• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.41 no.2
• /
• pp.109-114
• /
• 2003

A promoter that is inducible by paraquat and menadione, the superoxide generators, independently of soxRS has been found in front of the sufABCDSE operon in Escherichia coli. Based on the observation that SufA is a holomog of IscA that functions in the assembly of iron sulfur cluster and the sufA promoter (sufAp) contains a putative Fur-binding consensus, we investigated whether this gene is regulated by Fur, a ferric uptake regulator, When examined in several sufAp-lacZ chromosomal fusion strains, sufAp was induced by EDTA, an iron chelator and a well-known Fur-inducer, The basal level of sufA expression increased dramatically in fur mutant, suggesting repression of sufAp by Fur. The derepression in fur mutant and EDTA-induction of sufA expression required nucleotides up to -61, where a putative Fur box is located. Purified Fur protein bound to the DNA fragment containing the putative Fur box between -35 and -10 promoter elements. The regulation by Fur and menadione induction of sufAp acted independently. The rpoS mutation increased sufA induction by menadione, suggesting that the stationary sigma factor RpoS acts negatively on sufA induction.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.25 no.6
• /
• pp.758-763
• /
• 2012

As a member of a subclass of immunophilins, it is controversial that FKBP38 acts an upstream regulator of mTOR signaling pathway, which control the process of cell-growth, proliferation and differentiation. In order to explore the relationship between FKBP38 and mTOR in the Cashmere goat (Capra hircus) cells, a full-length cDNA was cloned (GenBank accession number JF714970) and expression pattern was analyzed. The cloned FKBP38 gene is 1,248 bp in length, containing an open reading frame (ORF) from nucleotide 13 to 1,248 which encodes 411 amino acids, and 12 nucleotides in front of the initiation codon. The full cDNA sequence shares 98% identity with cattle, 94% with horse and 90% with human. The putative amino acid sequence shows the higher homology which is 98%, 97% and 94%, correspondingly. The bioinformatics analysis showed that FKBP38 contained a FKBP_C domain, two TPR domains and a TM domain. Psite analysis suggested that the ORF encoding protein contained a leucine-zipper pattern and a Prenyl group binding site (CAAX box). Tissue-specific expression analysis was performed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and showed that the FKBP38 expression was detected in all the tested tissues and the highest level of mRNA accumulation was detected in testis, suggesting that FKBP38 plays an important role in goat cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.11 no.5
• /
• pp.825-830
• /
• 2001

Escherichia coli, which harbored the ars operon from a plasmid pMH12 of Klebsiella oxytoca D12, showed filamentation due to the expression of ars genes in the presence of arsenite. The continued DNA replication in the absence of cell division was revealed, since nucleoids abound with DAPI appeared to be arranged in chains. In contrast to overexpression of arsA, its frame-shift mutant and knock-out mutant lost filamentation in the presence of arsenite, which suggested that ars-induced division block was dependent on expression of arsA. ArsA-induced division inhibition was not a consequence of an inhibition of DNA replication, and the inability of arsenite to induce an SOS response indicated that arsA-mediated division inhibition was dependent on the expression of the gene product encoded by the minB operon. ArsA is a peripheral membrane protein with an ATP-binding domain, which is homologous to MinD that requires ATP-dependent efflux. These results suggested that ArsA could possibly recruit MinC to the membrane and modulate cytoplasmic FtsZ to block assembly at the middle of the cell.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.153-159
• /
• 2001

In order to clone the peptide synthetase gene form Lysobacter lactamgenus IFO 14,288, the gene fragments were amplified using primers for the adenylation domain and the thionylation domain of the peptide synthetase genes in other organisms by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The resulting 0.5-kb fragment was cloned in a pGEM-T vector, and the nucleotide sequences were determined. Six different PCR products were obtained; three were identified to be a part of L-$\alpha$-aminoadipyl-L-cysteinyl-D-valine (ACV) synthetase and three to be other peptide synthetases. Using each of the two different classes of PCR products as mixed probes, a cosmid library of L. lactamgenus chromosomal DNA constructed in a pHC79 vector was screened by an in situ hybridization procedure, and one positive clone was selected which was bound by peptide synthetase gene fragments as well as ACV synthetase gene fragments. The partial sequence analysis formt he obtained pPTS-5 cosmid showed th presence of more than two open reading frames. These were for two putative membrane transporters, which were homologous with several integral membrane proteins including the ABC transporter ATP-binding protein of E. coli (YbjZ) and the metal ion uptake protein of Bacillus subtilis (YvrN). A 45% homology was also found between the two transporter proteins at the carboxy terminus. Through a hydropathy analysis and transmembrane analysis. 4-5 transmembrane domains were found in these two proteins. When the genes were expressed in Escherichia coli, the gene products inhibited the hose cell growth, probably due to the disturbance of the membrane transport system.

• Weed & Turfgrass Science
• /
• v.2 no.4
• /
• pp.368-375
• /
• 2013

Whole genome transcriptomes from Miscanthus species were sequenced and analyzed, which provided 50 different types of transcription factor (TF) involving various developmental processes or environmental stresses. Among the explored TF, WRKY gene family was the major type and one of the WRKY genes, MSIR7180_WRKY4, induced under low temperature environment was selected to investigate how the Miscanthus-originated MSIR7180_WRKY4 TF responds when exposed to low temperature in four warm-season turfgrasses (Z. matrella 'Semil', bermudagrass, St. Augustinegrass, and seashore paspalum). The MSIR7180_WRKY4 was expressed higher during low temperature period in Bermudagrass, but the expression was enhanced in St. Augustinegrass. In contrast, the gene in 'Semil' cultivar was barely expressed and relatively less expressed, but repressed gradually in seashore paspalum, which seems to allow two turfgrasses stay-green longer in the fall season. The results indicate that bermudagrass and St. Augustinegrass adapt to low temperature quickly, but relative tolerance to low or cold temperature at the molecular level needs to be further investigated at different physiological stages and the corresponding genes systematically.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.111-117
• /
• 1995

In Escherichia coli, CRP forms a complex with cAMP and acts as a transcriptional regulator of many genes, including sugar metabolism operons. The E. coli MK2001, which is introduced the altered crp, is functional in the expression of lac, ara and man, in the absence of cAMP. However, the expression of mal gene is fully activated by the addition of cAMP or cGMP. The object of the study is cloning of the sfs (sugar fermentation stimulation) genes, which was involved in regulation of mal gene expression with the altered crp gene, and structural analysis and characterization of the genes at the molecular level. We have cloned 5 different E. coli genes which stimulate the maltose metabolism in a crp, cya::km (MK2001) background. Newly identified genes were designated as sfs. One of the sfs genes (pPC1), located at the 53.2 min map position on the E. coli chromosome, was further analyzed. Expression of the genes, which is involved in maltose metabolism, malQ (amylomaltase), was increased to 5.8-fold in the presence of a plasmid, pAP5, containing the subcloned sfs4 gene. The nucleotide seguence of a common 2,126 bp segment of the pPCM1 was determined and two open reading frames (ORF1 and ORF2) were detected. The ORF1 encodes the sfs4 gene and ORF2 encodes a truncated protein. Potential CRP binding site is located in the upstream of the putative promoter in the regulatory region. Expression of the cloned sfs4 gene was positively regulated by the cAMP-CRP complex.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.249-255
• /
• 2009

Esculetin, a coumarin compound, has been known to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in several types of human cancer cells. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in esculetin-induced apoptosis are still uncharacterized in human leukemia cells. In this study, we have investigated whether esculetin exerts anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects on human leukemia U937 cells. It was found that esculetin could inhibit cell viability in a time-dependent manner, which was associated with the induction of apoptotic cell death such as increased populations of apoptotic- sub G1 phase. Apoptosis of U937 cells by esculetin was associated with an inhibition of Bcl-2/Bax binding activity, formation of tBid, down-regulation of X-linked inhibitor of apoptotic protein (XIAP) expression, and up-regulation of death receptor 4 (DR4) and FasL expression. Esculetin treatment also induced the degradation of ${\beta}$-catenin and DNA fragmentation factor 45/inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase (DFF45/ICAD). Furthermore, a caspase-3 specific inhibitor, z-DEVD-fmk, significantly inhibited sub-G1 phase DNA content, morphological changes and degradation of ${\beta}$-catenin and DEE45/ICAD. These results indicated that a key regulator in esculetin-induced apoptosis was caspase-3 in human leukemia U937 cells.