Genetic manipulation of rumen bacteria: from potential to reality

1996 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 247 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Gregg ◽  
G Allen ◽  
C Beard

The development of techniques for manipulating the molecular genetics of bacteria led naturally to suggestions for using this technology to alter rumen function. Despite early difficulties, methods are now available to insert new genetic material into several rumen bacterial species, including Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, Prevotella ruminicola, and Ruminococcus albus. One strain of B. fibrisolvens has been modified to detoxify a naturally occurring poison that causes major losses of livestock in Australia, Africa, and Central America. The stability of that modified organism has been demonstrated by its recolonization of the rumen and retention of its altered genotype over 5 months in vivo. Many of the persistent doubts about rumen bacterial genetic manipulation and the viability of altered organisms in a competitive environment have been shown to be capable of resolution, and interest in this area of research may be revitalized by these results. Apart from the achievement of specific metabolic improvements, the technology now available will allow extensive characterization of the molecular genetics of rumen bacteria with a precision that was not previously possible.

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (16) ◽  
pp. 4774
Author(s):  
Eric E. Simanek

For two decades, methods for the synthesis and characterization of dendrimers based on [1,3,5]-triazine have been advanced by the group. Motivated by the desire to generate structural complexity on the periphery, initial efforts focused on convergent syntheses, which yielded pure materials to generation three. To obtain larger generations of dendrimers, divergent strategies were pursued using iterative reactions of monomers, sequential additions of triazine and diamines, and ultimately, macromonomers. Strategies for the incorporation of bioactive molecules using non-covalent and covalent strategies have been explored. These bioactive materials included small molecule drugs, peptides, and genetic material. In some cases, these constructs were examined in both in vitro and in vivo models with a focus on targeting prostate tumor subtypes with paclitaxel conjugates. In the materials realm, the use of triazine dendrimers anchored on solid surfaces including smectite clay, silica, mesoporous alumina, polystyrene, and others was explored for the separation of volatile organics from gas streams or the sequestration of atrazine from solution. The combination of these organics with metal nanoparticles has been probed. The goal of this review is to summarize these efforts.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heng Zhang ◽  
Judith Burrows ◽  
Graeme L. Card ◽  
Graeme Attwood ◽  
Thomas T. Wheeler ◽  
...  

AbstractBovine Salivary Protein 30b (BSP30b) is a member of the tubular lipid-binding (TULIP) superfamily that includes the human bactericidal/permeability-increasing proteins (BPI), lipopolysaccharide binding proteins (LBP) and palate, lung, and nasal epithelium carcinoma-21 associated proteins (PLUNC). BSP30b is most closely related to the PLUNC family and is predominantly found in bovine saliva. There are four BSP30 isoforms (BSP30a-d) and collectively, they are the most abundant protein component of bovine saliva. The PLUNC family members are proposed to be lipid binding proteins, although in most cases their lipid ligands are unknown. Here, we present the X-ray crystal structure of BSP30b at 2.0 Å resolution. We used a double methionine mutant and Se-Met SAD phasing to solve the structure. The structure adopts a curved cylindrical form with a hydrophobic channel formed by an α/β wrap, which is consistent with the TULIP superfamily. The structure of BSP30b in complex with oleic acid is also presented where the ligand is accommodated within the hydrophobic channel. The electron density for oleic acid suggests that the ligand is only partially occupied in the binding site implying that oleic acid may not be the preferred ligand. GFP-tagged BSP30b binds to the surface of olive oil droplets, as observed under fluorescent microscopy, and acts as a surfactant consistent with its association with decreased susceptibility to bloat in cattle. Bacteria extracted directly from bovine rumen contents indicate that the GFP_BSP30b fusion protein binds to a small number of selected bacterial species in vivo. These results suggest that BSP30b may bind to bacterial lipids from specific species and that this abundant protein may have important biological roles via interacting with rumen bacteria during feeding and rumination.


Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 2390
Author(s):  
Ankush Borlepawar ◽  
Nesrin Schmiedel ◽  
Matthias Eden ◽  
Lynn Christen ◽  
Alexandra Rosskopf ◽  
...  

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.


2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (11) ◽  
pp. 6741-6748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meha P. Patel ◽  
Bartlomiej G. Fryszczyn ◽  
Timothy Palzkill

ABSTRACTThe widespread use of oxyimino-cephalosporin antibiotics drives the evolution of the CTX-M family of β-lactamases that hydrolyze these drugs and confer antibiotic resistance. Clinically isolated CTX-M enzymes carrying the P167S or D240G active site-associated adaptive mutation have a broadened substrate profile that includes the oxyimino-cephalosporin antibiotic ceftazidime. The D240G substitution is known to reduce the stability of CTX-M-14 β-lactamase, and the P167S substitution is shown here to also destabilize the enzyme. Proteins are marginally stable entities, and second-site mutations that stabilize the enzyme can offset a loss in stability caused by mutations that enhance enzyme activity. Therefore, the evolution of antibiotic resistance enzymes can be dependent on the acquisition of stabilizing mutations. The A77V substitution is present in CTX-M extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) from a number of clinical isolates, suggesting that it may be important in the evolution of antibiotic resistance in this family of β-lactamases. In this study, the effects of the A77V substitution in the CTX-M-14 model enzyme were characterized with regard to the kinetic parameters for antibiotic hydrolysis as well as enzyme expression levelsin vivoand protein stabilityin vitro. The A77V substitution has little effect on the kinetics of oxyimino-cephalosporin hydrolysis, but it stabilizes the CTX-M enzyme and compensates for the loss of stability resulting from the P167S and D240G mutations. The acquisition of global stabilizing mutations, such as A77V, is an important feature in β-lactamase evolution and a common mechanism in protein evolution.


Development ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 127 (21) ◽  
pp. 4681-4689 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Chen ◽  
D. Kimelman

Formation of the three germ layers requires a series of inductive events during early embryogenesis. Studies in zebrafish indicate that the source of these inductive signals may be the extra-embryonic yolk syncytial layer (YSL). The characterization of genes encoding the nodal-related factor, Squint, and homeodomain protein, Bozozok, both of which are expressed in the YSL, suggested that the YSL has a role in mesendoderm induction. However, these genes, and a second nodal-related factor, cyclops, are also expressed in the overlying marginal blastomeres, raising the possibility that the marginal blastomeres can induce mesendodermal genes independently of the YSL. We have developed a novel technique to study signaling from the YSL in which we specifically eliminate RNAs in the YSL, thus addressing the in vivo requirement of RNA-derived signals from this region in mesendoderm induction. We show that injection of RNase into the yolk cell after the 1K cell stage (3 hours) effectively eliminates YSL transcripts without affecting ubiquitously expressed genes in the blastoderm. We also present data that indicate the stability of existing proteins in the YSL is unaffected by RNase injection. Using this technique, we show that RNA in the YSL is required for the formation of ventrolateral mesendoderm and induction of the nodal-related genes in the ventrolateral marginal blastomeres, revealing the presence of an unidentified inducing signal released from the YSL. We also demonstrate that the dorsal mesoderm can be induced independently of signals from the YSL and present evidence that this is due to the stabilization of (β)-catenin in the dorsal marginal blastomeres. Our results demonstrate that germ layer formation and patterning in zebrafish uses a combination of YSL-dependent and -independent inductive events.


2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (11) ◽  
pp. 7146-7161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Mercer ◽  
Paula Traktman

ABSTRACT The vaccinia virus proteins A30 and G7 are known to play essential roles in early morphogenesis, acting prior to the formation of immature virions. Their repression or inactivation results in the accumulation of large virosomes, detached membrane crescents, and empty immature virions. We have undertaken further study of these proteins to place them within the context of the F10 kinase, the A14 membrane protein, and the H5 phosphoprotein, which have been the focus of previous studies within our laboratory. Here we confirm that both A30 and G7 undergo F10 kinase-dependent phosphorylation in vivo and recapitulate that modification of A30 in vitro. Although the detached crescents observed upon loss of A30 or G7 echo those seen upon repression of A14, no interaction between A30/G7 and A14 could be detected. We did, however, determine that the A30 and G7 proteins are unstable during nonpermissive tsH5 infections, suggesting that the loss of A30/G7 is the underlying cause for the formation of lacy or curdled virosomes. We also determined that the temperature-sensitive phenotype of the Cts11 virus is due to mutations in two codons of the G7L gene. Phenotypic analysis of nonpermissive Cts11 infections indicated that these amino acid substitutions compromise G7 function without impairing the stability of either G7 or A30. Utilizing Cts11 in conjunction with a rifampin release assay, we determined that G7 acts at multiple stages of virion morphogenesis that can be distinguished both by ultrastructural analysis and by monitoring the phosphorylation status of several viral proteins that undergo F10-mediated phosphorylation.


2022 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
María Guadalupe Herrera-Hernández ◽  
Neda Razzaghi ◽  
Pol Fernandez-Gonzalez ◽  
Laia Bosch-Presegué ◽  
Guillem Vila-Julià ◽  
...  

AbstractMutations in the photoreceptor protein rhodopsin are known as one of the leading causes of retinal degeneration in humans. Two rhodopsin mutations, Y102H and I307N, obtained in chemically mutagenized mice, are currently the subject of increased interest as relevant models for studying the process of retinal degeneration in humans. Here, we report on the biochemical and functional characterization of the structural and functional alterations of these two rhodopsin mutants and we compare them with the G90V mutant previously analyzed, as a basis for a better understanding of in vivo studies. This mechanistic knowledge is fundamental to use it for developing novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of inherited retinal degeneration in retinitis pigmentosa. We find that Y102H and I307N mutations affect the inactive–active equilibrium of the receptor. In this regard, the mutations reduce the stability of the inactive conformation but increase the stability of the active conformation. Furthermore, the initial rate of the functional activation of transducin, by the I307N mutant is reduced, but its kinetic profile shows an unusual increase with time suggesting a profound effect on the signal transduction process. This latter effect can be associated with a change in the flexibility of helix 7 and an indirect effect of the mutation on helix 8 and the C-terminal tail of rhodopsin, whose potential role in the functional activation of the receptor has been usually underestimated. In the case of the Y102H mutant, the observed changes can be associated with conformational alterations affecting the folding of the rhodopsin intradiscal domain, and its presumed involvement in the retinal binding process by the receptor.


2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (13) ◽  
pp. 4980-4990 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masahiro Morita ◽  
Toru Suzuki ◽  
Takahisa Nakamura ◽  
Kazumasa Yokoyama ◽  
Takashi Miyasaka ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The stability of mRNA influences the abundance of cellular transcripts and proteins. Deadenylases play critical roles in mRNA turnover and thus are important for the regulation of various biological events. Here, we report the identification and characterization of CCR4b/CNOT6L, which is homologous to yeast CCR4 mRNA deadenylase. CCR4b is localized mainly in the cytoplasm and displays deadenylase activity both in vitro and in vivo. CCR4b forms a multisubunit complex similar to the yeast CCR4-NOT complex. Suppression of CCR4b by RNA interference results in growth retardation of NIH 3T3 cells accompanied by elevation of both p27 Kip1 mRNA and p27Kip1 protein. Reintroduction of wild-type CCR4b, but not mutant CCR4b lacking deadenylase activity, restores the growth of CCR4b-depleted NIH 3T3 cells. The data suggest that CCR4b regulates cell growth in a manner dependent on its deadenylase activity. We also show that p27 Kip1 mRNA is stabilized and its poly(A) tail is preserved in CCR4b-depleted cells. Our findings provide evidence that CCR4b deadenylase is a constituent of the mammalian CCR4-NOT complex and regulates the turnover rate of specific target mRNAs. Thus, CCR4b may be involved in various cellular events that include cell proliferation.


1994 ◽  
Vol 107 (10) ◽  
pp. 2839-2849 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.C. Bulinski ◽  
A. Bossler

In previous studies (Bulinski and Borisy (1979). Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 76, 293–297; Weatherbee et al. (1980). Biochemistry 19, 4116–4123) a microtubule-associated protein (MAP) of M(r) approximately 125,000 was identified as a prominent MAP in HeLa cells. We set out to perform a biochemical characterization of this protein, and to determine its in vitro functions and in vivo distribution. We determined that, like the assembly-promoting MAPs, tau, MAP2 and MAP4, the 125 kDa MAP was both proteolytically sensitive and thermostable. An additional property of this MAP; namely, its unusually tight association with a calcium-insensitive population of MTs in the presence of taxol, was exploited in devising an efficient purification strategy. Because of the MAP's tenacious association with a stable population of MTs, and because it appeared to contribute to the stability of this population of MTs in vitro, we have named this protein ensconsin. We examined the binding of purified ensconsin to MTs; ensconsin exhibited binding that saturated its MT binding sites at an approximate molar ratio of 1:6 (ensconsin:tubulin). Unlike other MAPs characterized to date, ensconsin's binding to MTs was insensitive to moderate salt concentrations (< or = 0.6 M). We further characterized ensconsin in immunoblotting experiments using mouse polyclonal anti-ensconsin antibodies and antibodies reactive with previously described MAPs, such as high molecular mass tau isoforms, dynamin, STOP, CLIP-170 and kinesin. These experiments demonstrated that ensconsin is distinct from other proteins of similar M(r) that may be present in association with MTs. Immunofluorescence with anti-ensconsin antibodies demonstrated that ensconsin was detectable in association with most or all of the MTs of several lines of human epithelial, fibroblastic and muscle cells; its in vivo properties and distribution, especially in response to drug or other treatments of cells, were found to be different from those of MAP4, the predominant MAP found in these cell types. We conclude that ensconsin, a MAP found in a variety of human cells, is biochemically - and perhaps functionally - distinct from other MAPs present in non-neuronal cells.


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