scholarly journals Development and Application of a upp-Based Counterselective Gene Replacement System for the Study of the S-Layer Protein SlpX of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM

2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (10) ◽  
pp. 3093-3105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Jun Goh ◽  
M. Andrea Azc�rate-Peril ◽  
Sarah O'Flaherty ◽  
Evelyn Durmaz ◽  
Florence Valence ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lactobacillus Acidophilus ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Sodium Dodecyl ◽  
Gene Replacement ◽  
Helper Plasmid ◽  
Lower Growth ◽  
Efficient Gene ◽  
Increased Sensitivity ◽  
Replacement System ◽  
Gene Expression Studies

ABSTRACT In silico genome analysis of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM coupled with gene expression studies have identified putative genes and regulatory networks that are potentially important to this organism's survival, persistence, and activities in the gastrointestinal tract. Correlation of key genotypes to phenotypes requires an efficient gene replacement system. In this study, use of the upp-encoded uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UPRTase) of L. acidophilus NCFM was explored as a counterselection marker to positively select for recombinants that have resolved from chromosomal integration of pORI-based plasmids. An isogenic mutant carrying a upp gene deletion was constructed and was resistant to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), a toxic uracil analog that is also a substrate for UPRTase. A 3.0-kb pORI-based counterselectable integration vector bearing a upp expression cassette, pTRK935, was constructed and introduced into the Δupp host harboring the pTRK669 helper plasmid. Extrachromosomal replication of pTRK935 complemented the mutated chromosomal upp allele and restored sensitivity to 5-FU. This host background provides a platform for a two-step plasmid integration and excision strategy that can select for plasmid-free recombinants with either the wild-type or mutated allele of the targeted gene in the presence of 5-FU. The efficacy of the system was demonstrated by in-frame deletion of the slpX gene (LBA0512) encoding a novel 51-kDa secreted protein associated with the S-layer complex of L. acidophilus. The resulting ΔslpX mutant exhibited lower growth rates, increased sensitivity to sodium dodecyl sulfate, and greater resistance to bile. Overall, this improved gene replacement system represents a valuable tool for investigating the mechanisms underlying the probiotic functionality of L. acidophilus.

A targeted-replacement system for identification of signals for de novo methylation in Neurospora crassa

1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 7059-7067
Author(s):  
V P Miao ◽  
M J Singer ◽  
M R Rountree ◽  
E U Selker
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Neurospora Crassa ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Gene Replacement ◽  
Position Effects ◽  
Efficient Gene ◽  
Bona Fide ◽  
Replacement System ◽  
Methylation Signal ◽  
De Novo Methylation

Transformation of eukaryotic cells can be used to test potential signals for DNA methylation. This approach is not always reliable, however, because of chromosomal position effects and because integration of multiple and/or rearranged copies of transforming DNA can influence DNA methylation. We developed a robust system to evaluate the potential of DNA fragments to function as signals for de novo methylation in Neurospora crassa. The requirements of the system were (i) a location in the N. crassa genome that becomes methylated only in the presence of a bona fide methylation signal and (ii) an efficient gene replacement protocol. We report here that the am locus fulfills these requirements, and we demonstrate its utility with the identification of a 2.7-kb fragment from the psi 63 locus as a new portable signal for de novo methylation.

scholarly journals A targeted-replacement system for identification of signals for de novo methylation in Neurospora crassa.

1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 7059-7067 ◽  
Author(s):  
V P Miao ◽  
M J Singer ◽  
M R Rountree ◽  
E U Selker
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Neurospora Crassa ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Gene Replacement ◽  
Position Effects ◽  
Efficient Gene ◽  
Bona Fide ◽  
Replacement System ◽  
Methylation Signal ◽  
De Novo Methylation

Transformation of eukaryotic cells can be used to test potential signals for DNA methylation. This approach is not always reliable, however, because of chromosomal position effects and because integration of multiple and/or rearranged copies of transforming DNA can influence DNA methylation. We developed a robust system to evaluate the potential of DNA fragments to function as signals for de novo methylation in Neurospora crassa. The requirements of the system were (i) a location in the N. crassa genome that becomes methylated only in the presence of a bona fide methylation signal and (ii) an efficient gene replacement protocol. We report here that the am locus fulfills these requirements, and we demonstrate its utility with the identification of a 2.7-kb fragment from the psi 63 locus as a new portable signal for de novo methylation.

scholarly journals Purification and Characterization of a Feruloyl Esterase from the Intestinal Bacterium Lactobacillus acidophilus

2004 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 2367-2372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaokun Wang ◽  
Xin Geng ◽  
Yukari Egashira ◽  
Hiroo Sanada
Keyword(s):  
Lactobacillus Acidophilus ◽  
Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Sodium Dodecyl ◽  
Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography ◽  
Anion Exchange Chromatography ◽  
Exchange Chromatography ◽  
Feruloyl Esterase ◽  
Intestinal Bacterium ◽  
Optimum Ph ◽  
Optimum Ph And Temperature

ABSTRACT Dietary ferulic acid (FA), a significant antioxidant substance, is currently the subject of extensive research. FA in cereals exists mainly as feruloylated sugar ester. To release FA from food matrices, it is necessary to cleave ester cross-linking by feruloyl esterase (FAE) (hydroxycinnamoyl esterase; EC 3.1.1.73). In the present study, the FAE from a human typical intestinal bacterium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, was isolated, purified, and characterized for the first time. The enzyme was purified in successive steps including hydrophobic interaction chromatography and anion-exchange chromatography. The purified FAE appeared as a single band in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, with an apparent molecular mass of 36 kDa. It has optimum pH and temperature characteristics (5.6 and 37°C, respectively). The metal ions Cu2+ and Fe3+ (at a concentration of 5 mmol liter−1) inhibited FAE activity by 97.25 and 94.80%, respectively. Under optimum pH and temperature with 5-O-feruloyl-l-arabinofuranose (FAA) as a substrate, the enzyme exhibited a K m of 0.0953 mmol liter−1 and a V max of 86.27 mmol liter−1 min−1 mg−1 of protein. Furthermore, the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified FAE was found to be A R V E K P R K V I L V G D G A V G S T. The FAE released FA from O-(5-O-feruloyl-α-l-arabinofuranosyl)-(1→3)-O-β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1→4)-d-xylopyranose (FAXX) and FAA obtained from refined corn bran. Moreover, it released two times more FA from FAXX in the presence of added xylanase.

scholarly journals Requirement of the mymA Operon for Appropriate Cell Wall Ultrastructure and Persistence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the Spleens of Guinea Pigs

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (12) ◽  
pp. 4173-4186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amit Singh ◽  
Radhika Gupta ◽  
R. A. Vishwakarma ◽  
P. R. Narayanan ◽  
C. N. Paramasivan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Parental Strain ◽  
Guinea Pigs ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Sodium Dodecyl ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Antitubercular Drugs ◽  
Mycolic Acids ◽  
Increased Sensitivity

ABSTRACT We had recently reported that the mymA operon (Rv3083 to Rv3089) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is regulated by AraC/XylS transcriptional regulator VirS (Rv3082c) and is important for the cell envelope of M. tuberculosis. In this study, we further show that a virS mutant (MtbΔvirS) and a mymA mutant (Mtbmym::hyg) of M. tuberculosis exhibit reduced contents and altered composition of mycolic acids along with the accumulation of saturated C24 and C26 fatty acids compared to the parental strain. These mutants were markedly more susceptible to major antitubercular drugs at acidic pH and also showed increased sensitivity to detergent (sodium dodecyl sulfate) and to acidic stress than the parental strain. We show that disruption of virS and mymA genes impairs the ability of M. tuberculosis to survive in activated macrophages, but not in resting macrophages, suggesting the importance of the mymA operon in protecting the bacterium against harsher conditions. Infection of guinea pigs with MtbΔvirS, Mtbmym::hyg, and the parental strain resulted in an ∼800-fold-reduced bacillary load of the mutant strains compared with the parental strain in spleens, but not in the lungs, of animals at 20 weeks postinfection. Phenotypic traits were fully complemented upon reintroduction of the virS gene into MtbΔvirS. These observations show the important role of the mymA operon in the pathogenesis of M. tuberculosis at later stages of the disease.

scholarly journals A Simple and Universal System for Gene Manipulation in Aspergillus fumigatus: In Vitro-Assembled Cas9-Guide RNA Ribonucleoproteins Coupled with Microhomology Repair Templates

mSphere ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qusai Al Abdallah ◽  
Wenbo Ge ◽  
Jarrod R. Fortwendel
Keyword(s):  
Drug Resistance ◽  
Gene Deletion ◽  
Gene Replacement ◽  
Antifungal Drug ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Gene Manipulation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Antifungal Drug Resistance ◽  
Efficient Gene

ABSTRACT Tackling the multifactorial nature of virulence and antifungal drug resistance in A. fumigatus requires the mechanistic interrogation of a multitude of genes, sometimes across multiple genetic backgrounds. Classical fungal gene replacement systems can be laborious and time-consuming and, in wild-type isolates, are impeded by low rates of homologous recombination. Our simple and universal CRISPR-Cas9 system for gene manipulation generates efficient gene targeting across different genetic backgrounds of A. fumigatus. We anticipate that our system will simplify genome editing in A. fumigatus, allowing for the generation of single- and multigene knockout libraries. In addition, our system will facilitate the delineation of virulence factors and antifungal drug resistance genes in different genetic backgrounds of A. fumigatus. CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat)-Cas9 is a novel genome-editing system that has been successfully established in Aspergillus fumigatus. However, the current state of the technology relies heavily on DNA-based expression cassettes for delivering Cas9 and the guide RNA (gRNA) to the cell. Therefore, the power of the technology is limited to strains that are engineered to express Cas9 and gRNA. To overcome such limitations, we developed a simple and universal CRISPR-Cas9 system for gene deletion that works across different genetic backgrounds of A. fumigatus. The system employs in vitro assembly of dual Cas9 ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) for targeted gene deletion. Additionally, our CRISPR-Cas9 system utilizes 35 to 50 bp of flanking regions for mediating homologous recombination at Cas9 double-strand breaks (DSBs). As a proof of concept, we first tested our system in the ΔakuB (ΔakuB ku80 ) laboratory strain and generated high rates (97%) of gene deletion using 2 µg of the repair template flanked by homology regions as short as 35 bp. Next, we inspected the portability of our system across other genetic backgrounds of A. fumigatus, namely, the wild-type strain Af293 and a clinical isolate, A. fumigatus DI15-102. In the Af293 strain, 2 µg of the repair template flanked by 35 and 50 bp of homology resulted in highly efficient gene deletion (46% and 74%, respectively) in comparison to classical gene replacement systems. Similar deletion efficiencies were also obtained in the clinical isolate DI15-102. Taken together, our data show that in vitro-assembled Cas9 RNPs coupled with microhomology repair templates are an efficient and universal system for gene manipulation in A. fumigatus. IMPORTANCE Tackling the multifactorial nature of virulence and antifungal drug resistance in A. fumigatus requires the mechanistic interrogation of a multitude of genes, sometimes across multiple genetic backgrounds. Classical fungal gene replacement systems can be laborious and time-consuming and, in wild-type isolates, are impeded by low rates of homologous recombination. Our simple and universal CRISPR-Cas9 system for gene manipulation generates efficient gene targeting across different genetic backgrounds of A. fumigatus. We anticipate that our system will simplify genome editing in A. fumigatus, allowing for the generation of single- and multigene knockout libraries. In addition, our system will facilitate the delineation of virulence factors and antifungal drug resistance genes in different genetic backgrounds of A. fumigatus.

scholarly journals Expression of the Histidine Kinase Gene Sshk Correlates with Dimethachlone Resistance in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

2019 ◽  
Vol 109 (3) ◽  
pp. 395-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinli Li ◽  
Fuxing Zhu ◽  
Jianhong Li
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Sclerotinia Sclerotiorum ◽  
Mycelial Growth ◽  
Sodium Dodecyl ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Kinase Gene ◽  
Group Iii ◽  
Major Mechanism ◽  
Increased Sensitivity ◽  
Sclerotium Production

Histidine kinases (HK) are implicated in virulence, vegetative mycelial growth, and osmotic and oxidative responses in pathogenic fungi. Our previous work showed that transcriptional levels of the group III HK gene Sshk are higher in field dimethachlone-resistant isolates of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum compared with sensitive isolates. However, it is not clear whether the overexpression of Sshk is the major mechanism for resistance to dimethachlone. In this study, we constructed Sshk silencing and overexpression vectors and assessed dimethachlone resistance levels, virulence, mycelial growth, and sensitivity to osmotic stress for the Sshk-silenced and -overexpression transformants. Overexpression of Sshk resulted in resistance to dimethachlone and increased sensitivity to various stresses and to the cell-wall-perturbing agents sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and Congo red (CR). Compared with the parent isolate, Sshk-silenced transformants had reduced resistance to dimethachlone, significantly higher (P < 0.05) mycelial growth and virulence, and lower sclerotium production, and were less sensitive to various exogenous stresses such as sodium chloride. Compared with the parent sensitive isolate HLJMG1, dimethachlone resistance ratios of the three overexpression transformants ∆C101, ∆C21, and ∆C10 increased 168.1-, 189.5-, and 221.2-fold, respectively. The three overexpression transformants were more sensitive to CR and SDS than their parent isolate. These findings suggest that overexpression of Sshk is a major mechanism for dimethachlone resistance in some isolates of S. sclerotiorum, and that Sshk plays an important role in maintaining the integrity of the cell wall. Our findings reveal a novel molecular mechanism for dimethachlone resistance in plant-pathogenic fungi.

Development of a markerless gene replacement system in Corynebacterium glutamicum using upp as a counter-selection marker

2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 609-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenwen Ma ◽  
Xiaoyue Wang ◽  
Yufeng Mao ◽  
Zhiwen Wang ◽  
Tao Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Corynebacterium Glutamicum ◽  
Gene Replacement ◽  
Selection Marker ◽  
Counter Selection ◽  
Replacement System
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