Purification of galactokinase mRNA from Saccharomyces cerevisiae by indirect immunoprecipitation

Transcriptional units of GAL genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae determined by ultraviolet light mapping

The size of the transcriptional unit of the structural genes for three galactose-metabolizing enzymes which form a cluster on chromosome II in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was studied by the ultraviolet light (UV)-mapping technique. Thus the size of the primary transcripts of GAL7 for galactose-1-phosphate uridylyl transferase, GAL10 for uridine diphosphoglucose 4-epimerase, or GAL1 for galactokinase were estimated to be 0.81 x 10(6), 1.1 x 10(6), or 1.3 x 10(6) respectively. In the light of these data together with the known directions of transcription of the genes, we concluded that each of three genes was transcribed from its own promoter.

Analysis of the Pseudomonas solanacearum polygalacturonase encoded by pglA and its involvement in phytopathogenicity

A major endopolygalacturonase excreted by Pseudomonas solanacearum was purified to greater than 95% homogeneity and shown to have an isoelectric point of 9.0 and a subunit molecular mass of 52 kilodaltons (kDa). The gene encoding this enzyme (pglA) was isolated from a genomic library of P. solanacearum DNA based on its expression in Escherichia coli and shown to be contained on a 1.8-kilobase DNA fragment. The identity of the pglA gene product and the 52-kDa polygalacturonase was demonstrated by immunoadsorption and isoelectric focusing experiments. The cloned pglA gene was apparently expressed from its own promoter in E. coli and its product was partially secreted into the periplasm. The pglA gene was insertionally inactivated in vitro and used to mutate the chromosomal pglA gene of P. solanacearum by marker exchange mutagenesis. The resulting mutant strain was deficient in production of the 52-kDa polygalacturonase and took twice as long to wilt and kill tomato plants as the wild-type parent in plant bioassay experiments. Complementation in trans with the wild-type cloned pglA gene restored virulence to near wild-type levels. The data indicate that the pglA gene is important, but not absolutely necessary, for pathogenesis.

Sequence of the Saccharomyces GAL region and its transcription in vivo

In Saccharomyces, the enzymes used to convert galactose to glucose are specified by three coordinately expressed, tightly linked genes, GAL7, GAL10, and GAL1. These genes are induced by galactose and are controlled by the positive regulator gene gal4 and the negative regulator gene gal80. GAL81 mutations, which are known to alter the gal4 protein, produce a constitutive phenotype. We have cloned fragments of Saccharomyces carlsbergensis DNA that span 26.3 kilobases surrounding the three clustered GAL genes. About 5 kilobases of the sequence was determined, which includes the entire GAL1 gene, the two intercistronic regions, and portions of the coding sequences of GAL10 and GAL7. Some amino acid homology between the GAL1 gene product, galactokinase, and the Escherichia coli galactokinase was detected. By using various Saccharomyces DNA fragments, the accumulation of GAL1 and GAL10 RNA in yeast cells after induction with galactose was studied. Our results, using wild-type, gal4-, gal80-, and GAL81-1- yeast cells, support the hypothesis that control is exerted at the transcriptional level.

Purification and properties of galactokinase from Tetrahymena thermophila

Galactokinase (EC 2.7.1.6; ATP: D-galactose-1-phosphototransferase) was purified 152-fold with an 11% yield from Tetrahymena thermophila maximally derepressed for enzyme synthesis in late stationary phase. The purification procedure utilized sequential acid precipitation, batch DEAE-Sephacel chromatography, differential ammonium sulfate precipitation and narrow range electrofocusing. The apparent molecular weight of the holoenzyme as determined by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 is 50000-55000. The holoenzyme consists of two subunits of approx. 28000 daltons each, as determined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The native enzyme appears to be a single species with an isoelectric point at pH 5.1. Optimal activity was obtained at pH 7.8 and 41 degrees C, with no added monovalent salt. D-Galactose, 2-deoxygalactose and galactosamine all are suitable carbohydrate substrates for the stereospecific galactokinase; only substitution at the C-2 position of galactose retains enzyme recognition. The enzyme utilizes ATP, 2'-dATP and 3'-dATP as phosphate donors; ADP and adenosine-5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate are inhibitory. The Km values for galactose and ATP were determined to be 0.60 mM and 0.15 mM, respectively. The enzyme requires a divalent cation for activity, with effectiveness being in the order: Mg2+ greater than Co2+ greater than Mn2+ greater than Fe2+. Galactokinases from all eucaryotic sources studied thus far seem to be very similar. Based upon the results reported here, the galactokinases from Tetrahymena and yeast appear to be most similar in their biophysical and biochemical properties.

Zein level in maize endosperm depends on a protein under control of the opaque-2 and opaque-6 loci

Zeins, the major endosperm proteins of maize, represent about 50% of total seed proteins and consist of several alcohol-soluble polypeptides encoded by at least four families of genes. The accumulation of zeins is under the control of several broadly defined regulatory genes. One of these, the opaque-2 mutant, lowers the level of zeins, thus improving the nutritional quality of maize meals. We demonstrate here that a salt-soluble protein of molecular weight 32,000 (b-32) is under control of O2. Seven o2 recessive alleles are CRM- when assayed with b-32 antibody. The O2 gene does not encode protein b-32, which apparently is the gene product of the O6 locus. 06 endosperms are CRM- for b-32 protein and are almost devoid of zeins. This indicates that b-32 plays an important role in accumulation of zeins.

Cloning and expression of the yeast galactokinase gene in an Escherichia coli plasmid

This report describes the construction and isolation of a plasmid, derived from pBR322, which carries a BglII restriction fragment of DNA containing the galactokinase gene from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This was accomplished by the following procedure: (1) Purified galactokinase mRNA, labelled with 125I, was hybridized to BglII digests of yeast DNA employing Southern's filter transfer technique to identify a restriction fragment containing the galactokinase gene. (2) This fragment was partially purified by agarose gel electrophoresis, ligated into the BamHI site of pBR322 and transformed into Escherichia coli to generate a clone bank containing the galactokinase gene. (3) This bank was screened by in situ colony hybridization with galactokinase mRNA resulting in the identification of a plasmid carrying this gene. This plasmid DNA hybridized with the galactokinase mRNA to the same extent in the presence of absence of a large excess of unlabelled mRNA from cells that were not induced for galactokinase synthesis, while the same amount of unlabelled galactose-induced mRNA reduced the hybridization by 95%. When this plasmid was introduced into an E. coli strain deleted for the galactose operon it caused the synthesis of low levels of yeast galactokinase activity.