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Biomedical subjects

D Elseviers

Publications and source records attributed to D Elseviers.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

A bacterial pathogenicity determinant associated with necrotizing enterocolitis.

Predominant enterobacteria from infants with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) were examined for an unusual ability to ferment lactose. One such isolate, a Klebsiella pneumoniae strain, was partially induced for lactose operon expression in tryptone containing media, and was also pathogenic in a rabbit ileal loop model for NEC. A spontaneous segregant of this strain was no longer partially induced for lactose operon expression, and was no longer pathogenic in the rabbit model. The gene responsible for this phenotype was cloned. The resulting plasmid was shown to cause both partially induced lactose operon expression and pathogenicity when introduced into a laboratory K. pneumoniae strain. A K. pneumoniae mutant deficient in lactose repressor synthesis was also pathogenic in the rabbit model. These results and previous studies on the intraluminal biochemistry of infants with NEC support the hypothesis that an increased ability for lactose fermentation may be a bacterial pathogenic trait with respect to NEC.

Animals

Effect of a 2-methylthio-N6-isopentenyladenosine deficiency on peptidyl-tRNA release in Escherichia coli.

We examined the effect of miaA, a mutation conferring a deficiency in 2-methylthio-N6-isopentenyladenosine in tRNA, on patterns of peptidyl-tRNA accumulation in Escherichia coli strains deficient in peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase activity. A specific reduction in peptidyl-tRNA accumulation was seen for tRNAs which normally contain the 2-methylthio-N6-isopentenyladenosine modification. These results provide new evidence in support of the ribosome editor model, which links peptidyl-tRNA release to mistranslation events.

Adenosine

Translational control of transcription termination at the attenuator of the Escherichia coli tryptophan operon.

We have isolated two regulatory mutants altered in the leader region of the Escherichia coli tryptophan (trp) operon. In one mutant, trpL29, the AUG translation start codon for the trip leader peptide is replaced by AUA. The other mutant, trpL75, has a G leads to A change at residue 75, immediately after the UGA translation stop codon for the trp leader peptide. In vivo, trpL29 and trpL75 increase the efficiency of transcription termination at the trp attenuator 3- to 5-fold. trpL29 and trpL75 also fail to respond fully to tryptophan starvation and other conditions that normally relieve transcription termination at the trp attenuator. The trpL29 mutation, which presumably reduces synthesis of the trp leader peptide, is cis dominant. The effect of starvation for a number of the amino acids in the trp leader peptide was determined. Only starvation for tryptophan and arginine, amino acids that occur at residues 10, 11, and 12 of the 14-residue trp leader peptide, elicits relief of transcription termination. Our findings suggest that translation of trp leader RNA is involved in regulation of transcription termination at the attenuator. A model is discussed in which the location of the ribosome synthesizing the leader peptide is communicated to the RNA polymerase transcribing the leader region.

Base Sequence

Isolation and characterization of lambda transducing bacteriophages for argF, argI and adjacent genes.

Two genes for ornithinetranscarbamylase exist in strain Escherichia coli K-12, argI, at 85 min, and argF, at 7 min. In an attempt to compare the deoxyribonucleic acid material of these two genes, the lambda transducing phages carrying a portion of the argI region, lambda dvalS argI, lambda pvalS, and lambda dvalS pyrB, and of the argF region, lambda dargF, have been isolated. Their structure, including that of phi 80dargF previously isolated, was studied by the method of heteroduplex mapping. In this paper, the results of this mapping are reported.

Centrifugation, Density Gradient

Low activity of -galactosidase in frameshift mutants of Escherichia coli.

16 lac frameshift mutants induced by an acridine derivative, ICR-191D, in E. coli are leaky for beta-galactosidase activity. Activities of all mutants differ from each other and from the wild type in their stability to thermal denaturation. The leakiness is under ribosomal control, since it is strongly reduced by strA restrictive mutations and is restored by ram mutations that reverse restriction. Addition of streptomycin during growth has an effect similar to the presence of the ram mutation. These ribosomal alterations do not modify the thermal stability of the enzyme.It is suggested that the leakiness is due to an infrequent 2- or 4-base reading close to the frameshift mutation site. The possibility that not only the ribosome, but also the reading context in the messenger, plays a role in securing code fidelity is discussed.

Acridines