scholarly journals Glutathione-S-transferase from the arsenic hyperaccumulator fernPteris vittatacan confer increased arsenate resistance inEscherichia coli

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aftab A. Khan ◽  
Danielle R. Ellis ◽  
Xinyuan Huang ◽  
Gareth J. Norton ◽  
Andrew A. Meharg ◽  
...  

AbstractAlthough arsenic is generally a toxic compound, there are a number of ferns in the genusPteristhat can tolerate large concentrations of this metalloid. In order to probe the mechanisms of arsenic hyperaccumulation, we expressed aPteris vittatacDNA library in anEscherichia coli ΔarsC(arsenate reductase) mutant. We obtained three independent clones that conferred increased arsenate resistance on this host. DNA sequence analysis indicated that these clones specify proteins that have a high sequence similarity to the phi class of glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs) of higher plants. Detoxification of arsenate by theP. vittataGSTs inE. coliwas abrogated by agshAmutation, which blocks the synthesis of glutathione, and by agormutation, which inactivates glutathione reductase. Direct measurements of the speciation of arsenic in culture media of theE. colistrains expressing theP. vittataGSTs indicated that these proteins facilitate the reduction of arsenate. Our observations suggest that the detoxification of arsenate by theP. vittataGSTs involves reduction of As(V) to As(III) by glutathione or a related sulfhydro compound.FundingThe authors acknowledge support from the Indiana 21st Century Research and technology Fund (912010479) to DES and LNC, from the U.S. Department of Energy (grant no. DE-FG02-03ER63622) to DES, and from BBSRC-DFID (grant no. BBF0041841GJN) to AAM. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. There are no financial, personal, or professional interests that could be construed to have influenced the paper.

Author(s):  
Angélique Buton ◽  
Louis-Marie Bobay

Abstract Homologous recombination is a key pathway found in nearly all bacterial taxa. The recombination complex allows bacteria to repair DNA double strand breaks but also promotes adaption through the exchange of DNA between cells. In Proteobacteria, this process is mediated by the RecBCD complex, which relies on the recognition of a DNA motif named Chi to initiate recombination. The Chi motif has been characterized in Escherichia coli and analogous sequences have been found in several other species from diverse families, suggesting that this mode of action is widespread across bacteria. However, the sequences of Chi-like motifs are known for only five bacterial species: E. coli, Haemophilus influenzae, Bacillus subtilis, Lactococcus lactis and Staphylococcus aureus. In this study we detected putative Chi motifs in a large dataset of Proteobacteria and we identified four additional motifs sharing high sequence similarity and similar properties to the Chi motif of E. coli in 85 species of Proteobacteria. Most Chi motifs were detected in Enterobacteriaceae and this motif appears well conserved in this family. However, we did not detect Chi motifs for the majority of Proteobacteria, suggesting that different motifs are used in these species. Altogether these results substantially expand our knowledge on the evolution of Chi motifs and on the recombination process in bacteria.


2004 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 1135-1144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomokazu Kawase ◽  
Akihiro Saito ◽  
Toshiya Sato ◽  
Ryo Kanai ◽  
Takeshi Fujii ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In organisms other than higher plants, family 19 chitinase was first discovered in Streptomyces griseus HUT6037, and later, the general occurrence of this enzyme in Streptomyces species was demonstrated. In the present study, the distribution of family 19 chitinases in the class Actinobacteria and the phylogenetic relationship of Actinobacteria family 19 chitinases with family 19 chitinases of other organisms were investigated. Forty-nine strains were chosen to cover almost all the suborders of the class Actinobacteria, and chitinase production was examined. Of the 49 strains, 22 formed cleared zones on agar plates containing colloidal chitin and thus appeared to produce chitinases. These 22 chitinase-positive strains were subjected to Southern hybridization analysis by using a labeled DNA fragment corresponding to the catalytic domain of ChiC, and the presence of genes similar to chiC of S. griseus HUT6037 in at least 13 strains was suggested by the results. PCR amplification and sequencing of the DNA fragments corresponding to the major part of the catalytic domains of the family 19 chitinase genes confirmed the presence of family 19 chitinase genes in these 13 strains. The strains possessing family 19 chitinase genes belong to 6 of the 10 suborders in the order Actinomycetales, which account for the greatest part of the Actinobacteria. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that there is a close evolutionary relationship between family 19 chitinases found in Actinobacteria and plant class IV chitinases. The general occurrence of family 19 chitinase genes in Streptomycineae and the high sequence similarity among the genes found in Actinobacteria suggest that the family 19 chitinase gene was first acquired by an ancestor of the Streptomycineae and spread among the Actinobacteria through horizontal gene transfer.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angélique Buton ◽  
Louis-Marie Bobay

AbstractHomologous recombination is a key pathway found in nearly all bacterial taxa. The recombination complex allows bacteria to repair DNA double strand breaks but also promotes adaption through the exchange of DNA between cells. In Proteobacteria, this process is mediated by the RecBCD complex, which relies on the recognition of a DNA motif named Chi to initiate recombination. The Chi motif has been characterized in Escherichia coli and analogous sequences have been found in several other species from diverse families, suggesting that this mode of action is widespread across bacteria. However, the sequences of Chi-like motifs are known for only five bacterial species: E. coli, Haemophilus influenzae, Bacillus subtilis, Lactococcus lactis and Staphylococcus aureus. In this study we detected putative Chi motifs in a large dataset of Proteobacteria and we identified four additional motifs sharing high sequence similarity and similar properties to the Chi motif of E. coli in 85 species of Proteobacteria. Most Chi motifs were detected in Enterobacteriaceae and this motif appears well conserved in this family. However, we did not detect Chi motifs for the majority of Proteobacteria, suggesting that different motifs are used in these species. Altogether these results substantially expand our knowledge on the evolution of Chi motifs and on the recombination process in bacteria.


2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (22) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wataru Hayashi ◽  
Hayato Tanaka ◽  
Yui Taniguchi ◽  
Masaki Iimura ◽  
Eiji Soga ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT This study focused on the detection of the plasmid-mediated mcr colistin resistance gene in Escherichia coli isolates from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Seven influent samples were collected from three WWTPs in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, during August and December 2018. Colistin-resistant E. coli isolates were selected on colistin-supplemented CHROMagar ECC plates. mcr-1-positive isolates were subjected to whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis. From six influent samples, seven mcr-1-positive but extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-negative isolates belonging to different genetic lineages, namely, B2-O25:H4-ST131-fimH22, B2-O2:H1-ST135-fimH2, B1-O8:H9-ST764-fimH32, B1-O23:H16-ST453-fimH31, A-O81:H27-ST10-fimH54, A-O16:H5-ST871-fimH25, and F-O11:H6-ST457-fimH145, were detected. The MICs of colistin for these isolates ranged from 4 to 16 mg/liter. The mcr-1 genes were located on plasmids belonging to IncX4 and IncI2 in five and two isolates, respectively. Four IncX4 plasmids with the same size (33,309 bp) showed high sequence similarity (4 single-nucleotide variations). The remaining one IncX4 plasmid, with a size of 33,858 bp, carried the mcr-1 gene with the single synonymous nucleic substitution T27C. Two IncI2 plasmids with sizes of 60,710 bp and 60,733 bp had high sequence similarity (99.9% identity; 100% query coverage). Two of five isolates carrying IncX4 plasmids and both of the isolates carrying IncI2 plasmids harbored ColV plasmids carrying virulence-associated genes of avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC). In addition, another isolate of the B2-O25:H4-ST131-fimH22 lineage had those APEC-associated virulence genes on its chromosome. In conclusion, mcr-1-positive E. coli environmental isolates were mostly characterized as positive for APEC-associated virulence genes. The copresence of those genes may suggest the existence of a common source in animals and/or their associated environments. IMPORTANCE Colistin is considered a last-line therapeutic option in severe infections due to multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, in particular carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae and multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. An increasing prevalence of mcr genes in diverse Enterobacteriaceae species, mainly Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae from humans and food animals, has become a significant concern to public health all over the world. In Japan, mcr genes have so far been detected in food animals, raw meat, wastewater, and human clinical samples. This study reports the copresence of mcr-1 and avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC)-associated virulence genes in five of seven E. coli isolates recovered from aquatic environments in Japan. Our study highlights the importance and urgency of action to reduce environmental contamination by mcr genes that may likely occur due to exposure to untreated wastewater through combined sewer overflow by recent unusual weather.


2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (20) ◽  
pp. 6936-6942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy C. Meredith ◽  
Ronald W. Woodard

ABSTRACT The glucitol operon (gutAEBDMRQ) of Escherichia coli encodes a phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system that metabolizes the hexitol d-glucitol (sorbitol). The functions for all but the last gene, gutQ, have been previously assigned. The high sequence similarity between GutQ and KdsD, a d-arabinose 5-phosphate isomerase (API) from the 3-deoxy-d-manno-octulosonate (KDO)-lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthetic pathway, suggested a putative activity, but its role within the context of the gut operon remained unclear. Accordingly, the enzyme was cloned, overexpressed, and characterized. Recombinant GutQ was shown to indeed be a second copy of API from the E. coli K-12 genome with biochemical properties similar to those of KdsD, catalyzing the reversible aldol-ketol isomerization between d-ribulose 5-phosphate (Ru5P) and d-arabinose 5-phosphate (A5P). Genomic disruptions of each API gene were constructed in E. coli K-12. TCM11[(ΔkdsD)] was capable of sustaining essential LPS synthesis at wild-type levels, indicating that GutQ functions as an API inside the cell. The gut operon remained inducible in TCM7[(ΔgutQ)], suggesting that GutQ is not directly involved in d-glucitol catabolism. The conditional mutant TCM15[(ΔgutQΔkdsD)] was dependent on exogenous A5P both for LPS synthesis/growth and for upregulation of the gut operon. The phenotype was suppressed by complementation in trans with a plasmid encoding a functional copy of GutQ or by increasing the amount of A5P in the medium. As there is no obvious obligatory role for GutQ in the metabolism of d-glucitol and there is no readily apparent link between d-glucitol metabolism and LPS biosynthesis, it is suggested that A5P is not only a building block for KDO biosynthesis but also may be a regulatory molecule involved in expression of the gut operon.


2002 ◽  
Vol 367 (3) ◽  
pp. 817-824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinne HOULÈS ASTOUL ◽  
Willy J. PEUMANS ◽  
Els J.M. van DAMME ◽  
Annick BARRE ◽  
Yves BOURNE ◽  
...  

Mannose-specific lectins with high sequence similarity to jacalin and the Maclura pomifera agglutinin have been isolated from species belonging to the families Moraceae, Convolvulaceae, Brassicaceae, Asteraceae, Poaceae and Musaceae. Although these novel mannose-specific lectins are undoubtedly related to the galactose-specific Moraceae lectins there are several important differences. Apart from the obvious differences in specificity, the mannose- and galactose-specific jacalin-related lectins differ in what concerns their biosynthesis and processing, intracellular location and degree of oligomerization of the protomers. Taking into consideration that the mannose-specific lectins are widely distributed in higher plants, whereas their galactose-specific counterparts are confined to a subgroup of the Moraceae sp. one can reasonably assume that the galactose-specific Moraceae lectins are a small-side group of the main family. The major change that took place in the structure of the binding site of the diverging Moraceae lectins concerns a proteolytic cleavage close to the N-terminus of the protomer. To corroborate the impact of this change, the specificity of jacalin was re-investigated using surface plasmon resonance analysis. This approach revealed that in addition to galactose and N-acetylgalactosamine, the carbohydrate-binding specificity of jacalin extends to mannose, glucose, N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetylneuraminic acid. Owing to this broad carbohydrate-binding specificity, jacalin is capable of recognizing complex glycans from plant pathogens or predators.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Sommer ◽  
Kristina M. Gerbracht ◽  
Felix F. Krause ◽  
Florian Wild ◽  
Manuela Tietgen ◽  
...  

OXA-48-like carbapenemases are among the most frequent carbapenemases in Gram-negative Enterobacterales worldwide with the highest prevalence in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. Here, we investigated the so far uncharacterized carbapenemase OXA-484 from a clinical E. coli isolate belonging to the high-risk clone ST410 regarding antibiotic resistance pattern, horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and genetic support. OXA-484 differs by the amino acid substitution 214G compared to the most closely related variants OXA-181 (214R) and OXA-232 (214S). The blaOXA–484 was carried on a self-transmissible 51.5 kb IncX3 plasmid (pOXA-484) showing high sequence similarity with plasmids harboring blaOXA–181. Intraspecies and intergenus HGT of pOXA-484 to different recipients occurred at low frequencies of 1.4 × 10–7 to 2.1 × 10–6. OXA-484 increased MICs of temocillin and carbapenems similar to OXA-232 and OXA-244, but lower compared with OXA-48 and OXA-181. Hence, OXA-484 combines properties of OXA-181-like plasmid support and transferability as well as β-lactamase activity of OXA-232.


1992 ◽  
Vol 68 (05) ◽  
pp. 539-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Lenich ◽  
Ralph Pannell ◽  
Jack Henkin ◽  
Victor Gurewich

SummaryWe previously found that human pro-UK expressed in Escherichia coli is more active in fibrinolysis than recombinant human pro-UK obtained from mammalian cell culture media. To determine whether this difference is related to the lack of glycosylation of the E. coli product, we compared the activity of E. coli-derived pro-UK [(-)pro-UK] with that of a glycosylated pro-UK [(+)pro-UK] and of a mutant of pro-UK missing the glycosylation site at Asn-302 [(-) (302) pro-UK]. The latter two pro-UKs were obtained by expression of the human gene in a mammalian cell. The nonglycosylated pro-UKs were activated by plasmin more efficiently (≈2-fold) and were more active in clot lysis (1.5-fold) than the (+)pro-UK. Similarly, the nonglycosylated two-chain derivatives (UKs) were more active against plasminogen and were more rapidly inactivated by plasma inhibitors than the (+)UK.These findings indicate that glycosylation at Asn-302 influences the activity of pro-UK/UK and could be the major factor responsible for the enhanced activity of E. coli-derived pro-UK.


1983 ◽  
Vol 49 (01) ◽  
pp. 024-027 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Vetterlein ◽  
Gary J Calton

SummaryThe preparation of a monoclonal antibody (MAB) against high molecular weight (HMW) urokinase light chain (20,000 Mr) is described. This MAB was immobilized and the resulting immunosorbent was used to isolate urokinase starting with an impure commercial preparation, fresh urine, spent tissue culture media, or E. coli broth without preliminary dialysis or concentration steps. Monospecific antibodies appear to provide a rapid single step method of purifying urokinase, in high yield, from a variety of biological fluids.


Plant Methods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Ramadan ◽  
Muna Alariqi ◽  
Yizan Ma ◽  
Yanlong Li ◽  
Zhenping Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), harboring a complex allotetraploid genome, consists of A and D sub-genomes. Every gene has multiple copies with high sequence similarity that makes genetic, genomic and functional analyses extremely challenging. The recent accessibility of CRISPR/Cas9 tool provides the ability to modify targeted locus efficiently in various complicated plant genomes. However, current cotton transformation method targeting one gene requires a complicated, long and laborious regeneration process. Hence, optimizing strategy that targeting multiple genes is of great value in cotton functional genomics and genetic engineering. Results To target multiple genes in a single experiment, 112 plant development-related genes were knocked out via optimized CRISPR/Cas9 system. We optimized the key steps of pooled sgRNAs assembly method by which 116 sgRNAs pooled together into 4 groups (each group consisted of 29 sgRNAs). Each group of sgRNAs was compiled in one PCR reaction which subsequently went through one round of vector construction, transformation, sgRNAs identification and also one round of genetic transformation. Through the genetic transformation mediated Agrobacterium, we successfully generated more than 800 plants. For mutants identification, Next Generation Sequencing technology has been used and results showed that all generated plants were positive and all targeted genes were covered. Interestingly, among all the transgenic plants, 85% harbored a single sgRNA insertion, 9% two insertions, 3% three different sgRNAs insertions, 2.5% mutated sgRNAs. These plants with different targeted sgRNAs exhibited numerous combinations of phenotypes in plant flowering tissues. Conclusion All targeted genes were successfully edited with high specificity. Our pooled sgRNAs assembly offers a simple, fast and efficient method/strategy to target multiple genes in one time and surely accelerated the study of genes function in cotton.


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