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D L Heefner

Publications and source records attributed to D L Heefner.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1984

Transformation of Clostridium perfringens.

Clostridium perfringens 11268 CDR (Rifr Tcs), the strain transformed in our experiments, was generated by curing a spontaneous, rifampicin-resistant mutant of C. perfringens 11268 (Rifr Tcr). High-temperature growth yielded tetracycline-sensitive, rifampicin-resistant cells which no longer contained pCW3, a 42.8-kilobase plasmid. The tetracycline-sensitive, rod-shaped cell was then converted to an L-phase variant by growth in the presence of penicillin G (10 micrograms/ml) and 0.4 M sucrose. After several passages, the antibiotic was removed from the medium, and cells continued to grow as L-phase variants. Another large plasmid, pJU124 (38.8 kilobases), which confers tetracycline resistance, was used for transformation. Transformation of L-phase variants of C. perfringens 11268 CDR (Rifr Tcs) was mediated by polyethylene glycol. Transformation frequency is a nonlinear function of DNA concentration. Restriction analysis showed that the plasmid isolated from the transformants was identical to that supplied. Stable L-phase variants do not revert to rod-shaped cells, but autoplasts can be both transformed and reverted.

Clostridium perfringens↗
PubMed1984

Shuttle plasmids for Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens.

Small plasmids which replicate in both Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens were made by recombining E. coli plasmid pBR322 with three different small (less than 4 kilobases) plasmids native to C. perfringens. Subsequently, two homologous, though distinct, tetracycline resistance determinants (tet) from other C. perfringens plasmids were cloned into them. Both tet systems made E. coli resistant to at least 5 micrograms of tetracycline per ml when resident on the shuttle plasmids. The shuttle vectors have been used to transform L-phase variants and autoplasts of C. perfringens. In the latter case, the intact transforming plasmid could be isolated from walled cells after cell wall regeneration. Reciprocal transformation experiments in which plasmid DNAs derived from E. coli or C. perfringens were used suggest that restriction barriers exist between these two organisms. The plasmids contain restriction enzyme recognition sites in locations which are useful for cloning experiments.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1982

ATP-driven sodium pump in Streptococcus faecalis.

Sodium extrusion by bacteria is generally attributed to secondary antiport of Na+ for H+ energized by the proton circulation. Streptococcus faecalis is an exception, in that sodium expulsion from intact cells requires the generation of ATP but does not depend on the protonmotive force. Unfortunately, studies with everted membrane vesicles failed to reveal the expected sodium pump; instead, the vesicles contained a conventional secondary Na+/H+ antiporter. We report here that everted membrane vesicles prepared in the presence of protease inhibitors retain an ATP-driven sodium transport system. The evidence includes the findings that (i) accumulation of 22Na+ by these vesicles is resistant to reagents that dissipate the protonmotive force but requires ATP and (ii) the vesicles contain a sodium-stimulated ATPase that is distinct from F1F0 ATPase, and whose presence is correlated with sodium transport activity. Sodium movements appear to be electroneutral and are accompanied by movement of H+ in the opposite direction. When membranes are incubated in the absence of protease inhibitors, a secondary Na+/H+ antiport activity emerges, possibly by degradation of the sodium pump. We suggest that S. faecalis expels Na+ by means of an ATP-driven primary transport system that mediates exchange of Na+ for H+. The Na+/H+ antiporter seen in earlier membrane preparation is an artefact of proteolytic degradation.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1980

ATP-linked sodium transport in Streptococcus faecalis. I. The sodium circulation.

Streptococcus faecalis, like other bacteria, expels Na+ and accumulates K+. Sodium movements in several bacterial species have been attributed to secondary antiport of Na+ for H+, energized by the proton-motive force. We find a more complex pattern: a circulation of Na+ across the plasma membrane. One limb is the diffusion of Na+, into the cells or out, by a low affinity pathway in response to gradients of concentration and of electrical potential; Na+ movements are enhanced in metabolizing cells. The other limb is the vectorial extrusion of Na+ by a transport system that requires "ATP" (either ATP itself or a related metabolite), even when Na+ is moving downhill. Cells glycolyzing at alkaline pH in buffer containing excess K+ can expel Na+ against a concentration gradient of 100-fold, even in the presence of reagents that block or short circuit the proton circulation (pH gradient and membrane potential both zero). Evidently, under these conditions "ATP" can serve as the energy donor for a primary sodium pump. However, at acid pH, or in presence of low levels of K+, sodium extrusion requires both "ATP" and the proton-motive force. A mutant is described that retains the leak pathway but lacks the "ATP"-linked transport system.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1978

Lipid and fatty acid composition of Gluconobacter oxydans before and after intracytoplasmic membrane formation.

Gluconobacter oxydans differentiates by forming quantities of intracytoplasmic membranes at the end of exponential growth, and this formation occurs concurrently with a 60% increase in cellular lipid. The present study was initiated to determine whether this newly synthesized lipid differed from that extracted before intracytoplasmic membrane synthesis. Undifferentiated exponential-phase cells were found to contain 30% phosphatidylcholine, 27.1% caridolipin, 25% phosphatidylethanolamine, 12.5% phosphatidylglycerol, 0.4% phosphatidic acid, 0.2% phosphatidylserine, and four additional unidentified lipids totaling less than 5%. The only change detected after formation of intracytoplasmic membranes was a slight decrease in phosphatidylethanolamine and a corresponding increase in phosphatidylcholine. An examination of lipid hydrolysates revealed 11 different fatty acids in the lipids from each cell type. Hexadecanoic acid and monounsaturated octadecenoic accounted for more than 75% of the total fatty acids for both cell types. Proportional changes were noted in all fatty acids except octadecenoate. Anteiso-pentadecanoate comprised less than 1% of the fatty acids from undifferentiated cells but more than 13% of the total fatty acids from cells containing intracytoplasmic membranes. These results suggest that anteiso-pentadecanoate formation closely parallels the formation of intracytoplasmic membranes. Increased concentrations of this fatty acid may contribute to the fluidity necessary for plasma membrane convolution during intracytoplasmic membrane development.

Acetobacter↗
PubMed1976

Change in quantity of lipids and cell size during intracytoplasmic membrane formation in Gluconobacter oxydans.

Electron microscopy previously revealed that Gluconobacter oxydans differentiates by forming quantities of intracytoplasmic membranes at the end of exponential growth. It was also shown that the formation of these membranes appears concurrently with an increased rate of polyol oxidation. In the present study, exponential-phase cells devoid of intracytoplasmic membranes were harvested and the quantity of free lipid was determined. This quantity was compared with that extracted from cells harvested 4 and 16 h into the stationary phase that contained intracytoplasmic membranes. Cells harvested 4 and 16 h into the stationary phase contained 58 and 43% more free lipid per 100 mg of cell weight than found in undifferentiated exponential-phase cells. These same cultures were used to compare the quantity of lipid extracted per cell. This analysis revealed 89 and 142% more lipid per cell in 4 and 16 h stationary-phase cells. Further study demonstrated that cells increased in length and decreased in density with time after they entered the stationary phase. We estimated, however, that intracytoplasmic membrane development in G. oxydans is accompanied by a 57 to 62% increase in free-lipid that cannot be attributed to a change in cell size. These results suggest that the traditional expression of extracted lipid per milligram of cellular dry weight should not be used for comparative purposes during differentiation in gram-negative bacteria, unless it is first established that both cell size and cell density remain constant throughout differentiation.

Cell Membrane↗