Transport and utilization of the biosynthetic intermediate shikimic acid in Escherichia coli.

Auxotrophic mutants of Escherichia coli W or K12 blocked before shikimic acid in the aromatic biosynthetic pathway grew poorly on shikimic acid as sole aromatic supplement. This poor growth response was correlated with a relatively poor ability to transport shikimic acid. If citrate was present in the growth medium (as it is in some commonly used basal media) the growth of some of the E. coli K12 mutants on shikimate was further reduced. Mutants were derived from pre-shikimate auxotrophs which grew rapidly on media containing shikimic acid. These derivatives all had an increased ability to transport shikimic acid. Thus, it is proposed that the growth on shikimate observed in the parent cells is restricted by their relatively poor uptake of shikimate from the medium and that this restriction may be removed by a mutation which enhances shikimate transport. Transduction analysis of the mutations which enhanced utilization and transport of shikimic acid by E. coli K12 strains indicated at least two classes. Class 1 was about 20% cotransduced with the histidine region of the E. coli K12 chromosome and appeared to be coincident with a known shikimate transport locus, shiA. Class 2 was not cotransduced with his. The locus (or loci) of this class is unknown. Kinetic measurements suggested that both classes had shikimate uptake systems derived from the wild-type system. Two class 1 mutants had increased levels of otherwise unaltered wild-type transport while one class 2 mutant had an altered Michaelis constant (Km) for shikimate transport.

The kinetics of a purified form of 3-deoxy-D-arabino heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (tryptophan) from Neurospora crassa.

1. A method is described for the purification of a form of 3-deoxy-D-arabinoheptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (tryptophan) that probably differs from that of the native enzyme. 2. The kinetics of the reaction catalysed by 3-deoxy-D-arabinoheptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (tryptophan) shows that the reaction proceeds via a ping-pong bi-bi mechanism, with activation by phosphoenolpyruvate (P-Prv), the first substrate, and inhibition by erythrose 4-phosphate (Ery-P) the second substrate. At low substrate concentrations, KP-Prv is 0.1 mM and KEry-P is 0.13 mM. 3. The substrates phosphoenolpyruvate and erythrose 4-phosphate and the product inorganic phosphate can protect the purified enzyme against heat denaturation, whereas the inhibitor, tryptophan, has no effect, although it binds to the enzyme in the absence of other ligands. 4. Product inhibition by inorganic phosphate is linear non-competitive with respect to phosphoenolpyruvate (Ki, slope = 22 mM and Ki, intercept = 54 mM) and substrate-linear competitive with respect to erythrose 4-phosphate (Ki, slope = 25 mM). 5. The enzyme has an activity optimum at pH 7.3 and a tryptophan inhibition optimum at pH 6.4, Trp 0.5 is 4 microM. Inhibition by tryptophan is non-competitive with respect to phosphoenolpyrovate and substrate-parabolic competitive with respect to erythrose 4-phosphate. 6. The role of the enzyme in metabolic regulation is discussed.

Development and differentiation of haploid Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato).

Haploid callus cultures of selected races of Lycopersicon (tomato) species can be obtained from anther culture. This is a further demonstration of a proposed general method of haploid culture developed with Arabidopsis thaliana. Differentiation of haploid callus of Lycopersicon esculentum can be controlled both in the dark and the light by hormones added to defined minimal media. Development to plantlets is achieved only in the light. Callus cells can be induced to develop into seedless pseudo-fruits. Chromosome counts on callus cells or root-tip cells establishes haploidy (n=12).Haploidy can be maintained in culture on defined minimal media for at least one year.

Analysis and in situ hybridization of cryptic satellites in Hordeum arizonicum.

Three satellites, one (H1) on the heavy side of the main band of Hordeum arizonicum DNA and two (L1, L2) on the lighter side were purified using preparative silver-cesium sulphate density gradients. The native and the reassociated satellite DNAs were analysed in terms of buoyant densities and thermal dissociation. In cesium chloride gradients the H1 and L1 satellites formed single peaks corresponding to buoyant densities of 1.700 and 1.701 g · cm(-3) respectively while the L2 satellite gave two peaks (1.680 and 1.661 g · cm(-3)). The H1 satellite showed three thermal components (Tm=82.5 °C, 87 °C and 91.5 °C) while the L1 and L2 had three (86.5, 92, 97.5 °C) and two (86, 95 °C) respectively. The H1 satellite was localized on the nuclei and chromosomes. The distribution of H1 onto approximately on third of the complement may reflect the genome specific origin of this satellite.

Biological and molecular evidence for the transgenosis of genes from bacteria to plant cells.

Specialized transducing phages (lambda and varphi80) have been used as vectors in the transfer of genes (wild type and mutant) from the bacterium Escherichia coli to haploid cell lines of the plants Lycopersicon esculentum and Arabidopsis thaliana. The overall phenomenon of transfer, gene maintenance, transcription, translation, and function has been termed transgenosis. Transgenosis of galactose and lactose operon genes was detected by survival and growth of the plant cells on defined medium with galactose and lactose as sole sources of bulk carbon. Phages carrying a defective operon, unrelated bacterial genes, or no bacterial genes, do not affect the normal result of death on these media, nor do they prevent growth on optimal growth media. Transgenosis of the E. coli gene z (lac operon) was confirmed by a biochemical-immunological test specific for E. coli beta-galactosidase. Plant cells were unable to effectively suppress an E. coli nonsense mutation. The E. coli mutant suppressor gene, supF(+), specifies insertion of tyrosine at amber (UAG) nonsense codons. Introduction of supF(+) results in a lethal transgenosis on medium normally optimal for plant cell growth. It is concluded that amber codons are vital to the life of plant cells. Differentiating cells of A. thaliana were not affected by supF(+).

Ultrastructure of the obligate halophilic bacterium Halobacterium halobium.

The fine structure of Halobacterium halobium was studied by means of a modified double-fixation technique. The cell envelope is shown to consist of both a "wall" and a plasma membrane. Some electron-dense strands were seen inside the cytoplasm running parallel to the cell envelope. An unusual organelle (or organelles) appeared inside the cytoplasm in the form of parallel striated strands.

Genomic clones of Aspergillus nidulans containing alcA, the structural gene for alcohol dehydrogenase and alcR, a regulatory gene for ethanol metabolism.

Our aim was to obtain from Aspergillus nidulans a genomic bank and then clone a region we expected from earlier genetic mapping to contain two closely linked genes, alcA, the structural gene for alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and alcR, a positive trans-acting regulatory gene for ethanol metabolism. The expression of alcA is repressed by carbon catabolites. A genomic restriction fragment characteristic of the alcA-alcR region was identified, cloned in pBR322, and used to select from a genomic bank in lambda EMBL3A three overlapping clones covering 24 kb of DNA. Southern genomic analysis of wild-type, alcA and alcR mutants showed that the mutants contained extra DNA at sites near the center of the cloned DNA and are close together, as expected for alcA and alcR. Transcription from the cloned DNA and hybridization with a clone carrying the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene for ADHI (ADC1) are both confined to the alcA-alcR region. At least one of several species of mature mRNA is about 1 kb, the size required to code for ADH. For all species, carbon catabolite repression overrides control by induction. The overall characteristics of transcription, hybridization to ADC1 and earlier work suggest that alcA consists of a number of exons and/or that the alcA-alcR region represents a cluster of alcA-related genes or sequences.

Purification and preliminary characterization of alcohol dehydrogenase from Aspergillus nidulans.

Aspergillus alcohol dehydrogenase is produced in response to growth in the presence of a wide variety of inducers, of which the most effective are short-chain alcohols and ketones, e.g. butan-2-one and propan-2-ol. The enzyme can be readily extracted from fresh or freeze-dried cells and purified to homogeneity on Blue Sepharose in a single step by using specific elution with NAD+ and pyrazole. The pure enzyme has Mr 290 000 by electrophoresis or gel filtration; it is a homopolymer with subunit Mr 37 500 by electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulphate; its amino acid composition corresponds to Mr 37 900, and the native enzyme contains one zinc atom per subunit. The enzyme is NAD-specific and has a wide substrate activity in the forward and reverse reactions; its activity profile is not identical with those of other alcohol dehydrogenases.