In vivo Mutational Analysis of Highly Conserved Amino Acid Residues of the Small Subunit Cpa1p of the Carbamylphosphate Synthetase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The role of selected amino acid residues located in the putative catalytic domain and of two conserved histidine residues within the small subunit of the carbamylphosphate synthetase (CPS) specific to the arginine biosynthesis pathway of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was studied using site-directed mutagenesis to change all residues to aspartic acid. Carbamylphosphate synthesis catalysed by modified CPS was tested in vivo. The C264D, H307D and H349D mutants were unable to grow on minimal medium, indicating the importance of these three residues for efficient CPS activity, whereas, four other mutated residues located in the catalytic site (including a proline residue) do not affect the growth rate. These results in comparison to those obtained with the CPS of Escherichia coli, implicate residues Cys 264 and His 349 in the glutaminase catalytic activity, and His 307 in the binding of glutamine to the active site. Using these three defective mutants, we investigated the in vivo utilization of ammonia by CPS. C264D and H307D mutants are able to use ammonia as a substrate when provided in sufficiently high concentrations (up to 200 mm). The H349D mutant, however, did not grow even at ammonium sulfate concentrations above 400 mm, suggesting that this substitution is critical to NH₃-dependent CPS activity although the ammonia binding site is presumably located within the large subunit of the enzyme. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification of YHR019 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome VIII as the gene for the cytosolic asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase

Exploiting the asparagine auxotrophy of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant strain 8556a, we have isolated the gene for the cytosolic asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase (AsnRS) of S. cerevisiae, by functional complementation of the mutation affecting this strain. The isolated gene could be identified to the open reading frame YHR019, called DED81, located on chromosome VIII. The mutant gene from the 8556a strain, asnrs⁻-1, was amplified from genomic DNA by PCR. This gene contains a point mutation, leading to the replacement of a glycine residue by a serine in a region of the protein probably important for the asparaginyl-adenylate recognition. The protein encoded by YHR019 is very similar to cytosolic AsnRS from other eukaryotic sources. In a phylogenetic analysis based on AsnRS sequences from various organisms, the eukaryotic sequences were clustered. Expression of YHR019 in Escherichia coli demonstrated that a yeast AsnRS activity was produced. The recombinant enzyme was purified to homogeneity in three chromatography steps. We showed that the recombinant S. cerevisiae AsnRS was able to charge unfractionated yeast tRNA, but not E. coli tRNA, with asparagine. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Molecular cloning of the gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The 4.4 kb SphI DNA fragment (GSH1) that complements the gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase-deficient mutation (gsh1) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae YH1 was cloned into vector plasmid YEp24. Gene disruption of the cloned fragment confirmed that this segment was the same gene as gsh1. Mutant strain YH1 with this plasmid not only restored gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (GSH-I) activity but the glutathione content and the growth rate. DNA sequence analysis of the SphI fragment showed that the GSH1 structural gene contained 2034 bp and predicted a polypeptide of 678 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence had about a 45% homology to that of rat kidney GSH-I, but a very low homology (about 26%) to that of Escherichia coli GSH-I. Northern analysis showed that GSH1 had been transcribed into an approximately 2.7 kb mRNA fragment. Southern analysis showed that GSH1 mapped at chromosome X.     

响应面法优化酿酒酵母产孢培养基及单倍体的鉴定

采用响应面法对酿酒酵母4608菌种的产孢培养基进行了优化。用Plackett-Burman方法对影响培养各因素的效应进行评价,筛选出有显著效应的3个因素：酵母膏、蛋白胨和葡萄糖;通过中心组合实验及响应面分析优化此3个主要因素。采用优化后的条件,酵母膏2.8 g/L,蛋白胨1.2 g/L,葡萄糖0.48 g/L,经培养验证,实测值与预测值间有-0.58%的偏差,实际酵母产孢率为44.12%,比优化前的产孢率提高了60.4%。利用PCR技术检验酵母的单倍体,验证了酵母的交配型,方法准确、迅速。     

里氏木霉bgl1基因的克隆及其在酿酒酵母中的表达

采用cross—over PCR方法将里氏木霉β-葡萄糖苷酶基因的外显子进行体外拼接,成功获得了剔除两个内含子的β-葡萄糖苷酶基因bgl1;进一步构建了重组质粒pYX-tbgl,并在酿酒酵母Saccharomyces cerevisiae W303—1A中获得表达,得到的转化子能以纤维二糖为唯一碳源生长。     

Pichia stipitis木糖醇脱氢酶基因XYL2在酿酒酵母中的表达

通过PCR方法克隆得到树干毕赤氏酵母木糖醇脱氢酶(XDH)基因XYL2.将该基因连入酵母表达载体pYX212的强启动子磷酸丙糖异构酶(TPI)启动子下,得到融合表达载体pYX-XYL2.通过电转化方法将pYX-XYL2转入酿酒酵母Saccharomyces cerevisiae W303-1A中,酶活测定表明在酿酒酵母中树干毕赤氏酵母木糖醇脱氢酶基因XYL2得到活性表达,酿酒酵母转化子粗酶液中木糖醇脱氢酶比活为每毫克蛋白0.6 U左右,约为供体菌的2.4倍.与基因供体菌不同,木糖醇脱氢酶基因在酿酒酵母中表达不需木糖诱导,为组成型表达.     

木糖发酵酵母Pichia stipitis木糖还原酶基因XYL1在酿酒酵母中的表达

通过PCR方法克隆得到树干毕赤氏酵母木糖还原酶 (XR)基因XYL1。将该基因连入酵母表达载体pYX2 12的强启动子磷酸丙糖异构酶 (TPI)启动子下 ,得到融合表达载体pYX XYL1。通过电转化方法将 pYX XYL1转入酿酒酵母SaccharonmycescerevisiaeW 30 3-1A中 ,酶活测定表明 ,在酿酒酵母中树干毕赤氏酵母木糖还原酶 (XR)基因XYL1得到活性表达 ,2酿酒酵母转化子粗酶液中木糖还原酶活分别为 0 .89U/mg(蛋白 )和 0 .83U/mg(蛋白 ) ,为供体菌的 1 5倍多。与基因供体菌不同 ,木糖还原酶基因在酿酒酵母中表达不需木糖诱导 ,为组成型表达。树干毕赤氏酵母木糖还原酶 (XR)基因XYL1的成功表达为后续的利用木糖的酿酒酵母菌株的构建奠定了基础     

Phylogenetic Classification of the Mitochondrial Carrier Family of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The screening of the open reading frames identified in the whole yeast genome has allowed us to discover 34 proteins belonging to the mitochondrial carrier family. By phylogenetic study, they can be divided into 27 subfamilies including ADP/ATP, phosphate and citrate carriers, putative oxoglutarate and GDC carriers and 22 new subfamilies. Topology predictions using the ‘positive inside rule’ approach have shown that the yeast carriers are similarly oriented with both extremities exposed to the cytosol. In each subfamily, a strict conservation of the charged residues in the six transmembrane α-helices is observed, suggesting a functional role for these residues and the existence of 27 functionally distinct carriers. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification and characterization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains isolated from West African sorghum beer

The occurrence and characterization of yeasts isolated from sorghum beer produced in Ghana and Burkina Faso, West Africa, were investigated. The yeasts involved in the fermentations were found to consist of Saccharomyces spp. almost exclusively. Of the isolates investigated, 45% were identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, whereas more than half of the isolates (53%) had physiological properties atypical of S. cerevisiae or any other member of the complex sensu strictu, as they were able to assimilate only glucose, maltose and ethanol as carbon sources. Both ITS-PCR RFLP and PFGE strongly indicated that these isolates were related to S. cerevisiae, regardless of their phenotypic characteristics. Sequencing of the D1/D2 domain of the 26S rDNA confirmed the close relatedness to S. cerevisiae with 0.5% nucleotide differences. The MAL1 and MAL3 loci were found for all isolates as the only recognized MAL loci. Besides, for 40% of the isolates the MAL61 probe hybridized to a position of about 950 kbp, which has not formerly been described as a MAL locus. The results showed that the spontaneous fermentation of West African sorghum beer is dominated by a variety of strains of S.cerevisiae not previously described, among which starter cultures should be selected.     

Tryptophan accumulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae under the influence of an artificial yeast TRP gene cluster

Plasmid pME559, carrying all five yeast TRP genes, was constructed. This plasmid is a yeast/Escherichia coli shuttle vector based on pBR322 and 2 μm-DNA sequences derived from plasmid pJDB207. We studied in yeast (i) the stability of the plasmid under selective and non-selective conditions, (ii) expression of all five TRP genes and (iii) tryptophan accumulation in yeast transformants. These studies were conducted in comparison with an earlier construction, pME554, which differs from plasmid pME559 in the expression of the TRP1 gene and which carries the TRP2 wild type instead of the TRP2^fbr mutant allele. For stable maintenance of the plasmids in yeast a selection was necessary. Plasmid pME559 displayed normal expression of all TRP genes, and enzyme levels on average 23-fold higher than in the wild type strain were found. In comparison, the maximal tryptophan flux observed in such a plasmid-carrying strain was about ten-fold higher than the maximal flux capacity in the wild type strain.     

Sequence and analysis of 24 kb on chromosome II of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In the course of the European yeast genome sequencing project, we determined 23,920 bp of a continuous chromosome II right arm sequence. Analysis of data revealed 13 open reading frames (ORFs), three of which corresponded to previously identified genes; two tRNA genes and one repetitive element. One ORF showed considerable homology (46%) to a hypothetical chromosome III gene; another, putatively very hydrophobic gene product, was 30% identical to the heat-shock protein HSP30. Two ORFs were homologous to human genes. The complete sequence was submitted to the EMBL data bank under the Accession Number Z46260 Authorin submission ‘3’.     

基于基因组挖掘技术的新型谷氨酸脱羧酶基因挖掘及表达鉴定

采用基因组挖掘技术,以来源于Lactobacillus brevis活性较高的谷氨酸脱羧酶（glutamate decarboxylase,GAD）LbGAD为探针,从乳酸菌（Lactococcus lactis、Lactobacillus senmaizukei）和肠球菌（Enterococcus sulfureus）的基因组中挖掘到了3 个假定的GAD基因（LlGAD、LsGAD和EsGAD）。借助pET28a质粒分别实现了这4 个基因在大肠杆菌BL21中的表达,其中LsGAD和LlGAD的表达产物可溶性较好,相应发酵液中GAD活力分别为34.17、38.91 U/mL。LsGAD的比活力、温度特性、pH值特性和Kcat/Km值也明显优于其他几个酶。此外,初步研究了全细胞催化L-谷氨酸制备γ-氨基丁酸（γ-aminobutyric acid,GABA）的工艺,6 g/L的L-谷氨酸经过24 h转化后,GABA得率最高可达58%。本研究实现了GAD从基因组数据到真实酶的跨越,获得了1 个性能优良的GAD,并初步实现了GABA的生物合成,为实现GABA低成本、规模化的生物合成提供了科学依据。     

An 18·3 kb DNA Fragment from Yeast Chromosome VII Carries Four Unknown Open Reading Frames,the Gene for an Asn Synthetase,Remnants of Ty and Three tRNA Genes

An 18·3 kb DNA segment from yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome VII encompasses the previously characterized MEP1, NUP57 and PPT1 genes as well as seven new open reading frames (ORFs) of at least 100 residues. G6358 is an ubiquitous glutamine-dependant asparagine synthase. G6362 is a membrane protein highly homologous to a protein of unknown function in the yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Three ORFs (G6324, G6335 and G6365) have no significant homology with previously reported proteins or characteristic motifs. G6321 and G6359, enclosed in longer ORFs, are not likely to be coding. The segment also contains tRNA genes for Asn, Arg and Ile as well as a sigma element and two solo deltas. ORFs and genetic elements are named according to a preliminary working nomenclature. The sequence is recorded in GenBank^TM/EMBL under Accession Number X83099.©1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

传统诱变与基因组重排技术相结合选育耐高温酿酒酵母菌株

以酿酒酵母AY12为出发菌株,采用传统人工诱变育种与基因组重排技术相结合的方法选育出耐高温且高产乙醇的酿酒酵母菌株.通过将出发菌株进行紫外诱变,获得酿酒酵母突变群体,并从中筛选出耐高温且高产乙醇的23株突变株作为正向突变文库;将该文库通过酵母高效产孢与杂交反应实现突变文库的全基因组重排,筛选得到的基因组重排最优菌LYQ-F1的高温耐受性较出发菌株AY12明显提高,且在高温模拟发酵工艺中其乙醇产量较出发菌株提高了22.1％.     

Expression and secretion of antifreeze peptides in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The antifreeze peptide AFP6 from the polar fish Pseudopleuronectus americanus has been expressed in and secreted by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a biologically active molecule. The gene for the 37 amino acid long peptide has been chemically synthesized using yeast preferred codons. Subsequently, the gene has been cloned into an episomal expression vector as well as in a multicopy integration vector, which is mitotically more stable. The expression is under the control of the inducible GAL7 promoter. The enzyme α-galactosidase has been investigated as a carrier protein to facilitate expression and secretion of AFP. In order to reach increased expression levels, tandem repeats of the AFP gene (up to eight copies) have been cloned. In most cases the genes are efficiently expressed and the products secreted. The expression level amounts to approximately 100 mg/l in the culture medium. In a number of genetic constructs the genes are directly linked and expressed as AFP multimers. In other constructs linker regions have been inserted between the AFP gene copies, that allow the peptide to be processed by specific proteinases, either from the endogenous yeast proteolytic system or from a non-yeast source. The latter requires a separate processing step after yeast cultivation to obtain mature AFP. In all these cases proteolytic processing is incomplete, generating a heterogeneous mixture of mature AFP, carrier and chimeric protein, and/or a mixture of AFP-oligomers. The antifreeze activity has been demonstrated for such mixtures as well as for AFP multimers.