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Genetic transformation of Pueraria phaseoloides with Agrobacterium rhizogenes and puerarin production in hairy roots.

An efficient transformation system for the medicinal plant Pueraria phaseoloides was established by using agropine-type Agrobacterium rhizogenes ATCC15834. Hairy roots could be obtained directly from the cut edges of petioles of leaf explants or via callus 10 days after inoculation with the bacteria. The highest frequency of explant transformation by A. rhizogenes ATCC15834 was about 70% after infection for 30 days. Hairy roots could grow rapidly on solid, growth regulator-free Murashige and Skoog medium and had characteristics of transformed roots such as fast growth and high lateral branching. Paper electrophoresis revealed that bacteria-free hairy roots of P. phaseoloides could synthesize agropine and mannopine. The polymerase chain reaction amplification of rooting locus genes showed that left-hand transferred DNA of the root inducing plasmid of A. rhizogenes was inserted into the genome of transformed P. phaseoloides hairy roots. The content of puerarin in hairy roots reached a level of 1.190 mg/g dry weight and was 1.067 times the content in the roots of untransformed plants.

Culture Techniques↗

N-terminal mutations activate the leukemogenic potential of the myristoylated form of c-abl.

The two major forms of the c-abl gene differ from their activated counterpart, the v-abl oncogene of the Abelson murine leukemia virus by the replacement of their N-terminal sequences with viral gag sequences. Overexpression of p150c-abl type IV in a retroviral vector similar to Abelson virus does not transform NIH 3T3 fibroblasts, even though it is expressed and myristoylated at levels comparable to pp160v-abl. Members of a nested set of deletion mutations of the N-terminus of c-abl type IV in this expression system will activate abl to transform murine fibroblasts. The smallest of these deletions, delta XB, efficiently transforms lymphoid cells in vitro and causes leukemia in vivo demonstrating that gag sequences are not necessary for abl-induced leukemogenesis. The delta XB mutation defines an N-terminal regulatory domain, which shares a surprising homology with chicken oncogene v-crk and phospholipase C-II. Although overexpression of the myristoylated form of c-abl does not transform cells, it nonetheless has a profound effect on cell growth.

Abelson murine leukemia virus↗

Studies on the transformation of intact yeast cells by the LiAc/SS-DNA/PEG procedure.

An improved lithium acetate (LiAc)/single-stranded DNA (SS-DNA)/polyethylene glycol (PEG) protocol which yields > 1 x 10(6) transformants/micrograms plasmid DNA and the original protocol described by Schiestl and Gietz (1989) were used to investigate aspects of the mechanism of LiAc/SS-DNA/PEG transformation. The highest transformation efficiency was observed when 1 x 10(8) cells were transformed with 100 ng plasmid DNA in the presence of 50 micrograms SS carrier DNA. The yield of transformants increased linearly up to 5 micrograms plasmid per transformation. A 20-min heat shock at 42 degrees C was necessary for maximal yields. PEG was found to deposit both carrier DNA and plasmid DNA onto cells. SS carrier DNA bound more effectively to the cells and caused tighter binding of 32P-labelled plasmid DNA than did double-stranded (DS) carrier. The LiAc/SS-DNA/PEG transformation method did not result in cell fusion. DS carrier DNA competed with DS vector DNA in the transformation reaction. SS plasmid DNA transformed cells poorly in combination with both SS and DS carrier DNA. The LiAc/SS-DNA/PEG method was shown to be more effective than other treatments known to make cells transformable. A model for the mechanism of transformation by the LiAc/SS-DNA/PEG method is discussed.

Acetates↗

Characterization of large plasmids encoding resistance to toxic heavy metals in Salmonella abortus equi.

Salmonella abortus equi vaccine strains were found to be resistant to high levels of toxic heavy metals--arsenic, chromium, cadmium, and mercury. The two strains 157 and 158 were resistant to ampicillin also. Curing of these strains resulted in loss of one or more resistance marker indicating plasmid borne resistance. Plasmid profile of strain 157 showed presence of three plasmids of 85, 54, and 0.1 Kb, whereas 158 strain showed presence of 85 Kb and 2 Kb plasmids. Plasmids were isolated from strain 157 and introduced into E. coli DH5alpha with a transformation efficiency of 2 x 10(3) transformants/microg DNA. Interestingly the transformants were resistant to antibiotics, heavy metals (As, Cr, Cd, Hg) and was also able to utilize citrate, a trait specific to Salmonella species. We report and establish for the first time the transferable large plasmids encoding resistance to various heavy metals, antibiotics and biochemical nature of S. abortus equi.

Ampicillin Resistance↗

Light strongly promotes gene transfer from Agrobacterium tumefaciens to plant cells.

Light conditions during Agrobacterium-based plant transformation, the most routinely used method in plant genetic engineering, differ widely and, to our knowledge, have not been studied systematically in relation to transformation efficiency. Here, light effects were examined in two already optimized transformation procedures: coculture of Agrobacterium tumefaciens with callus from two genotypes of the crop plant Phaseolus acutifolius (tepary bean) and coculture of root segments from two ecotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana. Except for the light conditions during coculture, all steps followed established procedures. Coculture was done either under continuous darkness, under a commonly used photoperiod of 16 h light/8 h darkness or under continuous light. beta-glucuronidase (GUS) production due to the transient expression of an intron-containing uidA gene in the binary vector was used to evaluate T-DNA transfer. In all situations, uidA expression correlated highly and positively with the light period used during coculture; it was inhibited severely by darkness and enhanced more under continuous light than under a 16 h light/8 h dark photoperiod. The promotive effect of light was observed with Agrobacterium strains harboring either a nopaline-, an octopine- or an agropine/succinamopine-type non-oncogenic helper Ti plasmid. The observed positive effect of light has obvious implications for developing and improving transient and stable transformation protocols, specifically those involving dark coculture conditions.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens↗

trans-repression of the mouse c-fos promoter: a novel mechanism of Fos-mediated trans-regulation.

Fos protein can trans-activate AP-1-dependent gene expression and trans-repress the c-fos promoter. Although we find that trans-repression is enhanced by coexpression of c-Jun, it does not require any of the AP-1 or ATF sites in the mouse c-fos promoter. A major target for repression is the serum response element (SRE). Fos mutants with an impaired leucine zipper are defective in trans-repression and transformation, suggesting that these functions involve the formation of Fos protein complexes. In contrast, mutations that abolish DNA binding of Fos enhance trans-repression but destroy the transforming potential of Fos. In addition, v-Fos protein efficiently transforms but is unable to trans-repress. These findings point to different mechanisms involved in trans-activation and trans-repression and suggest that trans-repression of the type described here is neither sufficient nor required for Fos-induced transformation.

Animals↗

Expression of a bifunctional green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion marker under the control of three constitutive promoters and enhanced derivatives in transgenic grape (Vitis vinifera).

Activity of three constitutive promoters and enhanced derivatives in transgenic grape (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Thompson Seedless) was characterized using a bifunctional fusion marker containing the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and neomycin phosphotransferase (NPTII) genes. Relative differences in transient GFP expression and stable transformation efficiencies were used to compare promoter activity. Expression patterns in transformed somatic embryos revealed that the ACT2 promoter from Arabidopsis thaliana, previously shown to be a strong constitutive promoter in A. thaliana and other species, failed to promote strong expression in grape. In contrast, a promoter isolated from cassava vein mosaic virus (CsVMV) supported high levels of transgene expression equivalent to those achieved using an enhanced double cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter. Duplication of the 5'-upstream enhancer region of the CsVMV promoter further enhanced its ability to increase transgene expression. However, the pattern of transgene expression driven by these two viral promoters was significantly different at the whole plant level. The enhanced double CaMV 35S promoter was highly active in most tissues and organs including roots, mature leaves, shoot apices and lateral buds. In contrast, the CsVMV promoter and its double enhancer derivative induced relatively weak expression in these tissues. Our results suggest that activity of the CsVMV promoter, in contrast to the CaMV 35S promoter, was under developmental regulation in transgenic grape plants as compared with the CaMV 35S promoter.

Journal Article↗

Overexpression of c-jun, junB, or junD affects cell growth differently.

The coding sequences of murine c-jun, junB, or junD, which code for proteins with practically identical dimerization and DNA binding properties, were introduced into a nondefective retroviral vector, and the phenotype of primary avian fibroblasts chronically infected with each of these viruses was studied. Cells expressing c-jun grew in low-serum medium and developed into colonies in agar, two properties characteristic of in vitro transformation. Cells expressing junB grew in agar, with a reduced efficiency as compared to c-jun, but did not grow in low-serum medium. Finally, no effect of junD expression on cell growth was observed. These different phenotypes suggest that these three closely related transcription factors play distinct roles during normal cell growth. Analysis of c-jun deletion mutants and of c-jun/junB and c-jun/junD chimeric genes showed that the N-terminal portion (amino acids 2-168) of the c-Jun protein that is involved in transcriptional activation is required for efficient transformation. On the contrary, cells expressing a truncated mouse c-Jun lacking this N-terminal domain grew slower than normal embryo fibroblasts. The reduced growth rate may be related to the finding that expression of the intact or the truncated mouse c-jun repressed the endogenous avian c-Jun homologue, suggesting that functional c-Jun product is required for normal cell growth.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Cloning of a restriction-modification system from Proteus vulgaris and its use in analyzing a methylase-sensitive phenotype in Escherichia coli.

A 4.84-kilobase-pair plasmid was isolated from Proteus vulgaris (ATCC 13315) and cloned into the plasmid vector pBR322. Plasmid pBR322 contains substrate sites for the restriction endonucleases PvuI and PvuII. The recombinant plasmids were resistant to in vitro cleavage by PvuII but not PvuI endonuclease and were found to cause production of PvuII endonuclease or methylase activity or both in Escherichia coli HB101. The approximate endonuclease and methylase gene boundaries were determined through subcloning, Bal 31 resection, insertional inactivation, DNA-dependent translation, and partial DNA sequencing. The two genes are adjacent and appear to be divergently transcribed. Most E. coli strains tested were poorly transformed by the recombinant plasmids, and this was shown by subcloning and insertional inactivation to be due to the PvuII methylase gene. At a low frequency, stable methylase-producing transformants of a methylase-sensitive strain were obtained, and efficiently transformed cell mutants were isolated from them.

Bacteriophage lambda↗

Use of pIVEX plasmids for protein overproduction in Escherichia coli.

BACKGROUND: The pIVEX plasmids are vectors optimized for expression in the Rapid Translation System (RTS) cell-free system under control of bacteriophage T7 transcription elements. Even if these plasmids are intended for use in vitro, it is usually worthwhile to compare both cell-free and bacterial expression from the same genetic construct. However, some RTS users encountered problems when they introcuded these plasmids into Escherichia coli host strains producing the T7 RNA polymerase. RESULTS: We verified that difficulties in transforming the commonly used BL21(lambdaDE3) strain with pIVEX arose from the presence of a strong T7 promoter combined with a high-copy number plasmid, independent of gene expression. When these vectors were introduced into this strain harboring a compatible plasmid carrying the lactose repressor (lacI), we improved the transformation efficiency by 4 orders of magnitude. Moreover, we designed a transformation protocol that allows, after induction, the overproduction of pIVEX-encoded proteins in the BL21(lambdaDE3) strain. CONCLUSION: Using the correct plasmid/host combination and transformation-expression protocol, we could directly compare overproduction of the same pIVEX-encoded proteins from both in vivo and in vitro expression systems.

Journal Article↗

Oncogene transformation frequency of nonsenescent SFME cells is increased by c-myc.

Immortalized, postcrisis mouse embryo cell cultures derived in serum-containing medium display genomic abnormalities and an altered, preneoplastic phenotype. These lines can be transformed with single oncogenes, such as Ha-ras, while efficient transformation of precrisis, genomically unaltered rodent embryo cultures require cooperating oncogenes, such as Ha-ras and the mouse c-myc gene constitutively expressed. Serum-free mouse embryo (SFME) cells, cultured under conditions in which serum is replaced by growth factors and other supplements, are 'immortalized' in the genomically unaltered state. SFME cells do not exhibit growth crisis or gross chromosomal aberration, and are dependent on epidermal growth factor for survival, growth inhibited by serum, and are nontumorigenic. Transformation of SFME cells can be achieved with ras alone, but the introduction of c-myc increased the transfection frequency upon subsequent transfection with ras by as much as twenty fold. Similar results were obtained with mutationally activated neu oncogene and with genomic human tumor DNA. Constitutive expression of c-myc alone did not alter the properties of the SFME cells. These results demonstrate that c-myc alters cellular responses to oncogenes in a culture system in which oncogene-induced immortalization is not a factor, indicating that the effects of myc may extend beyond an 'immortalization' function in these cells.

Animals↗

Transfer of shuttle vectors containing Bacillus thuringiensis toxin gene into wild-type B. cereus, B. brevis and B. subtilis by electroporation.

Gram positive and negative bacterial shuttle vectors carrying Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) toxin gene were introduced by electroporation into wild-type Bacillus cereus, B. brevis and B. subtilis. The transformation efficiencies for these bacteria were around 10(1)-10(4) transformants per micrograms DNA based on the numbers of neomycin- and ampicillin-resistant colonies produced. The structure of the transferred plasmids proved identical with the original ones both in size and restriction pattern. Toxicity assays showed that the transformants gave a mortality of 90-100% against caterpillar of Heliothis assulta, indicating that the gene function was not changed by electroporation.

Bacillus↗

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of the plant pathogenic fungus, Magnaporthe grisea.

An effective way to study the infection mechanisms of fungal pathogens is to disrupt their genes via transformation in both targeted and random manners. This isolates the mutants that exhibit altered virulence. In this paper, we report the successful transformation of Magnaporthe grisea, the causal agent for rice blast, that is mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Employing the binary vector pBHt2, which carries the bacterial hygromycin B phosphotransferase gene under the control of the Aspergillus nidulans trpC promoter as a selectable marker, led to the production of 500 to > 1,000 hygromycin B-resistant transformants per 1 x 10(6) conidia of M. grisea. The transformation efficiency is correlated with the number of A. tumefaciens cells used, pre-treating bacterial cells with acetosyringone prior to co-cultivation with fungal spores, and the duration of co-cultivation. All of the transformants tested remained mitotically stable, maintaining their hygromycin B resistance after several generations of growth in the absence of hygromycin B. A genomic Southern blot analysis showed that over 60% of the transformants contained a single T-DNA insert on their genome. Considering the efficiency and flexibility of A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT), this technique offers highly efficient means for characterizing the genes that are important for the pathogenicity of M. grisea.

Acetophenones↗

Multilevel control of competence development and stress tolerance in Streptococcus mutans UA159.

Genetic competence appears to be important in establishment of biofilms and tolerance of environmental insults. We report here that the development of competence is controlled at multiple levels in a complex network that includes two signal-transducing two-component systems (TCS). Using Streptococcus mutans strain UA159, we demonstrate that the histidine kinase CiaH, but not the response regulator CiaR, causes a dramatic decrease in biofilm formation and in transformation efficiency. Inactivation of comE or comD had no effect on stress tolerance, but transformability of the mutants was poor and was not restored by addition of competence-stimulating peptide (CSP). Horse serum (HS) or bovine serum albumin (BSA) had no impact on transformability of any strains. Interestingly, though, the presence of HS or BSA in combination with CSP was required for efficient induction of comD, comX, and comYA, and induction was dependent on ComDE and CiaH, but not CiaR. Inactivation of comC, encoding CSP, had no impact on transformation, and CiaH was shown to be required for optimal comC expression. This study reveals that S. mutans integrates multiple environmental signals through CiaHR and ComDE to coordinate induction of com genes and that CiaH can exert its influence through CiaR and as-yet-unidentified regulators. The results highlight critical differences in the role and regulation of CiaRH and com genes in different S. mutans isolates and between S. mutans and Streptococcus pneumoniae, indicating that substantial divergence in the role and regulation of TCS and competence genes has occurred in streptococci.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Transformation of Schwanniomyces occidentalis with an ADE2 gene cloned from S. occidentalis.

We have developed an efficient transformation system for the industrial yeast Schwanniomyces occidentalis (formerly Schwanniomyces castellii). The transformation system is based on ade2 mutants of S. occidentalis deficient for phosphoribosylaminoimidazole carboxylase that were generated by mutagenesis. As a selectable marker, we isolated and characterized the S. occidentalis ADE2 gene by complementation in an ade2 strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. S. occidentalis was transformed with the recombinant plasmid pADE, consisting of a 4.5-kilobase-pair (kbp) DNA fragment from S. occidentalis containing the ADE2 gene inserted into the S. cerevisiae expression vector pYcDE8 by a modification of the spheroplasting procedure of Beggs (J. D. Beggs, Nature [London] 275:104-108, 1978). Intact plasmids were recovered in Escherichia coli from whole-cell lysates of ADE+ transformants, indicating that plasmids were replicating autonomously. High-molecular-mass species of pADE2 were found by Southern hybridization analysis of intact genomic DNA preparations. The shift to higher molecular mass of these plasmids during electrophoresis in the presence ethidium bromide after exposure to shortwave UV suggests that they exist in a supercoiled form in the transformed host. Subclones of the 4.5-kbp insert indicated that ADE2-complementing activity and sequences conferring autonomous replication in S. occidentalis were located within a 2.7-kbp EcoRI-SphI fragment. Plasmids containing this region cloned into the bacterial vector pUC19 complemented ade2 mutants of S. occidentalis with efficiencies identical to those of the original plasmid pADE.

Blotting, Southern↗

Influence of genetic background on transformation and expression of Green Fluorescent Protein in Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The development of an electro-transformation system and the construction of shuttle plasmids for Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans have enhanced the molecular analysis of virulence factors. However, inefficient transformation is frequently encountered. This study investigated the efficiency of electro-transformation and expression of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) in 12 different A. actinomycetemcomitans strains. The influence of the plasmid vector, serotype, and phenotype were the major factors taken into consideration. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twelve serotyped A. actinomycetemcomitans strains were independently electro-transformed with two different Escherichia coli-A. actinomycetemcomitans shuttle plasmids (pVT1303 and pVT1304), both containing an identical ltx-GFPmut2 gene construct but a different backbone (pDMG4 and pPK1, respectively). The transformation efficiency, transformation frequency, and electro-transformation survival rate were determined by culture techniques. GFP expression was observed at the colony level by fluorescence microscopy. RESULTS: All strains could be transformed with both plasmids. However, major differences were observed for the transformation efficiency, transformation frequency, and electro-transformation survival rate between strains. The data demonstrated that plasmid vector, serotype, and phenotype are key players for obtaining a successful transformation. An inverted relationship between the electro-transformation survival rate and tranformation frequency was also observed. GFP expression was also influenced by phenotype, serotype and plasmid vector. CONCLUSIONS: The serotype of A. actinomycetemcomitans has an important influence on its survival after electro-transformation and on transformation frequency. The expression of GFP is strain and plasmid vector dependent.

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans↗

Recombinant BALB and Harvey sarcoma viruses with normal proto-ras-coding regions transform embryo cells in culture and cause tumors in mice.

The ras genes of BALB and Harvey sarcoma viruses contain point mutations in codon 12 or codons 12 and 59, relative to proto-ras from normal animal and human cells. By in vitro recombination between cloned rat proto-ras and cloned BALB and Harvey sarcoma proviruses, we constructed recombinant proviruses with normal proto-ras-coding regions. These recombinant proviruses transformed mouse 3T3 cells upon transfection. However, when the transforming efficiencies of proviral DNAs were compared after transfection with helper provirus, recombinant proviruses were 2 to 30 times less efficient than the corresponding wild-type proviruses. Recombinant sarcoma viruses isolated from cells transformed by cloned proviral DNA contained the expected normal ras-coding region. They transformed rat embryo cells and induced erythroblastosis and sarcomas in newborn mice as efficiently as wild-type viruses did. We conclude that conversion of normal proto-ras genes to viral ras genes depends on truncation of normal proto-ras regulatory elements and substitution by retroviral (long terminal repeat) promoters and that the transforming function of long terminal repeat-ras genes is enhanced by point mutations.

Animals↗

[Fertile transgenic indica rice from microprojectile bombardment of embryogenic callus].

A reproducible and efficient transformation system for indica rice was developed based on microprojectile bombardment of embryogenic callus. Sufficient globular embryogenic calli were produced within 2-6 weeks from 3-4 week old calli derived from mature embryos. The embryogenic calli were bombarded with the plasmid pFWZ16 containing bar gene and B.t. delta-endotoxin gene. Selection, pre-regeneration, regeneration and rooting were carried out on media with 2-4 mg/L Basta. Partial desiccation treatment was used to increase the efficiency of regeneration. Transformed plantlets were recovered within 4-5 months after mature seeds were plated. From 821 bombarded embryogenic calli of two elite rice varieties popularized in South China, 477 Basta resistant plants of 48 lines were obtained. Results of PCR, Southern blotting, RNA dot blotting, and topical application of Basta demonstrated that the foreign bar gene and B.t. gene were integrated into the genome of transgenic rice plants, and also expressed. 87.5% of the transgenic plants were fertile. Mendelian segregation of the foreign genes was indicated by Basta application and Southern blot analysis of R1 plants.

Blotting, Southern↗