New derivatives of transposon Tn5 suitable for mobilization of replicons, generation of operon fusions and induction of genes in gram-negative bacteria. - Related Documents




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39101.0000New derivatives of transposon Tn5 suitable for mobilization of replicons, generation of operon fusions and induction of genes in gram-negative bacteria. Three types of new variants of the broad-host-range transposon Tn5 are described. (i) Tn5-mob derivatives with the new selective resistance (R) markers GmR, SpR and TcR facilitate the efficient mobilization of replicons within a wide range of Gram-negative bacteria. (ii) Promoter probe transposons carry the promoterless reporter genes lacZ, nptII, or luc, and NmR, GmR or TcR as selective markers. These transposons can be used to generate transcriptional fusions upon insertion, thus facilitating accurate determinations of gene expression. (iii) Tn5-P-out derivatives carry the npt- or tac-promoter reading out from the transposon, and TcR, NmR or GmR genes. These variants allow the constitutive expression of downstream genes. The new Tn5 variants are available on mobilizable Escherichia coli vectors suitable as suicidal carriers for transposon mutagenesis of non-E. coli recipients and some on a phage lambda mutant to be used for transposon mutagenesis in E. coli.19892551782
38110.9995A panel of Tn7-based vectors for insertion of the gfp marker gene or for delivery of cloned DNA into Gram-negative bacteria at a neutral chromosomal site. The use of Tn7-based systems for site-specific insertion of DNA into the chromosome of Gram-negative bacteria has been limited due to the lack of appropriate vectors. We therefore developed a flexible panel of Tn7 delivery vectors. In one group of vectors, the miniTn7 element, which is inserted into the chromosome, contains a multiple cloning site (MCS) and the kanamycin, streptomycin or gentamicin resistance markers. Another group of vectors intended for tagging with green fluorescent protein (GFP) carries the gfpmut3* gene controlled by the modified lac promoter PA1/04/03, several transcriptional terminators, and various resistance markers. These vectors insert Tn7 into a specific, neutral intergenic region immediately downstream of the gene encoding glucosamine-6-phosphate synthetase (GlmS) in the tested fluorescent Pseudomonas strains. The gfp-tagging vector containing a gentamicin-resistance marker is useful for tagging strains carrying a Tn5 transposon. Tn5 transposons often carry kanamycin-resistance-encoding genes and are frequently used to generate bacterial mutants and to deliver reporter constructions in gene expression studies. To demonstrate the utility of a dual marker/reporter system, the Tn7-gfp marker system was combined with a Tn5-delivered luxAB reporter system in Pseudomonas fluorescens. The system allowed detection of gfp-tagged cells in the barley rhizosphere, while expression of the Tn5-tagged locus could be determined by measuring bioluminescence.200111348676
37720.9994Construction of improved plasmid vectors for promoter characterization in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other gram-negative bacteria. We report the construction of two broad host range promoter-probe plasmid vectors for rapid analysis of promoters in Gram-negative bacteria. The new vectors, pME4507 and pME4510, carry carbenicillin and gentamycin resistance genes, respectively, and are small sized (4 kb) with a flexible multiple cloning site to facilitate directional cloning of putative promoter elements. The vectors allow rapid plate-based screening for promoter activities, using beta-galactosidase as the reporter enzyme. In the absence of an inserted promoter fragment, they display very low background activity, making them a useful tool for analysis of low expression level promoters.19989851050
37830.9994Construction and use of a self-cloning promoter probe vector for gram-negative bacteria. Transposon Tn5 has been used extensively for the genetic analysis of Gram- bacteria. We describe here the construction and use of a Tn5 derivative which contains the ColE1 origin of DNA replication, thereby allowing the cloning of DNA adjacent to the Tn without the need for construction of genomic libraries. The Tn is derived from Tn5-B21 [Simon et al., Gene 80 (1989) 161-169] and contains a promoter-probe lacZ gene and genes encoding resistance to tetracycline and beta-lactams. It is housed within a mobilisable suicide plasmid which can be transferred to a wide range of Gram- bacteria. The Tn was tested using pyoverdine siderophore-synthesis genes (pvd) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The simple cloning procedure allowed 15.9 kb of pvd-associated DNA to be cloned; in addition, the lacZ reporter gene allowed the transcription of pvd genes to be studied. The bacteria were resistant to carbenicillin only if the Tn (and hence the beta-lactamase-encoding gene) was downstream from an active promoter.19938386128
38440.9994Broad-host-range mobilizable suicide vectors for promoter trapping in gram-negative bacteria. Here we report the construction of three different vectors for the identification of bacterial genes induced in vitro and/or in vivo. These plasmids contain kanamycin, gentamicin, or tetracycline resistance genes as selectable markers. A promoterless cat and an improved GFP (mut3-gfp) can be used to follow the induction of gene expression by measuring chloramphenicol resistance and fluorescence, respectively.200212449381
34950.9994Mini-Tn5 transposon derivatives for insertion mutagenesis, promoter probing, and chromosomal insertion of cloned DNA in gram-negative eubacteria. A collection of Tn5-derived minitransposons has been constructed that simplifies substantially the generation of insertion mutants, in vivo fusions with reporter genes, and the introduction of foreign DNA fragments into the chromosome of a variety of gram-negative bacteria, including the enteric bacteria and typical soil bacteria like Pseudomonas species. The minitransposons consist of genes specifying resistance to kanamycin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin-spectinomycin, and tetracycline as selection markers and a unique NotI cloning site flanked by 19-base-pair terminal repeat sequences of Tn5. Further derivatives also contain lacZ, phoA, luxAB, or xylE genes devoid of their native promoters located next to the terminal repeats in an orientation that affords the generation of gene-operon fusions. The transposons are located on a R6K-based suicide delivery plasmid that provides the IS50R transposase tnp gene in cis but external to the mobile element and whose conjugal transfer to recipients is mediated by RP4 mobilization functions in the donor.19902172217
38060.9993Expression of a chloramphenicol-resistance determinant carried on hybrid plasmids in gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. To analyse the control of chloramphenicol (Cm) resistance conferred by the Staphylococcus aureus plasmid pUB112, a detailed restriction map of this plasmid has been constructed, and the position and orientation of the cat gene have been determined. An MboI restriction fragment carrying the entire cat gene of pUB112 was then cloned in another S. aureus plasmid, the kanamycin (Km) resistance vector pUB110. Depending on the orientation of the incorporated cat fragment, the level of Cm resistance varied dramatically in Bacillus subtilis cells. This effect could not be eliminated by deleting parts of the vector DNA, and only the introduction of a transcription termination signal led to orientation-independent Cm resistance. One such construct was further developed to yield a shuttle vector, replicating both in Escherichia coli and B. subtilis. Using this vector the expression of incorporated genes can be determined in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. By in vitro transcription experiments using pUB110 DNA linearized with various restriction endonucleases as template, two pUB110 promoters could be localized and their orientations determined: one promoter controls a gene whose function is unknown, the other regulates the transcription of the KmR gene.19846442250
38370.9993Construction of improved vectors and cassettes containing gusA and antibiotic resistance genes for studies of transcriptional activity and bacterial localization. Broad-host-range, conjugative vectors with a constitutively expressed gusA gene combined with different antibiotic resistance (tetracycline, gentamicin, kanamycin) genes have been constructed. These plasmids are designed for tracking Gram-negative bacterial strains without the risk of random mutagenesis. We also constructed a set of cassettes containing a promoterless gusA gene linked with different antibiotic resistance genes for making transcriptional fusions and for cassette mutagenesis. New plasmids and cassettes can be useful tools for studying gene expression, interaction of bacteria with plants and monitoring bacteria in the environment.200111348677
37980.9992Broad host range DNA cloning system for gram-negative bacteria: construction of a gene bank of Rhizobium meliloti. A broad host range cloning vehicle that can be mobilized at high frequency into Gram-negative bacteria has been constructed from the naturally occurring antibiotic resistance plasmid RK2. The vehicle is 20 kilobase pairs in size, encodes tetracycline resistance, and contains two single restriction enzyme sites suitable for cloning. Mobilization is effected by a helper plasmid consisting of the RK2 transfer genes linked to a ColE1 replicon. By use of this plasmid vehicle, a gene bank of the DNA from a wild-type strain of Rhizobium meliloti has been constructed and established in Escherichia coli. One of the hybrid plasmids in the bank contains a DNA insert of approximately 26 kilobase pairs which has homology to the nitrogenase structural gene region of Klebsiella pneumoniae.19807012838
39290.9992Stable Tagging of Rhizobium meliloti with the Firefly Luciferase Gene for Environmental Monitoring. A system for stable tagging of gram-negative bacteria with the firefly luciferase gene, luc, is described. A previously constructed fusion constitutively expressing luc from the lambdap(R) promoter was used. Stable integration into the bacterial genome was achieved by use of mini-Tn5 delivery vectors. The procedure developed was applied for tagging of representative gram-negative bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, Rhizobium meliloti, Pseudomonas putida, and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The system permitted the detection of tagged R. meliloti in the presence of more than 10 CFU per plate without the use of any selective markers (such as antibiotic resistance genes). No significant differences in growth rates or soil survival were found between the marked strain and the wild-type strain. Studies of bioluminescent R. meliloti also revealed a good correlation between cell biomass and bioluminescence. The firefly luciferase tagging system is an easy, safe, and sensitive method for the detection and enumeration of bacteria in the environment.199316349015
388100.9992Improved bacterial hosts for regulated expression of genes from lambda pL plasmid vectors. The construction and use of a set of Escherichia coli strains with defective lambda prophages that facilitate expression of genes cloned in lambda pL-plasmid vectors is described. These bacteria allow high and regulated expression of such genes, whereas a kanamycin-resistance marker (KmR) on the prophage allows easy identification and genetic transfer from strain to strain. Optimal conditions for examining gene expression with the pL-vector systems using these strains are discussed.19938406046
389110.9992Implantation of unmarked regulatory and metabolic modules in Gram-negative bacteria with specialised mini-transposon delivery vectors. Engineering of robust and safe microbial cell factories requires genetic tools somewhat different from those traditionally used for laboratory-adapted microorganisms. We took advantage of the properties of broad-host-range mini-Tn5 vectors and two regulated expression systems (LacI(Q)/P(trc) and XylS/Pm), together with FRT-flanked, excisable antibiotic resistance determinants, to generate a set of vectors for the delivery of gene(s) into the chromosome of Gram-negative bacteria. This arrangement of modular elements allows the cloning and subsequent markerless insertion of expression cargoes and leaves behind an antibiotic-sensitive host upon the action of the yeast Flp recombinase. We engineered a Pseudomonas putida KT2440 Pm::gfp strain that displayed strong fluorescence upon exposure to 3-methylbenzoate, a XylS effector, and allowed us to examine the performance of the Pm promoter at the single cell level. We also reconstructed a device for sugar transport and phosphorylation in Escherichia coli independent of the native phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system by the stable implantation of genes derived from the obligate anaerobe Zymomonas mobilis. In both cases, the information carried by the implanted genes was stably inherited in the absence of any selective pressure. Deliverable expression systems such as those described here will enhance the applicability of various Gram-negative bacteria in biocatalysis and environmental bioremediation.201322609234
352120.9991Transposon vectors containing non-antibiotic resistance selection markers for cloning and stable chromosomal insertion of foreign genes in gram-negative bacteria. A simple procedure for cloning and stable insertion of foreign genes into the chromosomes of gram-negative eubacteria was developed by combining in two sets of plasmids (i) the transposition features of Tn10 and Tn5; (ii) the resistances to the herbicide bialaphos, to mercuric salts and organomercurial compounds, and to arsenite, and (iii) the suicide delivery properties of the R6K-based plasmid pGP704. The resulting constructions contained unique NotI or SfiI sites internal to either the Tn10 or the Tn5 inverted repeats. These sites were readily used for cloning DNA fragments with the help of two additional specialized cloning plasmids, pUC18Not and pUC18Sfi. The newly derived constructions could be maintained only in donor host strains that produce the R6K-specified pi protein, which is an essential replication protein for R6K and plasmids derived therefrom. Donor plasmids containing hybrid transposons were transformed into a specialized lambda pir lysogenic Escherichia coli strain with a chromosomally integrated RP4 that provided broad-host-range conjugal transfer functions. Delivery of the donor plasmids into selected host bacteria was accomplished through mating with the target strain. Transposition of the hybrid transposon from the delivered suicide plasmid to a replicon in the target cell was mediated by the cognate transposase encoded on the plasmid at a site external to the transposon. Since the transposase function was not maintained in target cells, such cells were not immune to further transposition rounds. Multiple insertions in the same strain are therefore only limited by the availability of distinct selection markers. The utility of the system was demonstrated with a kanamycin resistance gene as a model foreign insert into Pseudomonas putida and a melanin gene from Streptomyces antibioticus into Klebsiella pneumoniae. Because of the modular nature of the functional parts of the cloning vectors, they can be easily modified and further selection markers can be incorporated. The cloning system described here will be particularly useful for the construction of hybrid bacteria that stably maintain inserted genes, perhaps in competitive situations (e.g., in open systems and natural environments), and that do not carry antibiotic resistance markers characteristic of most available cloning vectors (as is currently required of live bacterial vaccines).19902172216
289130.9991A genetic system that reports transient activation of genes in Bacillus. Site-specific recombination is a powerful tool for precise excision of DNA fragments. We used this characteristic to construct a genetic system to report the transient activation of a promoter by promoting the stable acquisition of an antibiotic resistance marker by the bacterium. The system is composed of two compatible plasmid derivatives from Gram-positive bacteria. One of the plasmids allows the insertion of promoters upstream from tnpI, which encodes the site-specific recombinase of Tn4430. The second plasmid carries two selectable resistance genes: one is flanked by two site-specific recombination sequences and is lost following recombination; in contrast, the other resistance gene becomes functional after the site-specific recombination event. By inserting conditionally controlled promoters (the xylose-inducible xylA promoter or the plcA promoter whose expression is dependent on the growth medium) upstream of tnpI, we demonstrated that our genetic system responds to signals inducing transcription by conferring a new resistance phenotype to the host bacteria. Thus, this system can be used to identify genes which are transiently or conditionally expressed.19979427554
429140.9991An integrative vector exploiting the transposition properties of Tn1545 for insertional mutagenesis and cloning of genes from gram-positive bacteria. We have constructed and used an integrative vector, pAT112, that takes advantage of the transposition properties (integration and excision) of transposon Tn1545. This 4.9-kb plasmid is composed of: (i) the replication origin of pACYC184; (ii) the attachment site (att) of Tn1545; (iii) erythromycin-and kanamycin-resistance-encoding genes for selection in Gram- and Gram+ bacteria; and (iv) the transfer origin of IncP plasmid RK2, which allows mobilization of the vector from Escherichia coli to various Gram+ recipients. Integration of pAT112 requires the presence of the transposon-encoded integrase, Int-Tn, in the new host. This vector retains the insertion specificity of the parental element Tn1545 and utilises it to carry out insertional mutagenesis, as evaluated in Enterococcus faecalis. Since pAT112 contains the pACYC184 replicon and lacks most of the restriction sites that are commonly used for molecular cloning, a gene from a Gram+ bacterium disrupted with this vector can be recovered in E. coli by cleavage of genomic DNA, intramolecular ligation and transformation. Regeneration of the gene, by excision of pAT112, can be obtained in an E. coli strain expressing the excisionase and integrase of Tn1545. The functionality of this system was illustrated by characterization of an IS30-like structure in the chromosome of En. faecalis. Derivatives pAT113 and pAT114 contain ten unique cloning sites that allow screening of recombinants having DNA inserts by alpha-complementation in E. coli carrying the delta M15 deletion of lacZ alpha. These vectors are useful to clone and introduce foreign genes into the genomes of Gram+ bacteria.19911657722
390150.9991A new simple method for introducing an unmarked mutation into a large gene of non-competent Gram-negative bacteria by FLP/FRT recombination. BACKGROUND: For the disruption of a target gene in molecular microbiology, unmarked mutagenesis is preferable to marked mutagenesis because the former method raises no concern about the polar effect and leaves no selection marker. In contrast to naturally competent bacteria, there is no useful method for introducing an unmarked mutation into a large gene of non-competent bacteria. Nevertheless, large genes encoding huge proteins exist in diverse bacteria and are interesting and important for physiology and potential applications. Here we present a new method for introducing an unmarked mutation into such large genes of non-competent Gram-negative bacteria. RESULTS: Two gene replacement plasmids, pJQFRT and pKFRT/FLP, were constructed to apply the FLP/FRT recombination system to introduce an unmarked mutation into a large gene of non-competent Gram-negative bacteria. In our methodology, pJQFRT and pKFRT/FLP are integrated into the upstream and the downstream regions of a target gene, respectively, through homologous recombination. The resultant mutant has antibiotic resistance markers, the sacB counter-selection marker, flp recombinase under the control of the tetR regulator, and identical FRT sites sandwiching the target gene and the markers on its chromosome. By inducing the expression of flp recombinase, the target gene is completely deleted together with the other genes derived from the integrated plasmids, resulting in the generation of an unmarked mutation. By this method, we constructed an unmarked mutant of ataA, which encodes the huge trimeric autotransporter adhesin (3,630 aa), in a non-competent Gram-negative bacterium, Acinetobacter sp. Tol 5. The unmarked ataA mutant showed the same growth rate as wild type Tol 5, but lost the adhesive properties of Tol 5, similar to the transposon-inserted mutant of ataA that we generated previously. CONCLUSIONS: The feasibility of our methodology was evidenced by the construction of an unmarked ataA mutant in the Tol 5 strain. Since FLP/FRT recombination can excise a long region of DNA exceeding 100 kb, our method has the potential to selectively disrupt much larger genes or longer regions of gene clusters than ataA. Our methodology allows the straightforward and efficient introduction of an unmarked mutation into a large gene or gene cluster of non-enterobacterial Gram-negative bacteria.201323594401
376160.9991Construction of a reporter plasmid for screening in vivo promoter activity in Francisella tularensis. Francisella tularensis is a facultative intracellular bacterium that survives and multiplies inside macrophages. Here we constructed a new promoter probe plasmid denoted pKK214 by introduction of a promoter-less chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (cat) gene into the shuttle vector pKK202. A promoter library was created in F. tularensis strain LVS by cloning random chromosomal DNA fragments into pKK214. Approximately 15% of the recombinant bacteria showed chloramphenicol resistance in vitro. The promoter library was also used to infect macrophages in the presence of chloramphenicol and after two cycles of infection the library contained essentially only chloramphenicol resistance clones which shows that pKK214 can be used to monitor F. tularensis genes that are expressed during infection.200111728719
351170.9991Rapid and efficient cloning of proviral flanking fragments by kanamycin resistance gene complementation. We have developed a technique for the rapid cloning of unknown flanking regions of transgenic DNA. We complemented a truncated kanamycin resistance gene of a bacterial plasmid with a neomycin resistance gene fragment from a gene transfer vector. Optimized transformation conditions allowed us to directly select for kanamycin-resistant bacteria. We cloned numerous proviral flanking fragments from growth factor-independent cell mutants that were obtained after infection with a replication incompetent retroviral vector and identified integrations into the cyclin D2 and several unknown genomic sequences. We anticipate that our method could be adapted to various vector systems that are used to tag and identify genes and to map genomes.19999863001
385180.9991Introduction of a mini-gene encoding a five-amino acid peptide confers erythromycin resistance on Bacillus subtilis and provides temporary erythromycin protection in Proteus mirabilis. A 15-bp mini-gene was introduced into Bacillus subtilis and into stable protoplast-like L-forms of Proteus mirabilis. This mini-gene encoded the peptide MVLFV and modeled a fragment of Escherichia coli 23S rRNA responsible for E. coli erythromycin (Ery) resistance. Expression of the introduced mini-gene conferred permanent Ery resistance on B. subtilis. In L-forms of P. mirabilis, the Ery-protective effect was maintained in the course of several generations. Herewith, the mechanism of Ery resistance mediated by expression of specific short peptides was shown to exist in evolutionary distant bacteria. Three new plasmids were constructed containing the gene under study transcriptionally fused with the genes encoding glutamylendopeptidase of Bacillus licheniformis or delta-endotoxin of Bacillus thuringiensis. The Ery resistance pentapeptide (E-peptide) mini-gene served as an efficient direct transcriptional reporter and allowed to select bacillar glutamylendopeptidase with improved productivity. The mini-genes encoding E-peptides may be applied as selective markers to transform both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The small size of the E-peptide mini-genes makes them attractive selective markers for vector construction.200010620668
353190.9991Genome modifications and cloning using a conjugally transferable recombineering system. The genetic modification of primary bacterial disease isolates is challenging due to the lack of highly efficient genetic tools. Herein we describe the development of a modified PCR-based, λ Red-mediated recombineering system for efficient deletion of genes in Gram-negative bacteria. A series of conjugally transferrable plasmids were constructed by cloning an oriT sequence and different antibiotic resistance genes into recombinogenic plasmid pKD46. Using this system we deleted ten different genes from the genomes of Edwardsiella ictaluri and Aeromonas hydrophila. A temperature sensitive and conjugally transferable flp recombinase plasmid was developed to generate markerless gene deletion mutants. We also developed an efficient cloning system to capture larger bacterial genetic elements and clone them into a conjugally transferrable plasmid for facile transferring to Gram-negative bacteria. This system should be applicable in diverse Gram-negative bacteria to modify and complement genomic elements in bacteria that cannot be manipulated using available genetic tools.201528352570