PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “plasmid characterization”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 811 records · Page 45Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Actinomycetes as host cells for production of recombinant proteins.

Actinomycetes (Actinobacteria) are highly attractive as cell factories or bioreactors for applications in industrial, agricultural, environmental, and pharmaceutical fields. Genome sequencing of several species of actinomycetes has paved the way for biochemical and structural analysis of important proteins and the production of such proteins as recombinants on a commercial scale. In this regard, there is a need for improved expression vectors that will be applicable to actinomycetes. Recent advancements in gene expression systems, knowledge regarding the intracellular environment, and identification and characterization of plasmids has made it possible to develop practicable recombinant expression systems in actinomycetes as described in this review.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1982

Isolation and characterization of a streptomycin resistance plasmid from Pseudomonas cepacia.

A plasmid, Rms425, mediating resistance to streptomycin(Sm) and mercury(Hg) was isolated from Pseudomonas cepacia GN11131 of clinical origin. Rms425 was transferred to Pseudomonas cepacia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli strains by transformation with purified DNA and by conjugation between isogenic strains of P. aeruginosa or of E. coli by mixing on membrane filters. The molecular weight of Rms425 was estimated to be about 32 megadaltons by electron microscopy and it was classified as incompatibility group P. Examining the incorporation of [gamma-32P] or [8-14C] from isotope-labelled ATP into Sm using the cell-free extracts from P. cepacia or E. coli strains harboring Rms425, we found that the Sm resistance conferred by Rms425 was due to the phosphorylation of the drug.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1995

Characterization of a new plasmid-mediated extended-spectrum beta-lactamase from Serratia marcescens.

A new extended spectrum beta-lactamase was detected in Serratia marcescens 42039 that was isolated from urine of patients with complicated urinary tract infection in Japan. This stain produced three different beta-lactamase types (TEM-1, a cephalosporinase, and a new beta-lactamase: CKH-1). The TEM-1 and CKH-1 encoding genes were conjugated from S. marcescens 42039 to Escherichia coli K-12 at frequencies of 10(-5) to 10(-6). The MICs of beta-lactams against the transconjugant were: ampicillin > 1600, piperacillin 800, cephalothin 1600, ceftazidime 6.25, cefotaxime 100, and ceftriaxone 200 micrograms/ml. The CKH-1 enzyme was purified to more than 90% by ion-exchange chromatography. The molecular weight of purified CKH-1 was 30 K dalton and the isoelectric point was 8.2. Relative Vmax/Km values (cephaloridine = 100) of penicillin G, cephalothin, and oxyiminocephalosporins such as cefuroxime, ceftriaxone, and cefotaxime, were 256, 226, 116, 87, and 49, respectively. The I50 values of tazobactam, BRL-42715, and clavulanic acid against CKH-1 enzyme were 0.0011, 0.0002, and 0.097 microM respectively. The enzymatic activity of CKH-1 was not inhibited by EDTA and anti-TEM-1 serum. These findings indicate that CKH-1 is a member of the groups of class A beta-lactamases. This is the first report of a plasmid-mediated oxyiminocephalosporin hydrolyzing broad-spectrum beta-lactamase from clinical isolates of S. marcescens.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1988

Characterization of an hospital disseminated plasmid encoding resistance to gentamicin and other antimicrobial agents.

A preliminary report has shown the existence of an endemic R plasmid in the University Hospital of Zaragoza. The results presented in this paper demonstrate the dissemination of a new 73 kilobases plasmid into multiple strains and species of gram-negative bacilli. This transferable plasmid belongs to Incompatibility group P and mediates resistance to ampicillin, tetracycline, gentamicin, kanamycin, streptomycin, chloramphenicol and sulfamethoxazole, synthesizing the aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes 3-acetyltransferase, 3'phosphotransferase, and 3"nucleotidyltransferase, and a TEM-1 beta-lactamase. These results and the previous findings show that a family of gentamicin-resistance plasmids exists among the gram-negative bacteria in the University Hospital. Resistance to gentamicin in all these plasmids is associated with the formation of 3-N-acetyltransferases.

Bacterial Infections↗
PubMed1986

5-Fluorouracil augmentation of dihydrofolate reductase gene transcripts containing intervening sequences in methotrexate-resistant KB cells.

Several fragments of the human dihydrofolate reductase gene (tetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase, 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate NADP+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.5.1.3) were isolated from gene-amplified KB7B cells and characterized. Recombinant plasmids containing intron sequences were constructed. Probes prepared from these plasmids were tested for dihydrofolate reductase precursor mRNA specificity via solution hybridization studies and Northern blot analysis. One probe, p0.69EH, was shown to be specific for dihydrofolate reductase RNA by its greatly enhanced level of hybridization with total RNA from dihydrofolate reductase gene-amplified versus non-amplified cells. In addition, solution hybridization studies with various classes of RNA and Northern blot analysis revealed that p0.69EH hybridizes predominantly with polyadenylated, high molecular weight, nuclear RNA species. Subsequent solution hybridization studies revealed a disproportionate 5-fluorouracil-induced increase in dihydrofolate reductase intron-containing RNA over dihydrofolate reductase mRNA. These results suggest that 5-fluorouracil incorporation into RNA may inhibit the conversion of precursor mRNA to mature mRNA.

Fluorouracil↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Expression of the liver mitochondrial genome in diabetes].

In vivo labelled liver mitochondrial RNA of normal and alloxan-diabetic rats are hybridized with mitochondrial DNA with similar efficiency. The liver mitochondrial RNAs have equal ability to competition with N-specific complementary RNA for hybridization on mitochondrial DNA and its fragments cloned in the composition of bacterial plasmids and characterized by a definite set of genes. Differences between concurrent ability of the liver mitochondrial RNAs of normal and alloxan-diabetic animals were not observed. There were no electrophoretic distinctions in mitochondrial RNAs in both groups of animals during RNA electrophoresis in agaroso-acrylamide gel, as well. The results obtained indicate a close set of RNA molecules in the liver mitochondria of normal and diabetic rats. Thus, a previously observed RNA biosynthesis decrease in the liver mitochondria in diabetes is caused not by a selected inhibition of definite gene expression but by a gradual fall of transcription of all the mitochondrial genome parts.

Alloxan↗
PubMed1996

Differentiation of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato strains isolated from skin biopsies and tick by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

Fifteen isolates of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato from skin biopsies (8) and ticks (7) were investigated for species differentiation by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The skin isolates were further characterized by plasmid profile as well as SDS-PAGE and revealed six Borrelia afzelii-, one Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto-, and one Borrelia garinii species. The tick isolates showed three Borrelia afzelii--and four Borrelia garinii species. The skin isolates could be further discriminated by plasmid profile analysis--all strains showed an individual pattern. The SDS-PAGE of whole-cell lysates obtained from skin isolate showed a different protein pattern for each of the skin isolates.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Mutationally altered ribonucleotide reductase from Escherichia coli: characterization of mutations isolated on multicopy plasmids.

The Escherichia coli ribonucleotide reductase genes (nrd genes) were mutagenized at random. Point mutations were introduced in vitro into a recombinant nrd plasmid. Transformants were initially screened for altered tolerance toward the drug hydroxyurea and further characterized by enzymatic and immunological methods. The screening procedure could pick out defects in either of the two subunits of ribonucleotide reductase. Cells carrying the nrd plasmid pPS2 were earlier shown to have levels of ribonucleotide reductase molecules that were 10 to 20 times higher than those in wild-type cells. We now demonstrate that the enzymatic activity in gently lysed pPS2-containing cells on cellophane disks is six times higher than in wild-type cells. Supplementation of the pPS2-containing lysates with a purified thioredoxin system results in a further 4.5-fold stimulation of the enzymatic activity, which implies a functional shortage of the electron donor system(s) for ribonucleotide reduction in pPS2-containing cells.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed1984

A plasmid vehicle suitable for the molecular cloning and characterization of mammalian promoters.

We have constructed a plasmid, pPSG4, that carries only the coding sequences for polyomavirus (Py) small, middle and truncated large T-antigens. A unique HindIII site allows the introduction of foreign promoters directly in front of viral coding sequences. The simian virus 40 (SV40) early and late, adenovirus-2 (Ad-2) major late and herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) thymidine kinase (TK) promoters all confer on pPSG4 the ability to transform rat embryonic fibroblasts with high efficiency. Sequential deletion of the 72 bp repeats, the 21 bp repeats and the TATA box from the SV40 early region in pPSG4 produced a 50, then 30 and then a further 5 to 10-fold decrease in transformation efficiency, respectively. Thus pPSG4 is a convenient vector for the cloning and characterization of mammalian promoters.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Characterization of a nosocomial outbreak involving an epidemic plasmid encoding for TEM-27 in Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serotype Othmarschen.

A ceftazidime-resistant Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serotype Othmarschen strain, harboring the plasmid-mediated new extended-spectrum beta-lactamase TEM-27, was involved in a nosocomial outbreak (8 patients) at the Pediatric Cardiology Department of the Ramón y Cajal Hospital in Madrid. Genomic DNA polymorphism analysis, using an arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction, demonstrated the clonal nature of all Salmonella isolates. The plasmid encoding TEM-27 (pJMM1) was characterized by EcoRI, SacI, and BglI restriction. An identical restriction pattern was found in plasmid from all S. enterica strains. Possible in vivo intergeneric plasmid spread was suggested by the identification of an identical plasmid in Escherichia coli RYC5H and Enterobacter cloacae RYC39737 strains isolated during the outbreak. Results indicate that this outbreak involved dissemination of a single ceftazidime-resistant Salmonella strain and the spread of a single TEM-27-encoding plasmid among different Enterobacteriaceae.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1979

Escherichia coli mutants incapable of supporting replication of F-like plasmids at high temperature: isolation and characterization of mafA and mafB mutants.

Mutants of Escherichia coli K-12 defective in replication of F-like plasmids at a high temperature (42 degrees C) were found among threonine-independent (Thr+) revertants of a threonine-requiring F' stain after localized mutagenesis with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. Transduction experiments with phage P1 permitted us to divide these mutations into two classes with respect to man location; some mutations were located between thr and ara at about 0.8 min, very close to maf-1 reported previously (Wada et al., J. Mol. Biol. 108:25-41, 1976 and the others probably were located between leu and azi at about 1.8 min. The former class of mutants designated mafA exhibited the same plasmid specificity as maf-1; replication of plasmids F and ColVB trp, but not R386 or R222, were affected at a high temperature. By contrast, the latter mutants designated mafB were defective in replication of nay of these plasmids at a high temperature. When a culture of mafA mutants carrying an F' plasmid was transferred from 30 to 42 degrees C, the plasmid replication as determined by incorporation of [3H]thymidine into covalently closed circular F DNA was markedly inhibited. Under certain conditions, the temperature shift-up caused severe growth inhibition of the mutant cells. Examination of merodiploids (mafA/FmafA+) for plasmid maintenance suggested that the two mafA mutations tested (mafA23 and mafA36) were both dominant, at least partially, over the wild-type mafA+ allele. These properties of the mafA mutants, manifested at the restrictive temperature, are similar to those previously reported for the maf-1 mutant. Taken together with other evidence it is likely that these mutations affect either the same gene (mafA) or a set of closely linked genes, playing a specific role in autonomous plasmid replication in E. coli.

Chromosome Mapping↗
PubMed1992

Small antibiotic resistance plasmids in Staphylococcus intermedius.

Antibiograms and plasmid profiles were evaluated for 116 Staphylococcus intermedius isolates collected from dogs in Germany and in the USA. Of the 26 S. intermedius isolates from Germany, 9 (34.6%) carried plasmids, while 20 (22.2%) of the 90 S. intermedius isolates from the USA were found to be plasmid-positive. Eight small resistance plasmids were identified and characterized using protoplast transformations and restriction endonuclease analyses. Five plasmids (3.8 and 3.9 kb) encoded for chloramphenicol resistance, 2 plasmids (each 2.5 kb) carried determinants for macrolide-lincosamide resistance, and one plasmid (4.5 kb) conferred resistance to tetracycline. Detailed restriction maps of these plasmids were constructed and served for structural comparisons with other small resistance plasmids found in staphylococci. These comparisons implied marked structural homologies with those prototype plasmids initially characterized in S. aureus of human origin.

Ampicillin Resistance↗
PubMed2000

Infrared spectroscopic characterization of the interaction of cationic lipids with plasmid DNA.

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to characterize the interaction of the cationic lipids 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane and dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide with plasmid DNA. The effect of incorporating the neutral colipids cholesterol and dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine on this interaction was also examined. Additionally, dynamic and phase analysis light scattering were used to monitor the size and zeta potential of the resulting complexes under conditions similar to the Fourier transform infrared measurements. Results suggest that upon interaction of cationic lipids with DNA, the DNA remains in the B form. Distinct changes in the frequency of several infrared bands arising from the DNA bases, however, suggest perturbation of their hydration upon interaction with cationic lipids. A direct interaction of the lipid ammonium headgroup with and dehydration of the DNA phosphate is observed when DNA is complexed with these lipids. Changes in the apolar regions of the lipid bilayer are minimal, whereas the interfacial regions of the membrane show changes in hydration or molecular packing. Incorporation of helper lipids into the cationic membranes results in increased conformational disorder of the apolar region and further dehydration of the interfacial region. Changes in the hydration of the DNA bases were also observed as the molar ratio of helper lipid in the membranes was increased.

Cholesterol↗
PubMed1994

A genetic selection method for the transfer of HSV-1 glycoprotein B mutations from plasmid to the viral genome: preliminary characterization of transdominance and entry kinetics of mutant viruses.

A genetic selection procedure has been devised to transfer mutations from a plasmid to the viral genome. Reagents were constructed so that the recombination events that occur during cotransfection rescue a mutation in a recipient viral genome and, simultaneously, transfer a mutation in an adjacent (target) gene to the viral genome. In the example presented here the two adjacent genes are essential for viral replication, so that a transformed cell line that expresses both genes and another cell line that expresses only the target gene are required. Ideally the recipient viral genome should be deleted for the entire target gene, and the deletion should extend a short distance into the adjacent gene. In the present study UL27 (glycoprotein gB) of herpes simplex virus type 1 (KOS) is the target gene for mutation transfer and the upstream gene UL28, which specifies the ICP18.5 polypeptide, is the marker-rescue gene. A recipient virus that was deleted for DNA sequences encoding the C-terminal 74 residues of ICP18.5 and the N-terminal 711 residues of gB was constructed. All of the gB mutant plasmids used overlap the ICP18.5 deletion, and therefore, recombination events that rescue the ICP18.5 deletion must transfer a gB mutation present in codons 1-711 of the rescuing plasmid. Recombinant viruses that contain the gB mutation, unlike the parental gB-/18.5- virus, will grow on cells that express only gB (D6). This procedure has been used to transfer insertion, deletion, and chain termination mutations into the gB gene of the KOS genome. Southern blot analysis confirmed the transfer of the mutations to the viral genome. Analysis of radioactively labeled, infected cell lysates by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), before and after immune precipitation with gB-specific antibodies, confirmed the presence of the mutant polypeptides in the lysates. The incorporation of the mutant polypeptides into the envelopes of purified released viruses was measured. The yield of plaque forming units per cell was determined from single step growth curves after infection of permissive D6 cells. Virus yield, a measure of transdominance, varied for the different mutants. The maximum reduction in virus yield observed was sixfold relative to the wild-type virus. Transdominance was a result of both the lack of glycoprotein processing and the presence of gB-oligomerization sites. A reduced yield was also observed for a previously isolated gB-null mutant virus, K082. The amount of gB produced in D6 cells, infected with K082, was less than that produced in KOS infected cells, which may account for the reduced yield.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Cell Line↗
PubMed1999

Molecular characterization and interstrain variability of pHPS1, a plasmid isolated from the Sydney strain (SS1) of Helicobacter pylori.

The 5846-bp circular plasmid pHPS1 of Helicobacter pylori Sydney strain, SS1, was cloned, sequenced, and structurally characterized. The SS1 strain is widely used in animal studies of H. pylori infection. The sequence of pHPS1 revealed three open reading frames (ORFs), all of which are transcribed. Two ORFs encode putative plasmid replication proteins, RepA and RepB, similar to replicases resident on theta plasmids. In contrast, the function of ORF2 remains cryptic due to the absence of sequence similarity with any known protein in sequence databases. In addition, species specificity of these three coding regions was shown using DNA dot blot hybridization in 57 diverse clinical H. pylori isolates and 32 Helicobacter and Campylobacter strains. RepA appears to be the predominant plasmid replication protein of H. pylori and the deduced amino acid sequence was highly conserved (76-96%) in 8 H. pylori isolates, including SS1. RepB was detected in 3 H. pylori isolates examined in this study, 2 of which possess only the repB gene. Analysis of the protein sequences of these two replicases, together with previously characterized H. pylori plasmid replication proteins, supports the formation of a distinct class of H. pylori plasmid proteins. Moreover, comprehensive analysis of the whole genome sequence of H. pylori strain 26695, pHPS1, and other H. pylori plasmid sequences that are available revealed interesting insights as to the occurrence of plasmid-mediated recombination within H. pylori. Common regions between plasmids and chromosome sequences of H. pylori were identified in this study which could only have arisen by genetic recombination, thus providing the first line of evidence, albeit indirectly, of the contribution of H. pylori plasmids in generating an extensive genetic heterogeneity characteristic of this important gastroduodenal pathogen.

Chromosome Mapping↗
PubMed1985

Limited-host-range plasmid of Agrobacterium tumefaciens: molecular and genetic analyses of transferred DNA.

A tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmid from a strain of Agrobacterium tumefaciens that induces tumors on only a limited range of plants was characterized and compared with the Ti plasmids from strains that induce tumors on a wide range of plants. Whereas all wide-host-range Ti plasmids characterized to date contain closely linked oncogenic loci within a single transferred DNA (T-DNA) region, homology to these loci is divided into two widely separated T-DNA regions on the limited-host-range plasmid. These two plasmid regions, TA-DNA and TB-DNA, are separated by approximately 25 kilobases of DNA which is not maintained in the tumor. The TA-DNA region resembles a deleted form of the wide-host-range TL-DNA and contains a region homologous to the cytokinin biosynthetic gene. However, a region homologous to the two auxin biosynthetic loci of the wide-host-range plasmid mapped within the TB-DNA region. These latter genes play an important role in tumor formation because mutations in these loci result in a loss of virulence on Nicotiana plants. Furthermore, the TB-DNA region alone conferred tumorigenicity onto strains with an intact set of vir genes. Our results suggest that factors within both the T-DNA and the vir regions contribute to the expression of host range in Agrobacterium species. There was a tremendous variation among plants in susceptibility to tumor formation by various A. tumefaciens strains. This variation occurred not only among different plant species, but also among different varieties of plants within the same genus.

DNA, Bacterial↗