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D R Zusman

Publications and source records attributed to D R Zusman.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Differential expression of protein S genes during Myxococcus xanthus development.

Protein S, the most abundant protein synthesized during development of the fruiting bacterium Myxococcus xanthus, is coded by two highly homologous genes called protein S gene 1 (ops) and protein S gene 2 (tps). The expression of these genes was studied with fusions of the protein S genes to the lacZ gene of Escherichia coli. The gene fusions were constructed so that expression of beta-galactosidase activity was dependent on protein S gene regulatory sequences. Both the gene 1-lacZ fusion and the gene 2-lacZ fusion were expressed exclusively during fruiting body formation (development) in M. xanthus. However, distinct patterns of induction of fusion protein activity were observed for the two genes. Gene 2 fusion activity was detected early during development on an agar surface and could also be observed during nutritional downshift in dispersed liquid culture. Gene 1 fusion activity was not detected until much later in development and was not observed after downshift in liquid culture. The time of induction of gene 1 fusion activity was correlated with the onset of sporulation, and most of the activity was spore associated. This gene fusion was expressed during glycerol-induced sporulation when gene 2 fusion activity could not be detected. The protein S genes appear to be members of distinct regulatory classes of developmental genes in M. xanthus.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1984

Gene expression during development of Myxococcus xanthus. Analysis of the genes for protein S.

Protein S is an abundant spore coat protein produced during fruiting body formation (development) of the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus. We have cloned the DNA which codes for protein S and have found that this DNA hybridizes to three protein S RNA species from developmental cells but does not hybridize to RNA from vegetative cells. The half-life of protein S RNA was found to be unusually long, about 38 minutes, which, at least in part, accounts for the high level of protein S synthesis observed during development. Hybridization of restriction fragments from cloned M. xanthus DNA to the developmental RNAs enabled us to show that M. xanthus has two directly repeated genes for protein S (gene 1 and gene 2) which are separated by about 10(3) base-pairs on the bacterial chromosome. To study the expression of the protein S genes in M. xanthus, eight M. xanthus strains were isolated with Tn5 insertions at various positions in the DNA which codes for protein S. The strains which contained insertions in gene 1 or between gene 1 and gene 2 synthesized all three protein S RNA species and exhibited normal levels of protein S on spores. In contrast, M. xanthus strains exhibited normal levels of protein S on spores. In contrast, M. xanthus strains with insertions in gene 2 had no detectable protein S on spores and lacked protein S RNA. Thus, gene 2 is responsible for most if not all of the production of protein S during M. xanthus development. M. xanthus strains containing insertions in gene 1, gene 2 or both genes, were found to aggregate and sporulate normally even though strains bearing insertions in gene 2 contained no detectable protein S. We examined the expression of gene 1 in more detail by constructing a fusion between the lacZ gene of Escherichia coli and the N-terminal portion of protein S gene 1 of M. xanthus. The expression of beta-galactosidase activity in an M. xanthus strain containing the gene fusion was shown to be under developmental control. This result suggests that gene 1 is also expressed during development although apparently at a much lower level than gene 2.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1984

Changes in cell surface hydrophobicity of Myxococcus xanthus are correlated with sporulation-related events in the developmental program.

Cell surface hydrophobicity was measured in the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus during vegetative growth, fruiting body formation, and glycerol-induced spore formation by the method of Rosenberg et al. (FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 9:29-33, 1980). A significant decrease in cell surface hydrophobicity was observed 12 to 36 h after fruiting body formation and 60 to 120 min after glycerol-induced sporulation. The hydrophilic shift was correlated with the ability of the cells to sporulate but not with their ability to aggregate. Sucrose gradient purification removed the hydrophilic substance from the fruiting body spores but not from the glycerol-induced spores. The change in cell surface hydrophobicity in M. xanthus should be a useful developmental marker.

Cell Membrane↗
PubMed1983

Evidence for long-lived mRNA during fruiting body formation in myxococcus xanthus.

Half-lives of Myxococcus xanthus mRNA were determined by inhibiting RNA polymerase with rifampin and then measuring the rate of [35S]methionine incorporation into protein. Vegetative cells resuspended in clone fruiting liquid culture showed an average mRNA half-life of approximately 3.5 min. Developmental cells (24 or 48 hr) exhibited biphasic decay curves with apparent mRNA half-lives of approximately 3.5 min and 20-30 min. The more-stable mRNA species accounted for about 30% of all mRNA present in 24-hr cells and as much as 40% of all mRNA of 48-hr cells. Analysis of the 35S-labeled proteins by NaDodSO4/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that only 5-10 major polypeptides are synthesized after 30 min of rifampin treatment. One of these is protein S, the spore surface coat protein, because immunoprecipitation of the 35S-labeled proteins with antisera specific for protein S showed continued synthesis of protein S in the presence of rifampin. The half-life for its mRNA was calculated to be 15-30 min. RNA from vegetative and developing cells was pulse labeled with 32PO4 followed by rifampin treatment. Analysis of the labeled RNA on 3% NaDodSO4/polyacrylamide gels showed 5-10 long-lived mRNA bands in developing cells. These results show that there are several abundant mRNA species synthesized developmentally that are exceptionally long lived. The fact that the majority of the mRNA species show the shorter half-life suggests that developing cells retain the normal mechanism for mRNA degradation.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1983

Transport and localization of protein S, a spore coat protein, during fruiting body formation by Myxococcus xanthus.

Protein S, the most abundant soluble protein synthesized by Myxococcus xanthus FB during early fruiting body formation, accumulates in the soluble fraction of developing cells, reaching a peak at about 24 h; at late stages of fruiting body formation, protein S is found on the surface of spores (M. Inouye et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76:209-213, 1979). In this study, the transport and localization of protein S were investigated. Cells were fractionated to give osmotic shock, membrane, cytoplasmic, and spore fractions. The various fractions were then analyzed for protein S. Protein S was first detected in the cytoplasmic fraction at about 3 to 6 h of development. However, transport of protein S through the cytoplasmic membrane was not observed until 15 to 18 h of development. Thus, protein S is unusual among translocated proteins in that it accumulates as a soluble cytoplasmic protein before translocation. Biosynthesis of protein S ceased after 48 h; by 72 h, protein S was only found on the surface of spores. Pulse-chase experiments were performed to determine the transport kinetics of protein S. The results showed that in 24-h developing cells, the transport of protein S across the cytoplasmic membrane was rapid, occurring in less than 2 min. However, transport across the outer membrane was slow, requiring 10 to 15 min. Pulses of 15 s with [35S]methionine failed to reveal any short-lived precursor form in immunoprecipitated material separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Isoelectric focusing also failed to detect any precursor form of protein S. Thus, protein S appears to be translocated in the absence of a cleaved signal peptide.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1983

Coliphage P1-mediated transduction of cloned DNA from Escherichia coli to Myxococcus xanthus: use for complementation and recombinational analyses.

We have found that coliphage P1 can be used to transduce cloned DNA from Escherichia coli to Myxococcus xanthus. Transduction occurred at a high efficiency, and no evidence for DNA restriction was observed. The analysis of the transductants showed that they fall into three general categories: (i) haploid cells which contain portions of the cloned DNA substituted for homologous chromosomal DNA; (ii) heterozygous merodiploids which contain the recombinant plasmid integrated into the chromosome at a region of homology; and (iii) homozygous merodiploids which contain two copies of a portion of the cloned DNA with the loss of the chromosomal copy of the genes. The merodiploids, once formed, are relatively stable. They were used to analyze two genes necessary for aggregation and thus fruiting body formation. P1 transduction also permits the reintroduction and substitution of mutated regions of cloned DNA into M. xanthus for the analysis of the role of the DNA in cellular physiology and development.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed1982

"Frizzy" mutants: a new class of aggregation-defective developmental mutants of Myxococcus xanthus.

During fruiting-body formation in Myxococcus xanthus, cells aggregate into raised mounds, where they sporulate. A new class of aggregation-defective developmental mutants was identified within a collection of nonfruiting mutants of M. xanthus. The mutants failed to aggregate into discrete mounds, but rather aggregated into "frizzy" filaments. Many cells within the filaments sporulated normally. Pairwise mixtures of representative frizzy mutants were unable to stimulate each other to aggregate normally. Two strains of M. xanthus were isolated which contained transposon Tn5 insertions mapping near one frizzy mutation. A search through 36 mutants exhibiting the frizzy phenotype showed that all were linked to the same Tn5 insertion sites. Three-factor cross-analysis of 22 of these mutants allowed the mapping of these mutations into many loci. The localization of Tn5 inserts adjacent to this region make possible further manipulation of these genes.

DNA Transposable Elements↗
PubMed1982

RNA polymerase of Myxococcus xanthus: purification and selective transcription in vitro with bacteriophage templates.

DNA-dependent RNA polymerase from vegetative cells of the gram-negative, fruiting bacterium Myxococcus xanthus was purified more than 300-fold by a modified Burgess procedure (Lowe et al., Biochemistry 18:1344-1352, 1979), using Polymin P precipitation, 40 to 65% saturated ammonium sulfate fractional precipitation, double-stranded DNA cellulose chromatography, A5m gel filtration chromatography, and single-stranded DNA agarose chromatography. The last step separated the RNA polymerase into a core fraction and an enriched holoenzyme fraction. The core enzyme showed a subunit structure similar to that of the Escherichia coli polymerase, as follows: beta' and beta (145,000 and 140,000 daltons, respectively) and alpha (38,000 daltons). A comparison of the core enzyme and the holoenzyme implicated two polypeptides as possible sigma subunits. These polypeptides were closely related, as indicated by peptide analysis. M. xanthus RNA polymerase was capable of transcribing DNAs from E. coli phages T7, T4, and lambda, Bacillus subtilis phage phi 29, and M. xanthus phages Mx1, Mx4, and Mx8. Transcription of T7 and phi 29 DNAs was stimulated by KCl, whereas transcription of Mx1, Mx4, and Mx8 DNAs was inhibited by KCl. Magnesium ion dependence, rifampin and heparin sensitivities, and spermidine stimulation of M. xanthus RNA polymerase activity were similar to those found with E. coli RNA polymerase. The pH optimum of M. xanthus RNA polymerase activity was more basic than that of E. coli polymerase. M. xanthus RNA polymerase was capable of selective transcription in vitro when DNAs from phages T7 delta 111, phi 29, and Mx1 were used. The molecular weights of the resulting phage RNA transcripts made by M. xanthus RNA polymerase (as determined by agarose-acrylamide slab gel electrophoresis) were the same as the molecular weights of the transcripts synthesized by E. coli RNA polymerase. No discrete transcripts were detected as the in vitro RNA products of M. xanthus phage Mx4 and Mx8 DNA transcription. Southern transcript synthesized by M. xanthus RNA polymerase. Three transcripts (transcripts A, B, and C; molecular weights, 2.55 X 10(6), 1.95 X 10(6), and 1.56 X 10(6), respectively) were identified as in vitro RNA products of M. xanthus phage Mx1 DNA transcription when either E. coli or M. xanthus RNA polymerase was used. A Southern blot hybridization analysis indicated that the E. coli RNA polymerase and the M. xanthus RNA polymerase transcribe common SalI restriction fragments of Mx1 DNA.

DNA, Viral↗
PubMed1981

Binding properties of myxobacterial hemagglutinin.

The nature of the receptor for myxobacterial hemagglutinin (MBHA) on the outer surface of Myxococcus xanthus was investigated by studying the binding of 125I-MBHA to vegetative and developmental cells. The amount of binding and hence the number of binding sites/cell appeared to increase 4-fold during development to 2.1 X 10(4) sites/cell. Furthermore, the apparent association constant (Ka) for MBHA increased 3-fold to 3 X 10(7) M-1. Fetuin, a glycoprotein which binds MBHA, blocked the binding of 125I-MBHA to vegetative cells but not developmental cells. Thus, the MBHA binding sites from developmental cells clearly differ from the vegetative binding sites. The Ka for MBHA binding to sheep erythrocytes (3.5 X 10(6) M-1) was an order of magnitude lower than that of developmental M. xanthus cells. The erythrocyte binding sites are also much more sensitive to concanavalin A inhibition than the M. xanthus sites.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Purification and characterization of myxobacterial hemagglutinin, a development-specific lectin of Myxococcus xanthus.

Myxococcus xanthus is a Gram-negative bacterium that has a complex life cycle which includes cellular aggregation and sporulation. During the period of cellular aggregation, a lectin-like protein called myxobacterial hemagglutinin (MBHA) is synthesized. A four-step purification procedure for MBHA is described. It consists of chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, CM-cellulose, and hydroxyapatite, followed by gel filtration on Bio-Gel P-30. This procedure gives good yields of MBHA (40-50%) free of contaminating proteins. The purified protein has been partially characterized. It exists as a monomer in solution with an apparent Mr = 28,000 and an isoelectric point of 8.3. The amino acid composition of MBHA has been determined. It shows a very high content of glycine (19%) as well as aromatic amino acids (9%); it has a low percentage of charged amino acids. No detectable carbohydrate was found in a large sample (50 micrograms) of MBHA. The far-ultraviolet CD spectrum of MBHA indicates a secondary structure which contains very little alpha-helix, 50 +/- 10% beta-sheet, and 50 +/- 10% random coil. MBHA comprises 1-2% of soluble protein of M. xanthus at the time of cellular aggregation. The fact that it is a lectin suggests that it may play a role in cell-cell recognition or adhesion.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1981

Localization of myxobacterial hemagglutinin in the periplasmic space and on the cell surface of Myxococcus xanthus during developmental aggregation.

During the period of developmental aggregation which precedes fruiting body formation, the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus produces a large amount of a lectin called myxobacterial hemagglutinin (MBHA). Sequential cell washing, osmotic shock, and disruption of developmental cells showed that as much as 90% of the total hemagglutinating activity can be recovered in the wash and shock fractions. Analysis of the wash and shock fluids by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that these fractions are enriched in MBHA. MBHA was detected on the surface of developmental cells but not vegetative cells by immunofluorescent staining procedures. The fluorescence was localized in distinct patches which were usually located at one or both of the cell poles, although patches of fluorescence could also be seen at additional sites as well. The presence of MBHA on the cell surface was also detected by electron microscopy of developmental cells stained with ferritin-conjugated antibody. Most of the cells showed distinct patches of ferritin staining at one or both of the cell poles; nonpolar staining, which was also observed, was always accompanied by membrane protuberances. The amino acid sequence of the NH2 terminus of MBHA was determined and found to be extremely hydrophobic, suggesting that it may function as a nonprocessed signal for transmembrane transport. The site-specific localization of MBHA at the cell poles suggests that it may function in end-to-end cellular interactions during aggregation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1981

Genetic characterization of aggregation-defective developmental mutants of Myxococcus xanthus.

The transposon Tn5 was used to map temperature-sensitive mutants of Myxococcus xanthus defective in aggregation (C. E. Morrison and D. R. Zusman, J. Bacteriol. 140:1036-1042, 1979). Seven of the eight mutants showing a similar terminal phenotype (rough) were found to be tightly linked. These mapped in a group of loci which we have designated aggR1, aggR2, aggR3, and aggR4. Temperature-sensitive mutants having a different terminal phenotype were not liked to aggR. A search through a group of nonconditional rough mutants indicated that a much lower proportion of these (1 of 35) mapped in aggR. Thus, aggR is probably only one of many sites which can lead to the rough phenotype when mutated. Localized mutagenesis was used to isolate nine additional aggR mutants. All mapped within aggR1, aggR2, or aggR3, and none was found outside this region. Thus, we have characterized a cluster of developmental genes which are needed for aggregation in M. xanthus. The localization of a Tn5 insert adjacent to this region makes possible further manipulation of these genes.

Chromosome Mapping↗
PubMed1981

Hemodynamic and clinical evaluation of the Hancock modified-orifice aortic bioprosthesis.

Clinical experience with the Hancock porcine bioprosthetic heart valve was reviewed in 150 consecutive patients (82 men and 69 women), 13-83 years of age (mean 65 years and 65% older than 60 years), who underwent aortic valve replacement from February 1977 to December 1979. Thirty-eight percent of the patients had associated procedures, including aortocoronary bypass grafting (CABG), valvuloplasty and multiple valve replacement. Overall early mortality was 5% (eight of 150 patients): three of 98 who had isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR), two of 21 who had aortic and mitral valve replacement (AVR/MVR), one of 26 who had AVR/CABG and two four who had AVR/MVR/CABG. In a follow-up period of 6-42 months (mean 26 months), 10 patients have died. Predicted 3-year survival for the study population was 80%. Ninety percent of surviving patients in New York Heart Association functional class I. Incidence of emboli has been 1.5/100 patient-years. Of the five cases of endocarditis, three were fatal and all required reoperation. There have been no primary valve failures. In 43 patients, transvalvular intraoperative peak systolic gradients (left ventricular to aorta) were measured. In those with 19-mm valves (two patients), the gradient was 12.5 +/- 3.5 mm Hg; in those with 21-mm valves (16 patients), it was 10.0 +/- 6.5 mm Hg; in those with 23-mm valves (18 patients), it was 10.8 +/- 5.9 mm Hg; and in those with 25-mm valves (seven patients), it was 9.8 +/- 5.8 mm Hg. Thus, the Hancock modified orifice valve has good hydraulic performance and a low embolic rate without the need for anticoagulation, so it is acceptable for the elderly patient with a small aortic root.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Biosynthesis and self-assembly of protein S, a development-specific protein of Myxococcus xanthus.

Myxococcus xanthus is a Gram-negative bacterium that has a complex life cycle including a temporal sequence of cellular aggregation, mound formation, and myxosporulation. During development, protein S (molecuar weight 23,000) is induced and accumulates in very large amounts. Protein S was found in the soluble fraction of early developmental extracts and in the insoluble fraction in later extracts. This insoluble form of protein S can be solubilized by the addition of 1 M NaCl at 0 degrees C to extracts from aggregated cells (mound stage) or by the addition of 1 M NaCl at 30 degrees C to mature spores. Salt extraction (1 M NaCl) of protein S from mature spores was partially inhibited by the addition of Mg(2+) and almost completely inhibited by the addition of Ca(2+). The viability of spores was not changed by a salt extraction that removed their protein S. Examination of thin sections of mature spores and extracted spores by electron microscopy suggested that the protein S-deficient spores lacked a spore surface coat about 300 A thick. Purified protein S will spontaneously self-assemble onto protein S-deficient spores after removal of the NaCl by dialysis or by addition of 10 mM Ca(2+) to undialyzed samples. Glycerol-induced spores did not contain protein S and did not serve as primers for assembly of protein S. Quantitation of the self-assembly process showed almost stoichiometric binding of protein S to the protein S-deficient spores until saturation at 3.3 x 10(6) molecules per spore, a value 1.35 times higher than the normal level of proteins S found in mature spores. Protein S in the "reconstituted" spores was as protease resistant and sonication resistant as the protein S of native spores. Electron microscopy of the reconstituted spores revealed the assembly of new material on the spore surface. Adjacent spores were sometimes observed to be fused to each other through a common protein S layer. These results suggest that protein S serves a function in spore-spore interaction in the fruiting body.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1979

Myxobacterial hemagglutinin: a development-specific lectin of Myxococcus xanthus.

Fruiting body formation in the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus consists of a temporal sequence of cellular aggregation and sporulation. During the period of cellular aggregation, a major new development-specific protein that has lectin-like activity is synthesized. This protein, called myxobacterial hemagglutinin (MBHA), was able to agglutinate sheep or guinea pig erythrocytes but not horse, ox, chicken, or human erythrocytes. MBHA was undetectable in extracts of vegetative cells, cells starved in liquid buffer, or in glycerol-induced cells. However, cells starved on a fruiting medium produced large amounts of MBHA (about 5% of protein synthesis), starting at about 6-8 hr of development. The protein accumulated in the soluble fraction of cells, reaching a peak of 1-2% of total protein at about the time when aggregation was completed. At later times the amount of MBHA present in the soluble fraction declined although synthesis continued. The hemagglutinating activity of MBHA could not be inhibited with simple sugars or aminosugars but could be inhibited with fetuin, a fetal calf serum glycoprotein. The O-glycosidically linked trisaccharide glycopeptide of fetuin was shown to be inhibitory by itself. The penultimate galactose of this glycopeptide was directly implicated in the inhibitory activity, because the inhibition by asialofetuin was reduced to 1/60th by periodate oxidation and to 1/15th after beta-galactosidase treatment. MBHA is an abundant biochemical marker of development in M. xanthus. The fact that it is a lectin suggests that it may play a role in cell-cell recognition or agglutination.

Binding, Competitive↗
PubMed1979

Rifampin-resistant mutants of Myxococcus xanthus defective in development.

Rifampin, an antibiotic which is known to bind to and inhibit RNA polymerase, was used to probe the molecular regulation of development in Myxococcus xanthus. Rifampin-resistant mutants were screened for defects in fruiting-body formation. About 20% of the isolates in the initial screenings showed major defects in developmental aggregation or sporulation. Eleven independent mutants with wild-type growth rates and stable phenotypes were analyzed by transduction. In these strains, the rifampin-resistant and nonfruiting phenotypes showed cotransduction frequencies equal to or greater than 99.0 to 99.9%. The RNA polymerase activities were resistant to rifampin in vitro, indicating that the RNA polymerase is altered in these strains. Although their fruiting phenotypes are heterogeneous, these strains can be divided into two classes based on the level of aggregation. The results suggest that RNA polymerase plays a significant role in the regulation of development in M. xanthus since mutations which cause no apparent changes in vegetative growth result in striking defects in fruiting-body formation.

DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases↗
PubMed1979

Myxococcus xanthus mutants with temperature-sensitive, stage-specific defects: evidence for independent pathways in development.

Fruiting-body formation in the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus consists of a temporal sequence of cellular aggregation and sporulation. To examine the developmental stages more closely, we established synchronous and reproducible conditions for fruiting-body formation. Mutants that are temperature sensitive for fruiting-body formation were isolated and analyzed under these conditions. The terminal morphologies of the mutant strains at the nonpermissive temperature were found to resemble intermediate stages of fruiting-body formation and therefore were grouped in the following phenotypic classes: (i) rough mutants, which show no aggregation; (ii) swirl mutants, which show defective aggregation; (iii) flat-mound mutants and translucent-mound mutants, mutants which aggregate but show very low levels of sporulation. The mutants were characterized by temperature-shift experiments and found to exhibit discrete and reproducible temperature-sensitive periods. The ends of the temperature-sensitive periods in the various mutants covered a broad range of the developmental cycle. No correlation was found between the terminal morphologies at the restrictive temperature and the timing of the temperature-sensitive periods. However, the terminal morphologies correlated well with sporulation. The rough and swirl mutants produced normal numbers of myxospores at 34 degrees C even though they failed to aggregate. In contrast, the flat-mound and translucent-mound mutants, which aggregate normally, produced very few spores. The translucent-mound mutants were also temperature sensitive for induction of glycerol spores. The results indicate that both aggregation and sporulation are initiated early in the developmental cycle and that these processes are largely independent of each other.

Glycerol↗