• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.759-768
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• 1994

E coli strains isolated from pigs were investigated with respect to antimicrobial resistances and prevalence of R-plasmids. Also determined were properties of R-plasmids by plasmid conjugation, curing and southern hybridization using gene probes. All of 400 E coli strains were resistant to CL and SU, and 0.3% to 96.8% of the strains were resistant to most antimicrobials such as TC, PG, AM, SM, CP, GM, EM, NM, etc, while all strains were sensitive to AK. All strains were also multiply resistant to three to twelve antimicrobials. The resistances to PG, SM, TC, AM, CP, SU and ST were transferable and supposed to be mediated by R-plasmids which were opportunistic for transposition into chromosome. Plasmids bigger in size than chromosomal DNA were considered as R-plasmids and most plasmids in small size (<4Kb) proved as cryptic plasmids or nonconjugative R-plasmids. In a strain(No 99), AM resistant property was determined from both chromosomal DNA and R-plasmid DNA which is bigger in size than chromosome.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.364-369
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• 1999

In order to obtain the suitable plasmids for constructing plasmid vectors of Bacillus species, endogeneous plasmid DNAs were screended from thermo-tolerant soil bacteria. Based on agarose gel electrophoresis patterns of the isolated plasmid DNAs, two strains harboring small-size plasmids were selected. The isolated were identified to belong to the genus Bacillus on the basis of their morphological and biochemical properties, and named Bacillus sp. 3-3 and 77-8, respectively. The restriction endonuclease maps were determined for four plasmids including two plasmids from each Bacillus isolates. It is interesting that Bacillus sp. 3-3 and 77-8 have an identical plasmid according to the restriction maps. The three kinds of hybrid plasmids constructed by introducing each plasmid of two isolates into a Escherichia coli plasmid vector. pUCCm18 containing chloramplenicol resistance gene active in Bacillus strains, could be replicated in B. subtilis and B. licheniformis. These plasmids are very stable in B. subtilis, suggesting that the Bacillus plasmids identified in this work would be useful for development of new cloning vectors for Bacillus strains.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.59-67
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• 1989

This paper deals with the genetic properties of R plasmids in Salmonella originated from pigs and cattle. The plasmid DNA was examined for incompatibility, stability and fertility inhibition(Fi), and gel electrophoresis was performed for isolation of plasmid DNA. The results obtained were summerized as follows: 1. Among the 66 conjugative R plasmids from 44 pigs and 22 cattle, 61 R plasmids (92.4%) were $Fi^-$, whereas the remainder were $Fi^+$. 2. The Inc groups of 66 R plasmids were determined with 7 standard plasmids. Twenty-six R plasmids were classified into Inc group $I{\alpha}$, H1, H2 or F1, 40 R plasmids being not classified with standard plasmids used, and the Inc group $I{\alpha}$ (57.7%) was most frequent. 3. Inc groups $I{\alpha}$, H1, and F1 were identified in strains from swine, Inc groups H2 and F1 from cattle. 4. The plasmid DNA profiles in 16 Salmonella isolated from pigs and cattle were confirmed as being 1 to 10 fragments by the gel eletrophoresis. Their molecular weight ranged 1.0 to 90 megadalton. 5. The molecular weight of conjugative plasmids ranged 1.0 to 80 megadalton in 4 Salmonella (P-4, P-5, P-7 and P-8) isolated from pigs.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.181-194
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• 1992

Two hundred and eighty nine strains of Yersinia enterocolitica isolated from healthy pigs were tested for the presence of 40~50 Megadalton virulence-associated plasmids and plasmidmediated in vitro virulence-associated properties, i.e., congo red uptake, calcium dependency, autoagglutination, CRMOX reaction, crystal violet binding and pyrazinamidase reaction. The correlationships between in vitro virulence-associated properties and the presence of 220 Kdalton outer membrane protein(OMP) were examined in strains with or without virulence-associated plasmids. The correlationships between the presence of plasmids on the production of the OMP and the expression of in vitro virulence-associated properties were studied with $CRMOX^+$ strains and acridine orangecured $CRMOX^-$ mutants. The results were as follows : 1. Of the in vitro virulence-associated tests with 289 strains of Y enterocolitica, 275 strains (95.2%) were positive for pyrazinamidase test, and followed by in order of crystal violet binding test, 226 (79.2% ) ; CRMOX test, 190 (65.7%) ; autoagglutination test, 1.85(64.0%) : calcium dependency test, 86 (29.8%) and congo red uptake test, 47(16.3%). 2. The correlationship between autoagglutination and CRMOX test(r=0.90) was highly significant (p<0.01). 3. In 190 strains(65.7%) bearing the virulence-associated plasmids(MW 40~50 Mdalton), the correlation between the presence of plasmids and their in vitro virulence-associated properties were highest with CRMOX test(r=0.93) and followed by in orders of AAG test(0.81), CV test(0.46), PYZ test(0.37) and CD test(0.18), but no correlationship between the presence of plasmids and CR test(-0.11). 4. The $CRMOX^+$ strains produced the 220 Kdalton OMP when they were cultured at $37^{\circ}C$, but not at $26^{\circ}C$. The presence of 220 Kdalton OMP was correlated significantly with in vitro virulence properties and the presence of virulence-associated plasmid, respectively. 5. In the isogenic $CRMOX^-$ mutant strains, of which plasmid were cured by treatment with acridine orange not only in vitro virulence-associated properties(CR 100%, CD 100%, AAG 82.6%, CV 58.3%) disappeared but also 220 Kdalton OMP(100%) was not produced. These results indicate that the positive CRMOX reaction is plasmid-mediated and the CRMOX test is potential as an in vitro virulence tests with Y enterocolitica.

• BMB Reports
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.389-394
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• 2002

$[Ru(bpy)_2(dppz)]^2+$ (bpy=2,2'-bipyfidine, dppz=dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine) (RuBD), a long-lifetime metal-ligand complex, displays favorable photophysical properties. These include long lifetime, polarized emission, but no significant fluorescence from the complex that is not bound to DNA. To show the usefulness of this luminophore (RuBD) for probing the bending and torsional dynamics of nucleic acids, its intensity and anisotropy decays when intercalated into supercoiled and relaxed pTZ18U plasmids were examined using frequency-domain fluorometry with a blue light-emitting diode (LED) as the modulated light source. The mean lifetimes for the supercoiled plasmids (< $\tau$ >=148 ns) were somewhat shorter than those for the relaxed plasmids (< $\tau$ >=160 ns). This suggests that the relaxed plasmids were shielded more efficiently from water. The anisotropy decay data also showed somewhat shorter slow rotational correlation times for supercoiled plasmids (288 ns) than for the relaxed plasmids (355 ns). The presence of two rotational correlation times suggests that RuBD reveals both the bending and torsional motions of the plasmids. These results indicate that RuBD can be useful for studying both the bending and torsional dynamics of mucleic acids.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.57-64
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• 1993

The properties and DNA structures of R plasmids differ depending on the species of the fish-pathogens Aeromonas hydrophila, A. salmonicida, Edwardsiella tarda, Enterococcus seriolicida, Pasteurella piscicida and Vibrio anguillarum. However, some R plasmids with the same resistance markers in similar DNA structures were found in A. hydrophila and E. tarda, as well as in A. hydrophila and A. salmonicida. R plasmids from V. anguillarum were classified into three groups according to their DNA structures. The first group was detected before 1977, the second from 1980 to 1983, and the third from 1989 to 1991. R plasmids have been retained within P. piscieida having the same DNA structures and detected at various locations and times. E. seriolicida strains carrying the same R plasmids, which were encoded with resistance to macrolide antibiotics(MLs), lincomycin(LIM), and TC, and to MLs, LIM, and CP. were distributed in yellowtail farms in various districts. The chloramphenicol-resistance(cat) gene of the R plasmids of P. piscicida was classified as CAT type I. The cat of the R plasmids of E, tarda. A. salmonicida was classified as type II. The cat of R plasmids of V. anguillarum was classified into two types. One type detected before 1977, was classified as CAT IV and the other type, detected after 1980, was classified as CAT II. Tetracycline-resistance (tet) V. anguillarum, isolated before 1977 and after 1981, was classified as Tet B and Tet G, respectively. The class D tet gene was widely distributed in R plasmids from fish-pathogens A. hydrophila, E. tarda, P. piscicida, and also V. anguillarum isolated after 1989.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 1989

This paper dealt with the distribution of Shigella spp. on 5 piggeries in Taegu and Kyungpook during the period from August to October 1987. Isolated Shigella were examined for serogrouping, antimicrobial drug resistance and detection of R plasmid. Genetic properties of R plasmid in Shigella have examined to fertility inhibition (Fi) and gel electrophoresis was performed for the isolation of plasmid DNA. The results obtained were summarised as followings; 1. Of total 2,978 samples from 5 piggeries, 82 strains (2.8%) of Shigella spp. were isolated from 82 samples. The isolated strains were identified as S dysenteriae (60 strains), S flexneri (20 strains) and S sonnei (2 strains). 2. Of the 82 strains examined 67 (95.1%) were resistant to one or more antibiotics, such as ampicillin (Am), chloramphenicol (Cm), kanamycin (Km), nalidixic acid (Na), rifampicin (Rf), streptomycin (Sm), sulfademethoxine (Su), and tetracycline (Tc) and higher resistant to Su (90.2%), Sm (63.4%) and Tc (63.4%). 3. Of the 78 resistant Shigella strains 26 (33.3%) harbored conjugative R plasmids and the transfer frequency of Sm (50.0%), Cm(33.3%) resistance was much higher than that of the other drug resistance. 4. The most common resistant patterns were SmSuTc, Su and AmSmSuTc. 5. Out of the 26 Shigella R plasm ids examined for Fi, 14(53.8%) were $Fi^+$ and the remainder were $Fi^-$. 6. The plasmid DNA profiles in Shigella spp. (9 strains) isolated from pigs were confirmed as being 2 to 9 fragments by the gel electrophoresis. Their molecular size ranged 2.17 to 87.62 kilobase (Kb). All strains of Shigella spp. consisted in 15.4 Kb plasmids.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.1661-1677
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• 2006

Rhizobium and related genera are soil bacteria with great metabolic plasticity. These microorganisms survive in many different environments and are capable of eliciting the formation of nitrogen-fixing nodules on legumes. The successful establishment of symbiosis is precisely regulated and requires a series of signal exchanges between the two partners. Quorum sensing (QS) is a prevalent form of population density-dependent gene regulation. Recently, increasing evidence indicates that rhizobial quorum sensing provides a pervasive regulatory network, which plays a more generalized role in the physiological activity of free-living rhizobia, as well as during symbiosis. Several rhizobia utilize multiple, overlapping quorum sensing systems to regulate diverse properties, including conjugal transfer and copy number control of plasmids, exopolysaccharide biosynthesis, rhizosphere-related functions, and cell growth. Genomic and proteomic analyses have begun to reveal the wide range of functions under quorum-sensing control.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.35-40
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• 1992

The influence of the nature of plasmids on fermentation parameters such as cell growth, cell viability, plasmid stability, and product formation has been investigated using E. coli M5248 and its recombinant derivatives M5248 [pBR322], M5248[pAS1], and M5248[pNKM21]. At a low temperature ($30^\circ{C}$), the cell growth, cell viability, and protein synthesis of the recombinants were nearly identical to those of the host cell. However, at high temperature ($42^\circ{C}$), in which transcription from the P_L$ promoter is derepressed, the recombinant cells showed decreased stability along with lower growth rates and cell viability. The ratio of total protein to cell mass was in the order of E. coli M5248>M5248[pBR322]>M5248[pAS1]>M5248[pNKM21]. It was found that transcription from the $P_L$ promoter adversely affect the plasmid maintenance and host cell metabolism even in the absence of the cloned-gene expression. Furthermore, profiles of ${\beta}$ activity were shown to vary with recombinant strains. E coli M5248[pBR322] showed highest ${\beta}-lactamase$ activity at $30^\circ{C}$, while at $42^\circ{C}\;{\beta}-lactamase$ activity was significantly reduced irrespective of the strains. The effect of the plasmid properties on plasmid-encoded gene expression has been further examined based on the relationship between $\{beta}-lactamase$ activity and plasmid-harboring cell numbers.

• The Microorganisms and Industry
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.4-8
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• 1986

DNA is a flexible molecule that adopts a variety of conformations. Left-handed helices have been demonstrated in synthetic DNA polymers (reviewed in Ref.1-2) and in segments of DNA restriction fragments (3) and recombinant plasmids (4-8). Other DNA conformations such as cruci forms and bent structures have also been demonstrated. Thus DNA micro heterogeneity has been demonstrated in a variety of systems (9-11). The role of the static and dynamic structures and properties of DNA in gene expression has been reviewed(1,12).