Bacteriophage T4 transformation: an assay for mutations induced in vitro

Efficient plasmid transformation of Streptomyces ambofaciens and Streptomyces fradiae protoplasts

A procedure for efficient transformation of Streptomyces ambofaciens and Streptomyces fradiae protoplasts with plasmid DNA was developed. Transformation frequencies with S. fradiae protoplasts were strongly influenced by the temperatures for cell growth, protoplast formation, and protoplast regeneration. Transformation frequencies for both species were also influenced by the culture age before protoplast formation, the source and concentration of polyethylene glycol, the transformation-inducing agent, the concentration of protoplasts used in the transformation procedure, and the number of protoplasts added to regeneration plates. Transformation frequencies were substantially higher for both species when calf thymus DNA and protamine sulfate were added to the transformation mix. With S. fradiae, transformation frequencies were much lower with plasmid DNA prepared from other species than with the same plasmids prepared from S. fradiae, suggesting that S. fradiae expresses restriction and modification. With the modified transformation procedures using DNA prepared from homologous hosts, S. ambofaciens and S. fradiae are now transformed routinely at frequencies of 10(6) to 10(7) transformants per micrograms of plasmid DNA.

Advances in protoplast fusion and transformation in Streptomyces

Rapid advances have been made in recent years on protoplast research in the economically important Streptomyces. The use of protoplasts has facilitated the development of efficient techniques for intra- and interspecific genetic recombination by fusion and by gene cloning. This report summarizes current protoplast methodologies as they relate to both protoplast fusion and genetic transformation, points out some genetic instabilities associated with protoplast techniques, and speculates on future directions to broaden the applications of protoplasts for heterospecific gene recombination and cloning in Streptomyces.

The purification of nuclease-free T4-RNA ligase

RNA ligase has been highly purified in good yields from bacteriophage T4-infected Escherichia coli by a rapid and reproducible procedure. The enzyme is free of phosphomonoesterase and ribonuclease activities and is therefore suitable for the synthesis of oligoribonucleotides and for the labeling of the 3'-terminus of RNA. Greater than 90% of the protein in the enzyme preparation migrates as a single band on gradient polyacrylamide gels containing sodium dodecyl sulfate during electrophoresis. For use as a DNA synthesis reagent the enzyme may be reliably freed of deoxyribonuclease activity by an additional chromatographic procedure using a commercially avialable resin.

9-Aminoacridine mutagenesis of bacteriophage T4 intracellular DNA

Most of the intracellular T4 DNA made in the presence of 9-aminoacridine is of lower molecular weight than mature T4 DNA and does not get packaged into phage particles. Using a T4 DNA transformation assay, we have examined this intracellular T4 DNA for its content of 9-aminoacridine-induced revertants of certain rII gene frameshift mutations. The proportion of acridine-induced revertants in the intracellular DNA population is close to that found in the phage progency made in the presence of 9-aminoacridine. Thus, the generation of low molecular weight T4 DNA in the presence of 9-aminoacridine is not, in itself, also a mutagenic process.

T4-induced RNA ligase joins single-stranded oligoribonucleotides

RNA ligase isolated from Escherichia coli infected with bacteriophage T4 will catalyze the formation of an intermolecular 3' leads to 5' phosphodiester linkage between an oligoribonucleotide with a free 3'-hydroxyl and another oligoribonucleotide with a 5'-phosphate. Upon reaction with (Ap)5C, nearly quantitative conversion of the hexamer [5'-32P]p(Up)5U to the dodecamer (Ap)5C[3' leads to 5'-32P]p(Up)5U was observed. The product was identified by its mobility on RPC-5 column chromatography, its resistance to alkaline phosphatase, and the appearance of the expected radiolabeled products on hydrolysis with alkali, ribonuclease A, snake venom phosphodiesterase, and spleen phosphodiesterase. The coupling of other pairs of single-stranded oligoribonucleotides has also been demonstrated. The intermolecular joining reaction is probably mechanistically similar to the intramolecular cyclization activity previously reported for Tr RNA ligase. It is expected that this enzyme will be useful for the synthesis of RNA fragments of defined sequence.