Cloning and high-level expression of chitinase-encoding gene of Streptomyces plicatus.

A chitinase (Cht)-encoding gene from Streptomyces plicatus was previously cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli [Robbins et al., J. Biol. Chem., 263 (1988) 442-447]. We have sequenced this gene, compared its sequence with other genes encoding Cht and have explored its expression and regulation when reintroduced into Streptomyces lividans on multicopy plasmids. We have also cloned two other Streptomyces Cht-encoding genes and a beta-hexosaminidase-encoding gene in E. coli by expression in the lambda ZAP-Bluescript vector. The hexosaminidase and one of the Chts were expressed directly from the genomic library in E. coli at a high level as chimeric fusions with the beta-galactosidase alpha-complementing peptide encoded by the vector. Direct cloning and high-level expression of such chimeric proteins, which overcomes the difficulties associated with expressing Streptomyces genes in E. coli, should generally be possible wherever large numbers of transformants can be conveniently screened.

Sexual surgery in late-nineteenth-century America.

This article describes how the tendency of post-Civil War medicine accorded with general social tendencies. Doctors' attitudes toward women reflected their anxiety about female emancipation and changing sex roles. The specialty of gynecology emerged in significant part as a reaction to female emancipation. The strong surgical emphasis in American gynecology practice has continued. The operations, clitoridectomy and female castration, were intended to reimpose the traditional sexual order (the term "castration" and "female circumcision" implied women had become men). The paper goes on to describe the beginnings of psychosomatic medicine, the circularity of gynecologists' treatment of women, and the effects of this treatment. The operations were in part the expression of a symbiotic relation between doctor and patient. Because they expressed widespread and deep-seated beliefs, they were difficult to challenge.

Cloning and expression of a Streptomyces plicatus chitinase (chitinase-63) in Escherichia coli.

4-Methylumbelliferyl (4-MU) glycosides of N-acetylglucosamine oligosaccharides were used as substrates to detect expression of a Streptomyces chitinase in Escherichia coli. Low levels of enzyme were detected when S. plicatus DNA was cloned into a bacteriophage lambda vector (EMBL-4). Subcloning into E. coli plasmids also gave low but detectable levels of enzyme expression. High level expression was achieved by resection of the cloned S. plicatus DNA with Bal31 followed by in-frame fusion to the amino-terminal peptide sequence of beta-galactosidase found in the pUC vectors. The Streptomyces chitinase was secreted into the periplasmic space of E. coli, and its signal sequence was removed. We characterized the activity of the cloned enzyme and compared it to three other purified Streptomyces plicatus chitinases with respect to hydrolysis of the 4-MU oligosaccharides. We found that two of the enzymes form 4-methylumbelliferone much more rapidly from the 4-MU disaccharide than from the trisaccharide. These same enzymes convert the 4-MU trisaccharide primarily to diacetylchitobiose and the 4-MU monosaccharide, a nonfluorescent product. The latter compound is not hydrolyzed appreciably by any of the enzymes. On the basis of these results, we suggest a new definition of "exo" and "endo" chitinase that differs from that found in the literature. We propose that exochitinase activity be defined as processive action starting at the nonreducing ends of chitin chains with release of successive diacetylchitobiose units, and that endochitinase activity be defined as random cleavage at internal points in chitin chains.