ABSTRACT
The standardization of DNA fragment assembly methods for many tasks of synthetic biology is crucial. This is necessary for synthesizing a wider repertoire of sequences, as well as for further automation and miniaturization of such reactions. In this work, we proposed conditions for the assembly of DNA fragments from chemically synthesized oligonucleotides and we identified the errors occurring in the sequence under these conditions. Additionally, we proposed conditions for further combining synthetic fragments into larger DNA fragments. We showed that the optimized conditions are suitable for the assembly of a wide range of sequences.
ABSTRACT
Mollicutes (mycoplasmas) feature a significant loss of known regulators of gene expression. Here, we identified the recognition site of the MraZ-family regulator of Mycoplasma gallisepticum, which is conserved in many species of different clades within class Mollicutes. The MraZ binding site is AAAGTG[T/G], in the promoter of mraZ gene it forms a series of direct repeats with a structure (AAAGTG[T/G]N3)k, where k = 3 most frequently. MraZ binds to a single repeat as an octamer complex. MraZ can also bind a single binding site or a series of repeats with different spacer lengths (2-4 nt); thus, it may play a role in the regulation of multiple operons in Mollicutes. In M. gallisepticum, MraZ acts as a transcriptional activator. The overexpression of MraZ leads to moderate filamentation of cells and the formation of aggregates, likely as a result of incomplete cytokinesis.
Subject(s)
Bacterial Proteins/metabolism , Mycoplasma gallisepticum/metabolism , Operon/physiology , Response Elements/physiology , Transcription Factors/metabolism , Transcription, Genetic/physiology , Bacterial Proteins/genetics , Mycoplasma gallisepticum/genetics , Transcription Factors/geneticsABSTRACT
The major storage proteins in cereals, prolamins, have an abundance of the amino acids glutamine and proline. Storage pests need specific digestive enzymes to efficiently hydrolyze these storage proteins. Therefore, post-glutamine cleaving peptidases (PGP) were isolated from the midgut of the stored-product pest, Tenebrio molitor (yellow mealworm). Three distinct PGP activities were found in the anterior and posterior midgut using the highly-specific chromogenic peptide substrate N-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-Ala-L-Ala-L-Gln p-nitroanilide. PGP peptidases were characterized according to gel elution times, activity profiles in buffers of different pH, electrophoretic mobility under native conditions, and inhibitor sensitivity. The results indicate that PGP activity is due to cysteine and not serine chymotrypsin-like peptidases from the T. molitor larvae midgut. We propose that the evolutionary conservation of cysteine peptidases in the complement of digestive peptidases of tenebrionid stored-product beetles is due not only to the adaptation of insects to plants rich in serine peptidase inhibitors, but also to accommodate the need to efficiently cleave major dietary proteins rich in glutamine.
Subject(s)
Cysteine Proteases/isolation & purification , Gastrointestinal Tract/enzymology , Insect Proteins/isolation & purification , Larva/enzymology , Tenebrio/enzymology , Animals , Cysteine Proteases/chemistry , Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors/chemistry , Enzyme Assays , Food Storage , Gliadin/chemistry , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Hydrolysis , Insect Proteins/chemistry , ProteolysisABSTRACT
A chemoenzymatic syntheses was developed for new highly specific fluorogenic substrates for cysteine proteases of the papain family, Abz-Phe-Ala-pNA (I) and Glp-Phe-Ala-Amc (II) (Abz, pNA, Glp, and Amc are i-aminobenzoyl, p-nitroanilide, pyroglutamyl, and 4-amino-7-methylcoumaride, respectively). Substrate (I) was obtained in an aqueous-organic medium using native chymotrypsin. Substrate (II) was synthesized in DMF-MeCN by the treatment with chymotrypsin and subtilisin Carlsberg immobilized on polyvinyl alcohol cryogel. Hydrolysis of substrate (I) with papain, ficin, and bromelain was accompanied by a 15-fold increase in fluorescence intensity, and that of substrate (II), by a change in the fluorescence spectrum. Unambiguity of enzymatic hydrolysis of the substrates after the Ala residue was shown. The specific activity of the substrate hydrolysis with papain, bromelain, and ficin and was determined. Papain showed the greatest activity for both substrates. The activity of all proteases under study was essentially higher for substrate (II), than for substrate (I). The lowest detectable papain concentrations were 2.4 x 10(-10) M for (I) and 1.2 x 10(-11) M for (II). A high selectivity of cysteine proteases for Glp-Phe-Ala-Amc was established.
Subject(s)
Aniline Compounds/chemical synthesis , Chymotrypsin/chemistry , Coumarins/chemical synthesis , Fluorescent Dyes/chemical synthesis , Papain/chemistry , ortho-Aminobenzoates/chemical synthesis , Aniline Compounds/chemistry , Catalysis , Coumarins/chemistry , Dipeptides/chemical synthesis , Dipeptides/chemistry , Fluorescent Dyes/chemistry , Substrate Specificity , ortho-Aminobenzoates/chemistryABSTRACT
The activity and stability of native subtilisin Karlsberg and subtilisin 72 and their complexes with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in organic solvents were studied. The kinetic constants of the hydrolysis of specific chromogenic peptide substrates Z- ALA-Ala-Leu-pNA and Glp-Ala-Ala-Leu-pNA by the subtilisins were determined. It was found that the subtilisin Karlsberg complex with SDS in anhydrous organic solvents is an effective catalyst of peptide synthesis with multifunctional amino acids in positions P1 and P'1 (Glu, Arg, and Asp) containing unprotected side ionogenic groups.
