Characterization and Electron Microscopic Visualization of the Plasmid and the Gene Expression in the Escherichia coli

E. coli의 유전자 발현 및 플라스미드 DNA 구조의 특성에 관한 연구

Characterization and electron microscopic visualization of the plasmid and the gene expression of Escherichia coli were carried out. Transcriptional units of active structural genes were observed after lysis of Escherichia coli cells. The ribosomes attached to the E. coli genome on mRNA molecule as polyribosomes. From this gradient of polyribosome length, we estimated location of mRNA synthesis initiation site. In this experiment, a granule is ofen present which may correspond to a RNA polymerase at the promoter site. pOX1, pOX7, pOX7A, $pOX7{\Delta}1$, pSTP36, pSTP21, pBR322, and pJH12 were visualized by way of electron microscope, and their estimated sizes were determined to be $5.70{\pm}0.08{\mu}m,\;2.15{\pm}0.10{\mu}m,\;2.14{\pm}0.12{\mu}m,\;7.39{\pm}0.08{\mu}m,\;4.03{\pm}0.04{\mu}m,\;1.50{\pm}0.03{\mu}m\;and\;1.25{\pm}0.09{\mu}m$ respectively. One micrometer of measured length corresponded to about 3.0 Kb. Mica-press adsorption method that allows selectivs visualization of the plasmid DNA released in situ from the bacterial cell is rapid and useful for visualization of plasmids. The released plasmid DNA was adsorbed preferently on mica in a divalent cation-free solution. Miller chromatin-spreading method was useful to observe the plasmid and transcripts. BAC method and cytochrome C monolayer were useful to observe the plasmid DNA. Our ability to visualize ultrastructural aspects of the expression of E. coli has given us a unique tool with which to study the regulation the level of an individual gene.