Evidence for a restriction/modification-like system in Anacystis nidulans infected by cyanophage AS-1

Combined Effects of Elevated pCO2 and Warming Facilitate Cyanophage Infections

Elevated pCO2 and warming are generally expected to influence cyanobacterial growth, and may promote the formation of blooms. Yet, both climate change factors may also influence cyanobacterial mortality by favoring pathogens, such as viruses, which will depend on the ability of the host to adapt. To test this hypothesis, we grew Plectonema boryanum IU597 under two temperature (25 and 29°C) and two pCO2 (400 and 800 μatm) conditions for 1 year, after which all treatments were re-exposed to control conditions for a period of 3 weeks. At several time points during the 1 year period, and upon re-exposure, we measured various infection characteristics of it associated cyanophage PP, including the burst size, latent period, lytic cycle and the efficiency of plaquing (EOP). As expected, elevated pCO2 promoted growth of P. boryanum equally over the 1 year period, but warming did not. Burst size increased in the warm treatment, but decreased in both the elevated pCO2 and combined treatment. The latent period and lytic cycle both became shorter in the elevated pCO2 and higher temperature treatment, and were further reduced by the combined effect of both factors. Efficiency of plaquing (EOP) decreased in the elevated pCO2 treatment, increased in the warm treatment, and increased even stronger in the combined treatment. These findings indicate that elevated pCO2 enhanced the effect of warming, thereby further promoting the virus infection rate. The re-exposure experiments demonstrate adaptation of the host leading to higher biomass build-up with elevated pCO2 over the experimental period, and lower performance upon re-exposure to control conditions. Similarly, virus burst size and EOP increased when given warm adapted host, but were lower as compared to the control when the host was re-exposed to control conditions. Our results demonstrate that adaptation but particularly physiological acclimation to climate change conditions favored viral infections, while limited host plasticity and slow adaptation after re-exposure to control conditions impeded host biomass build-up and viral infections.

Restriction-modification system in bacteriophage MB78

Restriction-modification system is present in bacteria to protect the cells against phage infection. Interestingly, the bacteriophage MB78, a virulent phage of Salmonella typhimurium possesses restriction-modification system. Permissive host transformed with plasmid having the genomic fragment of MB78 carrying the putative restriction-modification genes severely restrict the growth of the phage 9NA. Growth of phage MB78 is also restricted to some extent. However, the temperate phage P22 is not restricted at all. Cloning of the the putative restriction-modification genes has been done in both orientations in different vectors. The clones carrying the genes in the same orientation as that of the lacZ in pUC19 are mostly unstable. However, those are stable when cloned in opposite orientation. Viability of the transformants is strain-, orientation-, and medium-dependent. The two genes have also been cloned individually/separately. Hosts carrying only the modification gene do not restrict growth of phages while the hosts carrying only the restriction gene do. The former produces stable transformants while the latter produces very unstable transformants which were viable only upto 36 h or so. The colonies carrying modification gene were normal looking while those carrying the restriction gene were tiny, flat, and looked distressed resembling very much the clones carrying bacterial restriction-modification system. Amplification of the genes and subsequent cloning in expression vector will be carried out for characterization of the enzymes.

Cleavage and sequence recognition of 2,6-diaminopurine-containing DNA by site-specific endonucleases

The susceptibility of 2,6-diaminopurine (DAP)-containing bacteriophage DNA to several restriction and other endonucleases was examined. With the only exception of TaqI, these enzymes did not accept the modified base as a substitute for adenine. The phage DNA was extensively fragmented by the restriction endonucleases which recognize only G and C-containing sites. 5'-terminal analysis of the MspI and SmaI fragments revealed that d(DAP-T) basepairs can be mistaken by some enzymes for d(G-C) pairs.

Restriction endonuclease activity induced by PBCV-1 virus infection of a Chlorella-like green alga

An enzyme was isolated from a eucaryotic, Chlorella-like green alga infected with the virus PBCV-1 which exhibits type II restriction endonuclease activity. The enzyme recognized the sequence GATC and cleaved DNA 5' to the G. Methylation of deoxyadenosine in the GATC sequence inhibited enzyme activity. In vitro the enzyme cleaved host Chlorella nuclear DNA but not viral DNA because host DNA contains GATC and PBCV-1 DNA contains GmATC sequences. PBCV-1 DNA is probably methylated in vivo by the PBCV-1-induced methyltransferase described elsewhere (Y. Xia and J. L. Van Etten, Mol. Cell. Biol. 6:1440-1445). Restriction endonuclease activity was first detected 30 to 60 min after viral infection; the appearance of enzyme activity required de novo protein synthesis, and the enzyme is probably virus encoded. Appearance of enzyme activity coincided with the onset of host DNA degradation after PBCV-1 infection. We propose that the PBCV-1-induced restriction endonuclease participates in host DNA degradation and is part of a virus-induced restriction and modification system in PBCV-1-infected Chlorella cells.

Restriction endonuclease activity induced by PBCV-1 virus infection of a Chlorella-like green alga

An enzyme was isolated from a eucaryotic, Chlorella-like green alga infected with the virus PBCV-1 which exhibits type II restriction endonuclease activity. The enzyme recognized the sequence GATC and cleaved DNA 5' to the G. Methylation of deoxyadenosine in the GATC sequence inhibited enzyme activity. In vitro the enzyme cleaved host Chlorella nuclear DNA but not viral DNA because host DNA contains GATC and PBCV-1 DNA contains GmATC sequences. PBCV-1 DNA is probably methylated in vivo by the PBCV-1-induced methyltransferase described elsewhere (Y. Xia and J. L. Van Etten, Mol. Cell. Biol. 6:1440-1445). Restriction endonuclease activity was first detected 30 to 60 min after viral infection; the appearance of enzyme activity required de novo protein synthesis, and the enzyme is probably virus encoded. Appearance of enzyme activity coincided with the onset of host DNA degradation after PBCV-1 infection. We propose that the PBCV-1-induced restriction endonuclease participates in host DNA degradation and is part of a virus-induced restriction and modification system in PBCV-1-infected Chlorella cells.