Genetic properties of arsenate sensitive mutants of Bacillus subtilis 168

pGIAK1, a heavy metal resistant plasmid from an obligate alkaliphilic and halotolerant bacterium isolated from the Antarctic Concordia station confined environment

pGIAK1 is a 38-kb plasmid originating from the obligate alkaliphilic and halotolerant Bacillaceae strain JMAK1. The strain was originally isolated from the confined environments of the Antarctic Concordia station. Analysis of the pGIAK1 38,362-bp sequence revealed that, in addition to its replication region, this plasmid contains the genetic determinants for cadmium and arsenic resistances, putative methyltransferase, tyrosine recombinase, spore coat protein and potassium transport protein, as well as several hypothetical proteins. Cloning the pGIAK1 cad operon in Bacillus cereus H3081.97 and its ars operon in Bacillus subtilis 1A280 conferred to these hosts cadmium and arsenic resistances, respectively, therefore confirming their bona fide activities. The pGIAK1 replicon region was also shown to be functional in Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus, but was only stably maintained in B. subtilis. Finally, using an Escherichia coli - B. thuringiensis shuttle BAC vector, pGIAK1 was shown to display conjugative properties since it was able to transfer the BAC plasmid among B. thuringiensis strains.

The ars operon in the skin element of Bacillus subtilis confers resistance to arsenate and arsenite

The Bacillus subtilis skin element confers resistance to arsenate and arsenite. The ars operon in the skin element contains four genes in the order arsR, ORF2, arsB, and arsC. Three of these genes are homologous to the arsR, arsB, and arsC genes from the staphylococcal plasmid pI258, while no homologs of ORF2 have been found. Inactivation of arsR, arsB, or arsC results in either constitutive expression of ars, an arsenite- and arsenate-sensitive phenotype, or an arsenate-sensitive phenotype, respectively. These results suggest that ArsR, ArsB, and ArsC function as a negative regulator, a membrane-associated protein need for extrusion of arsenite, and arsenate reductase, respectively. Expression of the ars operon was induced by arsenate, arsenite, and antimonite. Northern hybridization and primer extension analysis showed that synthesis of a full-length ars transcript of about 2.4 kb was induced by arsenate and that the ars promoter contains sequences that resemble the -10 and -35 regions of promoters that are recognized by E sigmaA.

Cloning and characterization of a novel macrolide efflux gene, mreA, from Streptococcus agalactiae

A strain of Streptococcus agalactiae displayed resistance to 14-, 15-, and 16-membered macrolides. In PCR assays, total genomic DNA from this strain contained neither erm nor mef genes. EcoRI-digested genomic DNA from this strain was cloned into lambda Zap II to construct a library of S. agalactiae genomic DNA. A clone, pAES63, expressing resistance to erythromycin, azithromycin, and spiramycin in Escherichia coli was recovered. Deletion derivatives of pAES63 which defined a functional region on this clone that encoded resistance to 14- and 15-membered, but not 16-membered, macrolides were produced. Studies that determined the levels of incorporation of radiolabelled erythromycin into E. coli were consistent with the presence of a macrolide efflux determinant. This putative efflux determinant was distinct from the recently described Mef pump in Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus pneumoniae and from the multicomponent MsrA pump in Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci. Its gene has been designated mreA (for macrolide resistance efflux).

Expression and regulation of the antimonite, arsenite, and arsenate resistance operon of Staphylococcus xylosus plasmid pSX267

The arsenate, arsenite, and antimonite resistance region of the Staphylococcus xylosus plasmid pSX267 was subcloned in Staphylococcus carnosus. The sequenced DNA region revealed three consecutive open reading frames, named arsR, arsB, and arsC. Expression studies in Escherichia coli with the bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase-promoter system yielded three polypeptides with apparent molecular weights of 8,000, 35,000, and 15,000, which very likely correspond to ArsR, ArsB, and ArsC, respectively. ArsB was distinguished by its overall hydrophobic character, suggesting a membrane association. The arsenate, arsenite, and antimonite resistance was shown to be inducible by all three heavy metal ions. Inactivation of the first gene, arsR, resulted in constitutive expression of resistance. Similar results were obtained with transcriptional fusions of various portions of the ars genes with a lipase reporter gene, indicating a function of ArsR as a negative regulator of a putative promoter in front of arsR. The inactivation of arsR also resulted in reduction of resistance to arsenite and antimonite, while arsenate resistance was unaffected. The three ars genes conferred arsenite resistance in E. coli and arsenite as well as arsenate resistance in Bacillus subtilis.

Genetic analysis of a pleiotropic deletion mutation (delta igf) in Bacillus subtilis

A delta igf mutation of Bacillus subtilis (formerly called fdpAl) is a large deletion causing pleiotropic defects. The mapping of the delta igf deletion by phage PBS1 transduction revealed the following map order: sacA, thiC, hsrE, delta igf, ts199, purA. To analyze the pleiotropic nature of the delta igf mutation, mutants affected in each property of the pleiotropic mutation were isolated, and the mutations were mapped. iol and gnt mutants could not grow on inositol and gluconate, respectively, and fdp mutants were affected only in fructose-bisphosphatase. The map order from sacA to purA was as follows: sacA, thiC, hsrE, iol-6, gnt-4, fdp-74, hsrB, ts199, purA. The delta igf deletion covered loci from iol-6 to hsrB.

Genetic effects of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and its homologs

Since the discovery of the mutagenic activity of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) in 1960, this compound has become one of the most widely used chemical mutagens. The present paper gives a survey on the chemistry, metabolism, and mode of interaction of MNNG with DNA and proteins, and of the genotoxic effects of this agent on microorganisms, plants, and animals, including human cells cultured in vitro. Data on the carcinogenicity and teratogenicity of MNNG as well as on the genotoxic effects of homologs of MNNG are also presented.

Bacillus subtilis mutant with temperature-sensitive net synthesis of phosphatidylethanolamine

Bacillus subtilis mutants with temperature-sensitive growth on complex media were screened for defects in phospholipid metabolism. One mutant was isolated that showed temperature-sensitive net synthesis of phosphatidylethanolamine. The mutant did not accumulate phosphatidylserine at the nonpermissive temperature. In the presence of hydroxylamine, wild-type B. subtilis accumulated phosphatidylserine at both 32 and 45 degrees C, whereas the mutant did only at 32 degrees C. In vitro phosphatidylethanolamine synthesis with bacterial membranes is no more temperature sensitive with mutant membranes than with wild-type membranes. The mutation probably affects the synthesis indirectly, possibly by altering a membrane protein. The mutant bacteria grew at the nonpermissive temperature, 45 degrees C, in a phosphate buffer-based minimal medium, although net synthesis of phosphatidylethanolamine was also temperature sensitive in this medium. One mutation caused both temperature-sensitive growth on complex media and temperature-sensitive net synthesis of phosphatidylethanolamine. The mutation is linked to aroD by transformation.

Induction and transmission of a merodiploid condition near the terminal area of the chromosome of Bacillus subtilis

A small fraction (about 0.5%) of the transformants for a particular marker of B. subtilis (ilvA4; most probably a deletion) were found to be relatively unstable merodiploids. They possess a redundancy of the metB-ilvA chromosome segment. When their DNA is used as donor in transformation a merodiploid condition for the whole of this segment is created in all ilvA4+ transformants. For several of the duplicated loci both copies often are of recipient strain origin. Markers originally belonging to different copies of the diploidized region can be cotransferred in PBS1-mediated transduction. The data are well in agreement with the hypothesis that the merodiploids carry a tandem duplication. An alternative hypothesis which does not call for integration of the exogenote within the recipient chromosome was also considered. Models are proposed for interpreting the segregation of the merodiploids, the transmission of the diploid state and its generation during transformation of the ilvA4 marker by wild-type DNA.

Genetic and physiological studies on the site of action of distamycin A

Two new genetic loci of Bacillus subtilis are identified by mutations that confer resistance to distamycin A and to other antibacterial agents. The chromosomal region where they map probably contains a cluster of genes whose products are related to membrane structure and function. Some of the biological effects of distamycin A are still in evidence in the resistant mutants indicating that the drug possibly acts at multiple sites. Most biological effects of the drug (including the phenotypic correction of a morphopoietic mutation) are likely to be due to the interaction of distamycin A with membrane (or surface) structures.

Bidirectional chromosome replication in Bacillus subtilis 168

Density transfer analysis of deoxyribonucleic acid from Bacillus subtilis 168 thy spores germinating in 5-bromouracil medium shows the order of replication of genetic markers to be: purA16, cysA14, sacA, ctrA, (narB, arol), dal, (hisA1, purB6), (tre-12, thr-5), (argA, aroG, argC4), (metC, leu-8, pheA), (ura-1, aroD), lys-1, (trpC, metB, ilvA, citB, citK, gltA). The precise order of transfer of markers within parentheses could not be determined in these experiments. Taken together with new PBS1 transduction data presented here and in the accompanying paper of J. Lepesant-Kejzlarová, J.-A. Lepesant, J. Walle, A. Billaut, and R. Dedonder (1975), the results can be resolved in terms of a symmetric, fully bidirectional mode of chromosome replication with a replication origin close to the purA16 marker and a terminus in the region of the gltA, citK loci, diametrically opposed to the origin. A new genetic map of the B. subtilis 168 chromosome is presented.