RESUMEN
The complete nucleotide sequence of the asd gene of Streptococcus mutans encoding aspartate beta-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.11), an enzyme comprised of 357 amino acids, having an Mr of 38,897 and active in the biosynthetic pathway of lysine, threonine, methionine, diaminopimelic acid, and isoleucine, has been determined. In addition we report the 276 nucleotides upstream of the structural gene which contain a highly efficient promoter identified by both RNA polymerase binding and in vitro transcription analysis. A leader transcript which terminates at a fixed point immediately preceding the asd promoter region was identified in the DNA sequence and confirmed by in vitro transcription analysis as well. The close proximity of this transcript and its p-independent transcriptional terminator to the asd coding sequence suggests involvement in a mechanism of regulation. Message stability experiments indicate the half-life of asd specific messages to be comparable to that of Escherichia coli messages. Conditions of varying concentrations of lysine, threonine, and methionine exert no apparent control over expression of the S. mutans asd gene in Escherichia coli suggesting the requirement of an accessory regulatory element specific for the S. mutans asd gene.
Asunto(s)
Aspartato-Semialdehído Deshidrogenasa/genética , Genes Bacterianos , Genes , Regiones Promotoras Genéticas , Streptococcus mutans/genética , Secuencia de Bases , Enzimas de Restricción del ADN , ADN Bacteriano , ARN Polimerasas Dirigidas por ADN/metabolismo , Escherichia coli/genética , Lisina/farmacología , Metionina/farmacología , Hibridación de Ácido Nucleico , Plásmidos , ARN Bacteriano/metabolismo , ARN Mensajero/metabolismo , Treonina/farmacología , Transcripción Genética/efectos de los fármacosRESUMEN
Transformation (i.e., DNase-sensitive genetic transfer) of strains of Streptococcus mutans representing serotypes c and e was accomplished by using chromosomal DNA from a Rifr Strr Spcr isolate of strain GS5 (UAB525) and a chimeric plasmid, pYA629. Shuttle plasmid pYA629 comprises the S. mutans plasmid pVA318, an inducible erythromycin resistance determinant originally isolated from a group A streptococcal strain, the tetracycline resistance gene and replication region of the Escherichia coli plasmid pBR322, and the promoter region of the S. mutans gene for aspartate beta-semialdehyde dehydrogenase. The strains examined for recipient ability included those known to lack a cryptic plasmid (GS5, UA130, UA159, and MT8148) and those known to contain a widely disseminated 5.8-kilobase cryptic plasmid (LM7, V318, UA101, UA174, and 3098791). The transformation frequencies in GS5 for GS5 chromosomal antibiotic resistance markers were comparable to those reported by others, but UA101, UA130, UA159 and UA174 were transformed with both chromosomal and plasmid markers at much higher efficiencies. In a larger strain survey, strains containing the 5.8-kilobase cryptic plasmid were more frequently transformable with both chromosomal and pYA629 DNAs than were strains lacking this cryptic plasmid. All plasmid-containing strains except LM7 lost their resident cryptic plasmids when transformed with pYA629. LM7 transformed with pYA629 retained pLM7. There are therefore at least two incompatibility groups among S. mutans cryptic plasmids. yPA629 DNA isolated from either E. coli or S. mutans transformed S. mutans with equal efficiency. pYA629 DNA isolated from S. mutans transformed both restriction-deficient and restriction-proficient E. coli recipients. Therefore, the strains of S. mutans used lack a restriction-modification system for pYA629 DNA sequences. S. mutans strains that are readily transformable, display maximal cariogenicity in gnotobiotic rats, and give high scores for in vitro measures of important virulence attributes have been identified to facilitate studies on the genetic basis and control of virulence.