• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.1-7
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• 2008

Fusarium verticillioides (teleomorph Gibberella moniliformis) is associated with maize worldwide causing ear rot and stalk rot, and produces fumonisins, a group of mycotoxins detrimental to humans and animals. While research tools are available, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms associated with fungal virulence and fumonisin biosynthesis in F. verticillioides is still limited. One of the restraints that hampers F. verticillioides gene characterization is the fact that homologous recombination (HR) frequency is very low (<2%). Screening for a true gene knock-out mutant is a laborious process due to a high number of ectopic integrations. In this study, we generated a F. verticillioides mutant (SF41) deleted for FvKU70, a gene directly responsible for non-homologous end-joining mechanism, with the aim of improving HR frequency. Here, we demonstrate that FvKU70 deletion does not impact key Fverticillioides phenotypes, e.g., development, secondary metabolism, and virulence, while dramatically improving HR frequency. Significantly, we also confirmed that a high percentage (>85%) of the HR mutant strains harbor a desired mutation with no additional copy of the mutant allele inserted in the genome. We conclude that SF41 is suitable for use as a type strain when performing high-throughput gene function studies in F. verticillioides.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.149-154
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• 2005

Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels encoded by the tax-4 and tax-2 genes are required for chemosensing and thermosensing in the nematode C. elegans. We identified a gene in the C. elegans genome, which we designated cng-1, that is highly homologous to tax-4. Partial CNG-1 protein tagged with green fluorescent protein was expressed in several sensory neurons of the amphid. We created a deletion mutant of cng-1, cng-1 (jh111), to investigate its in vivo function. The mutant worms had no detectable abnormalities in terms of their basic behavior or morphology. Whereas tax-4 and tax-2 mutants failed to respond to water-soluble or volatile chemical attractants, the cng-1 null mutant exhibited normal chemotaxis to such chemicals and a tax-4;cng-1 double mutant had a similar phenotype to tax-4 single mutants. Interestingly, cng-1 and tax-4 had a synergistic effect on brood size.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제25권2호
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• pp.206-216
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• 2015

To clarify the role of surface protective antigen A (SpaA) in the pathogenesis of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae C43065 (serotype 2), the spaA deletion mutant of E. rhusiopathiae ${\Delta}spaA$ was constructed by homologous recombination. The virulence of the ${\Delta}spaA$ mutant decreased more than 76-fold compared with that of the wild-type strain C43065 in mice. The mutant strain was sensitive to the bactericidal action of swine serum, whereas the wild-type strain was resistant. The adhesion of wild-type strain to MEF cells was inhibited significantly by treatment with rabbit antiserum against recombinant SpaA (rSpaA) as compared with the treatment with normal rabbit serum, but the mutant strain was not affected. The mutant strain was readily taken up by mouse peritoneal macrophages in the normal rabbit serum, whereas the wild-type strain was resistant. Whereas the rabbit antiserum against rSpaA promoted the phagocytosis of wild-type strain by macrophages, the mutant strain was not affected. In addition, mice vaccinated with the formalin-killed mutant strain were provided 40% protection against challenge by the homologous virulent strain as compared with those with wild-type strain, NaOH-extracted antigen, or rSpaA, which provided more than 80% protection against the same infection. These suggested that SpaA has an important role in the pathogenesis of E. rhusiopathiae infection and could be a target for vaccination against swine erysipelas.

• BMB Reports
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.12-19
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• 1999

Gaegurin 4 (GGN4), a broad-spectrum antibiotic, is a 37-amino acid peptide isolated from the Korean frog, Rana rugosa. In this study, we have chemically synthesized and purified GGN4 analogues where the C-terminal portion is truncated and/or substituted with tryptophan. These peptides show significantly different biological activities depending on the location of tryptophan and the number of amino acids truncated from the C-terminal end. While deletion of 9 amino acids from the C-terminal seems to be marginally tolerable in maintaining the antimicrobial activity, further deletion of up to 14 amino acid residues decreases the potency by more than 60-fold towards Gram-positive, and 10-fold towards Gram-negative, bacteria. Surprisingly, the reduced activity of the shorter peptide can be completely restored by a single substitution of aspartic acid 16 to tryptophan 16 (D16W). Also, the truncation seems to decrease the specificity of antibiotic activity more towards Gram-positive than towards Gram-negative bacteria studied. These data suggest a partial role of the C-terminal region in determining the binding specificity and the activity of peptides upon binding to their target cell membranes.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.215-221
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• 2006

Gibberella zeae (anamorph: Fusarium graminearum) is an important pathogen of cereal crops. This fungus produces a broad range of secondary metabolites, including polyketides such as aurofusarin (a red pigment) and zearalenone (an estrogenic mycotoxin), which are important mycological characteristics of this species. A screen of G. zeae insertional mutants, generated using a restriction enzyme-mediated integration (REMI) procedure, led to the isolation of a mutant (Z43R606) that produced neither aurofusarin nor zearalenone yet showed normal female fertility and virulence on host plants. Outcrossing analysis confirmed that both the albino and zearalenone-deficient mutations are linked to the insertional vector in Z43R606. Molecular characterization of Z43R606 revealed a deletion of at least 220 kb of the genome at the vector insertion site, including the gene clusters required for the biosynthesis of aurofusarin and zearalenone, respectively. A re-creation of the insertional event of Z43R606 in the wild-type strain demonstrated that the 220-kb deletion is responsible for the phenotypic changes in Z43R606 and that a large region of genomic DNA can be efficiently deleted in G. zeae by double homologous recombination. The results showed that 52 putative genes located in the deleted genomic region are not essential for phenotypes other than the production of both aurofusarin and zearalenone. This is the first report of the molecular characterization of a large genomic deletion in G. zeae mediated by the REMI procedure.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.477-481
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• 2003

The community escape response of Rhodobacter sphaeroides is exerted through the action of CerR and CerI, which code for a LuxR-type regulatory protein and acylhomoserine lactone synthase, respectively. Deletion of chromosomal DNA including cerR and cerI (mutant RI) or insertional interruption of cert (mutant AP3) resulted in two-fold increase in the cellular poly-${\beta}$-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) content In comparison with the wild-type under aerobic growth conditions. The PHB synthase (PhbC) activities of the cer mutants were doubled, and the enzyme expression was regulated at the level of phbC transcription. Thus, CerR, possibly in response to autoinducer (AI), appears to modulate the PHB content of aerobically grown cells by downregulating phbC transcription.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제19권12호
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• pp.1520-1526
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• 2009

We have identified the iscR (PA3815) gene encoding an iron-sulfur cluster assembly regulator homolog as one of the genes required for peroxide resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14. Here, we present the phenotypic characterization of an iscR deletion mutant in terms of KatA expression, stress responses, and virulence. The iscR null mutant exhibited reduced KatA activity at the posttranslational level, hypersensitivity to hydrogen peroxide, and virulence-attenuation in Drosophila melanogaster and mouse peritonitis models. These phenotypes were fully restored by multicopy-based expression of katA. These results suggest that the requirement of IscR in P. aeruginosa is related to the proper activity of KatA, which is crucial for peroxide resistance and full virulence of this bacterium.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제23권10호
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• pp.1454-1459
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• 2013

The changes in prodiginines productions caused by pH shock culture of Streptomyces coelicolor strains were estimated. In Streptomyces coelicolor M511, undecylprodiginine and streptorubin B productions increased 1.8-fold (37.22 mg/g) and 2.5-fold (18.61 mg/g), respectively, by pH shock (from 7.2 to 4.0). In contrast, this resulted in the significantly decreased prodigignines production in the redP deletion mutant SJM1; 3.7-fold for undecylprodiginine, 4.4-fold for streptorubin B, 5.2-fold for methylundecylprodiginine, and 6.4-fold for methyldodecylundecylprodiginine, respectively. RT-PCR analyses showed that, during pH shock, expression of redD, the transcription activator gene, was increased while the expression of fabH, the decarboxylative condensation enzyme gene in fatty acid biosynthesis, was decreased in both strains. The enhanced redD expression was in good accordance with the increased total prodiginines production of M511. However, for SJM1 mutant, the decrease of fabH expression occurred more strikingly, such that it became almost completely turned off during acidic pH shock culture. Therefore, a down-regulation of fabH was considered to be the cause of decreased amount of total prodiginines produced, although redD expression was high in SJM1 mutant.

• BMB Reports
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• 제47권1호
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• pp.15-20
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• 2014

Intracellular lipid-binding proteins (LBPs) impact fatty acid homeostasis in various ways, including fatty acid transport into mitochondria. However, the physiological consequences caused by mutations in genes encoding LBPs remain largely uncharacterized. Here, we explore the metabolic consequences of lbp-5 gene deficiency in terms of energy homeostasis in Caenorhabditis elegans. In addition to increased fat storage, which has previously been reported, deletion of lbp-5 attenuated mitochondrial membrane potential and increased reactive oxygen species levels. Biochemical measurement coupled to proteomic analysis of the lbp-5(tm1618) mutant revealed highly increased rates of glycolysis in this mutant. These differential expression profile data support a novel metabolic adaptation of C. elegans, in which glycolysis is activated to compensate for the energy shortage due to the insufficient mitochondrial ${\beta}$-oxidation of fatty acids in lbp-5 mutant worms. This report marks the first demonstration of a unique metabolic adaptation that is a consequence of LBP-5 deficiency in C. elegans.

• BMB Reports
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• 제51권1호
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• pp.27-32
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• 2018

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is commonly caused by a mutation in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and subsequent aberrant EGFR signaling with uncontrolled kinase activity. A deletion mutation in EGFR exon 19 is frequently observed in EGFR gene mutations. We designed a DNAzyme to suppress the expression of mutant EGFR by cleaving the mutant EGFR mRNA. The DNAzyme (named Ex19del Dz) specifically cleaved target RNA and decreased cancer cell viability when transfected into gefitinib-resistant lung cancer cells harboring EGFR exon 19 deletions. The DNAzyme decreased EGFR expression and inhibited its downstream signaling pathway. In addition to EGFR downregulation, Ex19del Dz containing CpG sites activated Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) and its downstream signaling pathway via p38 kinase, causing an immunostimulatory effect on EGFR-mutated NSCLC cells. Thus, dual effects of this DNAzyme harboring the CpG site, such as TLR9 activation and EGFR downregulation, leads to apoptosis of EGFR-mutated NSCLC cells.