A glucose-derepressed promoter for expression of heterologous products in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans

We describe a putative binding sequence (GCGGGGC) for the glucose-responsive repressor protein CreA at two positions upstream of the transcription start site of the alcohol dehydrogenase I (alcA) gene of Aspergillus nidulans. To positively identify the putative binding sites as CreA-specific, the GCGGGGC blocks were mutated at five internal nucleotide positions to GTACTAC and reintroduced into the wild type alcA promoter driving expression of the endogenous alcohol dehydrogenase I gene. This CreA-binding site variant was then transformed into an AlcR constitutive A. nidulans host strain (T2625) and growth was monitored in the presence of the non-metabolized glucose analogue, 2-deoxyglucose. Positive transformants were selected by their ability to grow using ethanol as a carbon source in the presence of 2-deoxyglucose. Similar CreA binding site variant alcA promoters should permit the alcA-driven expression of heterologous genes in A. nidulans in the presence of glucose, the preferred carbon source for biomass accumulation and provides a model for controlling carbon-catabolite regulated expression in other expression systems.

Molecular characterization of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae dihydrofolate reductase gene (DFR1)

The complete nucleotide sequence of a 1957 bp DNA fragment containing the dihydrofolate reductase gene (DFR1) of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is presented. Within this region a single open reading frame of 633 base pairs was found which is capable of encoding a 211 amino acid residue protein with a calculated Mr of 24,233. The amino acid sequence derived from the yeast DFR1 gene shows limited homology with sequences from both eukaryotic and non-eukaryotic DHFR enzymes. Northern blot hybridization reveals that the mRNA from this gene is a 900 base polyadenylated transcript. Yeast strains containing the cloned DFR1 gene on multicopy number shuttle vector plasmids show dramatically enhanced methotrexate resistance. Consensus DNA sequences responsible for RNA polymerase II interaction and general amino acid control in S. cerevisiae are located within the 5'-noncoding region with respect to the open reading frame. The DNA fragment containing these sequences has been shown to be necessary for DFR1 gene expression in both S. cerevisiae and E. coli.

Molecular characterization of the cell cycle-regulated thymidylate synthase gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The complete nucleotide sequence of a 1.8-kilobase DNA fragment containing the cell cycle-regulated thymidylate synthase gene (TMP 1) of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is presented. This analysis has revealed a 912-base pair open reading frame which encodes a 304-amino acid residue protein with a calculated Mr of 35,007. The tmp1-6 and cdc21-1 mutant alleles of this gene also have been sequenced, and both show single base pair changes which would result in different amino acid substitutions. The amino acid sequence of the yeast thymidylate synthase gene derived from the DNA sequence shows considerable homology when compared with the human, mouse, Herpesvirus saimiri, Leishmania major, Leishmania tropica, Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus casei, bacteriophage T4, and Bacillus subtilis phage phi 3T enzymes. Northern blot hybridization reveals that the TMP 1 mRNA is a 1.15-kilobase polyadenylated transcript. A set of consensus yeast mRNA splice sequences appears within the open reading frame of TMP 1, but S1 nuclease protection experiments reveal that splicing of the mRNA does not occur. Disruption of the gene by the introduction of a large insertion did not produce any defect besides the expected dependence on dTMP for growth. Specifically, the viability of the mutants in the presence of dTMP indicates that the protein does not play a significant structural role in a complex of replication enzymes.

Correlation between RNA synthesis and basal level guanosine 5'-diphosphate 3'-diphosphate in relaxed mutants of Escherichia coli

Through the use of a new nucleotide extraction procedure, we had previously shown that relaxed mutants of Escherichia coli exhibit a unique response to amino acid starvation (Lagosky, P. A., and Chang, F. N. (1980) J. Bacteriol. 144, 499-508). The basal level amounts of guanosine 5'-diphosphate 3'-diphosphate (ppGpp) in both relA and phenotypically relaxed relA+ rplK (relC) strains were shown to decrease at the onset of amino acid limitation and to remain severely depressed throughout the course of the starvation. Upon resupplementation of amino acid-starved relaxed mutants, the production of ppGpp resumes and results in the temporary overaccumulation of this nucleotide beyond its original basal level amount. We now show that the basal level ppGpp content of relaxed bacteria, as well as its subsequent fluctuations in response to amino acid starvation, is inversely correlated with the initial rates of RNA synthesis in these strains. The ability of ppGpp to control the rate of protein synthesis in relA mutants was also examined. It was observed that ppGpp had no apparent direct effect on the initial rates of protein synthesis in relA mutants. The constant inverse correlation which exists between ppGpp content in relA mutants, and their rates of RNa synthesis provide evidence which indicates that basal level ppGpp synthesis has definite physiological significance. It also suggests that the synthesis of basal level ppGpp might be an absolute requirement needed for normal bacterial growth.

Influence of amino acid starvation on guanosine 5'-diphosphate 3'-diphosphate basal-level synthesis in Escherichia coli

We observed that the synthesis of basal-level guanosine 5'-diphosphate 3'-diphosphate (ppGpp) in both relA mutants and relA+ relC strains of Escherichia coli decreased in response to amino acid limitation and that this was accompanied by an increase in ribonucleic acid (RNA) synthesis. Addition of the required amino acid to starved cultures of relaxed bacteria resulted in the resumption of ppGpp synthesis and a concomitant decrease in RNA production. Our results indicate that relA mutants retain a stringent factor-independent ribosomal mechanism for basal-level ppGpp synthesis. They also suggest that in relA+ bacteria, stringent factor-mediated ppGpp synthesis and the production of basal-level ppGpp are mutually exclusive. These findings substantiate the hypothesis that there are two functionally discrete mechanisms for ppGpp synthesis in E. coli. Through these studies we have also obtained new evidence which indicates that ppGpp serves as a modulator of RNA synthesis during balanced growth as well as under conditions of nutritional downshift and starvation.