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S Inouye

Publications and source records attributed to S Inouye.

At least 397 records · Page 22Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Up-promoter mutations in the lpp gene of Escherichia coli.

The promoter of the gene for the major outer membrane lipoprotein, the most abundant protein in Escherichia coli, is considered to be one of the strongest promoters in E. coli. The nucleotide sequences of the -10 and the -35 regions of the lpp promoter were altered in a step-wise manner to conform to their respective consensus sequences by synthetic oligonucleotide-directed site-specific mutagenesis. The mutated promoters were then fused to the lacZ gene to measure promoter activity. The beta-galactosidase activity increased approximately 1.9 and 2.4 fold when the -10 region (AATACT) was altered to TATACT(P1) and TATAAT (consensus sequence; P2), respectively. Similarly, it increased approximately 1.2 and 4.2 fold, when the -35 region (TTCTCA) was altered to TTCACA(R1) and TTGACA (consensus sequence; R2), respectively. When the mutations at the -10 and -35 regions were combined, the overall improvement of the promoter activity for R2-P1 was 4.0 fold over that of the wild-type promoter, while it was only 2.5 fold for R2-P2. These results indicate that substantial improvement of the promoter activity can be achieved by changing either of the two key regions to their respective consensus sequences. However, the complete conformity to consensus sequences at both regions does not necessarily result in the highest activity. With use of the improved lpp promoter in an expression cloning vehicle pIN-III-ompA, staphylococcal nuclease A was produced at a level of approximately 47% of the total cellular protein.

Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins↗
PubMed1985

Close structural resemblance between putative polymerase of a Drosophila transposable genetic element 17.6 and pol gene product of Moloney murine leukaemia virus.

We have made a computer-assisted search for homology among polymerases or putative polymerases of various viruses and a transposable element, the Drosophila copia-like element 17.6. The search revealed that the putative polymerase (second open reading frame) of the copia-like element 17.6 bears close resemblance in overall structural organization to the pol gene product of Moloney murine leukaemia virus (M-MuLV): they show significant homology to each other at both the N- and C-terminal portions, suggesting that the 17.6 putative polymerase carries two enzymatic activities, related to reverse transcriptase and DNA endonuclease. The putative polymerase of cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) shows striking homology with the putative polymerase of 17.6 over almost its entire length, but it lacks the DNA endonuclease-related sequence. Furthermore, it was shown that the N-terminal ends of the M-MuLV pol product and the CaMV and 17.6 putative polymerases exhibit strong sequence homology with the gag-specific protease (p15) of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) as well as the amino acid sequence predicted from the gag/pol spacer sequence of human adult T-cell leukaemia virus (HTLV). These p15-related sequences contain a highly conserved stretch of amino acids which show a close similarity with sequences around the active site amino acids Asp-Thr-Gly of the acid protease family, suggesting that they have an activity similar to acid protease. On the basis of the alignment of reverse transcriptase-related sequences, a dendrogram representing phylogenetic relationships among all the viruses compared together with 17.6 was constructed and its evolutionary implication is discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1985

Functional complementation between the two homologous genes, ops and tps, during differentiation of Myxococcus xanthus.

Protein S is a development-specific protein of Myxococcus xanthus encoded by the tps gene. It has been shown that there are two extensively homologous genes (ops and tps) tandemly repeated in the same direction with a 1.4 kb spacer fragment between them (Inouye et al. 1983). Seven deletion mutants were constructed by removing the ops gene, the tps gene, segments of the spacer sequence or combinations of these regions. The deleted regions were replaced with DNA fragments carrying the Tn5 gene for kanamycin resistance. The effects of deleting different regions on morphological changes and on patterns of protein synthesis during fruiting body formation were examined. The process of fruiting body formation was severely delayed when both the ops and the tps genes were deleted. However, this delay could be suppressed by either the ops gene or the tps gene, individually, although in the latter case, a slight delay was still observed. These results indicate that the ops gene is expressed during fruiting body formation and plays a role in the normal program of M. xanthus differentiation. Furthermore, the role of the ops gene can be complemented by the tps gene. The deletion of the ops and/or tps genes had no effect on glycerol-spore formation.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1985

Cloning and sequence analysis of cDNA for the luminescent protein aequorin.

The luminescent jellyfish Aequorea contains a photoprotein, aequorin, which emits light by an intramolecular reaction in the presence of a trace amount of Ca2+. A cDNA library of Aequorea was constructed and clones carrying the cDNA for the Ca2+-dependent photoprotein were isolated by the method of colony hybridization using synthetic oligonucleotide probes. The primary structure of the protein deduced from the nucleotide sequence showed that the protein is composed of 189 amino acid residues and has three E-F hand structures that are characteristic for Ca2+-binding sites. The sequence also suggested that the protein has hydrophobic regions at which the protein may interact with its functional chromophore, coelenterazine.

Aequorin↗
PubMed1985

The bacteriolytic action of MT-141, a new cephamycin antibiotic, on gram-negative bacteria.

MT-141, a new cephamycin (7 alpha-methoxy-cephalosporin) antibiotic with a D-cysteine moiety in its 7 beta-side chain, has binding affinities to penicillin-binding proteins of Escherichia coli and an inhibitory action on their transpeptidase activity similar to those of other structurally related cephamycins. Yet this antibiotic was found to exert an exceedingly strong and rapid lytic action on sensitive Gram-negative bacteria such as E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Serratia marcescens and Salmonella enteritidis. Not only rapidly growing cells, but also slowly growing dense cells of the above bacteria could be lysed by this antibiotic at low concentrations. In the presence of 20% sucrose, low concentrations of MT-141 induced smooth-surfaced single and twin bulges of the putative growth zone of the cells and irregularly orientated rough-surfaced bulges. Probably the 7 beta-side chain structure of this antibiotic is involved in its rapid and strong bacteriolytic action.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1985

In-vitro and in-vivo activities of a novel cephamycin MT-141 against the Bacteroides fragilis group in comparison with six cephem antibiotics.

MT-141 inhibited 90% of the clinical isolates of Bacteroides fragilis at 3.13 mg/l, whereas six reference cephem antibiotics inhibited them at 12.5- greater than 100 mg/l. MT-141 was stable to the Bacteroides beta-lactamases, but the stability alone could not explain the potent activity of MT-141 against the other Bacteroides spp., which produced only small amounts of beta-lactamase, but were resistant to other cephem antibiotics. MT-141 exhibited a higher killing rate and more potent in-vivo efficacy than the reference cephem antibiotics against Bact. fragilis No. 36 combined with Escherichia coli No. 29. In conclusion, the in-vitro and in-vivo anti-bacteroides activities of MT-141 ranked first among those of the cephem antibiotics compared.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

In vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities of dactimicin, a novel pseudodisaccharide aminoglycoside, compared with those of other aminoglycoside antibiotics.

When compared with astromicin, amikacin, gentamicin, and sisomicin, dactimicin was similar to astromicin in in vitro activity and was more active than amikacin and gentamicin against the clinical isolates of Serratia marcescens, but less active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Dactimicin and astromicin were active against many gentamicin- and amikacin-resistant bacteria expressing aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes, with the exception of aminoglycoside 3-acetyltransferase. However, dactimicin was more resistant than astromicin to inactivation by aminoglycoside 3-acetyltransferase, probably owing to the protective action of the formimidoyl group. The in vivo activity of dactimicin, assessed by the 50% effective doses against systemic infections in mice, was similar or superior to that of astromicin and was superior or inferior to that of amikacin depending on the strains tested.

Acetylation↗
PubMed1985

Physical mapping of a 330 X 10(3)-base-pair region of the Myxococcus xanthus chromosome that is preferentially labeled during spore germination.

Myxococcus xanthus was pulse-labeled with [3H]thymidine immediately after germination of dimethyl sulfoxide-induced spores. The restriction enzyme digests of the total chromosomal DNA from the pulse-labeled cells were analyzed by one-dimensional as well as two-dimensional agarose gel electrophoresis. Four PstI fragments preferentially labeled at a very early stage of germination were cloned into the unique PstI site of pBR322. By using these clones as probes, a restriction enzyme map was established covering approximately 6% of the total M. xanthus genome (330 X 10(3) base pairs). The distribution of the specific activities of the restriction fragments pulse-labeled after germination suggests a bidirectional mode of DNA replication from a fixed origin.

Chromosome Mapping↗
PubMed1985

Two homologous genes coding for spore-specific proteins are expressed at different times during development of Myxococcus xanthus.

The ops and tps genes of Myxococcus xanthus have ca. 90% DNA and amino acid sequence homology and are in the same orientation separated by a spacer region of only 1.4 kilobases. The products of the two genes were found to cross-react immunologically, and both were capable of Ca2+-dependent self-assembly on the surface of myxospores. However, the ops and tps genes were expressed very differently during the developmental cycle of M. xanthus. The tps gene is induced early during fruiting body formation on a solid surface, and its product, protein S, is made in large quantities (up to 15% of total protein synthesis). When the cells turn into myxospores, protein S is assembled on the outer surface of the spore. We have now also found it in much smaller quantities inside the spores. The ops gene, on the other hand, appears to be induced later in development, after the cells have sporulated, since the ops gene product was found only inside the spores. When an ops gene under the control of a tps gene promoter was inserted into a wild-type strain, the ops gene product was synthesized at the same time as protein S and assembled onto the spore surface.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1985

Determination of the transcription initiation site and identification of the protein product of the regulatory gene xylR for xyl operons on the TOL plasmid.

The xylR gene is a regulatory gene on the TOL plasmid, which acts in a positive manner on xyl operons for degradation of toluene and xylenes in Pseudomonas putida. A DNA fragment containing the xylR promoter region was cloned on promoter-probing vectors, and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The transcription initiation site of the xylR gene was determined in cells of P. putida and Escherichia coli by S1 nuclease and reverse transcriptase mapping. Two initiation sites were detected which were identical in both P. putida and E. coli. The amounts of mRNA synthesized in both bacterial cells were almost the same and independent of the inducers for xyl operons. The consensus sequences for E. coli promoters were found in the region preceding the respective transcription initiation sites. The product of the xylR gene was identified by the maxicell system as a protein with an approximate molecular weight of 67,000.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1985

Novel one-step cloning vector with a transposable element: application to the Myxococcus xanthus genome.

A new strategy was developed for rapid cloning of genes with a transposon mutation library. We constructed a transposon designated TnV that was derived from Tn5 and consists of the gene coding for neomycin phosphotransferase II as well as the replication origin of an Escherichia coli plasmid, pSC101, flanked by Tn5 inverted repeats (IS50L and IS50R). TnV can transpose to many different sites of DNA in E. coli and Myxococcus xanthus and confers kanamycin resistance (Kmr) to the cells. From the Kmr cells, one-step cloning of a gene which is mutated as a result of TnV insertion can be achieved as follows. Chromosomal DNA isolated from TnV-mutagenized cells is digested with an appropriate restriction enzyme, ligated, and transformed into E. coli cells with selection for Kmr. The plasmids isolated contain TnV in the target gene. The plasmid DNA can then be used as a probe for characterization of the gene and screening of clones from a genomic library. We used this vector to clone DNA fragments containing genes involved in the development of M. xanthus.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed1985

Distribution of multicopy single-stranded DNA among myxobacteria and related species.

Multicopy single-stranded DNA (msDNA) is a short single-stranded linear DNA originally discovered in Myxococcus xanthus and subsequently found in Stigmatella aurantiaca. It exists at an estimated 500 to 700 copies per chromosome (T. Yee, T. Furuichi, S. Inouye, and M. Inouye, Cell 38:203-209, 1984). We found msDNA in other myxobacteria, including Myxococcus coralloides, Cystobacter violaceus, Cystobacter ferrugineus (Cbfe17), Nannocystis exedens, and nine independently isolated strains of M. xanthus. The presence of msDNA in N. exedens would extend its phylogenetic distribution into another family of myxobacteria. Flexibacter elegans, a Cytophaga-like gliding bacteria which may be even more distantly related, also contained an msDNA but at a much lower copy number. msDNA was not detected in closely related strains of the myxobacteria Cystobacter fuscus and C. ferrugineus (Cbfe16 and Cbfe18) and the more distantly related eubacteria Herpetosiphon giganteus, Taxeobacter ocellatus, Lysobacter antibioticus, Lysobacter enzymogenes, Cytophaga johnsonae, Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides, and Rhodospirillum rubrum. Thus far, msDNA has been found in certain gliding bacteria but not in others.

Cytophaga↗
PubMed1985

A candidate for a new serotype of human rotavirus.

We investigated genetic and serological characteristics of a human rotavirus isolate from Indonesia which had a "super short" RNA electrophoretic pattern (A. Hasegawa, S. Inouye, S. Matsuno, K. Yamaoka, R. Eko, and W. Suharyono, Microbiol. Immunol. 28:719-722, 1984). This virus, strain 69M, was found by RNA-RNA hybridization to have a low degree of homology with the representative strains of all four human serotypes. Furthermore, it could not be classified by neutralization analysis into any of these serotypes. Therefore, this virus might belong to a new serotype.

Humans↗
PubMed1985

Comparative in vitro and in vivo activity of cefminox (MT-141), cefotaxime and cefoperazone against gram-negative bacteria.

Against 17 Gram-negative bacteria, excluding Proteus species, the difference between cefminox and cefotaxime was significant in terms of MIC distribution, in favour of cefotaxime, but was not significant in terms of ED50 distribution. Against 22 Proteus species, the difference between cefminox and cefotaxime was not significant in terms of MIC distribution, but was significant for ED50 distribution, in favour of cefminox. The difference between cefminox and cefoperazone was not significant for either MIC or ED50 distribution against 17 Gram-negative bacteria, but was significant against 22 Proteus species, in favour of cefminox. The distribution of rank of the ED50/MIC ratios for cefminox was significantly lower than those for cefotaxime and cefoperazone, indicating that cefminox showed lower ED50 values than expected from the MIC values.

Animals↗