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The Sphingomonas plasmid pCAR3 is involved in complete mineralization of carbazole.

We determined the complete 254,797-bp nucleotide sequence of the plasmid pCAR3, a carbazole-degradative plasmid from Sphingomonas sp. strain KA1. A region of about 65 kb involved in replication and conjugative transfer showed similarity to a region of plasmid pNL1 isolated from the aromatic-degrading Novosphingobium aromaticivorans strain F199. The presence of many insertion sequences, transposons, repeat sequences, and their remnants suggest plasticity of this plasmid in genetic structure. Although pCAR3 is thought to carry clustered genes for conjugative transfer, a filter-mating assay between KA1 and a pCAR3-cured strain (KA1W) was unsuccessful, indicating that pCAR3 might be deficient in conjugative transfer. Several degradative genes were found on pCAR3, including two kinds of carbazole-degradative gene clusters (car-I and car-II), and genes for electron transfer components of initial oxygenase for carbazole (fdxI, fdrI, and fdrII). Putative genes were identified for the degradation of anthranilate (and), catechol (cat), 2-hydroxypenta-2,4-dienoate (carDFE), dibenzofuran/fluorene (dbf/fln), protocatechuate (lig), and phthalate (oph). It appears that pCAR3 may carry clustered genes (car-I, car-II, fdxI, fdrI, fdrII, and, and cat) for the degradation of carbazole into tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates; KA1W completely lost the ability to grow on carbazole, and the carbazole-degradative genes listed above were all expressed when KA1 was grown on carbazole. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis also revealed that the transcription of car-I, car-II, and cat genes was induced by carbazole or its metabolic intermediate. Southern hybridization analyses with probes prepared from car-I, car-II, repA, parA, traI, and traD genes indicated that several Sphingomonas carbazole degraders have DNA regions similar to parts of pCAR3.

Base Sequence↗

Evolutionarily selected replication origins: functional aspects and structural organization.

A selective replicative pressure occurs during the evolution of simian virus 40 variants. When the replication origin is duplicated as an inverted repeat, there is a dramatic enhancement of replication. Having regulatory sequences located between the inverted repeat of ori magnifies their enhancing effect on replication. A passage 20 variant and a passage 45 variant containing three pairs of an inverted repeat of ori replicated more efficiently than a passage 13 variant containing nine copies of ori arranged in tandem. A 69-base-pair cellular sequence inserted between inverted repeats of ori of both passage 40 and 45 variants enhanced simian virus 40 DNA replication. Differences in replication efficiencies became greater as the total number of replicating species was increased in the transfection mixture, under conditions where T antigen is limiting. In a competitive environment, sequences flanking the replication origin may be inhibitory to replication.

Animals↗

Entrapment vectors--how to capture a functional transposable element.

Transposable elements (i.e. insertion sequences and transposons) are components of nearly all bacterial genomes. The majority of these elements have been identified as a result of various sequencing projects. However, in most cases, their activity was not experimentally confirmed. For this reason several strategies have been developed that allow direct cloning and identification of functional transposable elements. Most of the methods are based on the ability of transposable elements to inactivate or activate particular genes by insertion. In this review we describe and critically discuss different cloning strategies that employ various entrapment vectors, carrying (i) conditionally lethal genes, (ii) antibiotic selection cartridges, (iii) promoter-less genes or (iv) suicide replicons. These tools, besides facilitating the identification of new transposable elements, also enable the investigation of various DNA rearrangement mutations, which are related to the transposition process.

DNA Transposable Elements↗

A protein binds the selenocysteine insertion element in the 3'-UTR of mammalian selenoprotein mRNAs.

Several gene products are involved in co-translational insertion of selenocysteine by the tRNA(Sec). In addition, a stem-loop structure in the mRNAs coding for selenoproteins is essential to mediate the selection of the proper selenocysteine UGA codon. Interestingly, in eukaryotic selenoprotein mRNAs, this stem-loop structure, the selenocysteine insertion sequence (SECIS) element, resides in the 3'-untranslated region, far downstream of the UGA codon. In view of unravelling the underlying complex mechanism, we have attempted to detect RNA-binding proteins with specificity for the SECIS element. Using mobility shift assays, we could show that a protein, present in different types of mammalian cell extracts, possesses the capacity of binding the SECIS element of the selenoprotein glutathione peroxidase (GPx) mRNA. We have termed this protein SBP, for Secis Binding Protein. Competition experiments attested that the binding is highly specific and UV cross-linking indicated that the protein has an apparent molecular weight in the range of 60-65 kDa. Finally, some data suggest that the SECIS elements in the mRNAs of GPx and another selenoprotein, type I iodothyronine 5' deiodinase, recognize the same SBP protein. This constitutes the first report of the existence of a 3' UTR binding protein possibly involved in the eukaryotic selenocysteine insertion mechanism.

Animals↗

A unique combination of plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase isoforms is expressed in islets of Langerhans and pancreatic beta-cell lines.

Changes in free intracellular Ca2+ concentration regulate insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells. The existence of steep Ca2+ gradients within the beta-cell requires the presence of specialized Ca2+ exclusion systems. In this study we have characterized the plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPases (PMCAs) which extrude Ca2+ from the cytoplasm. PMCA isoform- and subtype-specific mRNA expression was investigated in rodent pancreatic alpha- and beta-cell lines, and in human and rat islets of Langerhans using reverse-transcription PCR with primers flanking the calmodulin-binding region of rat PMCA. The expression pattern of PMCA 1 and 2 was conserved in different species and islet-cell types since both rat and human islets of Langerhans and all cell lines tested contained the 1b and 2b forms. PMCA 4 isoform subtypes, however, were expressed in a cell-type-specific manner since beta-cells expressed PMCA 4b only, whereas in islets of Langerhans, which contain alpha, beta, delta and polypeptide-secreting cells, PMCA 4a and 4b were simultaneously present. No evidence was obtained for the expression of PMCA 3. Characterization of the beta-cell Ca2+-pump protein showed that it shared several similarities with the erythrocyte PMCA. It is a P-type ATPase; its phosphorylated intermediate was stabilized by La3+; it reacted with a PMCA-specific antibody; and it was not N-glycosylate. However, the beta-cell PMCA had a higher molecular mass than that of the erythrocyte; this difference could be explained by either predominant translation of the PMCA2 form, which has a molecular mass 3-8 kDa higher than the erythrocyte PMCA 1 and 4 proteins, or by a possible sequence insertion. Thus a unique combination of functionally distinct PMCA isoforms (1b, 2b, 4b) participates in Ca2+ homoeostasis in the beta-cell.

Alternative Splicing↗

Genetic analysis of superoxide dismutase, the 23 kilodalton antigen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The gene encoding a 23 kilodalton protein antigen has been cloned from Mycobacterium tuberculosis by screening of a recombinant DNA library with monoclonal antibodies. The product of the gene has been identified as the superoxide dismutase (SOD) of M. tuberculosis on the basis of sequence comparison and by expression of the recombinant protein in a functionally active form. The derived amino acid sequence of M. tuberculosis SOD reveals a close similarity to manganese-containing SODs from other organisms, in spite of the fact that previous studies using the purified enzyme have identified iron as the preferred metal ion ligand. SOD is present in the extracellular fluid of logarithmic-phase cultures of M. tuberculosis, but the structural gene is not preceded by a signal peptide sequence. Insertion of the M. tuberculosis SOD gene into a novel shuttle vector demonstrated the mycobacteria but is ineffective in Escherichia coli.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

U-insertion/deletion Edited Sequence Database.

Uridine insertion/deletion RNA editing is a post-transcriptional RNA modification occurring in the mitochondria of kinetoplastid protozoa. The U-insertion/deletion Edited Sequence Database is a compilation of mitochondrial genes and edited mRNAs from five kinetoplastid species. It contains separate files with the DNA, mRNA (both unedited and edited) and predicted protein sequences, as well as alignments of the Leishmania tarentolae and Trypanosoma brucei protein sequences from edited and unedited genes. The sequence files are in GCG format. A 'map' sequence file showing the location of U-deletions, U-insertions and the translated amino acid sequences is also provided for each gene. Genomic maps for each species are also provided with clickable genes, including maxicircle-encoded gRNAs. Sets of aligned nuclear rRNA sequences from kinetoplastid protozoa are also provided, which were used for phylogenetic reconstructions in an analysis of the origin of RNA editing. The database is available through the World Wide Web as an HTML document at the URLhttp://www.lifesci.ucla.edu/RNA/trypanosome/ database.html

Animals↗

Comparison by restriction fragment differential display RT-PCR of gene expression pattern in bovine oocytes matured in the presence or absence of fetal calf serum.

A novel restriction fragment differential display (RFDD) RT-PCR has been used to compare patterns of mRNA expression in bovine oocytes matured in vitro in the presence (10%) or absence of fetal calf serum (FCS). Total RNA extracted from matured and denuded oocytes was processed using display Profile kit (Display System Biotech). RFDD RT-PCR products were separated on 6% polyacrylamide gel and analyzed using a Storm 860 scanner. Selected bands representing potentially differentially expressed fragments were excised from the gel and re-amplified. Re-amplified fragments with size matched to the original fragment were cloned into the TA vector and sequenced. Initially, 10 and 15 differentially expressed fragments were isolated from oocytes matured in the presence and absence of FCS, respectively. Eight out of 10 and 10 out of 15 fragments were re-amplified successfully as evidenced by size similarity to the original fragments. Finally, the size of six inserts sequenced from each group matched the size of corresponding original as well as re-amplified fragments. Sequence comparison search revealed similarity of some isolated fragments to 18s ribosomal RNA, bovine apolipoprotein A-I, bovine mitochondrion DNA, human CGI-79 mRNA, human Ab1-interactor protein, and bovine satellite DNA. The other sequenced fragments may represent novel genes. We showed that RFDD RT-PCR can be effectively applied to contrast gene expression pattern in bovine oocytes and that presence or absence of FCS during maturation interval affects gene expression pattern in matured bovine oocytes.

Animals↗

Developmentally regulated expression of Drosophila chorion genes introduced at diverse chromosomal positions.

Drosophila chorion genes are organized into two clusters that are selectively amplified in the ovarian follicle cells. During oogenesis the transcription of individual genes is temporally regulated, resulting in distinct, stage-specific profiles of chorion mRNA accumulation. P element-mediated gene transfer was used to study the regulation of genes encoding the major chorion proteins s15-1 and s38-1. Transformed chorion genes integrated at diverse chromosomal locations exhibited proper tissue-specific and stage-specific expression, despite separation from the gene clusters. Qualitatively normal expression was not dependent on the ability of the inserted DNA to undergo amplification. However, chromosome position quantitatively influenced the RNA produced by the transformed genes. The level of RNA per gene copy produced by individual transformed genes varied approximately tenfold, after correction for differences in gene dosage due to the amplification of some inserted sequences. Transformation experiments with an s38-1-lacZ fusion gene demonstrated that cis-regulatory sequences sufficient for the stage-specific program of s38-1 expression were confined to a 1.3 X 10(3) base-pair segment between -748 and +573 relative to the s38-1 initiation site. Finally, egg chamber-specific amplification was induced at the site of two s38-1 insertions, suggesting that an amplification control element resides near this gene.

Animals↗

Diverse structures of mcr-10-bearing plasmids and high colistin resistance in Enterobacter cloacae complex clinical isolates from South Korea.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of mcr-mediated colistin resistance in Enterobacter cloacae complex (ECC) poses a significant threat to antimicrobial therapy. Among mcr variants, mcr-10 has been identified in various environments, but its genetic diversity, structural context, and functional role in colistin resistance remain unclear. METHODS: We investigated 183 ECC isolates and identified 60 colistin-resistant strains through minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing. The presence of mcr-10 was screened using reference genomes from NCBI, and whole plasmid sequencing was conducted on mcr-10-positive isolates. The genetic environment of mcr-10 was analyzed via synteny and structural annotation. RESULTS: Whole-plasmid sequencing of eight mcr-10-positive ECC isolates identified three replicon types among the mcr-10-harboring plasmids: IncFIB (n=3), IncFII (n=3), and IncFII/IncFIB (n=2). Although all plasmids shared the xerC-mcr-10 cassette, they lacked a conserved backbone and showed diverse genetic contexts with variable insertion sequences near mcr-10, indicating marked structural heterogeneity. No additional antimicrobial resistance genes were detected on these plasmids. When introduced into E. coli DH5α, the plasmids increased colistin MICs only modestly, whereas representative plasmids transferred into colistin-susceptible E. roggenkampii and E. kobei conferred high-level resistance comparable to that of the parental mcr-10-positive isolates. Consistently, qRT-PCR showed higher mcr-10 expression in ECC transformants than in E. coli under colistin exposure, supporting a hostdependent effect on mcr-10-mediated colistin resistance. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the diversity of mcr-10-carrying plasmids and suggest that mcr-10-mediated colistin resistance is shaped by the host genetic background. Further studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms underlying mcr-10 expression.

Colistin↗

Isopropylbenzene catabolic pathway in Pseudomonas putida RE204: nucleotide sequence analysis of the ipb operon and neighboring DNA from pRE4.

Pseudomonas putida RE204 employs a set of plasmid-specified enzymes in the catabolism of isopropylbenzene (cumene) and related alkylbenzenes. A 21,768 bp segment of the plasmid pRE4, whose sequence is discussed here, includes the ipb (isopropylbenzene catabolic) operon as well as associated genetic elements. The ipb operon, ipbAaAbAcAdBCEGFHD, encodes enzymes catalyzing the conversion of isopropylbenzene to isobutyrate, pyruvate, and acetyl-coenzyme A as well as an outer membrane protein (IpbH) of uncertain function. These gene products are 75 to 91% identical to those encoded by other isopropylbenzene catabolic operons and are somewhat less similar to analogous proteins of related pathways for the catabolism of mono-substituted benzenes. Upstream of ipbAa, ipbR encodes a positive regulatory protein which has about 56% identity to XylS regulatory proteins of TOL (xylene/toluate) catabolic plasmids. This similarity and that of the DNA sequence in the proposed ipb operator-promoter region (ipbOP) to the same region of the xyl meta operon (xylOmPm) suggest that, although the IpbR and XylS regulatory proteins recognize very different inducers, their interactions with DNA to activate gene expression are similar. Upstream of ipbR is an 1196 bp insertion sequence, IS1543, related to IS52 and IS1406. Separating ipbR from ipbAa are 3 additional tightly clustered IS elements. These are IS1544, related to IS1543, IS52, and other members of the IS5 family; IS1545, related to IS1240; and IS1546, related to IS1491. Encompassing the ipb catabolic genes and the other genetic elements and separated from each other by 18,492 bp, are two identical, directly repeated 1007 bp DNA segments. Homologous recombination between these segments appears to be responsible for the occasional deletion of the intervening DNA from pRE4.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The partitioned Rhizobium etli genome: genetic and metabolic redundancy in seven interacting replicons.

We report the complete 6,530,228-bp genome sequence of the symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacterium Rhizobium etli. Six large plasmids comprise one-third of the total genome size. The chromosome encodes most functions necessary for cell growth, whereas few essential genes or complete metabolic pathways are located in plasmids. Chromosomal synteny is disrupted by genes related to insertion sequences, phages, plasmids, and cell-surface components. Plasmids do not show synteny, and their orthologs are mostly shared by accessory replicons of species with multipartite genomes. Some nodulation genes are predicted to be functionally related with chromosomal loci encoding for the external envelope of the bacterium. Several pieces of evidence suggest an exogenous origin for the symbiotic plasmid (p42d) and p42a. Additional putative horizontal gene transfer events might have contributed to expand the adaptive repertoire of R. etli, because they include genes involved in small molecule metabolism, transport, and transcriptional regulation. Twenty-three putative sigma factors, numerous isozymes, and paralogous families attest to the metabolic redundancy and the genomic plasticity necessary to sustain the lifestyle of R. etli in symbiosis and in the soil.

Gene Transfer, Horizontal↗

Selective isolation of cosmid clones by homologous recombination in Escherichia coli.

A procedure for selection of specific cosmid clones by homologous recombination between cosmid clones from a library and sequences cloned into a plasmid has been developed. Cosmid libraries constructed in a rec- host strain are packaged in vivo into lambda particles. Appropriate aliquots are then introduced into a rec+ host containing the sequence used for selection cloned into a plasmid vector without sequence homology to the cosmid vector. After a short time for recombination, the cosmids are packaged in vivo. Cosmids that have taken up the plasmid by homologous recombination are isolated by plating under conditions selecting for the antibiotic resistance markers carried by both vectors. The recombined cosmids can lose the inserted sequence by another homologous recombination event and, after packaging in vivo, these revertants can be identified on appropriate indicator plates.

Animals↗

Helical repeat and chirality effects on DNA gel electrophoretic mobility.

We determined a value of 10.34 +/- 0.04 base pairs (bp) per turn for the helical repeat of bent DNA sequences of the form A6N4-A6N5 by estimating the sequence repeat required to produce a planar curve, as judged from the maximum in the electrophoretic mobility anomaly of multimers containing different sequence repeats (10.00, 10.33, 10.50, 10.67, and 11.00 bp per turn). This result provides the basis for a method to evaluate the helical repeat of any DNA segment by comparative electrophoresis measurements. The sequence of interest is placed between two A-tract bends and the phasing is varied over an entire helical turn. Knowledge of the number of base pairs between the bends in the cis isomer, which has the lowest electrophoretic mobility, allows calculation of the average helical repeat of the inserted sequence. In the course of these experiments we observed an unexpected dependence of electrophoretic mobility on the shape of DNA molecules: in high-percentage polyacrylamide gels, those bent molecules for which we deduced a right-handed superhelical form are less retarded than their homologous left-handed isomers. To explain this finding we propose that superhelical chirality influences the choice of DNA migration pathway, leading to rotation of the DNA molecule relative to the local coordinate frame in the gel. High-percentage gels have sufficiently close contact with the right-handed DNA helical twist to differentiate the frictional consequences of right- and left-handed twisting motions.

Base Sequence↗

Molecular analysis of the plasmid-borne aacA/aphD resistance gene region of coagulase-negative staphylococci from chickens.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to analyse selected coagulase-negative staphylococci from chickens for the genetic basis of plasmid-borne resistance to gentamicin, tobramycin and kanamycin, and also for the presence of Tn4001-like elements. METHODS: Three staphylococcal strains, two Staphylococcus warneri, and one Staphylococcus sciuri, were included in this study. The gene aacA/aphD coding for a bifunctional enzyme that mediates resistance to gentamicin, tobramycin and kanamycin was detected by hybridization with a specific probe. Plasmid location of this gene was also confirmed by hybridization and conjugation. The resistance gene and its adjacent regions were cloned and sequenced. RESULTS: Three different types of Tn4001-like elements in which the IS256 elements were largely truncated and replaced by IS257 elements were identified on large conjugative and non-conjugative plasmids of 33-43 kb in the staphylococcal strains from chickens. Seven different types of IS257-analogous insertion sequences were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Resistance to gentamicin, tobramycin and kanamycin in three staphylococcal strains from chickens was mediated by plasmid-borne aacA/aphD genes located on structurally modified Tn4001-like elements. In one of the three plasmids studied, the arrangement of the elements in the aacA/aphD resistance gene area closely resembled that on plasmids pSH6, pSK41 and pUW3626 from Staphylococcus aureus of human origin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Analysis of the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv.

The powerful combination of genomics and bioinformatics is providing a wealth of information about Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the aetiological agent of human tuberculosis, that will facilitate the conception and development of new therapies. The starting point for genome sequencing was the integrated map of the 4.4 Mb circular chromosome of the widely used, virulent reference strain, M. tuberculosis H37Rv. Cosmids and bacterial artificial chromosomes were selected from ordered libraries and subjected to systematic shotgun sequence analysis. This approach simplified sequence assembly as the genome is rich in repetitive DNA. In common with most bacteria, > 90% of the potential coding capacity is used, and probable or tentative functions could be attributed to > 70% of the genes. The potential biological roles of two of the principal driving forces in genome dynamics, insertion sequence elements and polymorphic multigene families are discussed.

DNA Transposable Elements↗

Evolution of CuZn superoxide dismutase and the Greek key beta-barrel structural motif.

Detailed analysis of the CuZn superoxide dismutase (SOD) structure provides new results concerning the significance and molecular basis for sequence conservation, intron-exon boundary locations, gene duplication, and Greek key beta-barrel evolution. Using 15 aligned sequences, including a new mouse sequence, specific roles have been assigned to all 23 invariant residues and additional residues exhibiting functional equivalence. Sequence invariance is dominated by 15 residues that form the active site stereochemistry, supporting a primary biological function of superoxide dismutation. The beta-strands have no sequence insertions and deletions, whereas insertions occur within the loops connecting the beta-strands and at both termini. Thus, the beta-barrel with only four invariant residues is apparently over-determined, but dependent on multiple cooperative side chain interactions. The regions encoded by exon I, a proposed nucleation site for protein folding, and exon III, the Zn loop involved in stability and catalysis, are the major structural subdomains not included in the internal twofold axis of symmetry passing near the catalytic Cu ion. This provides strong confirmatory evidence for gene evolution by duplication and fusion followed by the addition of these two exons. The proposed evolutionary pathway explains the structural versatility of the Greek key beta-barrel through functional specialization and subdomain insertions in new loop connections, and provides a rationale for the size of the present day enzyme.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Polymorphism and evolution of Alu sequences in the human low density lipoprotein receptor gene.

Two clusters of Alu sequences in the human low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor gene have been analyzed in detail. One Alu cluster is present within the intron separating exons 15 and 16 of the gene and contains a polymorphic Pvu II site. The presence or absence of this site gives rise to two allelic fragments of 14 and 16.5 kilobases, respectively, in genomic Southern blots using cloned cDNA probes. This DNA polymorphic site is caused by a single adenine to guanine transition within an Alu repetitive element. The second cluster of Alu sequences is located in exon 18 of the LDL receptor gene. Southern blotting of primate DNAs suggests that this cluster became associated with the gene about 30 million years ago. Comparison of bovine DNA sequences, which lack this Alu cluster, with those of the human indicates that the Alu sequences inserted in exon 18 in two independent events.

Adult↗