scholarly journals A Negative Regulator of Carotenogenesis in Blakeslea trispora

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Luo ◽  
Zunyang Gong ◽  
Na Li ◽  
Yuzheng Zhao ◽  
Huili Zhang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT As an ideal carotenoid producer, Blakeslea trispora has gained much attention due to its large biomass and high production of β-carotene and lycopene. However, carotenogenesis regulation in B. trispora still needs to be clarified, as few investigations have been conducted at the molecular level in B. trispora. In this study, a gene homologous to carotenogenesis regulatory gene (crgA) was cloned from the mating type (−) of B. trispora, and the deduced CrgA protein was analyzed for its primary structure and domains. To clarify the crgA-mediated regulation in B. trispora, we used the strategies of gene knockout and complementation to investigate the effect of crgA expression on the phenotype of B. trispora. In contrast to the wild-type strain, the crgA null mutant (ΔcrgA) was defective in sporulation but accumulated much more β-carotene (31.2% improvement at the end) accompanied by enhanced transcription of three structural genes (hmgR, carB, and carRA) for carotenoids throughout the culture time. When the wild-type copy of crgA was complemented into the crgA null mutant, sporulation, transcription of structural genes, and carotenoid production were restored to those of the wild-type strain. A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-based metabolomic approach and multivariate statistical analyses were performed to investigate the intracellular metabolite profiles. The reduced levels of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle components and some amino acids and enhanced levels of glycolysis intermediates and fatty acids indicate that more metabolic flux was driven into the mevalonate (MVA) pathway; thus, the increase of precursors and fat content contributes to the accumulation of carotenoids. IMPORTANCE The zygomycete Blakeslea trispora is an important strain for the production of carotenoids on a large scale. However, the regulation mechanism of carotenoid biosynthesis is still not well understood in this filamentous fungus. In the present study, we sought to investigate how crgA influences the expression of structural genes for carotenoids, carotenoid biosynthesis, and other anabolic phenotypes. This will lead to a better understanding of the global regulation mechanism of carotenoid biosynthesis and facilitate engineering this strain in the future for enhanced production of carotenoids.

2002 ◽  
Vol 68 (8) ◽  
pp. 4107-4110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomohiro Morohoshi ◽  
Tatsuya Maruo ◽  
Yoko Shirai ◽  
Junichi Kato ◽  
Tsukasa Ikeda ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The biological process for phosphate (Pi) removal is based on the use of bacteria capable of accumulating inorganic polyphosphate (polyP). We obtained Escherichia coli mutants which accumulate a large amount of polyP. The polyP accumulation in these mutants was ascribed to a mutation of the phoU gene that encodes a negative regulator of the Pi regulon. Insertional inactivation of the phoU gene also elevated the intracellular level of polyP in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803. The mutant could remove fourfold more Pi from the medium than the wild-type strain removed.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changle Zhao ◽  
Yinping Wan ◽  
Xiaojie Cao ◽  
Huili Zhang ◽  
Xin Bao

Abstract Background The microbial synthesis of pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) and Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) remains the most promising industrial production route. Methylobacterium has been used to generate PQQ and other value-added chemicals from cheap carbon feedstocks.However, the low PQQ and CoQ10 production capacity of the Methylobacterium strains is a major limitation The regulation mechanism for PQQ and CoQ10 biosynthesis in this strain has also not been fully elucidated. Results Methylobacterium sp. CLZ strain was isolated from soil contaminated with chemical wastewater, which can simultaneously produce PQQ, CoQ10, and carotenoids by using cheap methanol as carbon source. We investigated a mutant strain NI91, which increased the PQQ and CoQ10 yield by 72.44% and 59.80%, respectively. Whole-genome sequencing of NI91 and wild-type strain CLZ revealed that both contain a 5.28 Mb chromosome. The comparative genomic analysis and validation study revealed that a significant increase in biomass and PQQ production was associated with the base mutations in the methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) synthesis genes, mxaD and mxaJ. The significant increase in CoQ10 production may be associated with the base mutations in dxs gene, a key gene in the MEP/DOXP pathway. Conclusions A PQQ producing strain that simultaneously produces CoQ10 and carotenoids was selected and after ANI analysis, named as Methylobacterium sp. CLZ. After random mutagenesis of this strain, we obtained NI91 strain, which showed increased production of PQQ and CoQ10. Based on comparative genomic analysis of the whole genome of mutant strain NI91 and wild-type strain CLZ, a total of 270 SNPs and InDels events were detected, which provided a reference for subsequent research. The mutations in mxaD, mxaJ and dxs genes may be related to the high yield of PQQ and CoQ10. These findings will enhance our understanding of the PQQ and CoQ10 over-production mechanism in Methylobacterium sp. NI91 at the genomic level. It will also provide useful clues for strain engineering in order to improve the PQQ and CoQ10 production.


2004 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 535-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shin Okazaki ◽  
Masayuki Sugawara ◽  
Kiwamu Minamisawa

ABSTRACT We disrupted the rtxC gene on the chromosome of Bradyrhizobium elkanii USDA94 by insertion of a nonpolar aph cartridge. The rtxC mutant, designated ΔrtxC, produced serinol and dihydrorhizobitoxine but no rhizobitoxine, both in culture and in planta. The introduction of cosmids harboring the rtxC gene into the ΔrtxC mutant complemented rhizobitoxine production, suggesting that rtxC is involved in the final step of rhizobitoxine biosynthesis in B. elkanii USDA94. Glycine max cv. Lee inoculated with ΔrtxC or with a null mutant, Δrtx::Ω1, showed no foliar chlorosis, whereas the wild-type strain USDA94 caused severe foliar chlorosis. The two mutants showed significantly less nodulation competitiveness than the wild-type strain on Macroptilium atropurpureum. These results indicate that dihydrorhizobitoxine, the immediate precursor of the oxidative form of rhizobitoxine, has no distinct effect on nodulation phenotype in these legumes. Thus, desaturation of dihydrorhizobitoxine by rtxC-encoded protein is essential for the bacterium to show rhizobitoxine phenotypes in planta. In addition, complementation analysis of rtxC by cosmids differing in rtxC transcription levels suggested that rhizobitoxine production correlates with the amount of rtxC transcript.


2003 ◽  
Vol 185 (13) ◽  
pp. 3690-3695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shun Adachi ◽  
Sota Hiraga

ABSTRACT The mukB gene is essential for the partitioning of sister chromosomes in Escherichia coli. A mukB null mutant is hypersensitive to the DNA gyrase inhibitor novobiocin. In this work, we isolated mutants suppressing the novobiocin hypersensitivity of the mukB null mutation. All suppressor mutations are localized in or near the gyrB gene, and the four tested clones have an amino acid substitution in the DNA gyrase beta subunit. We found that in the mukB mutant, the process of sister chromosome segregation is strikingly hypersensitive to novobiocin; however, the effect of novobiocin on growth, which was measured by culture turbidity, is the same as that of the wild-type strain.


2013 ◽  
Vol 81 (10) ◽  
pp. 3566-3576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangyu Mou ◽  
Edward J. Spinard ◽  
Maureen V. Driscoll ◽  
Wenjing Zhao ◽  
David R. Nelson

ABSTRACTHemolysins produced byVibrio anguillarumhave been implicated in the development of hemorrhagic septicemia during vibriosis, a fatal fish disease. Previously, two hemolysin gene clusters responsible for the hemolysis and cytotoxicity ofV. anguillarumwere identified: thevah1-plpgene cluster and thertxACHBDEgene cluster. In this study, we identified thehnsgene, which encodes the H-NS protein and acts as a negative regulator of both gene clusters. TheV. anguillarumH-NS protein shares strong homology with other bacterial H-NS proteins. Anhnsmutant exhibited increased hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity compared to the wild-type strain. Complementation of thehnsmutation restored hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity levels to nearly wild-type levels. Furthermore, expression ofrtxA,rtxH,rtxB,vah1, andplpincreased in thehnsmutant and decreased in thehns-complemented mutant strain compared to expression in the wild-type strain. Additionally, experiments using DNase I showed that purified recombinant H-NS protected multiple sites in the promoter regions of both gene clusters. Thehnsmutant also exhibited significantly attenuated virulence against rainbow trout. Complementation of thehnsmutation restored virulence to wild-type levels, suggesting that H-NS regulates many genes that affect fitness and virulence. Previously, we showed that HlyU is a positive regulator of expression for both gene clusters. In this study, we demonstrate that upregulation byhlyUishnsdependent, suggesting that H-NS acts to repress or silence both gene clusters and HlyU acts to relieve that repression or silencing.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 7782-7792 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Zhang ◽  
A C Churchill ◽  
P Kazmierczak ◽  
D H Kim ◽  
N K Van Alfen

Expression of the Vir2 gene of Cryphonectria parasitica is down-regulated in strains of the fungus containing a double-stranded RNA genetic element that reduces fungal virulence (W. A. Powell and N. K. Van Alfen, Mol. Cell. Biol. 7:3688-3693, 1987). We have sequenced the Vir2 gene and characterized its structure; the mRNA contains a short open reading frame whose product has structural similarities to several fungal pheromones. A null mutant was constructed by homologous recombination to determine the function of the Vir2 gene and whether its disruption resulted in any of the altered phenotypes exhibited by many hypovirulent strains, such as reductions in virulence, pigmentation, and sporulation. The Vir2 null mutant (18dm) exhibited a wild-type phenotype with respect to gross colony morphology, growth rate, pigmentation, asexual spore viability, and virulence in apple fruit and chestnut trees. However, numbers of asexual fruiting bodies (pycnidia) and conidia were reduced significantly in comparison with the wild-type strain EP155/2. In sexual crosses of 18dm with a wild-type strain of the opposite mating type, perithecia (sexual fruiting bodies) developed but were barren. Deletion of the Vir2 gene results in a phenotype that mimics that of many double-stranded-RNA-containing hypovirulent strains; i.e., the null mutant exhibits significant reductions in asexual sporulation and pycinidum production as well as impaired sexual crossing ability. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the partial reproduction of a virus-induced phenotype by deletion of a virus-perturbed host gene.


2015 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 244-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel S. Godoy ◽  
Pablo I. Nikel ◽  
José G. Cabrera Gomez ◽  
M. Julia Pettinari

ABSTRACTThe CreBC (carbon source-responsive) two-component regulation system ofEscherichia coliaffects a number of functions, including intermediary carbon catabolism. The impacts of differentcreCmutations (a ΔcreCmutant and a mutant carrying the constitutivecreC510allele) on bacterial physiology were analyzed in glucose cultures under three oxygen availability conditions. Differences in the amounts of extracellular metabolites produced were observed in the null mutant compared to the wild-type strain and the mutant carryingcreC510and shown to be affected by oxygen availability. The ΔcreCstrain secreted more formate, succinate, and acetate but less lactate under low aeration. These metabolic changes were associated with differences in AckA and LdhA activities, both of which were affected by CreC. Measurement of the NAD(P)H/NAD(P)+ratios showed that thecreC510strain had a more reduced intracellular redox state, while the opposite was observed for the ΔcreCmutant, particularly under intermediate oxygen availability conditions, indicating that CreC affects redox balance. The null mutant formed more succinate than the wild-type strain under both low aeration and no aeration. Overexpression of the genes encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase fromE. coliand a NADH-forming formate dehydrogenase fromCandida boidiniiin the ΔcreCmutant further increased the yield of succinate on glucose. Interestingly, the elimination ofackAandadhEdid not significantly improve the production of succinate. The diverse metabolic effects of this regulator on the central biochemical network ofE. colimake it a good candidate for metabolic-engineering manipulations to enhance the formation of bioproducts, such as succinate.


2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (7) ◽  
pp. 2384-2396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijay K. Sharma ◽  
Bradley L. Bearson

ABSTRACTAlthough molecular mechanisms promoting adherence of enterohemorrhagicEscherichia coli(EHEC) O157:H7 on epithelial cells are well characterized, regulatory mechanisms controlling biofilm formation are not fully understood. In this study, we demonstrate that biofilm formation in EHEC O157:H7 strain 86-24 is highly repressed compared to that in an isogenichhamutant. Thehhamutant produced large quantities of biofilm compared to the wild-type strain at 30°C and 37°C. Complementation of thehhamutant reduced the level of biofilm formation to that of the wild-type strain, indicating that Hha is a negative regulator of biofilm production. While swimming motility and expression of the flagellar genefliCwere significantly reduced, the expression ofcsgA(encoding curlin of curli fimbriae) and the ability to bind Congo red were significantly enhanced. The expression of bothfliCandcsgAand the phenotypes of motility and curli production affected by these two genes, respectively, were restored to wild-type levels in the complementedhhamutant. ThecsgAdeletion abolished biofilm formation in thehhamutant and wild-type strain, andcsgAcomplementation restored biofilm formation to these strains, indicating the importance ofcsgAand curli in biofilm formation. The regulatory effects of Hha on flagellar and curli gene expression appear to occur via the induction and repression of FlhDC and CsgD, as demonstrated by reducedflhDand increasedcsgDtranscription in thehhamutant, respectively. In gel shift assays Hha interacted withflhDCandcsgDpromoters. In conclusion, Hha regulates biofilm formation in EHEC O157:H7 by differential regulation of FlhDC and CsgD, the global regulators of motility and curli production, respectively.


2013 ◽  
Vol 81 (7) ◽  
pp. 2405-2414 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Garcia ◽  
V. Adams ◽  
J. Beingesser ◽  
M. L. Hughes ◽  
R. Poon ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTClostridium perfringenstype D causes disease in sheep, goats, and other ruminants. Type D isolates produce, at minimum, alpha and epsilon (ETX) toxins, but some express up to five different toxins, raising questions about which toxins are necessary for the virulence of these bacteria. We evaluated the contribution of ETX toC. perfringenstype D pathogenicity in an intraduodenal challenge model in sheep, goats, and mice using a virulentC. perfringenstype D wild-type strain (WT), an isogenic ETX null mutant (etxmutant), and a strain where theetxmutation has been reversed (etxcomplemented). All sheep and goats, and most mice, challenged with the WT isolate developed acute clinical disease followed by death in most cases. Sheep developed various gross and/or histological changes that included edema of brain, lungs, and heart as well as hydropericardium. Goats developed various effects, including necrotizing colitis, pulmonary edema, and hydropericardium. No significant gross or histological abnormalities were observed in any mice infected with the WT strain. All sheep, goats, and mice challenged with the isogenicetxmutant remained clinically healthy for ≥24 h, and no gross or histological abnormalities were observed in those animals. Complementation ofetxknockout restored virulence; most goats, sheep, and mice receiving this complemented mutant developed clinical and pathological changes similar to those observed in WT-infected animals. These results indicate that ETX is necessary for type D isolates to induce disease, supporting a key role for this toxin in type D disease pathogenesis.


2016 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanaz Salehi ◽  
Kevin Howe ◽  
Mark L. Lawrence ◽  
John P. Brooks ◽  
R. Hartford Bailey ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Nontyphoidal Salmonella strains are the main source of pathogenic bacterial contamination in the poultry industry. Recently, Salmonella enterica serovar Kentucky has been recognized as the most prominent serovar on carcasses in poultry-processing plants. Previous studies showed that flagella are one of the main factors that contribute to bacterial attachment to broiler skin. However, the precise role of flagella and the mechanism of attachment are unknown. There are two different flagellar subunits (fliC and fljB) expressed alternatively in Salmonella enterica serovars using phase variation. Here, by making deletions in genes encoding flagellar structural subunits (flgK, fliC, and fljB), and flagellar motor (motA), we were able to differentiate the role of flagella and their rotary motion in the colonization of broiler skin and cellular attachment. Utilizing a broiler skin assay, we demonstrated that the presence of FliC is necessary for attachment to broiler skin. Expression of the alternative flagellar subunit FljB enables Salmonella motility, but this subunit is unable to mediate tight attachment. Deletion of the flgK gene prevents proper flagellar assembly, making Salmonella significantly less adherent to broiler skin than the wild type. S. Kentucky with deletions in all three structural genes, fliC, fljB, and flgK, as well as a flagellar motor mutant (motA), exhibited less adhesion and invasion of Caco-2 cells, while an fljB mutant was as adherent and invasive as the wild-type strain. IMPORTANCE In this work, we answered clearly the role of flagella in S. Kentucky attachment to the chicken skin and Caco-2 cells. We demonstrated that the presence of FliC is necessary for attachment to broiler skin. Expression of the alternative flagellar subunit FljB enables Salmonella motility, but this subunit is unable to mediate strong attachment. Deletion of the flgK gene prevents proper flagellar assembly, making Salmonella significantly less adherent to broiler skin than the wild type. S. Kentucky with deletions in all three structural genes, fliC, fljB, and flgK, as well as a flagellar motor mutant (motA), exhibited less adhesion and invasion of Caco-2 cells, while an fljB mutant was as adherent and invasive as the wild-type strain. We expect these results will contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms of Salmonella attachment to food products.


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