Biomedical subjects

M J Gasson

Publications and source records attributed to M J Gasson.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Cloning and sequence analysis of the gene encoding L-lactate dehydrogenase from Lactococcus lactis: evolutionary relationships between 21 different LDH enzymes.

Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH; EC1.1.1.27) is a key enzyme in the fermentation of milk by lactic acid bacteria used in the dairy industry. An 800-bp DNA fragment containing part of the gene (ldh) encoding LDH was amplified from Lactococcus lactis in a polymerase chain reaction using primers designed from the partial amino acid sequence of a lactococcal LDH. This fragment was radioactively labelled and used to probe a phage lambda library of Lc. lactis genomic DNA. Fragments containing ldh were subcloned from lambda to pUC13 and pUC18 and a 1.2-kb region was sequenced. The deduced aa sequence reveals that the lactococcal LDH is highly homologous to the LDHs of other organisms. The active site and several other domains of unknown function are highly conserved between all LDH enzymes (prokaryotic and eukaryotic). An evolutionary study of LDH sequences clearly divides the prokaryotic from the eukaryotic enzymes except for the Bifidobacterium longum LDH which anomalously groups with the eukaryotic enzymes. The LDHs from Gram-positive bacteria form a separate group from the enzymes from the Gram-negative organisms. The lactococcal LDH is phylogenetically closest to the streptococcal LDH.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1992

Molecular rearrangement of lactose plasmid DNA associated with high-frequency transfer and cell aggregation in Lactococcus lactis 712.

High-frequency conjugation of the lactose plasmid pLP712 is associated with a constitutive cell aggregation phenotype and is facilitated by cointegration with a sex factor. Analysis of 23 independently derived enlarged lactose plasmids revealed that the sex factor DNA present in cointegrates varied in size. This suggested that more than simple cointegration with a sex factor plasmid was involved. Further analysis led to the discovery of a chromosomally located sex factor that could excise and be lost or exist as labile plasmid DNA. Cointegration with this sex factor was shown to be promoted by transposition of a copy of ISSI present on the lactose plasmid, and models are presented to account for the complex and variable structures of the resulting enlarged lactose plasmids.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1992

A lactococcal expression system for engineered nisins.

The nisin-producing Lactococcus lactis strain FI5876 has been modified and developed for use as an expression system for engineered nisin variants. Insertional inactivation of the resident nisA gene had a polar effect on downstream genes, including those involved in nisin immunity. However, subsequent chromosomal rearrangements in this region involving a newly discovered insertion element (IS905) generated a strain that was deficient in the nisA gene product but expressed those nisin determinants necessary for prenisin maturation, secretion, and immunity. Complementation of the lesion in the nisA gene by plasmid-encoded nisA genes containing site-specific mutations resulted in the exclusive production of altered nisins containing specific amino acid substitutions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1992

Characterization of the Lactococcus lactis lactose operon promoter: contribution of flanking sequences and LacR repressor to promoter activity.

We determined the location, activity, and regulation of the promoter of the Lactococcus lactis 8-kb lactose operon (lacABCDFEGX), which encodes the enzymes of the lactose phosphotransferase system and the tagatose 6-phosphate pathway. The lac promoter sequence corresponds closely to the consensus promoter described for gram-positive bacteria and is located in a back-to-back configuration with the promoter of the divergently transcribed lacR gene, which encodes the LacR repressor. The transcription start sites used under induced (lactose) and noninduced (glucose) conditions were determined. The minimal promoter region that could be isolated on a single restriction fragment included sequences ranging from -75 to +42. The effect of the presence of flanking sequences and the lacR gene on promoter activity and regulation was studied in Escherichia coli and L. lactis strains by using transcriptional fusions with promoterless chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter genes. The results showed that transcriptional regulation of the lac operon is mediated by the interaction between the LacR repressor, the lac promoter, and sequences in the noncoding region between the lacR and lacA genes. Sequences flanking the minimal promoter region appeared to enhance lac promoter activity much more in L. lactis (5- to 38-fold) than in E. coli (1.3- to 5-fold).

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1991

Identification of a new genetic determinant for cell aggregation associated with lactose plasmid transfer in Lactococcus lactis.

Derivatives of the lactose miniplasmid pMG820 were constructed in which a staphylococcal erm gene was inserted and in which this was accompanied by subsequent deletion of the lactose genes. The resulting plasmids were thus marked with both erythromycin resistance and lactose utilization genes in pF1132 or solely erythromycin resistance in pF1133. These plasmids retained the normal conjugation properties characteristic of lactose plasmid pLP712, including the generation by intermolecular rearrangement of high-frequency-transfer Clu+ derivatives which exhibited cell aggregation. The use of such Clu+ plasmids in a variety of mating experiments between different lactococcal strains and the observation of cell aggregation when particular mating mixtures were made led to the discovery of a new component of this conjugation system named Agg. A chromosomal gene agg was postulated to be present in some but not all strains of lactococci. High-frequency conjugation and cell aggregation thus depend on the presence of both Agg and Clu, although in a mating pair these components can be in the same or in separate strains. The Agg and Clu components may be analogous to the binding substance and aggregation substance that are involved in the hemolysin plasmid transfer system of Enterococcus faecalis, although control of their expression is different.

Conjugation, Genetic↗

PubMed1990

Analysis of the genetic determinant for production of the peptide antibiotic nisin.

The structural gene for the precursor of the peptide antibiotic nisin was isolated and characterized. As with other lanthionine-containing antibiotics, nisin is synthesized as a pre-propeptide which undergoes post-translational modification to generate the mature antibiotic. The sequence data obtained agreed with those of precursor nisin genes isolated by other workers from different Lactococcus lactis strains. Analysis of regions flanking the precursor nisin gene revealed the presence of a downstream open reading frame that may be involved in maturation of the precursor molecule. Nucleotide sequences characteristic of an IS element were located upstream of the nisin determinant. This element, termed IS904, is present in multiple copies in the genome of L. lactis. The nisin determinant of L. lactis is a component of a large transmissible gene block that also encodes nisin resistance and sucrose-metabolizing genes. Gene probe experiments indicated that the nisin/sucrose gene block was located in the chromosome. Furthermore, the copy of IS904 identified adjacent to the precursor nisin gene lies at, or very close to, one end of this transmissible DNA segment and may play a role in mediating its transfer between strains.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1990

In vivo genetic systems in lactic acid bacteria.

A review of in vivo genetic systems covers the key features of transduction and conjugation but emphasises the intramolecular and intermolecular DNA interactions that are often associated with these processes. As well as the transfer of many lactose plasmids, conjugal transfer of nisin genes and the use of conjugation to construct bacteriophage-resistant dairy starter cultures are discussed. The discovery and characterization of insertion sequences in Lactobacillus and Lactococcus and the exploitation of heterologous conjugation and transposition systems in the lactic acid bacteria are described.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1989

Structure and expression of the Lactococcus lactis gene for phospho-beta-galactosidase (lacG) in Escherichia coli and L. lactis.

The Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis 712 lacG gene encoding phospho-beta-galactosidase was isolated from the lactose mini-plasmid pMG820 and cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli and L. lactis. The low phospho-beta-galactosidase activity in L. lactis transformed with high-copy-number plasmids containing the lacG gene contrasted with the high activity found in L. lactis containing the original, low-copy-number lactose plasmid pMG820, and indicated that the original lactose promoter was absent from the cloned DNA. In E. coli the phospho-beta-galactosidase could be overproduced using the strong inducible lambda PL promoter, which allowed a rapid purification of the active enzyme. The complete nucleotide sequence of the L. lactis lacG gene and its surrounding regions was determined. The deduced amino acid sequence was confirmed by comparison with the amino acid composition of the purified phospho-beta-galactosidase and its amino-terminal sequence. This also allowed the exact positioning of the lacG gene and identification of its characteristic Gram-positive translation initiation signals. The homologous expression data and the sequence organization of the L. lactis lacG gene indicate that the gene is organized into a large lactose operon which contains an intergenic promoter located in an inverted repeat immediately preceding the lacG gene. The organization and sequence of the L. lactis lacG gene were compared with those of the highly homologous lacG gene from Staphylococcus aureus. A remarkable bias for leucine codons was observed in the lacG genes of these two species. Heterogramic homology was observed between the deduced amino acid sequence of the L. lactis phospho-beta-galactosidase, that of the functionally analogous E. coli phospho-beta-glucosidase, and that of an Agrobacterium beta-glucosidase (cellobiase).

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1988

In vivo gene transfer systems and transposons.

The continued development of our understanding and application of the in vivo gene transfer systems, transduction and conjugation, and the more recent use of transposons in lactic acid bacteria is reviewed. The discovery of transduction and its use as a tool for genetic analysis is described. The history of the use of conjugation in lactic acid bacteria is outlined, but more detailed discussion is reserved for in-depth analysis of the conjugation system associated with the lactose plasmids of Streptococcus lactis strains ML3 and C2. This system is notable for an unusual cell aggregation phenotype associated with variants of lactose plasmids capable of high frequency transfer and the complex DNA interactions associated with this property. Recent advances in the use of wide host range conjugation systems, such as that of plasmid pAM beta 1 are described, including the mobilisation of vectors by cointegrate formation and subsequent segregation after transfer. The successful exploitation of conjugation for the construction of bacteriophage-resistant starter cultures is highlighted. A description of transposable genetic elements in the lactic acid bacteria, both insertion sequences and transposons, puts emphasis on the elegant analysis of insertion sequence ISL1 in Lactobacillus casei and on the exploitation of the conjugative transposons Tn916 and Tn919. The latter is especially important for providing a technology to initiate analysis of the bacterial chromosome of the lactic acid bacteria.

Conjugation, Genetic↗

PubMed1986

Cloning, expression and location of the Streptococcus lactis gene for phospho-beta-D-galactosidase.

Genes for lactose catabolism and proteinase production in Streptococcus lactis 712 are encoded by a 56.5 kb metabolic plasmid, pLP712. A lactose mini-plasmid of only 23.7 kb, pMG820, was constructed by introducing two deletions into pLP712, and was cloned as two segments of DNA into the Escherichia coli vector pAT153 using restriction endonuclease PstI. The lactose genetic region of pLP712, which has been defined by deletion and restriction mapping, was cut into two parts by this process. When the smaller 10.8 kb segment of pMG820 DNA was present, the key lactic streptococcal lactose splitting enzyme, phospho-beta-D-galactosidase, was expressed in E. coli. The gene for phospho-beta-D-galactosidase was more precisely located by introducing a series of deletions into cloned DNA by in vitro manipulations and then assaying for enzyme activity. The presence of this phospho-beta-D-galactosidase activity was correlated with the production of a 58 kDa 35S-labelled protein both by E. coli minicells and after coupled transcription and translation of cloned DNA. The product of a second gene, a 37 kDa protein ('protein X'), and a possible truncated phospho-beta-D-galactosidase protein of 16 kDa were also detected in minicells.

Cloning, Molecular↗

PubMed1977

Further characterization of the F fertility inhibition systems of "unusual" Fin+ plasmids.

Flac mutants insensitive to transfer inhibition by R factors. JR66a and R485 were isolated and characterized. Representative mutations were cis dominant and are therefore presumed to be at the sites of action, fisU and fisV, respectively, of the FinU and FinV transfer inhibition systems encoded by JR66a and R485. The mutants were used to confirm that the FinU and FinV fertility inhibition systems are different from each other and from the FinOP, FinQ, and FinW systems of R100, R62, and R455, respectively. Together with traO and fisQ mutants of Flac, the new mutants were also used to investigate the nature of the F fertility inhibition systems encoded by a further group of "unusual" Fin+ plasmids. Of these, two incompatibility group X plasmids were found to carry finO+ genes, and of five incompatibility group I plasmids, three encoded FinQ systems, one the FinU system, and one a new system (FinR). Transfer of a variety of derepressed F-like plasmids was inhibited by the FinQ, FinU, and FinV systems, but a quantitatively very different levels; this emphasizes the differences as well as the similarities between the conjugation systems of F-like plasmids.

Coliphages↗

PubMed1975

Five control systems preventing transfer of Escherichia coli K-12 sex factor F.

The transfer inhibition systems of 28 Fin+ plasmids have been characterized, using Flac mutants insensitive to inhibition by R100 or R62. All F-like plasmids (except R455) and one N group plasmid determined systems analogous to that of R100; this is designated the FinOP system. None of these plasmids could supply a FinP component of the transfer inhibitor able to replace that of F itself. In addition to the FinOP and R62 transfer inhibition systems described previously, new systems were encoded by the F-like plasmid R455, the I-like plasmid JR66a, and the group X plasmid R485. Besides inhibiting F transfer, JR66a also inhibited F pilus formation and surface exclusion, whereas R485 inhibited only pilus formation and R455 inhibited neither. All three R factors inhibited transfer of J-independent Flac elements, indicating that they act directly on one or more genes (or products) of the transfer operon, rather than directly via traJ. The tral products and transfer origin sequences of two Fin+ F-like plasmids, ColB2 and R124, appear to have similar specificities to those of F itself.

Coliphages↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Single-stranded DNA plasmid, vector construction and cloning of Bacillus stearothermophilus alpha-amylase in Lactobacillus.

Vector plasmids were constructed by ligating chloramphenicol and erythromycin resistance genes to TaqI-digested DNA of a cryptic plasmid from Lactobacillus plantarum. The minimal region of Lactobacillus plasmid DNA that was required for DNA replication was defined and a single-stranded DNA intermediate replication system was observed. Homologies with other origins of replication of plasmids from Gram-positive bacteria, replicating via rolling circle mechanism, were found. It was shown that the constructed vectors, named pPSC20 and pPSC22, were transformable into L. plantarum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Bacillus subtilis, and Escherichia coli. Using plasmid pPSC22, the alpha-amylase gene of Bacillus stearothermophilus was cloned and expressed in several Lactobacillus species.

DNA, Single-Stranded↗