bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
13N isotope studies on the pathway of ammonia assimilation in Bacillus megaterium and Escherichia coli
Authors: Kim C H , Hollocher T C
Published: January 2020

The pathway of ammonia incorporation into amino acids was studied by use of 13N-ammonium ions in Bacillus megaterium and Escherichia coli that had been grown aerobically on a minimal salts medium containing NH4Cl as the source of nitrogen. Anion- and cation-exchange high-pressure-liquid chromatography was used to separate amino acids relevant to the several possible pathways for ammonia assimilation in bacteria. At an initial concentration of added NH4+ of 1 microM, the glutamine synthetase-glutamate synthase pathway represented the major pathway in both bacteria on the basis of the effects of inhibitors of that pathway (L-methionine-DL-sulfoximine and azaserine) and of transamination (aminooxy-acetate) and the observation that the specific activity of glutamine was greater initially than that of any other amino acid likely to be the first product of an assimilation pathway. The study provides (i) a new analytical method for 13N-tracer investigation of amino acids, (ii) confirmation of conclusions from enzymological studies on the pathway of ammonia assimilation in B. megaterium and E. coli, and (iii) proof that alanine dehydrogenase and aspartate ammonia lyase (aspartase) are not important pathways in B. megaterium at low NH4+ concentrations.
Selective transport of nutrients via the rhizoids of the water mold Blastocladiella emersonii
Authors: Kropf D L , Harold F M
Published: January 2020

Previous work in this laboratory demonstrated that the rhizoids of Blastocladiella emersonii grow chemotropically toward a source of Pi and thus provided preliminary evidence that, in addition to serving as a holdfast, the rhizoids absorb nutrients. To further examine the role of the rhizoids in nutrient uptake, we devised a technique to introduce a barrier between the rhizoids and the thallus to that these cell compartments could be studied independently. Cells were grown on polycarbonate membrane filters in such a way that all of the thalli were on one side of the filter and essentially all of the rhizoids were on the opposite side. Nutrient uptake into the rhizoids and the thallus was measured by floating the filters bearing cells on radioactive medium so that only one side of the filter contacted the label. Mineral oil was used to block the diffusion of the label through the unfilled pores in the filter. This technique permitted us to establish clearly that the rhizoids absorb all seven of the nutrients tested. In addition, we found that some nutrients, specifically Pi and amino acids, appeared to be preferentially taken up via the rhizoids, whereas K+, Rb+, and Ca2+ entered the thallus and rhizoids equally. Cells grown in the presence of the microtubule synthesis inhibitors nocodazole and carbendazim elaborated only a stunted rhizoid system, so we examined their ability to accumulate the two classes of compounds. As expected, these cells were severely inhibited in Pi and amino acid uptake but retained normal uptake of K+, Rb+, and Ca2+.
Dynamics of Bacillus subtilis helical macrofiber morphogenesis: writhing, folding, close packing, and contraction
Authors: Mendelson N H
Published: January 2020

Helical Bacillus subtilis macrofibers are highly ordered structures consisting of individual cells packed in a geometry remarkably similar to that found in helically twisted yarns (G. A. Carnaby, in J. W. S. Hearle et al., ed., The Mechanics of Flexible Fibre Assemblies, p. 99-112, 1980; N. H. Mendelson, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75:2478-2482, 1978). The growth and formation of macrofibers were studied with time-lapse microscopy methods. The basic growth mode consisted of fiber elongation, folding, and the helical wrapping together of the folded portion into a tight helical fiber. This sequence was reiterated at both ends of the structure, resulting in terminal loops. Macrofiber growth was accompanied by the helical turning of the structure along its long axis. Right-handed structures turned clockwise and left-handed ones turned counterclockwise when viewed along the length of a fiber looking toward a loop end. Helical turning forced the individual cellular filaments into a close-packing arrangement during growth. Tension was evident within the structures and they writhed as they elongated. Tension was relieved by folding, which occurred when writhing became so violent that the structure touched itself, forming a loop. When the multistranded structure produced by repeated folding cycles became too rigid for additional folding, the morphogenesis of a ball-like structure began. The dynamics of helical macrofiber formation was interpreted in terms of stress-strain deformations. In view of the similarities between macrofiber structures and those found in multifilament yarns and cables, the physics of helical macrofiber structure and also growth may be suitable for analysis developed in these fields concerning the mechanics of flexible fiber assemblies (C. P. Buckley; J. W. S. Hearle; and J. J. Thwaites, in J. W. S. Hearle et al., ed., The Mechanics of Flexible Fibre Assemblies, p. 1-97, 1980).
Levels of enzymes involved in the synthesis of acetate from CO2 in Clostridium thermoautotrophicum
Authors: Clark J E , Ragsdale S W , Ljungdahl L G , Wiegel J
Published: January 2020

The acetogenic bacterium Clostridium thermoautotrophicum, grown on methanol, glucose, or CO2-H2, contained high levels of corrinoids, formate dehydrogenase, tetrahydrofolate enzymes, carbon monoxide dehydrogenase, and hydrogenase. Cell-free extracts catalyzed pyruvate-dependent formation of acetate from methyltetrahydrofolate. These results suggest that C. thermoautotrophicum synthesizes acetate from CO2 via a formate-tetrahydrofolate-corrinoid pathway.
Complementation of the leuB6 allele of Escherichia coli by cloned DNA from Mucor racemosus
Authors: Cihlar R L , Sypherd P S
Published: January 2020

A recombinant plasmid, designated pMu leu1, was constructed from Mucor racemosus genomic DNA and Escherichia coli plasmid pBR322. This plasmid complemented the leuB6 mutation of E. coli, apparently by suppression. The plasmid contained two HindIII fragments of approximately 3.0 and 1.7 kilobases. Neither fragment alone exhibited complementing activity. Several proteins were specified by the plasmid, but their role, if any, in complementation is unknown.
Effect of phosphoglycerate mutase deficiency on heterotrophic and autotrophic carbon metabolism of Alcaligenes eutrophus
Authors: Reutz I , Schobert P , Bowien B
Published: January 2020

Mutants of Alcaligenes eutrophus were isolated on the basis of their inability to grow on succinate as the sole source of carbon and energy. The mutants also failed to grow on other gluconeogenic substrates, including pyruvate, acetate, and citrate. Simultaneously, they had lost their capability for autotrophic growth. The mutants grew, but slower than the wild type, on fructose or gluconate. Growth retardation on gluconate was more pronounced. The mutants lacked phosphoglycerate mutase activity, and spontaneous revertants of normal growth phenotype had regained the activity. The physiological characteristics of the mutants indicate the role of phosphoglycerate mutase in heterotrophic and autotrophic carbon metabolism of A. eutrophus. Although the enzyme is necessary for gluconeogenesis during heterotrophic growth on three- or four-carbon substrates, its glycolytic function is not essential for the catabolism of fructose or gluconate via the Entner-Doudoroff pathway. The enzyme is required during autotrophic growth as a catalyst in the biosynthetic route leading from glycerate 3-phosphate to pyruvate. It is suggested that the mutants accomplish the complete degradation of fructose and gluconate mutase lesion. The catabolically produced triose phosphates are converted to fructose 6-phosphate which is rechanneled into the Entner-Doudoroff pathway. This carbon recycling mechanism operates less effectively in mutant cells growing on gluconate.
Altered Methionyl-tRNA Synthetase in a
Spirulina platensis
Mutant Resistant to Ethionine
Authors: Riccardi G. , Sanangelantoni A. M. , Sarasini A. , Ciferri O.
Published: January 2020

Compared with the parental strain, a
Spirulina platensis
mutant that is resistant to ethionine incorporated methionine into protein at a reduced rate, whereas ethionine incorporation was practically nil. The methionyl-tRNA synthetase present in crude extracts from the resistant strain showed a reduced affinity for methionine and ethionine.
Characterization of a cold-sensitive hisW mutant of Salmonella typhimurium
Authors: Davis L , Williams L S
Published: January 2020

Previous studies of hisW mutants of Salmonella typhimurium have led to the suggestion that such strains are defective in tRNA maturation. (J. E. Brenchley and J. Ingraham, J. Bacteriol. 114:528-536, 1973). In this study, we report that one hisW strain is defective in the accumulation of all stable RNA species. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of radiolabeled RNA indicated tha at the nonpermissive temperature (20 degrees C) all stable RNa species in the cold-sensitive hisW3333 mutant were synthesized and rapidly degraded. We propose that the cold sensitivity of this strain is caused by such a restriction in stable RNA accumulation at low temperature. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that the RNA degraded in this strain was synthesized de novo and was not preexisting RNA. Furthermore, physiological and genetic recovery from the cold-sensitive hisW phenotype resulted in relatively normal RNA synthesis and accumulation. Thus, the RNA alterations observed in this strain were not explained by defects in a tRNA modification enzyme. Rather, these findings suggest the existence of defective RNA processing and that a control mechanism for the overall synthesis or accumulation of stable RNA species is altered in the hisW3333 mutant.
Regulation of tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase formation
Authors: Hall C V , Yanofsky C
Published: January 2020

A previously constructed trp-S-lacZ fusion encoding a hybrid protein with beta-galactosidase activity was subcloned from a multicopy plasmid onto a lambda vector. Single-copy lysogens of lambda trpS-lacZ were used to determine whether trpS was regulated in a manner similar to that of other aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. trpS regulation was found to resemble that of the majority of synthetases, in that expression of the lysogen-encoded hybrid beta-galactosidase varied with growth rate; beta-galactosidase activity increased 2.5-fold as the generation time decreased from 150 to 37 min. This regulatory response was confirmed by DNA/RNA hybridization experiments, which also suggested that this form of metabolic regulation occurred at the transcriptional level. No alteration in the level of hybrid beta-galactosidase was observed, however, when cells were starved for tryptophan.
Lysophospholipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of lysophospholipids in Mycoplasma gallisepticum membranes
Authors: Gatt S , Morag B , Rottem S
Published: January 2020

Mycoplasma gallisepticum strains have a membrane-bound lysophospholipase which hydrolyzes lysophospholipid generated in these membranes by treatment with an external phospholipase. This paper studies the hydrolysis of the membranous lysophospholipids by an enzyme residing in the same membrane (intramembrane utilization) or in adjacent membranes (intermembrane utilization). To study intermembrane hydrolysis, the phospholipids of M. gallisepticum were labeled with [3H]oleic acid. Membranes were prepared, heated at 65 degrees C, and subsequently treated with pancreatic phospholipase A2. This resulted in membranes whose enzyme was heat inactivated, but which contained lysophospholipid. When these membranes were mixed with M. gallisepticum cells or membranes, the lysophospholipid was hydrolyzed by the membranous lysophospholipase. To study intramembrane hydrolysis, [3H]oleyl-labeled membranes of M. gallisepticum were treated with pancreatic phospholipase A2 at pH 5.0. At this pH, lysophospholipid was generated but not hydrolyzed. Adjustment of the pH to 7.4 resulted in hydrolysis of the lysophospholipid by the membranous lysophospholipase. These procedures permitted measuring the initial rates of intramembrane and intermembrane hydrolysis of the lysophospholipid, showing that the time course and dependence on endogenous substrate concentration were different in the intramembrane and intermembrane modes of utilization. They also permitted calculation of the molar concentration of the lysophospholipid in the membrane and its rate of hydrolysis, expressed as moles per minute per cell or per square centimeter of cell surface.
New genes involved in carbon catabolite repression and derepression in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Entian K D , Zimmermann F K
Published: January 2020

A mutation causing resistance to carbon catabolite repression in gene HEX2, mutant allele hex2-3, causes an extreme sensitivity to maltose when in combination with the genes necessary for maltose metabolism. This provided a convenient system for the selective isolation of mutations in genes specifically required for maltose metabolism and other genes involved in general carbon catabolite repression. In addition to reversion of the hex2-3 allele, mutations in three other genes were detected. These genes were called CAT1, CAT3, and MUR1 and in a mutated form abolished maltose inhibition caused by mutant allele hex2-3. Mutant alleles cat1 and cat3 also restored normal repression in the presence of the hex2-3 allele. Segregants having only mutant alleles cat1 or cat3 were obtained by tetrad analysis. These segregants could not grow on nonfermentable carbon sources. Mutant alleles of gene CAT1 were allelic to a mutant allele cat1-1 previously isolated (Zimmermann et al., Mol. Gen. Genet. 151:95-103). Such mutants prevented derepression not only of the maltose catabolizing system, the selected property, but also of glyoxylate shunt and gluconeogenic enzymes. However, respiratory activities and invertase formation were not affected under derepressing conditions. cat3 mutants had the same phenotypic properties as cat1 mutants. This showed that carbon metabolism in yeast cells is under a very complex and ramified control of repressing and derepressing genes, which are interdependent.
Role of metabolism of the mating pheromone in sexual differentiation of the heterobasidiomycete Rhodosporidium toruloides
Authors: Miyakawa T , Nishihara M , Tsuchiya E , Fukui S
Published: January 2020

A trypsin-type endopeptidase (Kamiya et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 94:855-860, 1980) responsible for the metabolism of rhodotorucine A, the farnesyl undecapeptide mating pheromone secreted by mating type A cells of Rhodosporidium toruloides, was biologically characterized. Metabolic activity was found to be present exclusively on the cell surface of the pheromone target cell. The activity was highly specific to the pheromone, and a biologically inactive analog which has the complete amino acid sequence of rhodotorucine A but lacks the farnesyl residue was not metabolized by intact cells. Pheromone metabolism was inhibited by trypsin substrates such as tosyl-L-arginine methyl ester. The presence of tosyl-L-arginine methyl ester strongly inhibited the sexual differentiation induced by the pheromone at a concentration which did not affect the vegetative growth of R. toruloides. Pheromone-induced sexual differentiation was also strongly inhibited by a metabolizable analog, rhodotorucine A S-oxide, but not by a non-metabolizable one. In mutants defective in early processes of mating, the decrease in the pheromone metabolic activity correlated well with the extent of loss of sensitivity to the pheromone. Both the pheromone metabolism and the capacity for sexual differentiation of a sterile mutant were restored concomitantly with reversion from the sterile to the fertile phenotype. These results suggested that metabolism of the mating pheromone plays an essential role in the process of sexual differentiation in R. toruloides.
Mapping of two loci affecting the synthesis and structure of a periplasmic protein involved in arginine and ornithine transport in Escherichia coli K-12
Authors: Celis R T
Published: January 2020

The map location of two genes, abpR and abpS, was established. The abpR locus is responsible for the synthesis and the abpS locus is responsible for the structure of the arginine-ornithine-binding protein, a required component of the arginine-ornithine transport system of Escherichia coli. Two loci that result in elevated synthesis of the arginine-ornithine-binding protein and in an altered protein were mapped by bacterial conjugation and transduction studies. The mapping showed that the two genes lie in close proximity near the argA genetic marker in the order, with respect to argA, of argA abpR abpS. The maximal influx of arginine into an abpR mutant, which produces the arginine-ornithine-binding protein in an elevated amount, was substantially higher than the value obtained with an isogenic wild-type strain (apbR+). It also was observed that there was a close similarity between the affinity of the transport system for its substrate and the in vitro affinity of the binding protein for arginine both in the case of the isogenic wild type (abpS+) and a mutant (abpS6) carrying an altered protein. These results were consistent with the concept that the binding protein modulates the affinity of the transport system and suggest that it is the step of substrate recognition by the periplasmic protein which is rate-limiting in the entire process of transport at maximal influx.
Cytosine methylation of the sequence GATC in a mycoplasma
Authors: Dybvig K , Swinton D , Maniloff J , Hattman S
Published: January 2020

Mycoplasma virus L2 is subject to host-specific restriction and modification in Acholeplasma laidlawii strains JA1 and K2. We have examined the DNAs from both host cells and viruses propagated on these strains with respect to susceptibility to cleavage by restriction endonucleases and for DNA base modifications. We show that, in strain K2 and L2 virus grown on K2 cells, cytosine in the sequence GATC is methylated to 5-methylcytosine and, although strain K2 and L2 viruses grown on K2 contain N6-methyladenine in their DNA, adenine in the sequence GATC is not methylated. In contrast to K2, strain JA1 and L2 virus grown on JA1 cells contain no detectable methylated bases. It is not known which of the methylated bases in K2 is the basis for the K2 restriction-modification system operative on L2 virus.
Peptide maps of regulatory subunits of Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase
Authors: Haldenwang W G , Truitt C L
Published: January 2020

Peptide maps of four regulatory subunits of Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase were obtained. Three sigma-like proteins (sigma 55, sigma 37, and sigma 29) as well as the transcription modification factor, delta (delta) protein, were shown to give unique peptide patterns. This observation demonstrates that each is a distinct protein species; none is derived from another by a simple proteolytic modification.
Plasmid-borne determinants of pigmentation and thiamine prototrophy in Erwinia herbicola
Authors: Gantotti B V , Beer S V
Published: January 2020

Strains of Erwinia herbicola lost yellow pigmentation and thiamine prototrophy at high frequency when grown at elevated temperature (38 degrees C) or in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. All pigmentless, thiamine-auxotrophic variants had lost a large plasmid (ca. 350 megadaltons). Conversely, all pigmented, thiamine-prototrophic strains contained the large plasmid. The evidence presented indicates that pigmentation and thiamine prototrophy are specified or controlled by genes carried on the 350-megadalton plasmid.
Camphor revisited: involvement of a unique monooxygenase in metabolism of 2-oxo-delta 3-4,5,5-trimethylcyclopentenylacetic acid by Pseudomonas putida
Authors: Ougham H J , Taylor D G , Trudgill P W
Published: January 2020

Previously, Pseudomonas putida was shown to degrade (+)-camphor, and cleavage of the first ring of the bicyclic structure involved two monooxygenases (a hydroxylase and a ring oxygen-inserting enzyme), a dehydrogenase, and spontaneous cleavage of an unstable oxygenation product (lactone). Cleavage of the second ring was not demonstrated but was assumed also to occur by ring oxygen insertion, since the predicted oxygenation product was extracted from whole-cell incubation systems. Our investigation established that metabolism of the first ring cleavage intermediate, 2-oxo-delta 3-4,5,5-trimethylcyclopentenylacetic acid, occurred through the sequential action of two inducible enzymes, a coenzyme A ester synthetase and an oxygenase. The oxygenase was purified to homogeneity and had a molecular weight of 106,000. This enzyme carried a single molecule of flavin adenine dinucleotide and consisted of two identical subunits. Iron was not present at a significant level. The oxygenase was specific for NADPH as the electron donor and absolutely specific for the coenzyme A ester of 2-oxo-delta 3-4,5,5-trimethylcyclopentenylacetic acid as the substrate. The reaction stoichiometry was compatible with this enzyme being a monooxygenase, and a mass spectral analysis of the methyl ester of the product confirmed the insertion of a single oxygen atom. The enzyme appeared to be analogous to, although distinct from. 2,5-diketocamphane 1,2-monooxygenase in catalyzing a "biological Baeyer-Villiger" reaction with the formation of a lactone. Structural analogy suggested that this lactone, like the first, was also unstable and susceptible to spontaneous ring opening, although this was not experimentally established.
Effects of the hisT mutation of Salmonella typhimurium on translation elongation rate
Authors: Palmer D T , Blum P H , Artz S W
Published: January 2020

The hisT mutation in Salmonella typhimurium which results in loss of pseudouridine base modifications in the anticodon regions of many tRNAs was shown to reduce the rate of protein synthesis in vivo by about 20 to 25% as compared with that measured in hisT strains. Reduced protein synthesis rate occurred predominantly at the level of translation rather than transcription. Increased sensitivity of hisT mutants to growth inhibition by antibiotics that inhibit translation elongation, but not by those that inhibit translation initiation, transcription initiation, or transcription elongation, indicates that the hisT mutation leads to a defect in one or more of the steps in the polypeptide chain elongation mechanism. These results can account for effects of the hisT mutation on regulation of certain amino acid biosynthetic operons, including the his, leu, and ilv operons.
Dielectric characterization of forespores isolated from Bacillus megaterium ATCC 19213
Authors: Marquis R E , Bender G R , Carstensen E L , Child S Z
Published: January 2020

Isolated stage III forespores of Bacillus megaterium ATCC 19213 in aqueous suspensions were nearly as dehydrated as mature spores, as indicated by low dextran-impermeable volumes of ca. 3.0 ml per g (dry weight) of cells compared with values of ca. 2.6 for mature spores and 7.3 for vegetative cells. The forespores lacked dipicolinate, had only minimal levels of calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, and sodium, and were more heat sensitive than vegetative cells. The effective homogeneous conductivities and dielectric constants measured over a frequency range of 1 to 200 MHz indicated that the inherent conductivities of the forespores were unusually low, in keeping with their low mineral contents, but that the forespores could be invaded by environmental ions which could penetrate dielectrically effective membranes. Overall, our findings support the view that the dehydration of a forespore during stage III of sporogenesis may be the result of ion movements out of the forespore into the sporangium.
Nitrogen fixation by Klebsiella pneumoniae is inhibited by certain multicopy hybrid nif plasmids
Authors: Riedel G E , Brown S E , Ausubel F M
Published: January 2020

In our studies of nif gene regulation, we have observed that certain hybrid nif plasmids drastically inhibit the expression of the chromosomal nif genes of Klebsiella pneumonia. Wild-type (Nif+) K. pneumoniae strains that acquire certain hybrid nif plasmids also acquire the Nif- phenotype; these strains lose 90 to 99% of all detectable nitrogen fixation activity and grow poorly (or not at all) on solid media with N2 as the sole nitrogen source. We describe experiments which defined this inhibition of the Nif+ phenotype by hybrid nif plasmids and identify and characterize four nif DNA regions associated with this inhibition. We show that plasmids carrying these nif regions could recombine with, but not complement, nif chromosomal mutations. Our results suggest that inhibition of the Nif+ phenotype will provide a useful bioassay for some of the factors that mediate nif gene expression.
Activation and inactivation of methanol: 2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid methyltransferase from Methanosarcina barkeri
Authors: van der Meijden P , Heythuysen H J , Sliepenbeek H T , Houwen F P , van der Drift C , Vogels G D
Published: January 2020

Methanol is converted to methane by crude extracts of Methanosarcina barkeri. The first reaction involved in this process, is catalyzed by methanol:2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid methyltransferase (EC 2.1.1.-). The methyltransferase has an optimum at pH 6.5 and is not inhibited by 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid. Pyridoxal-5'-phosphate acts as an inhibitor (Ki = 0.30 mM). The methyltransferase was tested in the presence of 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid, which inhibits the conversion of 2-(methylthio)ethanesulfonic acid to methane. The reaction is subject to activation and inactivation. Inactivation is brought about by the presence of oxygen, flavin mononucleotide, flavin adenine dinucleotide, and 2-(methylthio)ethanesulfonic acid, the product of the reaction. Activation of the system requires the presence of ATP and Mg2+ and of hydrogen. Hydrogen can be replaced by enzymatic systems, such as pyruvate dehydrogenase, which deliver free hydrogen.
Oxidation of hydrogen and reduction of methanol to methane is the sole energy source for a methanogen isolated from human feces
Authors: Miller T L , Wolin M J
Published: January 2020

A methanogenic coccus isolated from human feces requires H2 and CH3OH for growth and uses H2 to reduce CH3OH to CH4. Growth does not occur with CH3OH alone. The organism does not grow or produce CH4 from acetate or methylamines without or with H2 or from H2 and CO2 or formate. In a complex medium. CO2 is required for formation of approximately 50% of cell carbon, whereas the methyl carbon from methanol is not incorporated into cell carbon.
Q beta replicase containing a Bacillus stearothermophilus elongation factor
Authors: Stringfellow L , Blumenthal T
Published: January 2020

We purified Q beta replicase containing EF-Ts from Bacillus stearothermophilus in place of the homologous polypeptide from Escherichia coli. The hybrid enzyme was fully active in the transcription of a variety of templates. It was found to be qualitatively similar to native Q beta replicase with respect to a variety of parameters which measure the efficiency of initiation of RNA synthesis. The results demonstrated that Q beta replicase can tolerate substantial alterations in the EF-Tu X Ts component of the enzyme. These alterations resulted in only minor perturbations of catalytic properties.
GDPmannose dehydrogenase and biosynthesis of alginate-like polysaccharide in a mucoid strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Pugashetti B K , Vadas L , Prihar H S , Feingold D S
Published: January 2020

GDPmannose dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.132) in a mucoid strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from a patient with cystic fibrosis was identified by demonstrating the NAD-linked formation of GDPmannuronate from GDPmannose mediated by a cell extract of the organism. Nonmucoid mutant strains did not contain GDPmannose dehydrogenase, which suggests that the enzyme is involved in the biosynthesis of alginate-like polysaccharide by P. aeruginosa.
Molecular cloning of the region of the terminus of Escherichia coli K-12 DNA replication
Authors: Béjar S , Bouché J P
Published: January 2020

A series of plasmids have been isolated either by ligation of defined restriction fragments to plasmid pBR325 or by screening of a cosmid bank by in situ colony hybridization. Together with one previously isolated plasmid, they spanned 86% of the 30.5- to 34-min region of the genetic map of Escherichia coli K-12. Physical analysis of these plasmids and hybridizations to Southern blots confirmed the endonuclease map of this region, with the exception of a 9.3-kilobase pair inversion.
Efficient read-through of Tn9 and IS1 by RNA polymerase molecules that initiate at rRNA promoters
Authors: Siehnel R J , Morgan E A
Published: January 2020

Transcription and translation are coupled in most Escherichia coli operons. As a consequence, ribosomes must be present on an mRNA molecule while transcription of the mRNA is in progress or else premature termination of transcription may result. This requirement is most clearly manifested when premature nonsense codons result in polarity in multicistronic operons. Polarity can also result from insertions of transposons and insertion sequences. However, since rRNA operons are not translated, some property of these operons must allow transcription to be uncoupled from translation. In this paper we demonstrate that transposon Tn9 and insertion sequence IS1 are nonpolar or incompletely polar in rRNA operons during normal growth. We also show that essentially all expression of rrn sequences distal to IS1 and Tn9 results from transcripts that originate at rRNA promoters. These results suggest either that rRNA operons possess some mechanism which reduces or prevents termination within rRNA operons or that Tn9 and IS1 can be very inefficient at blocking normal transcription. Insertions of Tn10 in rRNA operons are substantially but incompletely polar. We could not determine whether the residual downstream transcription observed results from promoters within Tn10 or from read-through of Tn10. We discuss the meaning of read-through of Tn9 and IS1 and the residual expression of genes downstream from Tn10 with regard to rRNA operon structure and previous experiments in which polarity of transposons or insertion sequences was observed in protein-encoding operons.
Role of hypoxanthine and guanine in regulation of Salmonella typhimurium pur gene expression
Authors: Houlberg U , Jensen K F
Published: January 2020

Data are presented which indicate that the repression of pur gene expression seen after the addition of preformed purines to cultures of Salmonella typhimurium is the consequence of the presence or the formation of the purine bases, hypoxanthine and guanine. This conclusion is based on the following observations. First, it was impossible to find a correlation between the size of any individual purine nucleotide pool and the level of the first four enzymes in the de novo biosynthetic pathway. Second, adenine plus guanosine served as a perfect source of purine nucleotides, but their presence caused no repression of pur gene expression if the cells lacked purine nucleoside phosphorylase activity. This enzyme is needed to convert adenine and guanosine to hypoxanthine and guanine, but not for their conversion to nucleotides. Third, addition of guanine to a strain lacking guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (gpt) resulted in a repression of the level of the purine de novo biosynthetic enzymes, a reduction of the growth rate, and a fall in the pools of ATP and GTP. Addition of hypoxanthine to a strain lacking hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (hpt) had a similar, although weaker, effect. If the cells lacked both hypoxanthine and guanine phosphoribosyltransferases (hpt gpt), their basal level of the purine de novo biosynthetic enzymes was repressed in minimal medium. Such cells grow slower than wild-type cells and excrete purines, probably due to the inability to salvage endogenously formed hypoxanthine and guanine.
Regulation of hexitol catabolism in Streptococcus mutans
Authors: Dills S S , Seno S
Published: January 2020

Regulation of hexitol catabolism was investigated in Streptococcus mutans, a cariogenic human dental plaque bacterium. Induction of hexitol catabolic enzymes and phosphoenolpyruvate:hexitol phosphotransferase and hexitol phosphate dehydrogenase activities was regulated by an inducer exclusion mechanism initiated by D-glucose and 2-deoxy-D-glucose. Kinetic analysis of the inhibitory effect of 2-deoxy-D-glucose on initial hexitol uptake illustrated that this was a noncompetitive type of inhibition. In mutant strains of S. mutans lacking phosphoenolpyruvate:glucose phosphotransferase activity, 2-deoxy-D-glucose was unable to inhibit hexitol uptake. These observations provide evidence for possible molecular mechanisms for the exclusion process.
Regulation of Escherichia coli aspartate transcarbamylase synthesis by guanosine tetraphosphate and pyrimidine ribonucleoside triphosphates
Authors: Turnbough C L
Published: January 2020

The effects of guanosine tetraphosphate (ppGpp) and pyrimidine ribonucleoside triphosphates on Escherichia coli aspartate transcarbamylase (ATCase) synthesis were examined. To determine the effect of ppGpp, a stringent (relA+) and relaxed (relA) isogenic pair of E. coli K-12 strains was starved for isoleucine, and the residual rate of synthesis of this enzyme was measured. It was necessary to starve the strains for uracil before the isoleucine limitation to maintain similar, low levels of UTP, the putative pyrimidine effector of ATCase synthesis. The isoleucine starvation of the stringent strain caused an immediate 10-fold increase in the intracellular concentration of ppGpp, which was coincident with the cessation of the synthesis of the enzyme. The elevated level of ppGpp then decayed until it reached an intracellular concentration similar to that found in unstarved cells. Enzyme synthesis resumed at this time. In the relaxed strain, the intracellular concentration of ppGpp did not increase upon isoleucine starvation and synthesis of the enzyme was not repressed. These experiments strongly indicated that ppGpp acts as a negative effector of ATCase synthesis. The repression of ATCase synthesis by ppGpp was demonstrated directly by using a Salmonella typhimurium (relA) in vitro coupled transcription-translation system with a lambda specialized transducing phage carrying the E. coli K-12 operon encoding the subunits of this enzyme (pyrBI) as a source of DNA. This in vitro system was also used to measure the effects of UTP and CTP on ATCase synthesis. Increasing the concentration of UTP in the in vitro reaction mixture resulted in strong repression of this synthesis, whereas increasing the CTP concentration did not affect synthesis significantly. Possible mechanisms for the regulation of pyr gene expression, including attenuation control, are discussed.
Succinate transport by free-living forms of Rhizobium japonicum
Authors: McAllister C F , Lepo J E
Published: January 2020

We have demonstrated that the transport of succinate into the cells of Rhizobium japonicum strains USDA 110 and USDA 217 is severely inhibited by cyanide, azide, and 2,4-dinitrophenol, but not by arsenate. These results suggest an active mechanism of transport that is dependent on an energized membrane, but does not directly utilize ATP. The apparent Km for succinate was 3.8 microM for strain USDA 110 and 1.8 microM for strain USDA 217; maximal transport velocities were 1.5 and 3.3 nmol of succinate per min per mg of protein, respectively. The expression of the succinate uptake activity was inducible rather than constitutive, with succinate and structurally related compounds being the most effective inducers. The mechanism showed some specificity for succinate and similar organic acids; fumarate and L-malate were classical competitive inhibitors of the system. In general, the best competing compounds were also the best carbon substrates for induction of succinate uptake activity. EDTA inhibited the transport of succinate, implying a role for divalent cations in the system. When various divalent cations were used to reconstitute EDTA-inhibited activity, Ca2+ was most effective, followed by Mg2+, which restored activity at about half the efficiency of Ca2+. Growth media that were supplemented with increased Ca2+ concentration supported more rapid growth with succinate as the carbon substrate, and cells from such media showed higher specific activities of succinate transport.
Dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase-deficient mutants of Salmonella typhimurium
Authors: Vimr E R , Miller C G
Published: January 2020

Mutants of Salmonella typhimurium deficient in dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase have been isolated by screening for clones unable to use N-acetyl-L-alanyl-L-alanyl-L-alanine (AcAla3) as the sole nitrogen source. An insertion of the transposable element Tn10 near dcp (the locus coding for dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase) has been isolated and used to map the locus in the interval between purB and trp, an otherwise genetically silent region of the S. typhimurium map. All dcp mutants could still grow using N-acetyl-L-alanyl-L-alanyl-L-alanyl-L-alanine (AcAla4) as the sole nitrogen source. Crude extracts from the dcp mutants failed to hydrolyze AcAla3 but retained approximately 80% of the wild-type activity toward AcAla4. Several lines of evidence indicate that hydrolysis of AcAla4 in the dcp mutant results from the action of a new peptidase distinct from dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase. A mutant strain lacking dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase in addition to peptidases N, A, B, and D showed reduced protein breakdown during carbon starvation compared with a strain lacking only peptidases N, A, B, and D.
Bacterial elongation factor Ts: isolation and reactivity with elongation factor Tu
Authors: Wittinghofer A , Guariguata R , Leberman R
Published: January 2020

An improved method for the purification of bacterial polypeptide elongation factor Ts (EF-Ts) from one mesophile (Escherichia coli) and two thermophiles (Bacillus stearothermophilus and PS3) is described. The improvements are both in the facility of isolation and in increased yields. The purified factors were used for cross-reactivity studies with elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) obtained from the same bacterial strains. In all combinations studied, the efficiency of EF-Ts in catalyzing the exchange of EF-Tu-bound GDP was proportional to the strength of the protein-protein complex. Whereas the factors from the two thermophiles were interchangeable, the mesophilic EF-Ts formed a very weak complex with thermophilic EF-Tu; however, thermophilic EF-Ts formed very strong complexes with mesophilic EF-Tu. Thus, e.g., EF-Tu from E. coli formed a complex with EF-Ts from B. stearothermophilus which was 10 times more stable than the corresponding homologous complex.
Dark incubation causes reinitiation of cell cycle events in Anacystis nidulans
Authors: Asato Y
Published: January 2020

Synchronized cultures of Anacystis nidulans (Synechococcus PCC 6301), an obligate phototroph, are obtained by incubating exponential cultures in the dark for 12 to 16 h. A temporal and sequential order of macromolecular synthesis is observed within the cell division cycle of a synchronously dividing culture in the light. Apparently, dark incubation causes the cells to realign their cellular activities in such a way that all cells emerge from the dark and grow synchronously in the light. A study was conducted to explore the possible mechanisms responsible for the putative dark-induction process. Samples were taken at various times from a synchronized culture and were subjected to another round of dark incubation for 16 h. When these cultures were returned to the light, the cell number increased from 3 h and doubled at about 7 h. The protein, RNA, and DNA contents started to increase in order well before 3 h. This general pattern of cellular activities, observed for nearly all samples (i.e., for cells of different physiological ages), indicated that the dark incubation period caused the ongoing cell cycle to abort and a new cell cycle to be reinitiated under light growth conditions.
Isolation, Identification, and Synthesis of 2,3-Diamino-2,3-Dideoxyglucuronic Acid: a Component ofPropionibacterium acnesCell Wall Polysaccharide
Authors: Cummins C. S. , White R. H.
Published: January 2020

A previously undescribed component of the cell wall polysaccharide ofPropionibacterium acnes, 2,3-diamino-2,3-dideoxyglucuronic acid, has been identified and synthesized. The component occurs to the extent of about 3 to 5% in the wall polysaccharides ofP. acnestypes I and II and inPropionibacterium avidumtypes I and II; it also appears to be present, but in much smaller amounts, in the cell wall ofPropionibacterium granulosum.
Morphology of Complexes Formed Between Bacteriophage Lambda and Structures Containing the Lambda Receptor
Authors: Roessner Charles A. , Struck Douglas K. , Ihler Garret M.
Published: January 2020

Two types of complexes can be formed between bacteriophage lambda and structures bearing the lambda receptor, either liposomes or rod-shaped particles. Type 1 complexes involve binding between the tip of the lambda tail fiber and the receptor, so that the hollow tail is positioned an average of 17 nm from the surface of the receptor-bearing structures. In type 2 complexes, the hollow tail is in direct contact with the membrane of the liposome or surface of the rod-shaped particle. Type 1 complexes are the precursors for type 2 complexes whose formation is necessary for normal DNA ejection.
Effect of Oxygen on Host Cell Reactivation in
Bacteroides fragilis
Authors: Slade Heide J. K. , Schumann J. Petra , Parker Joan R. , Jones David T. , Woods David R.
Published: January 2020

Host cell reactivation was induced by oxygen in
Bacteroides fragilis
. Chloramphenicol inhibited the induction of host cell reactivation. DNA and protein syntheses were not inhibited during oxygen-induced host cell reactivation.
Pathways of pyrimidine deoxyribonucleotide biosynthesis in Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides
Authors: Neale G A , Mitchell A , Finch L R
Published: January 2020

By measuring the specific activity of deoxyribonucleotides isolated from DNA after the incorporation of 14C-labeled precursors with and without competition from other nucleotide precursors, we defined the major pathways of pyrimidine deoxyribonucleotide synthesis in Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides. Uracil, guanine, and thymine are required for the synthesis of nucleotides. Cytidine competed effectively with uracil to provide all of the deoxycytidine nucleotide, as well as most of the deoxyribose-1-phosphate, for the synthesis of thymidylate from thymine via thymidine phosphorylase. Each of dUMP, dCMP, and dTMP competed with cytidine for incorporation into DNA thymidylate. Appreciable incorporation of exogenous deoxyribonucleoside 5'-monophosphates into DNA without prior dephosphorylation was observed. Dephosphorylation also occurred since the added deoxyribonucleotide provided phosphate for the synthesis of the other nucleotides in DNA in competition with the 32Pi in the growth medium. Hydroxyurea inhibited cell growth and decreased the intracellular level of dATP, consistent with the action of a ribonucleoside diphosphate reductase with regulatory properties similar to those of the Escherichia coli enzyme.
Purification and Characterization of Protease So, a Cytoplasmic Serine Protease in
Escherichia coli
Authors: Chung Chin Ha , Goldberg Alfred L.
Published: January 2020

A new cytoplasmic endoprotease, named protease So, was purified to homogeneity from
Escherichia coli
by conventional procedures with casein as the substrate. Its molecular weight was 140,000 when determined by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 and 77,000 when estimated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Thus, it appears to be composed of two identical subunits. Protease So had an isoelectric point of 6.4 and a

K
m

of 1.4 μM for casein. In addition to casein, it hydrolyzed globin, glucagon, and denatured bovine serum albumin to acid-soluble peptides but did not degrade insulin, native bovine serum albumin, or the “auto α” fragment of β-galactosidase. A variety of commonly used peptide substrates for endoproteases were not hydrolyzed by protease So. It had a broad pH optimum of 6.5 to 8.0. This enzyme is a serine protease, since it was inhibited by diisopropyl fluorophosphate and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. Although it was not inhibited by chelating agents, divalent cations (e.g., Mg
2+
) stabilized its activity. Protease So was sensitive to inhibition by
N
-tosyl-
l
-phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone but not by
N
-tosyl-
l
-lysine chloromethyl ketone. Neither ATP nor 5′-diphosphate-guanosine-3′-diphosphate affected the rate of casein hydrolysis. Protease So was distinct from the other soluble endoproteases in
E. coli
(including proteases Do, Re, Mi, Fa, La, Ci, and Pi) in its physical and chemical properties and also differed from the membrane-associated proteases, protease IV and V, and from two amino acid esterases, originally named protease I and II. The physiological function of protease So is presently unknown.
Absence of siderophore activity in Legionella species grown in iron-deficient media
Authors: Reeves M W , Pine L , Neilands J B , Balows A
Published: January 2020

Growth of Legionella species in a defined medium deficient in iron did not result in the production of phenolic or hydroxamate siderophores which could be detected by chemical or biological assay methods. Growth of a variety of other gram-negative organisms under the same conditions resulted in the production of both hydroxamate and phenolate siderophores. The iron-deficient medium limited growth of the Legionella species more severely than it did the growth of the other gram-negative organisms. We have concluded that Legionella species do not make the commonly recognized siderophores, probably because they are restricted in their growth to those environments in which inorganic iron is readily available or is supplied in a form bound to an unknown carrier.
Intracellular localization of Neurospora crassa endo-exonuclease and its putative precursor
Authors: Fraser M J , Cohen H
Published: January 2020

Endo-exonuclease of rapidly growing mycelia of Neurospora crassa was found to be distributed in a ratio of about 1.6:1 in vacuoles and in mitochondria where it is associated with the inner membrane. Although the activity in vacuoles was readily released by osmotic shock, very little of that in mitochondria was released by this method. The mitochondrial activity was partially (60 to 70%) released by sonication, and the remaining activity was solubilized in the presence of Triton X-100. An inactive form of endo-exonuclease, activated in vitro by treatment with trypsin, is present in mycelia at a level over four times that of active enzyme. It was found to be distributed in a ratio of about 2.5:1 in the cytosol and in the inner membrane of mitochondria. The mitochondrial protein was more tightly bound than the active enzyme. Very little of the inactive enzyme was released by sonication, but it was solubilized in the presence of Triton X-100. The intracellular distribution of active and inactive forms of endo-exonuclease differs in a mutagen-sensitive mutant of Neurospora crassa (uvs-3) which shows many pleiotropic effects. The most striking difference in distribution is in the mitochondria where endo-exonuclease is present almost entirely in the inactive form at a level 30% higher than in wild-type mitochondria.
Cloning of genes that complement yeast hexokinase and glucokinase mutants
Authors: Walsh R B , Kawasaki G , Fraenkel D G
Published: January 2020

Genes complementing the glucose-negative fructose-negative Saccharomyces cerevisiae triple mutant strain (hxkl hxk2 glk1), which lacks hexokinase PI, hexokinase PII, and glucokinase, were obtained from a pool of yeast DNA in the multicopy plasmid YEp13.