scholarly journals Evolution of a Pathway to Novel Long-Chain Carotenoids

2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (5) ◽  
pp. 1531-1536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisuke Umeno ◽  
Frances H. Arnold

ABSTRACT Using methods of laboratory evolution to force the C30 carotenoid synthase CrtM to function as a C40 synthase, followed by further mutagenesis at functionally important amino acid residues, we have discovered that synthase specificity is controlled at the second (rearrangement) step of the two-step reaction. We used this information to engineer CrtM variants that can synthesize previously unknown C45 and C50 carotenoid backbones (mono- and diisopentenylphytoenes) from the appropriate isoprenyldiphosphate precursors. With this ability to produce new backbones in Escherichia coli comes the potential to generate whole series of novel carotenoids by using carotenoid-modifying enzymes, including desaturases, cyclases, hydroxylases, and dioxygenases, from naturally occurring pathways.

Genetics ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 158 (2) ◽  
pp. 507-517
Author(s):  
Gracjana Klein ◽  
Costa Georgopoulos

Abstract Genetic experiments have shown that the GroEL/GroES chaperone machine of Escherichia coli is absolutely essential, not only for bacterial growth but also for the propagation of many bacteriophages including λ. The virulent bacteriophages T4 and RB49 are independent of the host GroES function, because they encode their own cochaperone proteins, Gp31 and CocO, respectively. E. coli groEL44 mutant bacteria do not form colonies above 42° nor do they propagate bacteriophages λ, T4, or RB49. We found that the vast majority (40/46) of spontaneous groEL44 temperature-resistant colonies at 43° were due to the presence of an intragenic suppressor mutation. These suppressors define 21 different amino acid substitutions in GroEL, each affecting one of 13 different amino acid residues. All of these amino acid residues are located at or near the hinge, which regulates the large en bloc movements of the GroEL apical domain. All of these intragenic suppressors support bacteriophages λ, T4, and RB49 growth to various extents in the presence of the groEL44 allele. Since it is known that the GroEL44 mutant protein does not interact effectively with Gp31, the suppressor mutations should enhance cochaperone binding. Analogous intragenic suppressor studies were conducted with the groEL673 temperature-sensitive allele.


1989 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. S. Grewal ◽  
P. J. Lowry ◽  
D. Savva

ABSTRACT A large portion of the human pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) peptide corresponding to amino acid residues 59–241 has been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. A 1·0 kb DNA fragment encoding this peptide was cloned into the expression vectors pUC8 and pUR291. Plasmid pJMBG51 (a pUC8 recombinant) was found to direct the expression of a 24 kDa peptide. The recombinant pUR291 (pJMBG52) was shown to produce a β-galactosidase fusion protein of 140 kDa. Western blot analysis showed that both the 24 kDa and 140 kDa peptides are recognized by antibodies raised against POMC-derived peptides. The β-galactosidase fusion protein has been partially purified from crude E. coli cell lysates using affinity chromatography on p-aminobenzyl-1-thio-β-d-galactopyranoside agarose.


2008 ◽  
Vol 144 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Wada ◽  
M. Mitsuda ◽  
Y. Ishihara ◽  
M. Watanabe ◽  
M. Iwasaki ◽  
...  

2006 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.J. Dridge ◽  
D.J. Richardson ◽  
R.J. Lewis ◽  
C.S. Butler

The AF0174–AF0176 gene cluster in Archaeoglobus fulgidus encodes a putative oxyanion reductase of the D-type (Type II) family of molybdo-enzymes. Sequence analysis reveals that the catalytic subunit AF0176 shares low identity (31–32%) and similarity (41–42%) to both NarG and SerA, the catalytic components of the respiratory nitrate and selenate reductases respectively. Consequently, predicting the oxyanion substrate selectivity of AF0176 has proved difficult based solely on sequence alignments. In the present study, we have modelled both AF0176 and SerA on the recently determined X-ray structure of the NAR (nitrate reductase) from Escherichia coli and have identified a number of key amino acid residues, conserved in all known NAR sequences, including AF0176, that we speculate may enhance selectivity towards trigonal planar (NO3−) rather than tetrahedral (SeO42− and ClO4−) substrates.


1971 ◽  
Vol 227 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshihisa Nishimura ◽  
Hiroshi Makino ◽  
Osamu Takenaka ◽  
Yuji Inada

2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (11) ◽  
pp. 5829-5834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshio Mori ◽  
Mohammed Ali Borgan ◽  
Naoto Ito ◽  
Makoto Sugiyama ◽  
Nobuyuki Minamoto

ABSTRACT Avian rotavirus NSP4 glycoproteins expressed in Escherichia coli acted as enterotoxins in suckling mice, as did mammalian rotavirus NSP4 glycoproteins, despite great differences in the amino acid sequences. The enterotoxin domain of PO-13 NSP4 exists in amino acid residues 109 to 135, a region similar to that reported in SA11 NSP4.


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