scholarly journals Gene Cloning and Characterization of Multiple Alkane Hydroxylase Systems in Rhodococcus Strains Q15 and NRRL B-16531

2002 ◽  
Vol 68 (12) ◽  
pp. 5933-5942 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. G. Whyte ◽  
T. H. M. Smits ◽  
D. Labbé ◽  
B. Witholt ◽  
C. W. Greer ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The alkane hydroxylase systems of two Rhodococcus strains (NRRL B-16531 and Q15, isolated from different geographical locations) were characterized. Both organisms contained at least four alkane monooxygenase gene homologs (alkB1, alkB2, alkB3, and alkB4). In both strains, the alkB1 and alkB2 homologs were part of alk gene clusters, each encoding two rubredoxins (rubA1 and rubA2; rubA3 and rubA4), a putative TetR transcriptional regulatory protein (alkU1; alkU2), and, in the alkB1 cluster, a rubredoxin reductase (rubB). The alkB3 and alkB4 homologs were found as separate genes which were not part of alk gene clusters. Functional heterologous expression of some of the rhodococcal alk genes (alkB2, rubA2, and rubA4 [NRRL B-16531]; alkB2 and rubB [Q15]) was achieved in Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas expression systems. Pseudomonas recombinants containing rhodococcal alkB2 were able to mineralize and grow on C12 to C16 n-alkanes. All rhodococcal alkane monooxygenases possessed the highly conserved eight-histidine motif, including two apparent alkane monooxygenase signature motifs (LQRH[S/A]DHH and NYXEHYG[L/M]), and the six hydrophobic membrane-spanning regions found in all alkane monooxygenases related to the Pseudomonas putida GPo1 alkane monooxygenase. The presence of multiple alkane hydroxylases in the two rhodococcal strains is reminiscent of other multiple-degradative-enzyme systems reported in Rhodococcus.

2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (24) ◽  
pp. 8669-8680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane O. Inglis ◽  
Alexander D. Johnson

ABSTRACT In response to a number of distinct environmental conditions, the fungal pathogen Candida albicans undergoes a morphological transition from a round, yeast form to a series of elongated, filamentous forms. This transition is believed to be critical for virulence in a mouse model of disseminated candidiasis. Here we describe the characterization of C. albicans ASH1, a gene that encodes an asymmetrically localized transcriptional regulatory protein involved in this response. We show that C. albicans ash1 mutants are defective in responding to some filament-inducing conditions. We also show that Ash1p is preferentially localized to daughter cell nuclei in the budding-yeast form of C. albicans cell growth and to the hyphal tip cells in growing filaments. Thus, Ash1p “marks” newly formed cells and presumably directs a specialized transcriptional program in these cells. Finally, we show that ASH1 is required for full virulence of C. albicans in a mouse model of disseminated candidiasis.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittni R. Kelley ◽  
Sean M. Callahan ◽  
Jeremiah G. Johnson

A previously identified transcriptional regulator in C. jejuni, termed HeuR, was found to positively regulate heme utilization. Additionally, transcriptomic work demonstrated the putative operons, CJJ81176_1390-1394 and CJJ81176_1214-1217, were upregulated in a HeuR mutant, suggesting HeuR negatively regulates expression of these genes. Because genes within these clusters include a cystathionine β-lyase (metC) and a methionine synthase (metE), it appeared HeuR negatively regulates C. jejuni methionine biosynthesis. To address this, we confirmed mutation of HeuR reproducibly results in metC overexpression under nutrient-replete conditions, but did not affect expression of metE, while metC expression in the wild-type increased to heuR mutant levels during iron-limitation. We subsequently determined that both gene clusters are operonic and demonstrated the direct interaction of HeuR with the predicted promoter regions of these operons. Using DNase-footprinting assays, we were able to show that HeuR specifically binds within the predicted -35 region of the CJJ81176_1390-1394 operon. As predicted based on transcriptional results, the HeuR mutant was able to grow and remain viable in a defined media with and without methionine, but we identified significant impacts on growth and viability in metC and metE mutants. Additionally, we observed decreased adherence, invasion, and persistence of metC and metE mutants when incubated with human colonocytes, while the heuR mutant exhibited increased invasion. Taken together, these results suggest that HeuR regulates methionine biosynthesis in an iron-responsive manner and that the ability to produce methionine is an important factor for adhering to and invading the gastrointestinal tract of a susceptible host. Importance As the leading cause of bacterial-derived gastroenteritis worldwide, Campylobacter jejuni has a significant impact on human health. Investigating colonization factors that allow C. jejuni to successfully infect a host furthers our understanding of genes and regulatory elements necessary for virulence. In this study, we have begun to characterize the role of the transcriptional regulatory protein, HeuR, on methionine biosynthesis in C. jejuni. When the ability to synthesize methionine is impaired, detrimental impacts on growth and viability are observed during growth in limited media lacking methionine and/or iron. Additionally, mutations in the methionine biosynthetic pathway result in decreased adhesion, invasion, and intracellular survival of C. jejuni when incubated with human colonocytes, indicating the importance of regulating methionine biosynthesis.


Genetics ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 131 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
R J Nelson ◽  
M F Heschl ◽  
E A Craig

Abstract Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains that contain null alleles of two hsp70 genes, SSA1 and SSA2, are temperature sensitive for growth. In this study, extragenic suppressors of ssa1 ssa2 have been isolated. Suppression is due to mutations at nuclear loci designated EXA1, EXA2 and EXA3 for EXtragenic suppressor hsp70 subfamily A. Two of the four EXA1 alleles are dominant as is EXA3-1. The other two EXA1 alleles as well as the sole EXA2 allele are recessive. EXA1 mutations lead to accumulation of a previously uncharacterized form of hsp70. EXA2 and EXA3 mutations affect the regulation of the stress response. In exa2-1 ssa1 ssa2 strains the gene products of the remaining SSA hsp70 genes, SSA3 and SSA4 (Ssa3/4p), accumulate to higher levels. The EXA3-1 mutation results in increased accumulation of both Ssa3/4p and the hsp70s encoded by the SSB1 and SSB2 genes (Ssb1/2p), suggesting that the EXA3 gene product plays a central role in the yeast stress response. Consistent with this hypothesis, EXA3-1 is tightly linked to HSF1, the gene encoding the transcriptional regulatory protein known as "heat shock factor." All of the genes identified in this study seem to be involved in regulating the expression of SSA3 and SSA4 or the activity of their protein products.


2009 ◽  
Vol 191 (10) ◽  
pp. 3415-3419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun Sook Lee ◽  
Yun Jae Kim ◽  
Jung-Hyun Lee ◽  
Sung Gyun Kang

ABSTRACT Two hypothetical genes were functionally verified to be a pyrophosphatase and a PAP phosphatase in Thermococcus onnurineus NA1. This is the first report of the pyrophosphatases and the PAP phosphatases being organized in the gene clusters of the sulfate activation system only in T. onnurineus NA1 and “Pyrococcus abyssi.”


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diogo Martins ◽  
Michael A. DiCandia ◽  
Aristides L. Mendes ◽  
Daniela Wetzel ◽  
Shonna M. McBride ◽  
...  

AbstractBacteria that reside in the gastrointestinal tract of healthy humans are essential for our health, sustenance and well-being. About 50–60% of those bacteria have the ability to produce resilient spores that are important for the life cycle in the gut and for host-to-host transmission. A genomic signature for sporulation in the human intestine was recently described, which spans both commensals and pathogens such as Clostridioides difficile and contains several genes of unknown function. We report on the characterization of a signature gene, CD25890, which, as we show is involved in the control of sporulation initiation in C. difficile under certain nutritional conditions. Spo0A is the main regulatory protein controlling entry into sporulation and we show that an in-frame deletion of CD25890 results in increased expression of spo0A per cell and increased sporulation. The effect of CD25890 on spo0A is likely indirect and mediated through repression of the sinRR´ operon. Deletion of the CD25890 gene, however, does not alter the expression of the genes coding for the cytotoxins or the genes involved in biofilm formation. Our results suggest that CD25890 acts to modulate sporulation in response to the nutrients present in the environment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1612
Author(s):  
Werner Ruppitsch ◽  
Andjela Nisic ◽  
Patrick Hyden ◽  
Adriana Cabal ◽  
Jasmin Sucher ◽  
...  

In many dairy products, Leuconostoc spp. is a natural part of non-starter lactic acid bacteria (NSLAB) accounting for flavor development. However, data on the genomic diversity of Leuconostoc spp. isolates obtained from cheese are still scarce. The focus of this study was the genomic characterization of Leuconostoc spp. obtained from different traditional Montenegrin brine cheeses with the aim to explore their diversity and provide genetic information as a basis for the selection of strains for future cheese production. In 2019, sixteen Leuconostoc spp. isolates were obtained from white brine cheeses from nine different producers located in three municipalities in the northern region of Montenegro. All isolates were identified as Ln. mesenteroides. Classical multilocus sequence tying (MLST) and core genome (cg) MLST revealed a high diversity of the Montenegrin Ln. mesenteroides cheese isolates. All isolates carried genes of the bacteriocin biosynthetic gene clusters, eight out of 16 strains carried the citCDEFG operon, 14 carried butA, and all 16 isolates carried alsS and ilv, genes involved in forming important aromas and flavor compounds. Safety evaluation indicated that isolates carried no pathogenic factors and no virulence factors. In conclusion, Ln. mesenteroides isolates from Montenegrin traditional cheeses displayed a high genetic diversity and were unrelated to strains deposited in GenBank.


1986 ◽  
Vol 154 (4) ◽  
pp. 709-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsutomu Ono ◽  
Joseph D. Campeau ◽  
Eric A. Holmberg ◽  
Robert M. Nakamura ◽  
Eryn L. Ujita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

1991 ◽  
Vol 280 (3) ◽  
pp. 745-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
N M Hooper ◽  
A Bashir

Treatment of kidney microvillar membranes with the non-ionic detergent Triton X-114 at 0 degrees C, followed by low-speed centrifugation, generated a detergent-insoluble pellet and a detergent-soluble supernatant. The supernatant was further fractionated by phase separation at 30 degrees C into a detergent-rich phase and a detergent-depleted or aqueous phase. Those ectoenzymes with a covalently attached glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (G-PI) membrane anchor were recovered predominantly (greater than 73%) in the detergent-insoluble pellet. In contrast, those ectoenzymes anchored by a single membrane-spanning polypeptide were recovered predominantly (greater than 62%) in the detergent-rich phase. Removal of the hydrophobic membrane-anchoring domain from either class of ectoenzyme resulted in the proteins being recovered predominantly (greater than 70%) in the aqueous phase. This technique was also applied to other membrane types, including pig and human erythrocyte ghosts, where, in both cases, the G-PI-anchored acetylcholinesterase partitioned predominantly (greater than 69%) into the detergent-insoluble pellet. When the microvillar membranes were subjected only to differential solubilization with Triton X-114 at 0 degrees C, the G-PI-anchored ectoenzymes were recovered predominantly (greater than 63%) in the detergent-insoluble pellet, whereas the transmembrane-polypeptide-anchored ectoenzymes were recovered predominantly (greater than 95%) in the detergent-solubilized supernatant. Thus differential solubilization and temperature-induced phase separation in Triton X-114 distinguished between G-PI-anchored membrane proteins, transmembrane-polypeptide-anchored proteins and soluble, hydrophilic proteins. This technique may be more useful and reliable than susceptibility to release by phospholipases as a means of identifying a G-PI anchor on an unpurified membrane protein.


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