EsxA and EsxB substrates. We show that the dual functions of EspE and EspF are conserved in the orthologous proteins from M. tuberculosis. Our findings support a role for EspE and EspF in virulence that is independent of the EsxA and EsxB substrates and demonstrate that ESX-1 substrates have a conserved role in regulating gene expression.

scholarly journals First Report of the Local Spread of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci Ascribed to the Interspecies Transmission of a vanA Gene Cluster-Carrying Linear Plasmid

mSphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusuke Hashimoto ◽  
Izumi Kita ◽  
Masato Suzuki ◽  
Hidetada Hirakawa ◽  
Hirofumi Ohtaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Gene Cluster ◽  
Vancomycin Resistance ◽  
Linear Plasmid ◽  
Broad Host Range ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Local Spread ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci ◽  
Antimicrobial Resistance Genes ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant

ABSTRACT Vancomycin-resistant enterococci pose a threat in the clinical setting and have been linked to hospital outbreaks worldwide. In 2017, a local spread of VanA-type vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) occurred in Japan, and 25 enterococcal isolates, including 14 Enterococcus faecium, 8 E. raffinosus, and 3 E. casseliflavus isolates, were identified from four inpatients. Molecular analysis of the multispecies of VanA-type VRE revealed the involvement of both the dissemination of clonally related VRE strains between patients and the horizontal transfer of plasmids harboring the vanA gene cluster between Enterococcus spp. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis showed that the plasmid DNAs without S1 nuclease treatment were able to migrate into the gel, suggesting that the topology of the plasmid was linear. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that this plasmid, designated pELF2, was 108,102 bp long and encoded multiple antimicrobial resistance genes, including ermA and ant(9). The amino acid sequences of putative replication- and transfer-related genes were highly conserved between pELF2 and pELF1, the latter of which was the first identified enterococcal conjugative linear plasmid. On comparing the genomic structure, pELF2 showed the presence of a backbone similar to that of pELF1, especially with respect to the nucleotide sequences of both terminal ends, indicating a hybrid-type linear plasmid, possessing two different terminal structures. pELF2 possessed a broad host range and high conjugation frequencies for enterococci. The easy transfer of pELF2 to different Enterococcus spp. in vitro might explain this local spread of multiple species, highlighting the clinical threat from the spread of antimicrobial resistance by an enterococcal linear plasmid. IMPORTANCE Increasing multidrug resistance, including vancomycin resistance, in enterococci is a major concern in clinical settings. Horizontal gene transfer, such as via plasmids, has been shown to play a crucial role in the acquisition of vancomycin resistance. Among vancomycin resistance types, the VanA type is one of the most prevalent, and outbreaks caused by VanA-type vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have occurred worldwide. Here, we describe an enterococcal linear plasmid responsible for multispecies local spread of VanA-type VRE. Such a study is important because although hospital outbreaks caused by mixed enterococcal species have been reported, this particular spread indicates plasmid transfer across species. This is a crucial finding because the high risk for such a spread of antimicrobial resistance calls for regular monitoring and surveillance.

scholarly journals Isolation of Copper Biochelates fromMethylosinus trichosporium OB3b and Soluble Methane Monooxygenase Mutants

1998 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 1115-1122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos M. Téllez ◽  
Kristen P. Gaus ◽  
David W. Graham ◽  
Robert G. Arnold ◽  
Roberto Z. Guzman
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Methane Monooxygenase ◽  
Size Exclusion ◽  
Copper Binding ◽  
Copper Uptake ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Methylosinus Trichosporium ◽  
Soluble Methane Monooxygenase ◽  
Steady Level ◽  
Presence And Absence

ABSTRACT Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b produces an extracellular copper-binding ligand (CBL) with high affinity for copper. Wild-type cells and mutants that express soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) in the presence and absence of copper (sMMOc) were used to obtain cell exudates that were separated and analyzed by size exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography. A single chromatographic peak, when present, contained most of the aqueous-phase Cu(II) present in the culture medium. In mutant cultures that were unable to acquire copper, extracellular CBL accumulated to high levels both in the presence and in the absence of copper. Conversely, in wild-type cultures containing 5 μM Cu(II), extracellular CBL was maintained at a low, steady level during exponential growth, after which the external ligand was rapidly consumed. When Cu(II) was omitted from the growth medium, the wild-type organism produced the CBL at a rate that was proportional to cell density. After copper was added to this previously Cu-deprived culture, the CBL and copper concentrations in the medium decreased at approximately the same rate. Apparently, the extracellular CBL was produced throughout the period of cell growth, in the presence and absence of Cu(II), by both the mutant and wild-type cultures and was reinternalized or otherwise utilized by the wild-type cultures when it was bound to copper. CBL produced by the mutant strain facilitated copper uptake by wild-type cells, indicating that the extracellular CBLs produced by the mutant and wild-type organisms are functionally indistinguishable. CBL from the wild-type strain did not promote copper uptake by the mutant. The molecular weight of the CBL was estimated to be 500, and its association constant with copper was 1.4 × 1016 M−1. CBL exhibited a preference for copper, even in the presence of 20-fold higher concentrations of nickel. External complexation may play a role in normal copper acquisition by M. trichosporium OB3b. The sMMOcphenotype is probably related to the mutant’s inability to take up CBL-complexed copper, not to a defective CBL structure.

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