A DNA fragment containing the ADE2 gene from Schwanniomyces occidentalis can be maintained as an extrachromosomal element.

A 4.05-kb DNA fragment containing the ADE2 gene from Schwanniomyces occidentalis was cloned into the pUC19 vector. When an ade2 strain of Sc. occidentalis was transformed with this plasmid, pADE-2 was found to integrate into the host chromosome and was also present in a variety of extrachromosomal species. These extrachromosomal elements were present in multiple copies, varied in molecular mass and were composed of polymerized forms of pADE-2. A fragment containing the ADE2 gene was used to transform a Sc. occidentalis ade2 mutant, as either a linear or circularized molecule. The linear form integrated into the host genome, whereas the circularized form was found as a stably maintained extrachromosomal element with no evidence of integration or detectable loss of the Ade+ phenotype upon subculturing of transformed yeast under nonselective conditions for 60 generations. The ratio of the number of extrachromosomal ADE2 genes to genomic ADE2 ranged from 3.8 to 6.6.

Cloning of a cDNA encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase from Haemonchus contortus.

Biochemical and metabolic data have led to the conclusion that the enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK; EC 4.1.1.32) contributes to a critical point of divergence in energy conservation pathways between mammals and nematodes. To facilitate the determination of the molecular basis for host vs parasite differences in PEPCK, we have cloned a cDNA encoding this enzyme from a parasitic nematode of ruminants, Haemonchus contortus. H. contortus PEPCK was cloned by functional complementation of a PEPCK-, malic enzyme- strain of Escherichia coli (E1786) using an egg stage H. contortus cDNA library in lambda ZAPII. Selection was for growth on malate as the sole carbon source (malate+ phenotype). We isolated a plasmid, pPEPCK, which reproducibly confers a malate+ phenotype in E1786. The sequence of the 2.0-kb EcoRI insert of pPEPCK predicts a 612-amino acid protein which shows about 74% similarity to Drosophila melanogaster and chicken PEPCK. Extracts of E1786[pPEPCK], but not E1786, contain IDP- or GDP-dependent PEPCK enzyme activity. Sequence analysis revealed that the open reading frame (ORF) in pPEPCK lacked a 5' initiation codon and was probably expressed as an in-frame fusion protein with beta-galactosidase. A strategy combining library screening with PCR analysis of positive clones led to the identification of a clone encoding 6 additional NH2-terminal amino acids, including a Met, which, by comparison with known PEPCK amino acid sequences, is likely to be the translation initiation site.

Cloning of a cDNA encoding phosphofructokinase from Haemonchus contortus.

Phosphofructokinase (PFK), the key regulatory enzyme in glycolysis, has been cloned from the pathogenic parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus by functional complementation in Escherichia coli. An E. coli strain deleted for both PFK loci (strain DF1020) was transformed with plasmid DNA from a lambda ZAP II H. contortus cDNA library. Two out of 3 x 10(7) transformants were able to grow on minimal medium with mannitol as the sole carbon source. A plasmid, pPFK, containing a 2.7-kb insert, was isolated from one of these transformants and conferred on DF1020 the ability to grow on mannitol (the PFK phenotype). The complemented cells contain PFK enzyme activity, absent in the E. coli mutant, at levels considerably higher than in wild type E. coli. Sequence analysis of the 2.7-kb insert shows an open reading frame that predicts a 789-amino acid protein that has approximately 70% similarity to mammalian PFKs. The amino acid sequence around asp182, thought to be the catalytic site, is completely conserved from nematodes to mammals.

Three beta-tubulin cDNAs from the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus.

Experimental evidence indicates that tubulin is the site of action of the anthelmintic benzimidazoles. Furthermore, certain residues of beta-tubulin seem to be critical for this mechanism. Although the benzimidazoles selectively affect nematode vs. mammalian beta-tubulin, the molecular basis for this differential action is not known. To enhance our understanding of this phenomenon, and to provide the basis for investigating benzimidazole resistance in parasitic nematodes, we undertook the cloning of beta-tubulin cDNAs from the ruminant parasite, Haemonchus contortus. We have cloned and sequenced three beta-tubulin cDNAs from this organism, beta 12-16, beta 12-164, and beta 8-9. The first 2 differ at only 23 nucleotides, which give rise to 4 amino acid changes. beta 8-9 represents a different isotype class from the other two, since it differs extensively in the carboxyterminus. By comparing the sequences of these and other nematode beta-tubulins with mammalian beta-tubulins, several regions of consistent difference can be recognized; the functional significance of these regional differences has not been defined. Sequences very similar or identical to beta 8-9 and beta 12-16 are present in both benzimidazole-sensitive and benzimidazole-resistant populations of H. contortus. However, it appears that drug-resistant organisms may differ in the presence of a gene product which is closely related to beta 8-9.

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.

Hyperproduction of araC protein from Escherichia coli.

Hypersynthesis of araC protein from Escherichia coli has been accomplished. The araC gene was cloned on plasmid pBR322, and some of the noncoding DNA preceding the araC gene was removed by exonuclease digestion. Finally, a DNA fragment containing the lac promoter and ribosome binding site was placed in front the araC gene. By these means the level of araC protein was increased about 5000-fold above the levels found in wild-type cells. This level of protein permits straight forward purification of sizeable quantities of araC protein.

Cloning and sequence analysis of the gene encoding invertase from the yeast Schwanniomyces occidentalis.

The gene encoding invertase (INV) has been cloned from Schwanniomyces occidentalis. The enzyme consists of 533 amino acids, 8 potential glycosylation sites and has a 45% identity with the invertase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The proenzyme has a 22 amino acid signal sequence that has a high alpha-helical transmembrane potential which differs significantly from that predicted for the Saccharomyces cerevisiae enzyme.

Ascaris suum: cloning of a cDNA encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase.

A cDNA encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) from Ascaris suum was cloned by complementation of a strain of Escherichia coli deficient in PEPCK and malic enzyme. The product of this cDNA was enzymatically similar to a recombinant PEPCK obtained from Haemonchus contortus by the same method. Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequence of A. suum PEPCK with other PEPCKs showed that this enzyme is most closely related to the H. contortus enzyme. The two nematode enzymes share considerable homology in regions thought to be functionally involved in substrate binding and catalysis, some of which distinguish the nematode enzymes from PEPCKs from other organisms. This analysis suggests a structural explanation for the kinetic differences seen between nematode and vertebrate PEPCKs and supports the hypothesis that nematode PEPCK is a target for selective inhibition.

Haemonchus contortus: cloning and functional expression of a cDNA encoding ornithine decarboxylase and development of a screen for inhibitors.

Polyamines (PA) are essential for viability and replication of all cells; organisms either synthesize PA or acquire them from the environment. How nematodes that parasitize the gut satisfy their PA requirement has not been resolved. The primary regulatory enzyme in PA biosynthesis in most animals is ornithine decarboxylase (ODC). This enzyme has recently been characterized in free-living nematodes and in the parasitic species. Haemonchus contortus. Nematode and mammalian ODC are reported to differ in subcellular localization, kinetics, and sensitivity to inhibitors. We cloned an H. contortus cDNA that encodes a full-length ODC (sequence data from this article have been deposited with the GenBank Data Library under Accession Nos. AF016538 and AF016891). This cDNA was functionally expressed in strains of Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae that lack ODC and are dependent upon exogenous PA for survival. Expression of nematode ODC reversed the PA-dependence phenotype of both microorganisms. The complemented yeast strain was used to develop a nutrient-dependent viability screen for selective inhibitors of nematode ODC. The antiprotozoal drug stilbamidine isethionate was identified as active in this screen, but biochemical characterization revealed that this compound did not inhibit ODC. Instead, like other cationic diamidines, stilbamidine probably inhibits yeast S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase. Nonetheless, the activity in the screen of the known ODC inhibitor difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) validates the concept that specific recombinant microorganisms can serve as the basis for extremely selective and facile screens.

Reconstitution of a bacterial/plant polyamine biosynthesis pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Polyamine synthesis in most organisms is initiated by the decarboxylation of ornithine to form putrescine via ornithine decarboxylase (ODC). Plants, some bacteria and some fungi and protozoa generate putrescine from arginine, via arginine decarboxylase (ADC) and agmatine ureohydrolase (AUH) or agmatine iminohydrolase. A polyamine-requiring strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with a mutation in the gene encoding ODC was transformed with plasmids bearing genes encoding Escherichia coli ADC and AUH. Transformants regained the ability to grow in the absence of exogenous polyamines and contained enzyme activities consistent with the presence of both prokaryotic enzymes. Similar results were obtained when a plasmid containing a gene encoding oat (Avena sativa L.) ADC was substituted for the E. coli gene. These data demonstrate the successful complementation of a yeast biosynthetic polyamine synthesis defect by genes encoding an alternative pathway found in bacteria; they also show that plant ADC can substitute for the bacterial enzyme in this pathway. The recombinant yeast provides a tool for the study of the functional properties of these enzymes and for discovery of compounds that specifically inhibit this pathway.