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S Donadio

Publications and source records attributed to S Donadio.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Identification of a Saccharopolyspora erythraea gene required for the final hydroxylation step in erythromycin biosynthesis.

In analyzing the region of the Saccharopolyspora erythraea chromosome responsible for the biosynthesis of the macrolide antibiotic erythromycin, we identified a gene, designated eryK, located about 50 kb downstream of the erythromycin resistance gene, ermE. eryK encodes a 44-kDa protein which, on the basis of comparative analysis, belongs to the P450 monooxygenase family. An S. erythraea strain disrupted in eryK no longer produced erythromycin A but accumulated the B and D forms of the antibiotic, indicating that eryK is responsible for the C-12 hydroxylation of the macrolactone ring, one of the last steps in erythromycin biosynthesis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Polyketide synthesis: prospects for hybrid antibiotics.

Polyketides fall into two structural classes: aromatic and complex. The former are built mainly from acetate units through a reiterative process wherein the beta-carbonyl groups formed after each condensation cycle are left largely unreduced. Complex polyketides are composed of acetates, propionates, or butyrates, and the extent of beta-carbonyl reduction varies from one cycle to the next. Two themes for polyketide synthases are emerging. Aromatic PKSs are determined by four to six genes encoding mono- or bifunctional enzymes; one PKS complex is used for all synthesis steps. Complex PKSs are composed of several multifunctional polypeptides that contain enzymatic domains for the condensation and reduction steps; each domain is used at a unique step in the pathways, and the extent of beta-carbonyl processing depends on the functional domains operating at that cycle. Mutations rendering certain domains nonfunctional have been introduced into genes for complex polyketides, resulting in the production of novel molecules.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Biosynthesis of the erythromycin macrolactone and a rational approach for producing hybrid macrolides.

The three eryA genes involved in the formation of the polyketide portion of the macrolide antibiotic erythromycin in Saccharopolyspora erythraea, appear to be organized in a single transcriptional unit on the basis of the results of gene disruption experiments. An insertion sequence-like element of lower G + C content separates eryAI from eryAII. The organization of the enzymatic domains present in the eryA-encoded multifunctional polypeptides, determined by computer-assisted analysis, is presented. This has enabled the determination of a putative dehydratase domain. A rational approach for producing novel macrolides by introducing selected changes in polyketide synthase genes is outlined. The isolation of a lactone intermediate resulting from an early synthesis step in macrolactone formation is also presented.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Organization of the enzymatic domains in the multifunctional polyketide synthase involved in erythromycin formation in Saccharopolyspora erythraea.

Localization of the enzymatic domains in the three multifunctional polypeptides from Saccharopolyspora erythraea involved in the formation of the polyketide portion of the macrolide antibiotic erythromycin was determined by computer-assisted analysis. Comparison of the six synthase units (SU) from the eryA genes with each other and with mono- and multifunctional fatty acid and polyketide synthases established the extent of each beta-ketoacyl acyl-carrier protein (ACP) synthase, acyltransferase, beta-ketoreductase, ACP, and thioesterase domain. The extent of the enoyl reductase (ER) domain was established by detecting similarity to other sequences in the database. A segment containing the putative dehydratase (DH) domain in EryAII, with a potential active-site histidine residue, was also found. The finding of conservation of a portion of the DH-ER interdomain region in the other five SU, which lack these two functions, suggests a possible evolutionary path for the generation of the six SU.

3-Oxoacyl-(Acyl-Carrier-Protein) Synthase↗

Modular organization of genes required for complex polyketide biosynthesis.

In Saccharopolyspora erythraea, the genes that govern synthesis of the polyketide portion of the macrolide antibiotic erythromycin are organized in six repeated units that encode fatty acid synthase (FAS)-like activities. Each repeated unit is designated a module, and two modules are contained in a single open reading frame. A model for the synthesis of this complex polyketide is proposed, where each module encodes a functional synthase unit and each synthase unit participates specifically in one of the six FAS-like elongation steps required for formation of the polyketide. In addition, genetic organization and biochemical order of events appear to be colinear. Evidence for the model is provided by construction of a selected mutant and by isolation of a polyketide of predicted structure.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Site-specific recombination in Escherichia coli between the att sites of plasmid pSE211 from Saccharopolyspora erythraea.

pSE211 from Saccharopolyspora erythraea integrates site-specifically into the chromosome through conservative recombination between attP and attB, the plasmid and chromosomal attachment sites. Integration depends on the presence of int, an open reading frame (ORF) that lies adjacent to attP and encodes the putative integrase. Immediately upstream of int lies xis (formerly called orf2) which encodes a basic protein that is thought to exhibit DNA binding. xis and int were cloned in various combinations in pUC18 and expressed constitutively in Escherichia coli from the lac promoter. attP and attB were cloned in Streptomyces or E. coli plasmids containing kanamycin resistance (KmR) or chloramphenicol resistance (CmR) markers. Stable KmR CmR cointegrates formed by attP x attB or attP x attP recombination (integration) were obtained in E. coli hosts that expressed int. Co-integrates were not found in hosts expressing int + xis. Excision (intraplasmid att site recombination) was examined by constructing plasmids carrying attL and attR or two attP sites separating CmR from KmR and by following segregation of the markers in various hosts. Both attL x attR and attP x attP excision depended on both xis and int in E. coli. pSE211 att site integration and excision were not affected by a deletion in himA, the gene encoding a subunit of integration host factor.

Actinomycetales↗

Cloning and characterization of the Saccharopolyspora erythraea fdxA gene encoding ferredoxin.

The Saccharopolyspora erythraea gene (fdxA) corresponding to a previously purified ferredoxin [Shafiee and Hutchinson, J. Bacteriol., 170 (1988) 1548-1553] was cloned using an oligodeoxyribonucleotide probe based on the N-terminal sequence of the ferredoxin. The nucleotide sequence of a 1.3-kb segment encompassing fdxA indicates that the corresponding protein, SeFdI, is 105 amino acids long, and very similar to other 7Fe ferredoxins. A partial open reading frame closely linked to fdxA was also detected. Disruption of fdxA was attempted by replacing the wild-type allele with an in vitro mutated copy. The failure to construct an fdxA mutant strain suggests that fdxA lies in an essential region of the S. erythraea chromosome.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Cloning of genes involved in erythromycin biosynthesis from Saccharopolyspora erythraea using a novel actinomycete-Escherichia coli cosmid.

Two plasmids were constructed that replicate in Saccharopolyspora (Sac.) erythraea, Escherichia coli and Streptomyces (S.) lividans, and used for the cloning of a locus involved in the synthesis of the macrolide antibiotic erythromycin (Er). Plasmid pAL7002 contains the thiostrepton-resistance gene (tsr), a replicon-containing fragment from pJVI and pUC9. Plasmid pNJI contains the lambda cos site but is otherwise similar to pAL7002. A library of total DNA from Sac. erythraea was constructed in pNJI and probed in colony hybridizations with a DNA fragment containing ermE, the Sac. erythraea ErR-encoding gene. Plasmids obtained were subsequently introduced into EryA mutants of Sac. erythraea blocked in synthesis of Er (Ery-) and transformants were screened for restoration of Er production (Ery+). Several plasmids were found to convert two mutants to Ery+, but a third EryA strain could not be restored to Ery+ by any of the plasmids employed. A 5-kb segment, designated eryAI, responsible for restoring the Ery+ phenotype in the EryA strains, was identified and mapped in the segment 12 to 17 kb downstream from ermE. Gene disruption experiments indicated that the 5-kb length of eryAI is fully internal to an eryAI-containing transcript. In Southern blots it was shown that one of the EryA strains carried a small deletion in eryAI and that, in at least some of the transformants restored to Ery+, the deletion had been replaced by the wild-type eryAI allele.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Actinomycetaceae↗

Disruption of a rhodaneselike gene results in cysteine auxotrophy in Saccharopolyspora erythraea.

A 3,373-base-pair DNA segment from a clone fortuitously isolated from Saccharopolyspora erythraea by hybridization to an oligodeoxynucleotide probe was sequenced. Computer-assisted analysis of the nucleotide sequence reveals three closely linked Streptomyces open reading frames plus a fourth converging on the others. The deduced product of one of them, ORF2, shows considerable similarity to bovine liver rhodanese. orf2, and the closely linked orf3 located just downstream of it, were disrupted by insertion of an apramycin resistance cassette into the orf2 coding sequence along with inversion of the fragment carrying most of orf2 and orf3 via two successive recombinational events in the wild-type strain. The mutant strain thus created contains wild-type levels of rhodanese activity but cannot grow on minimal medium. It is a cysteine auxotroph, capable of utilizing efficiently only thiosulfate among the inorganic sulfur sources tested. orf2 has been designated cysA. The possible role of the rhodaneselike cysA gene product in thiosulfate formation is discussed.

Base Sequence↗

Cloning of genes governing the deoxysugar portion of the erythromycin biosynthesis pathway in Saccharopolyspora erythraea (Streptomyces erythreus).

Genes that govern the formation of deoxysugars or their attachment to erythronolide B and 3 alpha-mycarosyl erythronolide B, intermediates of the biosynthesis of the 14-membered macrolide antibiotic erythromycin, were cloned from Saccharopolyspora erythraea (formerly Streptomyces erythreus). Segments of DNA that complement the eryB25, eryB26, eryB46, eryC1-60, and eryD24 mutations blocking the formation of erythronolide B or 3 alpha-mycarosyl erythronolide B, when cloned in Escherichia coli-Streptomyces shuttle cosmids or plasmid vectors that can transform S. erythraea, were located in a ca. 18-kilobase-pair region upstream of the erythromycin resistance (ermE) gene. The eryC1 gene lies just to the 5' side of ermE, and one (or possibly two) eryB gene is approximately 12 kilobase pairs farther upstream. Another eryB gene may be in the same region, while an additional eryB mutation appears to be located elsewhere. The eryD gene lies between the eryB and eryC1 genes and may regulate their function on the basis of the phenotype of an EryD- mutant.

Cloning, Molecular↗

Site-directed alkylation and site-site interactions in bovine seminal ribonuclease.

Active-site histidine residues of bovine seminal RNase have been found to react with bromoacetic acid and with 2'(3')-O-bromoacetyluridine (BrAcUrd) at a much faster rate than free histidine. The former reagent reacts preferentially at the pros-N of His119, the latter is specific for the tele-N of His12. Alkylation with bromoacetic acid is mutually exclusive for either His119 or His12 and takes place predominantly at His119, while with BrAcUrd alkylation was found to be selective for His12. These results are very similar to those obtained with the same reagents on RNase A, confirming that seminal and pancreatic ribonucleases have similar geometries at their active sites. On the other hand, the kinetics of reaction of bromoacetyluridine with seminal RNase reveal a 'half-of-the sites' reactivity of the enzyme for this reagent, which is found to discriminate between the two structurally identical active sites of the dimeric enzyme.

Acetates↗

Characterization of bacteriophages infecting Streptomyces erythreus and properties of phage-resistant mutants.

Three bacteriophages infecting Streptomyces erythreus, called G3, G4 and G5, were isolated and characterized. They contain double-stranded linear DNA molecules with cohesive ends. The restriction map of G3 DNA (48 kilobases long) for four restriction endonucleases and that of G4 DNA (43 kilobases long) for seven restriction endonucleases are reported. Restriction analysis and hybridization experiments showed that G3 and G4 share little DNA homology, while G4 and G5 are apparently identical except for an additional EcoRI site present in G5. The region containing this EcoRI site has been mapped on G4 DNA. Microbiological and serological data showed that G5 is very similar to G4. G3- and G4-resistant mutants of S. erythreus PS1 were isolated. The screening of phage-resistant mutants showed a high frequency of strains with increased erythromycin production. The mechanism of phage resistance of strain PS3 (G3 resistant) and of strain PS16 (G4 resistant) was examined. The DNA of the resistant strains contains no phage DNA, ruling out lysogeny as a cause of phage resistance. Transfection of strains PS1, PS3, and PS16 with DNA of the three phages showed the same efficiency, indicating that resistance is at the level of the bacterial wall.

Bacteriophages↗

Alkylation of amide linkages and cleavage of the C chain in the enzyme-activated-substrate inhibition of alpha-chymotrypsin with N-nitrosamides.

Active-site-directed N-nitrosamides inhibit alpha-chymotrypsin through an enzyme-activated-substrate mechanism. In this work, the activation results in the release--in the active site--of benzyl carbonium ions, which alkylate and inhibit the enzyme. The final ratio of benzyl groups to enzyme molecules is 1.0, but the alkyl groups are scattered over a number of sites. Reduction and alkylation of the inhibited enzyme generate peptides insoluble in most media. Guanidine hydrochloride at 6 M proved a good solvent, and its use as an eluant on G-75 Sephadex permitted separation of the peptides. In the case of 14C-labeled enzyme, such an approach has shown that all of the alkylation occurs on the C chain of the enzyme, the chain of which the active site is constructed. Chemical modification of the peptides with ethylenediamine and N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]-N'-ethylcarbodiimide rendered them soluble in dilute acid, permitting high-performance liquid chromatographic separation. Model studies have shown that the benzyl carbonium ions are highly reactive, alkylating amide linkages at both oxygen and nitrogen. Alkylation at oxygen produces imidate esters, which are labile centers. Hydrolysis of protein imidates results in a cleavage of the chain at that point, and separation of the peptides formed (followed by analysis) permits their identification. In our inhibition of alpha-chymotrypsin, a major site of O-alkylation has been identified as the carbonyl oxygen of Ser-214. Alkylation at the nitrogen atom of amide linkages generates stable labels; full hydrolysis with 6 N HC1 then leads to N-benzyl amino acids characteristic of those sites. Chromatography of this mixture and also 13C NMR spectroscopy of the intact inhibited enzyme have shown that three major N-alkylations have occurred. Tryptic digestion of the C chain of chymotrypsin, which contains all of the alkylation sites, provides evidence that the stable N sites are principally located between residue 216 and residue 230. These locations are consistent with predictions of alkylation sites based on inspection of a molecular model of chymotrypsin, with special reference to the aromatic binding pocket.

Alkylation↗