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T Kieser

Publications and source records attributed to T Kieser.

44 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Tyrosinase activity in Streptomyces glaucescens is controlled by three chromosomal loci.

In Streptomyces glaucescens the production of the enzyme tyrosinase (EC 1.14.18.1) is controlled by at least three loci: MELA, MELB, and MELC. Mutations in MELA and MELB are rare. They both map on the S. glaucescens chromosome in the interval between the markers leu-2 and ura-3. MELC, however, shows an exceptionally high mutation rate. MelC strains arise spontaneously with a frequency of about 0.1%, and they can be specifically induced with ethidium bromide, acridine orange, or by prolonged storage of spores or mycelium at 4 degrees C. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation or treatment with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine under conditions which induce auxotrophic mutations, however, do not specifically induce the appearance of tyrosinase-negative strains. Most, but not all, of the melC strains acquire additional mutations which make them sensitive to streptomycin (strS) and unable to produce hydroxystreptomycin. Mapping of the mutations classified as melC proves to be difficult. Some of the matings indicate a map position between his-2 and pro-1, while others, all highly unbalanced crosses, can not be analyzed in a meaningful way because of abnormal segregation of the reference markers. This is probably due to some of the additional mutations which occur frequently with the melC mutations and not to extrachromosomal inheritance of MELC.

Alleles↗

Chromosomal instability in Streptomyces glaucescens: mapping of streptomycin-sensitive mutants.

Streptomyces glaucescens strain GLAO (=ETH 22794) produces hydroxystreptomycin and has a high natural resistance to hydroxystreptomycin, dihydrostreptomycin and streptomycin. The wild-type strain gives rise spontaneously to streptomycin-sensitive (StrS-) variants at a frequency of 0 . 2 to 1 . 4%. These mutants lack streptomycin phosphotransferase activity responsible for the wild-type resistance to streptomycin group antibiotics and are unable to produce detectable amounts of hydroxystreptomycin. Mapping experiments showed that the strS marker lies between the chromosomal markers lys-2 and ura-3 on the linkage map of S. glaucescens. The molecular basis for instability of this marker is as yet unknown.

Alleles↗

Plasmids, recombination and chromosome mapping in Streptomyces lividans 66.

Streptomyces lividans 66 was shown to harbour two self-transmissible plasmids: SLP2, which acts as a sex factor, and SLP3. Derivatives of this strain which had lost both plasmids were used as host strains to study a range of Streptomyces plasmids for their ability to promote their own transfer and to mobilize chromosomal markers. A linkage map of the S. lividans chromosome containing ten markers was derived from the results of matings using several different sex plasmids, and protoplast fusions. SLP2 was transferred interspecifically to S. parvulus ATCC 12434 and to S. coelicolor A3(2); in the latter it acted as a fertility factor. Interspecific crosses also led to the discovery of a further plasmid, SLP4, from S. coelicolor, SLP2, SLP3 and SLP4 could not be visualized on agarose gels using standard plasmid isolation procedures, but their presence was detected by transformation into S. lividans.

Chromosome Mapping↗

pIJ101, a multi-copy broad host-range Streptomyces plasmid: functional analysis and development of DNA cloning vectors.

Streptomyces lividans ISP 5434 contains four small high copy number plasmids: pIJ101 (8.9 kb), pIJ102 (4.0 kb), pIJ103 (3.9 kb) and pIJ104 (4.9 kb). The three smaller species appear to be naturally occurring deletion variants of pIJ101. pIJ101 and its in vivo and in vitro derivatives were studied after transformation into S. lividans 66. pIJ101 was found to be self-transmissible by conjugation, to elicit "lethal zygosis" and to promote chromosomal recombination at high frequency in both S. lividans 66 and S. coelicolor A3(2). A restriction endonuclease cleavage map of pIJ101 was constructed for 11 endonucleases; sites for five others were lacking. Many variants of pIJ101 were constructed in vitro by inserting DNA fragments determining resistance to neomycin, thiostrepton or viomycin, and having BamHI termini, into MboI or BclI sites on the plasmid, sometimes with deletion of segments of plasmid DNA. The physical maps of these plasmids were related to their phenotypes in respect of lethal zygosis and transfer properties. In vivo recombination tests between pairs of variant plasmids were also done. These physical and genetic studies indicated that determinants of conjugal transfer occupy less than 2.1 kb of the plasmid. A second segment is required for spread of the plasmid within a plasmid-free culture to produce the normal lethal zygosis phenotype: insertion of foreign DNA in this region caused a marked reduction in the diameter of lethal zygosis zones. The minimum replicon was deduced to be 2.1 kb or less in size; adjacent to this region is a 0.5 kb segment which may be required for stable inheritance of the plasmid. The copy number of several derivatives of pIJ101 in S. lividans 66 was between 40 and 300 per chromosome and appeared to vary with the age or physiological state of the culture. pIJ101 derivatives have a wide host range within the genus Streptomyces: 13 out of 18 strains, of diverse species, were successfully transformed. Knowledge of dispensable DNA segments and the availability of restriction sites for the insertion of DNA, deduced from the properties of plasmids carrying the E. coli plasmid pACYC184 introduced at various sites, was used in the construction of several derivatives of pIJ101 suitable as DNA cloning vectors. These were mostly designed to be non-conjugative and to carry pairs of resistance genes for selection. They include a bifunctional shuttle vector for E. coli and Streptomyces; a Streptomyces viomycin resistance gene of this plasmid is expressed in both hosts.

Chromosome Deletion↗

Physical analysis of antibiotic-resistance genes from Streptomyces and their use in vector construction.

Restriction endonuclease cleavage maps of five DNA fragments carrying genes for neomycin phosphotransferase and neomycin acetyltransferase (from Streptomyces fradiae), viomycin phosphotransferase (from S. vinaceus), and ribosomal methylases determining resistance to thiostrepton (from S. azureus) and MLS antibiotics (from S. erythreus) are described, together with a map for the SLP1.2 Streptomyces plasmid used to isolate the fragments. Construction of a versatile Streptomyces cloning vector (pIJ61) is reported. pIJ61 carries neomycin phosphotransferase and thiostrepton resistance genes and has unique BamHI and PstI sites which will allow clone recognition by insertional inactivation of neomycin resistance; cloning sites for several other endonucleases are also present. pIJ28, a shuttle vector for Streptomyces and E. coli, carries neomycin resistance and the SLP1.2 and pBR322 replicons.

Acetyltransferases↗

Excision of chromosomal DNA sequences from Streptomyces coelicolor forms a novel family of plasmids detectable in Streptomyces lividans.

When strains of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) lacking the previously identified autonomous plasmids SCP1 and SCP2 are crossed with Streptomyces lividans 66, some of the S. lividans progeny are able to elicit zones of growth inhibition (lethal zygosis), previously associated with the transfer of conjugative Streptomyces plasmids, when grown in contact with S. lividans 66. Some such progeny yield covalently closed circular (CCC) plasmid DNA, the size and restriction endonuclease cleavage pattern of which is constant for a particular isolate, but varies among isolates. These plasmids, which have been named SLP1.1, SLP1.2, etc., all confer resistance to lethal zygosis elicited by the others. Genetic and molecular characterization of the plasmids reveals that they are derived from the strA region of the chromosome of S. coelicolor. It is proposed that, before or during mating with S. lividans, the SLP1 sequences are excised from the chromosome, bringing varying regions of the surrounding chromosome with them, and can circularize to yield the SLP1 family of plasmids. Autonomous SLP1 plasmids can also be generate by cleaving total DNA of S. coelicolor with certain restriction enzymes, ligating it, and transforming the DNA into S. lividans. The autonomous SLP1 plasmids exist within S. lividans in a few copies per chromosome, and act as fertility factors. They provide suitable vectors for DNA cloning since the segments of chromosomal DNA carried by the larger members of the family are dispensable.

Conjugation, Genetic↗