Molecular cloning and functional characterization of a recA analog from Pseudomonas stutzeri and construction of a P. stutzeri recA mutant

In Vivo-Expressed Proteins of Virulent Leptospira interrogans Serovar Autumnalis N2 Elicit Strong IgM Responses of Value in Conclusive Diagnosis

Leptospirosis is a serious zoonosis that is underdiagnosed because of limited access to laboratory facilities in Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and Oceania. Timely diagnosis of locally distributed serovars of high virulence is crucial for successful care and outbreak management. Using pooled patient sera, an expression gene library of a virulent Leptospira interrogans serovar Autumnalis strain N2 isolated in South India was screened. The identified genes were characterized, and the purified recombinant proteins were used as antigens in IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) either singly or in combination. Sera (n = 118) from cases of acute leptospirosis along with sera (n = 58) from healthy subjects were tested for reactivity with the identified proteins in an ELISA designed to detect specific IgM responses. We have identified nine immunoreactive proteins, ArgC, RecA, GlpF, FliD, TrmD, RplS, RnhB, Lp28.6, and Lrr44.9, which were found to be highly conserved among pathogenic leptospires. Apparently, the proteins ArgC, RecA, GlpF, FliD, TrmD, and Lrr44.9 are expressed during natural infection of the host and undetectable in in vitro cultures. Among all the recombinant proteins used as antigens in IgM ELISA, ArgC had the highest sensitivity and specificity, 89.8% and 95.5%, respectively, for the conclusive diagnosis of leptospirosis. The use of ArgC and RecA in combination for IgM ELISA increased the sensitivity and specificity to 95.7% and 94.9%, respectively. ArgC and RecA thus elicited specific IgM responses and were therefore effective in laboratory confirmation of Leptospira infection.

Influence of DNA conformation and role of comA and recA on natural transformation in Ralstonia solanacearum

Naturally competent bacteria such as the plant pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum are characterized by their ability to take up free DNA from their surroundings. In this study, we investigated the efficiency of various DNA types including chromosomal linear DNA and circular or linearized integrative and (or) replicative plasmids to naturally transform R. solanacearum. To study the respective regulatory role of DNA transport and maintenance in the definite acquisition of new DNA by bacteria, the natural transformation frequencies were compared with those obtained when the bacterial strain was transformed by electroporation. An additional round of electrotransformation and natural transformation was carried out with the same set of donor DNAs and with R. solanacearum disrupted mutants that were potentially affected in competence (comA gene) and recombination (recA gene) functions. Our results confirmed the critical role of the comA gene for natural transformation and that of recA for recombination and, more surprisingly, for the maintenance of an autonomous plasmid in the host cell. Finally, our results showed that homologous recombination of chromosomal linear DNA fragments taken up by natural transformation was the most efficient way for R. solanacearum to acquire new DNA, in agreement with previous data showing competence development and natural transformation between R. solanacearum cells in plant tissues.

Mechanisms of homology-facilitated illegitimate recombination for foreign DNA acquisition in transformable Pseudomonas stutzeri

Intra- and interspecific natural transformation has been observed in many prokaryotic species and is considered a fundamental mechanism for the generation of genetic variation. Recently, it has been described in detail how, in transformable Acinetobacter BD413 and Streptococcus pneumoniae, long stretches of nucleotides lacking homology were integrated into recipient genomes when they were linked on one side to a small piece of DNA with homology to resident DNA serving as a recA-dependent recombination anchor. Now, such homology-facilitated illegitimate recombination (HFIR) has also been detected in transformable Pseudomonas stutzeri. However, analysis of the recombinants revealed qualitative and quantitative differences in their generation compared with that in Acinetobacter BD413. In P. stutzeri, foreign DNA with an anchor sequence was integrated 105- to 106-fold less frequently than fully homologous DNA, but still at least 200-fold more frequently than without the anchor. The anchor sequence could be as small as 311 bp. Remarkably, in 98% of the events, the 3' end was integrated within the homologous anchor, whereas the 5' end underwent illegitimate fusion. Moreover, about one-third of the illegitimate fusion sites shared no or only a single identical basepair in foreign and resident DNA. The other fusions occurred within microhomologies of up to 6 bp with a higher GC content on average than the interacting nucleotide sequences. Foreign DNA of 69-1903 bp was integrated, and resident DNA of 22-2345 bp was lost. In a recA mutant, HFIR was not detectable. The findings suggest that genomic acquisition of foreign DNA by HFIR during transformation occurs widely in prokaryotes, but that details of the required recombination and strand fusion mechanisms may differ between organisms from different genera.

Type IV pilus genes pilA and pilC of Pseudomonas stutzeri are required for natural genetic transformation, and pilA can be replaced by corresponding genes from nontransformable species

Pseudomonas stutzeri lives in terrestrial and aquatic habitats and is capable of natural genetic transformation. After transposon mutagenesis, transformation-deficient mutants were isolated from a P. stutzeri JM300 strain. In one of them a gene which coded for a protein with 75% amino acid sequence identity to PilC of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an accessory protein for type IV pilus biogenesis, was inactivated. The presence of type IV pili was demonstrated by susceptibility to the type IV pilus-dependent phage PO4, by occurrence of twitching motility, and by electron microscopy. The pilC mutant had no pili and was defective in twitching motility. Further sequencing revealed that pilC is clustered in an operon with genes homologous to pilB and pilD of P. aeruginosa, which are also involved in pilus formation. Next to these genes but transcribed in the opposite orientation a pilA gene encoding a protein with high amino acid sequence identity to pilin, the structural component of type IV pili, was identified. Insertional inactivation of pilA abolished pilus formation, PO4 plating, twitching motility, and natural transformation. The amounts of (3)H-labeled P. stutzeri DNA that were bound to competent parental cells and taken up were strongly reduced in the pilC and pilA mutants. Remarkably, the cloned pilA genes from nontransformable organisms like Dichelobacter nodosus and the PAK and PAO strains of P. aeruginosa fully restored pilus formation and transformability of the P. stutzeri pilA mutant (along with PO4 plating and twitching motility). It is concluded that the type IV pili of the soil bacterium P. stutzeri function in DNA uptake for transformation and that their role in this process is not confined to the species-specific pilin.

The expression of the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus recA gene increases in response to DNA damage independently of RecA and of development of competence for natural transformation

Using the lacZ operon fusion technique, the transcriptional control of the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus recA gene was studied. A low (approximately twofold) inductive capacity was observed for compounds that damage DNA and/or inhibit DNA replication, e.g. methyl methanesulfonate, mitomycin C, UV light and nalidixic acid. Induction of the recA gene by DNA damage was independent of functional RecA. The presence of the recA promoter region on a multicopy plasmid had the same effect on recA transcription as the presence of DNA-damaging agents. Thus, recA expression in A. calcoaceticus appears to be regulated in a novel fashion, possibly involving a non-LexA-like repressor. Regulation of the recA gene in A. calcoaceticus appears not to be part of a regulon responsible for competence for natural transformation: in cells exhibiting extremely low transformation frequencies, the level of transcription of the recA gene was found to be comparable to the level found in cells in the state of maximal competence.

Characterization of lipase-deficient mutants of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus BD413: identification of a periplasmic lipase chaperone essential for the production of extracellular lipase

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus BD413 produces an extracellular lipase, which is encoded by the lipA gene. Five lipase-deficient mutants have been generated via random insertion mutagenesis. Phenotypic characterization of these mutants revealed the presence of as many as four lipolytic enzymes in A. calcoaceticus. Biochemical evidence classified four of the mutants as export mutants, which presumably are defective in translocation of the lipase across the outer membrane. The additional mutant, designated AAC302, displays a LipA- phenotype, and yet the mutation in this strain was localized 0.84 kbp upstream of lipA. Sequence analysis of this region revealed an open reading frame, designated lipB, that is disrupted in AAC302. The protein encoded by this open reading frame shows extensive similarity to a chaperone-like helper protein of several pseudomonads, required for the production of extracellular lipase. Via complementation of AAC302 with a functional extrachromosomal copy of lipA, it could be determined that LipB is essential for lipase production. As shown by the use of a translational LipB-PhoA fusion construct, the C-terminal part of LipB of A. calcoaceticus BD413 is located outside the cytoplasm. Sequence analysis further strongly suggests that A. calcoaceticus LipB is N terminally anchored in the cytoplasmic membrane. Therefore, analogous to the situation in Pseudomonas species, however, lipB in A. calcoaceticus is located upstream of the structural lipase gene. lipB and lipA form a bicistronic operon, and the two genes are cotranscribed from an Escherichia coli sigma 70-type promoter. The reversed order of genes, in comparison with the situation in Pseudomonas species, suggests that LipA and LipB are produced in equimolar amounts. Therefore, the helper protein presumably does not only have a catalytic function, e.g., in folding of the lipase, but is also likely to act as a lipase-specific chaperone. A detailed model of the export route of the lipase of A. calcoaceticus BD413 is proposed.

Isolation of the Helicobacter pylori recA gene and involvement of the recA region in resistance to low pH

To understand the potential roles of the important DNA repair protein RecA in Helicobacter pylori pathogenesis, we cloned the recA gene from H. pylori 84-183. Degenerate PCR primers based on conserved RecA protein regions were used to amplify a portion of H. pylori recA, which was used as a probe to isolate the full-length recA gene from H. pylori genomic libraries. The H. pylori recA gene encoded a protein of 347 amino acids with a molecular mass of 37.6 kDa. As expected, H. pylori RecA was highly similar to other RecA proteins and most closely resembled that of Campylobacter jejuni (75% identity). Immediately downstream of recA was an open reading frame whose predicted product showed 58% identity to the Bacillus subtilis enolase protein. recA and eno were disrupted in H. pylori 84-183 by insertion of antibiotic resistance genes. Reverse transcription-PCR demonstrated that recA and eno were cotranscribed and that insertion of the kanamycin resistance gene into recA had polar effects on expression of the downstream eno. The H. pylori recA mutants were severely impaired in their ability to survive treatment with UV light and methyl methanesulfonate and with the antimicrobial agents ciprofloxacin and metronidazole. The eno mutant had sensitivities to UV light and metronidazole intermediate to those of wild-type and recA strains, suggesting that truncation of the recA-eno transcript resulted in lowered recA expression. For survival at low pH, a recA mutant was approximately 10-fold more sensitive than strain 84-183, while the eno mutant demonstrated intermediate susceptibility. This difference occurred in the presence or absence of urea, implying the involvement of a gene in the recA region in an acid resistance mechanism distinct from that mediated by urease.

Characterization of the extracellular lipase, LipA, of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus BD413 and sequence analysis of the cloned structural gene

The extracellular lipase from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus BD413 was purified to homogeneity, via hydrophobic-interaction fast performance liquid chromatography (FPLC), from cultures grown in mineral medium with hexadecane as the sole carbon source. The enzyme has an apparent molecular mass of 32 kDa on SDS-polyacrylamide gels and hydrolyses long acyl chain p-nitrophenol (pNP) esters, like pNP palmitate (pNPP), with optimal activity between pH 7.8 and 8.8. Additionally, the enzyme shows activity towards triglycerides such as olive oil and tributyrin and towards egg-yolk emulsions. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the mature protein was determined, and via reverse genetics the structural lipase gene was cloned from a gene library of A. calcoaceticus DNA in Escherichia coli phage M13. Sequence analysis of a 2.1 kb chromosomal DNA fragment revealed one complete open reading frame, lipA, encoding a mature protein with a predicted molecular mass of 32.1 kDa. This protein shows high similarity to known lipases, especially Pseudomonas lipases, that are exported in a two-step secretion mechanism and require a lipase-specific chaperone. The identification of an export signal sequence at the N-terminus of the mature lipase suggests that the lipase of Acinetobacter is also exported via a two-step translocation mechanism. However, no chaperone-encoding gene was found downstream of lipA, unlike the situation in Pseudomonas. Analysis of an A. calcoaceticus mutant showing reduced lipase production revealed that a periplasmic disulphide oxidoreductase is involved in processing of the lipase. Via sequence alignments, based upon the crystal structure of the closely related Pseudomonas glumae lipase, a model has been made of the secondary-structure elements in AcLipA. The active site serine of AcLipA was changed to an alanine, via site-directed mutagenesis, resulting in production of an inactive extracellular lipase.

Bacterial gene transfer by natural genetic transformation in the environment

Natural genetic transformation is the active uptake of free DNA by bacterial cells and the heritable incorporation of its genetic information. Since the famous discovery of transformation in Streptococcus pneumoniae by Griffith in 1928 and the demonstration of DNA as the transforming principle by Avery and coworkers in 1944, cellular processes involved in transformation have been studied extensively by in vitro experimentation with a few transformable species. Only more recently has it been considered that transformation may be a powerful mechanism of horizontal gene transfer in natural bacterial populations. In this review the current understanding of the biology of transformation is summarized to provide the platform on which aspects of bacterial transformation in water, soil, and sediments and the habitat of pathogens are discussed. Direct and indirect evidence for gene transfer routes by transformation within species and between different species will be presented, along with data suggesting that plasmids as well as chromosomal DNA are subject to genetic exchange via transformation. Experiments exploring the prerequisites for transformation in the environment, including the production and persistence of free DNA and factors important for the uptake of DNA by cells, will be compiled, as well as possible natural barriers to transformation. The efficiency of gene transfer by transformation in bacterial habitats is possibly genetically adjusted to submaximal levels. The fact that natural transformation has been detected among bacteria from all trophic and taxonomic groups including archaebacteria suggests that transformability evolved early in phylogeny. Probable functions of DNA uptake other than gene acquisition will be discussed. The body of information presently available suggests that transformation has a great impact on bacterial population dynamics as well as on bacterial evolution and speciation.

Regulation of the expression of the Pseudomonas stutzeri recA gene

With the aid of recA-lacZ fusion strains, the in vivo regulation of the Pseudomonas stutzeri recA gene has been studied. It is shown that expression of this gene can be induced with a variety of DNA damaging agents, as well as with agents that interfere with DNA replication. For this induction, the presence of an active RecA protein is essential. Sequence analysis of the promoter region of the P. stutzeri recA gene showed that its open reading frame is preceded by an SOS-box, suggesting a regulation of its expression, similar to the regulation of recA expression in Escherichia coli.

High-frequency electroporation and maintenance of pUC- and pBR-based cloning vectors inPseudomonas stutzeri

A number of Escherichia coli cloning vectors, based on ColE1-like replicons, were shown to be maintained in Pseudomonas stutzeri ATCC 17588. A restrictionless mutant of P. stutzeri was isolated, and this strain was used to develop an efficient electroporation system. With the E. coli cloning vector pHSG298, transformation frequencies of up to 2 x 10(7) transformants/micrograms DNA were achieved. This frequency is comparable to that obtained for CaCl2-mediated transformation of E. coli; thus, direct cloning of DNA into P. stutzeri is feasible. As will be discussed, this may prove useful for cloning DNA from high mol% G + C genera in cases in which E. coli is not a suitable heterologous cloning host.

Characterization of transformation-deficient mutants of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus

Three Acinetobacter calcoaceticus transformation-deficient mutants, obtained by insertional mutagenesis with the nptll gene, have been characterized physiologically. One mutant (AAC211) was found to be completely transformation deficient, while two others, AAC213 and AAC214, were severely impaired in transformation efficiency (100-1000 times lower than the wild type). The latter applied to both chromosomal as well as plasmid DNA. Analysis of the chromosomal DNA fragments flanking the nptll gene in the mutants showed that mutants AAC213 and AAC214 had an insertion of the nptll gene in the same chromosomal region, but that they were the result of two independent mutational events, whereas the insertion in mutant AAC211 was at a different position. None of the three mutants showed phenotypic or genotypic characteristics typical of a RecA-deficient strain.