Biomedical subjects

M Ehrmann

Publications and source records attributed to M Ehrmann.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1996

Characterization of transmembrane domains 6, 7, and 8 of MalF by mutational analysis.

Oligonucleotide mutagenesis was used to isolate mutations in membrane-spanning segments 6, 7, and 8 of MalF. MalF is a cytoplasmic membrane component of the binding protein-dependent maltose transport system in Escherichia coli. The current structural model predicts eight transmembrane domains for MalF. Membrane-spanning segments 6, 7, and 8 of MalF flank or are part of the EAA-X3-G-X9-I-X-LP consensus region present in the cytoplasmic membrane subunits of the bacterial ABC transporter superfamily members. Mutations with two novel phenotypes with respect to substrate specificity of the maltose transport system were isolated. One mutant grew on minimal maltose media but not on media containing either maltoheptaose or maltoheptaose plus maltose and was thus termed dextrin dominant negative. The other class of mutations led to a maltose minus but maltoheptaose plus phenotype. Nine of the isolated mutations leading to changes in substrate specificity were tightly clustered on one face of the postulated transmembrane helix 6. A similar clustering of mutations was detected in transmembrane domain 7. The majority of mutations in membrane-spanning segment 7 led to a protease-sensitive or a conditional phenotype with respect to MalF function or both. Mutations in transmembrane domain 8 appeared to be more randomly distributed. The majority of mutations in membrane-spanning segment 8 caused a Mal+ Dex- phenotype. Six Mal+ suppressor mutations isolated to two mutations in transmembrane domain 7 changed amino acid residues in membrane-spanning segment 6 or 8.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

PubMed1995

Synthetic competition between cytoplasmic folding and translocation of a soluble membrane protein domain.

In wild-type strains of Escherichia coli, alkaline phosphatase (AP), either when present as a soluble protein or when fused to a membrane protein, is only active after translocation to the periplasm. In thioredoxin reductase (trxB) mutants, however, cytoplasmically localized AP can form disulphide bonds and can reach an active conformation. Once it has folded in the cytoplasm, it can no longer be translocated. On the other hand, when AP is fused to periplasmic domains of a membrane protein, translocation can be more rapid than folding. Thus, expressing hybrids of AP and integral membrane proteins in a trxB mutant generates competition between folding of AP in the cytoplasm and its translocation to the periplasm. The cellular localization of AP can be monitored in phosphoserine phosphatase (serB) mutants causing auxotrophy for L-serine. Cytoplasmically but not periplasmically localized AP can compensate for the lack of SerB, leading to growth on indicator plates. As expected, when AP was fused to cytoplasmic domains of membrane proteins, serB-mediated auxotrophy was abolished. Surprisingly, AP fusions to periplasmic domains exhibited a non-uniform response pattern. Fusions that translocate AP rapidly did not complement the SerB defect, while those that export AP only slowly could do so. The usefulness of these strains for studying a variety of aspects related to membrane protein biogenesis is discussed.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

PubMed1994

Sec-independent translocation of a 100-residue periplasmic N-terminal tail in the E. coli inner membrane protein proW.

The ProW protein, located in the inner membrane of Escherichia coli, has a very unusual topology with a 100-residue-long N-terminal tail protruding into the periplasmic space. We have studied the mechanism of membrane translocation of the periplasmic tail by analysing ProW-PhoA and ProW-Lep fusion proteins, both in wild-type cells and in cells with an impaired sec machinery. Our results show that the translocation efficiency is not affected by treatments that compromise the SecA and SecY functions, but that translocation is completely blocked by dissipation of the proton motive force or by the introduction of extra positively charged residues into the N-terminal tail. This suggests that the sec machinery can act properly only on domains located on the C-terminal side of a translocation signal, and that the N-terminal tail is driven through the membrane by a mechanism that involves the proton motive force.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

PubMed1994

Reverse dot blot hybridization: a useful method for the direct identification of lactic acid bacteria in fermented food.

A rapid method for a reliable and simultaneous identification of different lactic acid bacteria in fermented food has been developed. Various 16S and 23S rRNA-targeted, species-specific oligonucleotides were applied as capture probes in a non-radioactive reverse dot blot hybridization. A simple and fast DNA extraction method in combination with in vitro amplification of rRNA gene fragments enables the direct detection of typical starter organisms without any preceding enrichment or cultivation steps. Various lactic acid bacteria occurring in cheese, yogurt, sausages, sauerkraut and sourdough could be identified at the species level within 1 day.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1994

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene PPH3 encodes a protein phosphatase with properties different from PPX, PP1 and PP2A.

A clone encoding the catalytic subunit of a protein phosphatase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was isolated. Except for replacement of IIe-245 by Met the structure of the phosphatase was identical to that encoded by PPH3 (Ronne, H., Carlberg, M., Hu, G. Z. and Nehlin, J. O. (1991). Mol. Cell. Biochem. 11, 4876-4884) and exhibited 63% sequence identity to PPX cloned from a rabbit liver cDNA library (Brewis, N.D., Street, A.J., Prescott, A.R. and Cohen, P.T.W. (1993). EMBO J. 12, 987-996). Expression of active enzyme was achieved in Escherichia coli mutants which were generated by a genetic selection based on functional complementation of bacterial phosphoserine phosphatase. Though some of the properties of PPH3 resembled those of protein phosphatase 2A and PPX, others were different. PPH3 exhibited lower sensitivity against inhibition by okadaic acid, showed different substrate specificity and required a divalent cation (Mn2+ was preferred before Mg2+ and Ca2+) for activity when assayed with phospho-histone as a substrate. However, 25% of maximum activity was observed in the absence of divalent cations when the peptide LRRAS(P)LG was used as substrate. The PPH3-protein was also identified by chromatography of extracts from S. cerevisiae on DEAE-cellulose. Protein immunoreactive with an antiserum raised against the non-conserved N-terminal 53 amino acids of PPH3 was coeluted with a single peak of LRRAS(P)LG dephosphorylating activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1994

Identification of lactobacilli from sourdough and description of Lactobacillus pontis sp. nov.

The microflora of sourdough preparations was investigated by examining the physiological characteristics, whole-cell protein patterns, and 16S rRNA sequences of Lactobacillus isolates. Strains isolated from sourdough were placed in the species Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus sanfrancisco, and Lactobacillus reuteri. 16S rRNA sequences were determined for L. brevis, Lactobacillus fructivorans, Lactobacillus fermentum, L. sanfrancisco, and L. reuteri, and oligonucleotide probes for fast specific identification of these sourdough lactobacilli were deduced. The physiological characteristics, protein patterns, and 16S rRNA sequences of these organisms were compared with data for other sourdough lactobacilli and additional reference strains. Strains of a Lactobacillus species were isolated from rye sourdough; these strains may account for most of the flora in sourdough made from wheat or rye. These organisms were differentiated from other sourdough lactobacilli by their protein pattern, 16S rRNA sequence, G + C content, and physiological properties. The 16S rRNA sequence of this species was determined, and we constructed a phylogenetic tree which reflected the relationships of this species to other lactobacilli. This organism is closely related to L. reuteri. A new Lactobacillus species, Lactobacillus pontis, is proposed. The type strain is L. pontis LTH 2587 (= DSM 8475 = LMG 14187). We describe a general strategy in which a polyphasic approach was used to characterize a new species.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed1994

Requirements for translocation of periplasmic domains in polytopic membrane proteins.

Periplasmic domains of cytoplasmic membrane proteins require export signals for proper translocation. These signals were studied by using a MalF-alkaline phosphatase fusion in a genetic selection that allowed the isolation of mislocalization mutants. In the original construct, alkaline phosphatase is fused to the second periplasmic domain of the membrane protein, and its activity is thus confined exclusively to the periplasm. Mutants that no longer translocated alkaline phosphatase were selected by complementation of a serB mutation. A total of 11 deletions in the amino terminus were isolated, all of which spanned at least the third transmembrane segment. This domain immediately precedes the periplasmic domain to which alkaline phosphatase was fused. Our results obtained in vivo support the model that amino-terminal membrane-spanning segments are required for translocation of large periplasmic domains. In addition, we found that the inability to export the alkaline phosphatase domain could be suppressed by a mutation, prlA4, in the secretion apparatus.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

PubMed1992

Cellular regulation of the benzodiazepine/GABA receptor: arachidonic acid, calcium, and cerebral ischemia.

The effects of cellular mediators that contribute to ischemia-induced neuronal degeneration on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAA)-receptor function were studied. In vitro, phospholipase A2 (PLA2) inhibited muscimol-induced 36Cl- uptake in cerebral cortical synaptoneurosomes. The major hydrolysis product of PLA2 activity, arachidonic acid, also inhibited GABA-mediated 36Cl- uptake. The unsaturated nature of arachidonic acid makes it (and its metabolites) highly susceptible to peroxidation by oxygen radicals. Incubation of synaptoneurosomes with the superoxide radical-generating system, xanthine and xanthine oxidase, decreased muscimol-induced 36Cl- uptake, suggesting that the peroxidation of arachidonic acid and/or its metabolites interferes with GABAA-receptor function. Another factor involved in ischemia-induced neuronal degeneration is an increase in intracellular Ca2+. Calcium also inhibited GABA-mediated 36Cl- flux, consistent with its ability to activate PLA2. In contrast, Mg2+, which blocks Ca2+ channels, enhanced muscimol-induced 36Cl- uptake, consistent with its neuroprotective effects. Each of these cellular processes is activated during cerebral ischemia and can lead to neuronal degeneration. We used a model of transient forebrain ischemia in gerbils to determine if GABAA-receptor regulation is altered in vivo at a time when CA1 hippocampal cells have degenerated. Four days after a 5 minute bilateral carotid artery occlusion, receptor autoradiography was performed to measure the binding of [35S]t-butylbicyclophosphorothionate (TBPS) to the GABA-gated chloride channel. Significant decreases in TBPS binding were observed only in the dendritic layers (stratum oriens and lacunosem moleculare) of the CA1 hippocampus. The results suggest that ischemia-induced cellular processes that contribute to cell death can decrease GABA-gated chloride channels on dendrites of CA1 pyramidal cells, and that GABAA receptors may also reside on neurons afferent to or intrinsic to the dendritic layers of CA1 hippocampus.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Proper insertion of a complex membrane protein in the absence of its amino-terminal export signal.

The MalF protein spans the Escherichia coli cytoplasmic membrane eight times. Deletion of the first transmembrane stretch of MalF, which acts as an export signal, results in a truncated protein that still exhibits high levels of maltose transport activity. These and additional results indicate that the orientation of a membrane protein is not determined by the amino-terminal export signal, topological information is distributed throughout the MalF protein, and insertion of a protein into the cytoplasmic membrane can occur nonsequentially.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

PubMed1991

Decoding signals for membrane protein assembly using alkaline phosphatase fusions.

We have used genetic methods to investigate the role of the different domains of a bacterial cytoplasmic membrane protein, MalF, in determining its topology. This was done by analyzing the effects of MalF topology of deleting various domains of the protein using MalF-alkaline phosphatase fusion proteins. Our results show that the cytoplasmic domains of the protein are the pre-eminent topogenic signals. These domains contain information that determines their cytoplasmic location and, thus, the orientation of the membrane spanning segments surrounding them. Periplasmic domains do not appear to have equivalent information specifying their location and membrane spanning segments do not contain information defining their orientation in the membrane. The strength of cytoplasmic domains as topogenic signals varies, correlated with the density of positively charged amino acids within them.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

PubMed1991

Transfer of Brevibacterium divaricatum DSM 20297T, "Brevibacterium flavum" DSM 20411, "Brevibacterium lactofermentum" DSM 20412 and DSM 1412, and Corynebacterium glutamicum and their distinction by rRNA gene restriction patterns.

The results of DNA-DNA hybridization and chemotaxonomic studies indicated that the glutamic acid producers Brevibacterium divaricatum DSM 20297T (T=type strain), "Brevibacterium flavum" DSM 20411, "Brevibacterium lactofermentum" DSM 1412 and DSM 20412, Corynebacterium lilium DSM 20137T, and Corynebacterium glutamicum DSM 20300T and DSM 20163 are members of the same species. It is proposed that all of these strains should be classified in the species Corynebacterium glutamicum. Another glutamic acid-producing strain, Corynebacterium callunae DSM 20147T, was not related at the species level to C. glutamicum and should retain its separate species status. A restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis in which oligonucleotides targeted against conserved regions of 16S and 23S rRNA genes were used as hybridizing probes distinguished the individual strains. This method may be a helpful tool for strain identification.

Base Composition↗

PubMed1990

Genetic analysis of membrane protein topology by a sandwich gene fusion approach.

We describe a cloning vector that allows the construction of phoA sandwich fusions in which mature alkaline phosphatase is inserted into target proteins. In contrast to previous fusions obtained using the TnphoA transposon, the entire amino acid sequence of the target protein is present in the fusion product. We have constructed a series of sandwich fusions of alkaline phosphatase to the multispanning cytoplasmic membrane protein MalF. Despite the fact that the alkaline phosphatase was tethered to MalF at both its N and its C terminus, the enzyme exhibited high activity when it was fused to a periplasmic domain of the membrane protein. Cells harboring an alkaline phosphatase sandwich fusion to the end of the first membrane-spanning segment of MalF exhibited both MalF and alkaline phosphatase activity. When alkaline phosphatase was inserted into a cytoplasmic domain of MalF, its specific activity was very low. Our results suggest that the alkaline phosphatase activity of phoA sandwich fusions provides a more sensitive monitor than previous methods of the cellular localization of the domain of the target protein to which the enzyme is fused. Thus, the sandwich fusion approach can give a more accurate picture of membrane protein topology.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

PubMed1989

MalI, a novel protein involved in regulation of the maltose system of Escherichia coli, is highly homologous to the repressor proteins GalR, CytR, and LacI.

The maltose regulon of Escherichia coli comprises several operons that are under common regulatory control of the MalT activator protein. Five mal genes, organized in two divergent operons, code for a binding-protein-dependent transport system specific for maltose and maltodextrins. MalK, one of the subunits of this transport system, not only is essential for transport but also plays a role in regulation. Mutations abolishing MalK function not only result in inability to transport maltose but also cause constitutive expression of the maltose regulon. For this constitutivity to be exerted, the function of an additional gene product, MalI, is necessary. Using the constitutive expression of a malK-lacZ fusion as a signal, we cloned the malI gene, expressed it in minicells, and determined its DNA sequence. The sequence predicted a protein of 34,729 molecular weight, in agreement with the apparent molecular weight of the protein (35,000) when expressed in minicells and analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. MalI exhibited high homology to the repressor proteins GalR, CytR, and LacI. When the amino acid sequences were appropriately aligned, MalI showed 28% identity to GalR, 21% to CytR, and 24% to LacI. Including conservative amino acid exchanges, these numbers increased to 69, 56, and 58%, respectively. The regions of high homology were clustered in particular at the N-terminal portion of the protein that includes the helix-turn-helix motif thought to be involved in DNA binding. The protein contained a short stretch of 30 amino acids that was surprisingly homologous to a sequence in MalT. The amino-terminal half of the protein exhibited significant homology with MalK. The transcriptional start of malI was determined by reverse transcriptase and by S1 nuclease mapping. We found a possible binding site for cyclic AMP receptor protein in the promoter region of malI as well as two perfect direct repeats of 14 base pairs with twofold symmetry indicating their possible role as operator sites. Upstream to malI we observed a divergent open reading frame that extended to the end of the sequenced DNA.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1988

Convenient transfer of lacZ-gene fusions to phage M13 by in vivo recombination and their use for nucleotide sequencing.

We describe a method that facilitates the sequencing of lacZ fusion joints based on in vivo subcloning onto phage M13. The method is useful for lacZ fusions that are isolated with the transposable lambda placMu phage into plasmids carrying the pBR322 bla gene. In vivo cloning of lacZ fusions is accomplished by recombination with two M13 phages carrying 5' or 3' segments of the bla gene, adjacent but differing in orientation to lacZ'. The presented method allows rapid sequencing of many fusion joints without subcloning in vitro.

Bacteriophages↗

PubMed1987

Divergent transcription of the sn-glycerol-3-phosphate active transport (glpT) and anaerobic sn-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (glpA glpC glpB) genes of Escherichia coli K-12.

The glpTQ operon and the glpA and glpB genes are located adjacent to one another near min 49 of the linkage map of Escherichia coli K-12. The positions and directions of transcription of the glpA and glpB genes with respect to the glpTQ operon were determined in the present work. Strains harboring Mu d1(Ap lac) fusions in either glpA or glpB were converted to the respective lambda p1(209) lysogens. Induction of these lysogens with mitomycin C resulted in production of Lac+ phage progeny which carried adjacent chromosomal DNA. Genetic crosses with a collection of glpT mutant strains were performed with several such phage lines. A fine-structure deletion map of the glpT gene was thus constructed. All phages used for this mapping carried DNA starting with the promoter-proximal end of glpT. This indicated that the glpTQ operon and the glpA and glpB genes are transcribed divergently. Additional evidence supporting this conclusion was obtained by physical mapping of restriction endonuclease cleavage sites in plasmids carrying these genes and in plasmids carrying glpA-lacZ or glpB-lacZ fusions. A new designation (glpC) for the gene encoding the 41,000-Mr subunit of the anaerobic sn-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase was proposed to distinguish it from the glpA gene, which encodes the 62,000-Mr subunit of the dehydrogenase, and the glpB gene, which encodes a membrane anchor subunit of the dehydrogenase. These three genes were present in an operon transcribed in the order glpA glpC glpB in the clockwise direction on the linkage map of E. coli.

Alleles↗

PubMed1987

Identification of endogenous inducers of the mal regulon in Escherichia coli.

The expression of the maltose regulon in Escherichia coli is induced when maltose or maltodextrins are present in the growth medium. Mutations in malK, which codes for a component of the transport system, result in the elevated expression of the remaining mal genes. Uninduced expression in the wild type, as well as elevated expression in malK mutants, is strongly repressed at high osmolarity. In the absence of malQ-encoded amylomaltase, expression remains high at high osmolarity. We found that uninduced expression in the wild type and elevated expression in malK mutants were paralleled by the appearance of two types of endogenous carbohydrates. One, produced primarily at high osmolarity, was identified as comprising maltodextrins that are derived from glycogen or glycogen-synthesizing enzymes. The other, produced primarily at low osmolarity, consisted of an oligosaccharide that was not derived from glycogen. We isolated a mutant that no longer synthesized this oligosaccharide. The gene carrying this mutation, termed malI, was mapped at min 36 on the E. coli linkage map. A Tn10 insertion in malI also resulted in the loss of constitutivity at low osmolarity and delayed the induction of the maltose regulon by exogenous inducers.

Chromosome Mapping↗

PubMed1986

Osmoregulation of the maltose regulon in Escherichia coli.

The maltose regulon consists of four operons that direct the synthesis of proteins required for the transport and metabolism of maltose and maltodextrins. Expression of the mal genes is induced by maltose and maltodextrins and is dependent on a specific positive regulator, the MalT protein, as well as on the cyclic AMP-catabolite gene activator protein complex. In the absence of an exogenous inducer, expression of the mal regulon was greatly reduced when the osmolarity of the growth medium was high; maltose-induced expression was not affected, and malTc-dependent expression was only weakly affected. Mutants lacking MalK, a cytoplasmic membrane protein required for maltose transport, expressed the remaining mal genes at a high level, presumably because an internal inducer of the mal system accumulated; this expression was also strongly repressed at high osmolarity. The repression of mal regulon expression at high osmolarity was not caused by reduced expression of the malT, envZ, or crp gene or by changes in cellular cyclic AMP levels. In strains carrying mutations in genes encoding amylomaltase (malQ), maltodextrin phosphorylase (malP), amylase (malS), or glycogen (glg), malK mutations still led to elevated expression at low osmolarity. The repression at high osmolarity no longer occurred in malQ mutants, however, provided that glycogen was present.

Amylases↗

PubMed1983

Periplasmic glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase of Escherichia coli, a new enzyme of the glp regulon.

The promoter-proximal gene (glpT) of the glpT-glpQ operon of Escherichia coli encodes a membrane permease responsible for active transport of sn-glycerol 3-phosphate. Promoter-distal glpQ encodes a periplasmic protein which is not required for active transport of sn-glycerol 3-phosphate (Larson, T.J., Schumacher, G., and Boos, W. (1982) J. Bacteriol. 152, 1008-1021). This periplasmic protein has now been identified as a phosphodiesterase which hydrolyzes glycerophosphodiesters into sn-glycerol 3-phosphate plus alcohol. The enzyme exhibited broad substrate specificity with respect to the alcohol moiety; sn-glycerol 3-phosphate was released from glycerophosphoethanolamine, glycerophosphocholine, glycerophosphoglycerol, and bis(glycerophospho)glycerol. The enzyme was specific for glycerophosphodiesters; bis(p-nitrophenyl)phosphate, a substrate for other phosphodiesterases, was not hydrolyzed. In a coupled spectrophotometric assay utilizing sn-glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase and NAD, apparent activity was optimal at pH 9 and was stimulated by Ca2+. The substrates of the phosphodiesterase had no affinity for the glpT-encoded active transport system. Thus, the glpQ gene product expands the catabolic capability of the glp regulon to include a variety of glycerophosphodiesters.

Bacterial Proteins↗