ABSTRACT
Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942, a cyanobacterium that uses light and carbon dioxide to grow, has a high ability to incorporate DNA by transformation. To assess the effective delivery of large DNA in plasmid form, we cloned the endogenous plasmid pANL (46.4 kbp) into a BAC vector of Escherichia coli. The plasmid p38ANL (54.3 kbp) replaced the native plasmid. To assess the delivery of larger DNA into PCC7942, p38ANL was fused to the broad-host-range conjugal transfer plasmid pUB307IP (53.5 kbp). The resulting plasmid pUB307IP501 (107.9 kbp) was transmitted from E. coli to PCC7942 by simple mixing of donor and recipient cultures. PCC7942 transcipients possessed only pUB307IP501, replacing the preexisting pANL. In contrast, the pUB307IP501 plasmid was unable to transform PCC7942, indicating that natural transformation of DNA may be restricted by size limitations. The ability to deliver large DNA by conjugation may lead to genetic engineering in PCC7942.
Subject(s)
Conjugation, Genetic , DNA/genetics , Escherichia coli/genetics , Gene Transfer Techniques , Plasmids/genetics , Synechococcus/genetics , DNA/metabolism , Escherichia coli/metabolism , Plasmids/metabolism , Synechococcus/metabolismABSTRACT
Primitive hematopoietic cells in mammalian bone marrow are purified by flow cytometry using Hoechst 33342 (Hoechst) and rhodamine-123 (Rho), because these dyes efflux activities of hematopoietic cells widely conserved in mammals. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are identified as side population (SP) cells, characterized by specific Hoechst efflux pattern in flow cytometric analysis. We previously demonstrated that SP cells from teleost body kidney (BK) had the HSC activity by a transplantation experiment using clonal ginbuna crucian carp (Carassius auratus langsdorfii). In the present study, to isolate HSCs and hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) from teleosts using Hoechst and Rho, we compared the hematopoietic activity of Rho-negative (Rho(-)) cells with that of SP cells by ginbuna transplantation experiments. Rho(-) cells were clearly identified from ginbuna BK, and the majority of these cells (85%) showed a non-SP phenotype. Transplantation experiments showed that long-term repopulating activity (HSC activity) of Rho(-) cells was lower than that of SP cells, while Rho(-) cells had higher short-term repopulating activity (HPC activity) than SP cells. These results suggest that Rho(-) cells in ginbuna BK contain various stages of hematopoietic cells, while SP cells are highly enriched for HSCs, and that these dyes are useful for purification of HSCs and HPCs in teleosts.
