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Xue F, Ma X, Luo C, Li D, Shi G, Li Y. Construction of a bacteriophage-derived recombinase system in Bacillus licheniformis for gene deletion. AMB Express 2023; 13:89. [PMID: 37633871 PMCID: PMC10460339 DOI: 10.1186/s13568-023-01589-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacillus licheniformis and its related strains have found extensive applications in diverse industries, agriculture, and medicine. However, the current breeding methods for this strain primarily rely on natural screening and traditional mutagenesis. The limited availability of efficient genetic engineering tools, particularly recombination techniques, has hindered further advancements in its applications. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive investigation to identify and characterize a recombinase, RecT, derived from a Bacillus phage. Remarkably, the recombinase exhibited a 105-fold enhancement in the recombination efficiency of the strain. To facilitate genome editing, we developed a system based on the conditional expression of RecT using a rhamnose-inducible promoter (Prha). The efficacy of this system was evaluated by deleting the amyL gene, which encodes an α-amylase. Our findings revealed that the induction time and concentration of rhamnose, along with the generation time of the strain, significantly influenced the editing efficiency. Optimal conditions for genome editing were determined as follows: the wild-type strain was initially transformed with the genome editing plasmid, followed by cultivation and induction with 1.5% rhamnose for 8 h. Subsequently, the strain was further cultured for an additional 24 h, equivalent to approximately three generations. Consequently, the recombination efficiency reached an impressive 16.67%. This study represents a significant advancement in enhancing the recombination efficiency of B. licheniformis through the utilization of a RecT-based recombination system. Moreover, it provides a highly effective genome editing tool for genetic engineering applications in this strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Xue
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Cigar Fermentation, Cigar Technology Innovation Center of China Tobacco, Tobacco Sichuan Industrial Co., Ltd, Chengdu, 610000, P. R. China
| | - Xufan Ma
- National Engineering Research Center for Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, P. R. China
- Jiangsu Provincial Engineering Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, P. R. China
| | - Cheng Luo
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Cigar Fermentation, Cigar Technology Innovation Center of China Tobacco, Tobacco Sichuan Industrial Co., Ltd, Chengdu, 610000, P. R. China
| | - Dongliang Li
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Cigar Fermentation, Cigar Technology Innovation Center of China Tobacco, Tobacco Sichuan Industrial Co., Ltd, Chengdu, 610000, P. R. China
| | - Guiyang Shi
- National Engineering Research Center for Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, P. R. China
- Jiangsu Provincial Engineering Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, P. R. China
| | - Youran Li
- National Engineering Research Center for Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, P. R. China.
- Jiangsu Provincial Engineering Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, P. R. China.
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Cox MM, Goodman MF, Keck JL, van Oijen A, Lovett ST, Robinson A. Generation and Repair of Postreplication Gaps in Escherichia coli. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2023; 87:e0007822. [PMID: 37212693 PMCID: PMC10304936 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00078-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023] Open
Abstract
When replication forks encounter template lesions, one result is lesion skipping, where the stalled DNA polymerase transiently stalls, disengages, and then reinitiates downstream to leave the lesion behind in a postreplication gap. Despite considerable attention in the 6 decades since postreplication gaps were discovered, the mechanisms by which postreplication gaps are generated and repaired remain highly enigmatic. This review focuses on postreplication gap generation and repair in the bacterium Escherichia coli. New information to address the frequency and mechanism of gap generation and new mechanisms for their resolution are described. There are a few instances where the formation of postreplication gaps appears to be programmed into particular genomic locations, where they are triggered by novel genomic elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael M. Cox
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Myron F. Goodman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, University Park, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, University Park, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - James L. Keck
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Wisconsin—Madison School of Medicine, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Antoine van Oijen
- Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Susan T. Lovett
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Andrew Robinson
- Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
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Wasser D, Borst A, Hammelmann M, Ludt K, Soppa J. Characterization of Non-selected Intermolecular Gene Conversion in the Polyploid Haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:680854. [PMID: 34177864 PMCID: PMC8223754 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.680854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene conversion is defined as the non-reciprocal transfer of genetic information from one site to a homologous, but not identical site of the genome. In prokaryotes, gene conversion can increase the variance of sequences, like in antigenic variation, but can also lead to a homogenization of sequences, like in the concerted evolution of multigene families. In contrast to these intramolecular mechanisms, the intermolecular gene conversion in polyploid prokaryotes, which leads to the equalization of the multiple genome copies, has hardly been studied. We have previously shown the intermolecular gene conversion in halophilic and methanogenic archaea is so efficient that it can be studied without selecting for conversion events. Here, we have established an approach to characterize unselected intermolecular gene conversion in Haloferax volcanii making use of two genes that encode enzymes involved in carotenoid biosynthesis. Heterozygous strains were generated by protoplast fusion, and gene conversion was quantified by phenotype analysis or/and PCR. It was verified that unselected gene conversion is extremely efficient and it was shown that gene conversion tracts are much longer than in antigenic variation or concerted evolution in bacteria. Two sites were nearly always co-converted when they were 600 bp apart, and more than 30% co-conversion even occurred when two sites were 5 kbp apart. The gene conversion frequency was independent from the extent of genome differences, and even a one nucleotide difference triggered conversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Wasser
- Institute for Molecular Biosciences, Biocentre, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Andreas Borst
- Institute for Molecular Biosciences, Biocentre, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Mathias Hammelmann
- Institute for Molecular Biosciences, Biocentre, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Katharina Ludt
- Institute for Molecular Biosciences, Biocentre, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Jörg Soppa
- Institute for Molecular Biosciences, Biocentre, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
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The Plasmid Mobilome of the Model Plant-Symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti: Coming up with New Questions and Answers. Microbiol Spectr 2016; 2. [PMID: 26104371 DOI: 10.1128/microbiolspec.plas-0005-2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhizobia are Gram-negative Alpha- and Betaproteobacteria living in the underground which have the ability to associate with legumes for the establishment of nitrogen-fixing symbioses. Sinorhizobium meliloti in particular-the symbiont of Medicago, Melilotus, and Trigonella spp.-has for the past decades served as a model organism for investigating, at the molecular level, the biology, biochemistry, and genetics of a free-living and symbiotic soil bacterium of agricultural relevance. To date, the genomes of seven different S. meliloti strains have been fully sequenced and annotated, and several other draft genomic sequences are also available. The vast amount of plasmid DNA that S. meliloti frequently bears (up to 45% of its total genome), the conjugative ability of some of those plasmids, and the extent of the plasmid diversity has provided researchers with an extraordinary system to investigate functional and structural plasmid molecular biology within the evolutionary context surrounding a plant-associated model bacterium. Current evidence indicates that the plasmid mobilome in S. meliloti is composed of replicons varying greatly in size and having diverse conjugative systems and properties along with different evolutionary stabilities and biological roles. While plasmids carrying symbiotic functions (pSyms) are known to have high structural stability (approaching that of chromosomes), the remaining plasmid mobilome (referred to as the non-pSym, functionally cryptic, or accessory compartment) has been shown to possess remarkable diversity and to be highly active in conjugation. In light of the modern genomic and current biochemical data on the plasmids of S. meliloti, the current article revises their main structural components, their transfer and regulatory mechanisms, and their potential as vehicles in shaping the evolution of the rhizobial genome.
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Cooper DL, Lovett ST. Recombinational branch migration by the RadA/Sms paralog of RecA in Escherichia coli. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 26845522 PMCID: PMC4786428 DOI: 10.7554/elife.10807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2015] [Accepted: 02/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
RadA (also known as 'Sms') is a highly conserved protein, found in almost all eubacteria and plants, with sequence similarity to the RecA strand exchange protein and a role in homologous recombination. We investigate here the biochemical properties of the E. coli RadA protein and several mutant forms. RadA is a DNA-dependent ATPase, a DNA-binding protein and can stimulate the branch migration phase of RecA-mediated strand transfer reactions. RadA cannot mediate synaptic pairing between homologous DNA molecules but can drive branch migration to extend the region of heteroduplex DNA, even without RecA. Unlike other branch migration factors RecG and RuvAB, RadA stimulates branch migration within the context of the RecA filament, in the direction of RecA-mediated strand exchange. We propose that RadA-mediated branch migration aids recombination by allowing the 3’ invading strand to be incorporated into heteroduplex DNA and to be extended by DNA polymerases. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.10807.001 Damage to the DNA of a cell can cause serious harm, and so cells have several ways in which they can repair DNA. Most of these processes rely on the fact that each of the two strands that make up a DNA molecule can be used as a template to build the other strand. However, this is not possible if both strands of the DNA break in the same place. This form of damage can be repaired in a process called homologous recombination, which uses an identical copy of the broken DNA molecule to repair the broken strands. As a result, this process can only occur during cell division shortly after a cell has duplicated its DNA. One important step of homologous recombination is called strand exchange. This involves one of the broken strands swapping places with part of the equivalent strand in the intact DNA molecule. To do so, the strands of the intact DNA molecule separate in the region that will be used for the repair, and the broken strand can then use the other non-broken DNA strand as a template to replace any missing sections of DNA. The region of the intact DNA molecule where the strands need to separate often grows during this process: this is known as branch migration. In bacteria, a protein called RecA plays a fundamental role in controlling strand exchange, but there are other, similar proteins whose roles in homologous recombination are less well known. Cooper and Lovett have now purified one of these proteins, called RadA, from the Escherichia coli species of bacteriato study how it affects homologous recombination. This revealed that RadA can bind to single-stranded DNA and stimulate branch migration to increase the rate of homologous recombination. Further investigation revealed that RadA allows branch migration to occur even when RecA is missing, but that RadA is unable to begin strand exchange if RecA is not present. The process of branch migration stabilizes the DNA molecules during homologous recombination and may also allow the repaired DNA strand to engage the machinery that copies DNA. Cooper and Lovett also used genetic techniques to alter the structure of specific regions of RadA and found out which parts of the protein affect the ability of RadA to stimulate branch migration. Future challenges are to find out what effect RadA has on the structure of RecA and how RadA promotes branch migration. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.10807.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Deani L Cooper
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States.,Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States
| | - Susan T Lovett
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States.,Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States
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Biased Gene Conversion in Rhizobium etli Is Caused by Preferential Double-Strand Breaks on One of the Recombining Homologs. J Bacteriol 2015; 198:591-9. [PMID: 26598365 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00768-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Gene conversion, the nonreciprocal transfer of information during homologous recombination, is the main process that maintains identity between members of multigene families. Gene conversion in the nitrogenase (nifH) multigene family of Rhizobium etli was analyzed by using a two-plasmid system, where each plasmid carried a copy of nifH. One of the nifH copies was modified, creating restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) spaced along the gene. Once the modified plasmid was introduced into R. etli, selection was done for cointegration with a resident plasmid lacking the RFLPs. Most of the cointegrate molecules harbor gene conversion events, biased toward a gain of RFLPs. This bias may be explained under the double-strand break repair model by proposing that the nifH gene lacking the RFLPs suffers a DNA double-strand break, so the incoming plasmid functions as a template for repairing the homolog on the resident plasmid. To support this proposal, we cloned an SceI site into the nifH homolog that had the RFLPs used for scoring gene conversion. In vivo expression of the meganuclease I-SceI allowed the generation of a double-strand break on this homolog. Upon introduction of this modified plasmid into an R. etli strain lacking I-SceI, biased gene conversion still favored the retention of markers on the incoming plasmid. In contrast, when the recipient strain ectopically expressed I-SceI, a dramatic reversal in gene conversion bias was seen, favoring the preservation of resident sequences. These results show that biased gene conversion is caused by preferential double-strand breaks on one of the recombining homologs. IMPORTANCE In this work, we analyzed gene conversion by using a system that entails horizontal gene transfer followed by homologous recombination in the recipient cell. Most gene conversion events are biased toward the acquisition of the incoming sequences, ranging in size from 120 bp to 800 bp. This bias is due to preferential cutting of resident DNA and can be reversed upon introduction of a double-strand break on the incoming sequence. Since conditions used in this work are similar to those in horizontal gene transfer, it provides evidence that, upon transfer, the resident DNA preferentially acquires gene variants.
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Cooper DL, Boyle DC, Lovett ST. Genetic analysis of Escherichia coli RadA: functional motifs and genetic interactions. Mol Microbiol 2015; 95:769-79. [PMID: 25484163 PMCID: PMC4357459 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/01/2014] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The RadA/Sms protein is a RecA-related protein found universally in eubacteria and plants, implicated in processing of recombination intermediates. Here we show that the putative Zn finger, Walker A motif, KNRXG motif and Lon protease homology domain of the Escherichia coli RadA protein are required for DNA damage survival. RadA is unlikely to possess protease activity as the putative active site serine is not required. Mutants in RadA have strong synergistic phenotypes with those in the branch migration protein RecG. Sensitivity of radA recG mutants to azidothymidine (AZT) can be rescued by blocking recombination with recA or recF mutations or by overexpression of RuvAB, suggesting that lethal recombination intermediates accumulate in the absence of RadA and RecG. Synthetic genetic interactions for survival to AZT or ciprofloxacin exposure were observed between RadA and known or putative helicases including DinG, Lhr, PriA, Rep, RuvAB, UvrD, YejH and YoaA. These represent the first affected phenotypes reported for Lhr, YejH and YoaA. The specificity of these effects sheds new light on the role of these proteins in DNA damage avoidance and repair and implicates a role in replication gap processing for DinG and YoaA and a role in double-strand break repair for YejH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deani L Cooper
- Department of Biology and Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02454-9110, USA
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Induction of the homologous recombination system by hexavalent chromium in Rhizobium etli. Microbiol Res 2014; 170:223-8. [PMID: 24985093 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2014.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2014] [Revised: 05/14/2014] [Accepted: 06/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Induction of homologous recombination in Rhizobium etli to repair the DNA damage caused by hexavalent chromium (Cr) was evaluated. Mutants in recombination genes such as addA, recF, recA, ruvB, recG, and a double mutant ruvBrecG showed different sensitivity levels to Cr. As expected, the recA mutant showed the highest susceptibility, while complementation restored the Cr-resistant phenotype, similar to the wild-type strain. Small plasmid recombination increased up to 30-fold in the presence of Cr (0.05 mM) in the wild-type strain, while no change was observed in the recA mutant. A 20-fold increase in small plasmid recombination was also observed in the addA mutant in the presence of Cr. In addition, the ruvB mutant showed similar increases with Cr exposure to the wild-type strain, suggesting that other genetic elements may substitute its important role during recombination. Interestingly, continuous Cr exposure (0.05 mM) clearly induced the genetic expression of addA, recA, and ruvB genes. Finally, recombination mutants also showed susceptibility to other DNA-damaging agents such as tellurite and selenite. Together, these results confirm the induction and significance of the R. etli homologous recombination system to repair DNA damage caused by hexavalent Cr.
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Giusti MDLÁ, Pistorio M, Lozano MJ, Tejerizo GAT, Salas ME, Martini MC, López JL, Draghi WO, Del Papa MF, Pérez-Mendoza D, Sanjuán J, Lagares A. Genetic and functional characterization of a yet-unclassified rhizobial Dtr (DNA-transfer-and-replication) region from a ubiquitous plasmid conjugal system present in Sinorhizobium meliloti, in Sinorhizobium medicae, and in other nonrhizobial Gram-negative bacteria. Plasmid 2012; 67:199-210. [PMID: 22233546 DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2011.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2011] [Revised: 11/24/2011] [Accepted: 12/01/2011] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Rhizobia are Gram-negative bacteria that live in soils and associate with leguminous plants to establish nitrogen-fixing symbioses. The ability of these bacteria to undergo horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is thought to be one of the main features to explain both the origin of their symbiotic life-style and the plasticity and dynamics of their genomes. In our laboratory we have previously characterized at the species level the non-pSym plasmid mobilome in Sinorhizobium meliloti, the symbiont of Medicago spp., and have found a high incidence of conjugal activity in many plasmids (Pistorio et al., 2008). In this work we characterized the Dtr (DNA-transfer-and-replication) region of one of those plasmids, pSmeLPU88b. This mobilization region was found to represent a previously unclassified Dtr type in rhizobia (hereafter type-IV), highly ubiquitous in S. meliloti and found in other genera of Gram-negative bacteria as well; including Agrobacterium, Ochrobactrum, and Chelativorans. The oriT of the type-IV Dtr described here could be located by function within a DNA fragment of 278 bp, between the divergent genes parA and mobC. The phylogenetic analysis of the cognate relaxase MobZ indicated that this protein groups close to the previously defined MOB(P3) and MOB(P4) type of enzymes, but is located in a separate and novel cluster that we have designated MOB(P0). Noteworthy, MOB(P0) and MOB(P4) relaxases were frequently associated with plasmids present in rhizospheric soil bacteria. A comparison of the nod-gene locations with the phylogenetic topology of the rhizobial relaxases revealed that the symbiotic genes are found on diverse plasmids bearing any of the four Dtr types, thus indicating that pSym plasmids are not specifically associated with any particular mobilization system. Finally, we demonstrated that the type-IV Dtr promoted the mobilization of plasmids from S. meliloti to Sinorhizobium medicae as well as from these rhizobia to other bacteria by means of their own helper functions. The results present an as-yet-unclassified and seemingly ubiquitous conjugal system that provides a mechanistic support for the HGT between sympatric rhizobia of Medicago roots, and between other soil and rhizospheric bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- María de los Ángeles Giusti
- Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular (IBBM)-CCT-CONICET-La Plata, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
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Orozco-Mosqueda MDC, Altamirano-Hernandez J, Farias-Rodriguez R, Valencia-Cantero E, Santoyo G. Homologous recombination and dynamics of rhizobial genomes. Res Microbiol 2009; 160:733-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.resmic.2009.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2009] [Revised: 09/17/2009] [Accepted: 09/21/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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