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Biomedical subjects

A M Kropinski

Publications and source records attributed to A M Kropinski.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Heat shock response of the archaebacterium Methanococcus voltae.

The general properties of the heat shock response of the archaebacterium Methanococcus voltae were characterized. The induction of 11 heat shock proteins, with apparent molecular weights ranging from 18,000 to 90,000, occurred optimally at 40 to 50 degrees C. Some of the heat shock proteins were preferentially enriched in either the soluble (cytoplasm) or particulate (membrane) fraction. Alternative stresses (ethanol, hydrogen peroxide, NaCl) stimulated the synthesis of subsets of the heat shock proteins as well as unique proteins. Western blot (immunoblot) analysis, in which antisera to Escherichia coli heat shock proteins (DnaK and GroEL) were used, did not detect any immunologically cross-reactive proteins. In addition, Southern blot analysis did not reveal any homology between M. voltae and four highly conserved heat shock genes, mopB and dnaK from E. coli and hsp70 genes from Drosophila species and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Archaea↗

Construction of broad-host-range vectors for the selection of divergent promoters.

A series of promoter-probe plasmid vectors has been constructed which allows for the selection of DNA sequences containing divergent control elements. Each vector contains a pair of promoterless genes [encoding beta-galactosidase (lacZ), alkaline phosphatase (phoA), and bacterial luciferase (luxAB)] arranged in an antiparallel fashion and separated by a large intervening multiple cloning site. The vectors permit direct detection of promoter activity on indicator plates after transformation. Cloned promoters are selected based on production of coloured products in the case of lacZ and phoA, and by the emission of light in the case of luxAB. These vectors have been tested using known divergent promoter elements from pBR322 and Pseudomonas phage D3.

Cloning, Molecular↗

Multiple promoters control the regulation of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa regA gene.

Expression studies utilizing the regA promoters, fused in tandem or separately to promoterless reporter genes, indicated that regA is transcribed from two promoters (P1 and P2). Both promoters can act independently. Expression from the P1 promoter is not affected by the iron content of the medium. Expression from the P2 promoter is tightly regulated by iron.

ADP Ribose Transferases↗

High efficiency electroporation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa using frozen cell suspensions.

High efficiency transformation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was achieved using frozen cell suspensions and high voltage electroporation. We have obtained frequencies as high as 5.8 x 10(8) transformants/micrograms of plasmid DNA using PA01 strain OT684 and a buffer of 15% glycerol-1 mM MOPS. The method allows for easy and reproducible production of frozen cell suspensions for rapid transformation of P. aeruginosa.

DNA, Bacterial↗

Construction of broad-host-range plasmid vectors for easy visible selection and analysis of promoters.

We have constructed a series of broad-host-range plasmids which use "visual screens" to detect promoter activity. These plasmids contain the pMB1 and pRO1600 origins of replication and are capable of replicating in a wide range of gram-negative bacteria. The genes encoding beta-galactosidase and alkaline phosphatase from Escherichia coli and bacterial luciferase from Vibrio harveyi supply the promoterless indicator genes. The constructs were tested in E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

Transduction of a plasmid containing the bacteriophage D3 cos site in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Plasmids harboring the cos sequences of bacteriophage D3 can be transferred, by bacteriophage D3, into Pseudomonas aeruginosa by a mechanism which is insensitive to DNase. Transducing activity was separated from the plaque-forming particles by CsCl equilibrium gradient centrifugation. Restriction endonuclease digestion patterns suggest that the transducing particles contain plasmid concatemers.

Bacteriophages↗

Construction of broad-host-range vectors for general cloning and promoter selection in Pseudomonas and Escherichia coli.

We have constructed two promoter-selection vectors based upon the broad-host-range plasmid pRO1614. pQF40 (6 kb) contains a promoterless tetA gene downstream from a large multiple cloning site while pQF26 (5.4 kb) possesses a promoterless cat cartridge. The latter vector displayed a copy number of 13 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 39 in Escherichia coli. When promoter sequences derived from the Pseudomonas phage phi PLS27 were cloned into pQF26, high levels of chloramphenicol-acetyltransferase were detected in P. aeruginosa. In E. coli the activity was approximately one-third that in P. aeruginosa when corrections were made for the plasmid copy number.

Bacteriophages↗

Occurrence of a common lipopolysaccharide antigen in standard and clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 contains two species of O polysaccharide termed A and B bands. The high-molecular-weight B-band LPS determines the O specificity of the bacterium, while the antigenically distinct A-band LPS consists of only shorter-chain polysaccharides. Seven hybridomas secreting A-band-specific monoclonal antibodies were produced and used to study the LPS of standard and clinical strains. Although A-band antibodies did not agglutinate any of the serotype strains presently in the International Antigenic Typing Scheme, Western immunoblots revealed that 11 of the 17 serotype strains possessed A-band LPS. In a group of 250 clinical isolates from patients with cystic fibrosis, 170 (68%) had A-band LPS on the basis of agglutination tests, but in silver-stained gels all were shown to be deficient in O-antigen-containing B band. Investigation of serial isolates from a single patient revealed a pattern of antigenic variation. During the course of the infection, serotypeable isolates became nontypeable, and the O antigen was replaced with A band as the major LPS antigen. These results suggest that A-band LPS may be the major LPS antigen in nontypeable clinical isolates and a common antigen among other P. aeruginosa strains.

Agglutination Tests↗

Characterization of the genome of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteriophage phi PLS27 with particular reference to the ends of the DNA.

The DNA of Pseudomonas aeruginosa rough-specific bacteriophage phi PLS27 was studied. The genome size as determined by summing the sizes of restriction fragments was 42.7 kilobase pairs. Of particular interest was the fact that the DNA was insensitive to certain common restriction endonucleases including EcoRI, BamHI, and HindIII. The ends of the phage DNA were cloned and sequenced, revealing direct repeats of 318 nucleotides. The left end of the genome when cloned into the promoter selection vector pKK232-8 exhibited promoter activity in Escherichia coli. Two promoters bearing greater than 70% sequence homology to the plasmid pNM74 TOL operon and PAK pilin promoters were identified.

Bacteriophages↗

Isolation and characterization of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteriophage with a very limited host range.

A Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteriophage, phi PLS743, with extremely limited host range has been isolated. It belongs to the virus family Podoviridae, morphological type C1, and possesses a head diameter of 45 nm. The phage has a buoyant density in CsCl of 1.516 g/cm3, and its mass is 45 x 10(6) daltons. The phage particles are composed of double-stranded DNA (49.9 mol% G + C; 42.4 kilobase pairs) and 11 structural proteins (66% by weight). The major head protein, P5, has a Mr of 34,500. The DNA is not cut by SalI or XhoI restriction endonucleases, but is cut by PvuII (1 site), KpnI and BglII (2 sites), PvuI (4 sites), BamHI (7 sites), EcoRI (9 sites), and HindIII (12 sites). A restriction endonuclease map is presented.

Bacteriophages↗

Heat shock response of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The general properties of the heat shock response in Pseudomonas aeruginosa were characterized. The transfer of cells from 30 to 45 degrees C repressed the synthesis of many cellular proteins and led to the enhanced production of 17 proteins. With antibodies raised against the Escherichia coli proteins, two polypeptides of P. aeruginosa with apparent molecular weights of 76,000 and 61,000 (76K and 61K proteins) were shown to be analogous to the DnaK and GroEL heat shock proteins of E. coli due to their immunologic cross-reactivity. The major sigma factor (sigma 87) of P. aeruginosa was shown to be a heat shock protein that was immunologically related to the sigma 70 of E. coli by using polyclonal antisera. A hybridoma was produced, and the monoclonal antibody MP-S-1 was specific for the sigma 87 and did not cross-react with sigma 70 of E. coli. A smaller 40K protein was immunoprecipitated with RNA polymerase antisera from cells that had been heat shocked. The 40K protein was also associated with RNA polymerase which had been purified from heat-shocked cells and may be the heat shock sigma factor of P. aeruginosa. Exposure to ethanol resulted in the production of seven new proteins, three of which appeared to be heat shock proteins.

Animals↗

Serotype-converting bacteriophage D3 of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: vegetative and prophage restriction maps.

D3 is a temperate serotype-converting bacteriophage of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A restriction map, based upon BamHI, PstI, PvuI, HindIII and SmaI sites, indicates that the phage genome is 56.4 kb long, and that it possesses cohesive ends. The prophage map suggests a unique insertion site in the strain AK1380 genome. Phage DNA integration occurs upon the circularization of D3 genome with the integration point approximately equidistant from the two ends.

Bacteriophages↗

Isolation of the outer membrane and characterization of the major outer membrane protein from Spirochaeta aurantia.

The outer membrane of Spirochaeta aurantia was isolated after cells were extracted with sodium lauryl sarcosinate and was subsequently purified by differential centrifugation and KBr isopycnic gradient centrifugation. The purified outer membrane was obtained in the form of carotenoid-containing vesicles. Four protein species with apparent molecular weights of 26,000 (26K), 36.5K, 41K, and 48.5K were readily observed as components of the vesicles. The 36.5K protein was the major polypeptide and constituted approximately 90% of the outer membrane protein observed on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. Under mild denaturing conditions the 36.5K major protein exhibited an apparent molecular weight of approximately 90,000. This, together with the results of protein cross-linking studies, indicates that the 36.5K polypeptide has an oligomeric conformation in the native state. Reconstitution of solubilized S. aurantia outer membrane into lipid bilayer membranes revealed the presence of a porin, presumably the 36.5K protein, with an estimated channel diameter of 2.3 nm based on the measured single channel conductance of 7.7 nS in 1 M KCl.

Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins↗

Effect of growth temperature on the lipids, outer membrane proteins, and lipopolysaccharides of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO.

Growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 at 15 to 45 degrees C in tryptic soy broth resulted in changes in the lipids, lipopolysaccharides (LPSs), and outer membrane proteins of the cells. Cells grown at 15 degrees C contained, relative to those cultivated at 45 degrees C, increased levels of the phospholipid fatty acids hexadecenoate and octadecenoate and reduced levels of the corresponding saturated fatty acids. Furthermore, the lipid A fatty acids also showed thermoadaptation with decreases in dodecanoic and hexadecanoic acids and increases in the level of 3-hydroxydecanoate and 2-hydroxdodecanoate as the growth temperature decreased. In addition, LPS extracted from cells cultivated at the lower temperatures contained a higher content of long-chain S-form molecules than that isolated from cells grown at higher temperatures. On the other hand, the percentage of LPS cores substituted with side-chain material decreased from 37.6 mol% at 45 degrees C to 19.3 mol% at 15 degrees C. The outer membrane protein profiles indicated that at low growth temperatures there was an increase in a polypeptide with an apparent molecular weight of 43,000 and decreases in the content of 21,000 (protein H1)- and 27,500-molecular-weight proteins.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

DNA-dependent RNA polymerase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

DNA-dependent RNA polymerase was purified from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The subunit structure was typical of other eubacterial RNA polymerases in having beta' (157,000), beta (148,000), sigma (87,000), and alpha 2 (45,000) subunits as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme was dependent on Mg2+, displaying optimal activity at 10 mM MgCl2. Ca2+ and Zn2+ could not replace MgCl2 in the assay system, while Mn2+, produced partial activity. KCl at concentrations greater than 10 mM inhibited enzyme activity. Optimal enzyme activity was observed at pH 8.5-9.0. The RNA polymerase was stable in 50% (w/v) glycerol at 4 degrees C for more than 3 months. Enzyme activity was inhibited in vitro by heparin, streptolydigin, streptovaracin, actinomycin D, and rifampicin.

DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases↗

IS222, a new insertion element associated with the genome of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

A new insertion element, IS222, was identified to be associated with the DNA of a mutant strain of the converting Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteriophage D3. The insertion sequence was 1,350 base pairs in size and possessed terminal inverted repeats. The nucleotide sequence contained single cleavage sites for EcoRI and PvuI but none for BamHI, PstI, HindIII, SmaI, or SalI. By Southern hybridization analysis, no homology was found with genomic DNA from P. aeruginosa PAT or Escherichia coli. Genomic DNA from the phage host, P. aeruginosa PAO, contained two sequences homologous to IS222.

DNA Restriction Enzymes↗

Effect of lipopolysaccharide mutations and temperature on plasmid transformation efficiency in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

We have isolated, and characterized electrophoretically, two new lipopolysaccharide-defective (rough) mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO. These strains, AK1401 and AK1414, together with two previously characterized isolates, AK1012 and AK1282, were used as recipients in transformation experiments with plasmid pR01614 DNA. The roughest mutant, AK1282, was not transformable, while the transformation efficiency of AK1012, and to a lesser extent the wild-type strain, was dependent upon the growth temperature. The two new isolates which are less rough than AK1012 were transformed at a frequency equivalent to that of the wild type-strain.

Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel↗