接合转座子Tn916的水平基因转移

水平基因转移（HGT）极大地提高了细菌物种对环境的适应性,促进了细菌的进化.原核生物通过水平基因转移获得的基因片段为基因岛（GEIs）.接合转座子（CTns）则是一种常见的可移动基因岛,通过接合进行水平基因转移,并主要传播抗生素抗性.该文介绍与讨论了一种发现较早,且被广泛研究的接合转座子Tn916的重组、接合转移和调控模块,阐述了这类接合转座子的一般结构、转移机制和影响.     

水平基因转移应用于污染治理的研究进展

随着经济的发展,有毒有害难降解污染物引起的环境问题变得越来越严重。对于这类污染物的处理多采用生化处理方法,其中生物强化技术是目前较好的方法,但是它也存在强化效果差、处理效率低等问题。国外研究人员发现：遗传物质可在不同的生物个体之间或单个细胞的内部细胞器之间自发进行交流,称为水平基因转移。在污染体系中,降解基因的转移能够使土著菌获得降解新功能,从而强化对难降解污染物的处理,这就为现有的生物强化技术提供了一种解决难降解污染问题的新思路。介绍了水平基因转移的概念以及将其应用于污染治理中的研究进展,并分析了技术发展前景。     

Cloning and characterization of a gene encoding phagerelated tail protein (PrTP) of endosymbiont Wolbachia

Wolbachia is an obligatory, maternally inherited intracellular bacterium, known to infect a wide range of arthropods. It has been implicated in causing cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), parthenogenesis, the feminization of genetic males and male-killing in different hosts. However, the molecular mechanisms by which this fastidious bacterium causes these reproductive abnormalities have not yet been determined. In this study, we report on the cloning and characterization of the gene encoding phage-related tail protein (PrTP) from Wolbachia in Drosophila melanogaster CantonS (wMelCS) and from Wolbachia in Drosophila melanogaster yw67c23 (wMel) by representational difference analysis (RDA) and ligation-mediated PCR (LM-PCR). The functionality of a bipartite nuclear localization signal sequence (NLS) of the gene was also successfully tested in Drosophila S2 cells. PrTP expression in various strains of Wolbachia was investigated. Our results suggest that PrTP may not induce CI directly. However, the existence of prtp provided direct evidence of phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer (HGT) that might play an important role in a variety of reproductive abnormalities of Wolbachia.     

Cloning and characterization of a gene encoding phage-related tail protein (PrTP) of endosymbiont Wolbachia

Wolbachia is an obligatory, maternally inherited intracellular bacterium, known to infect a wide range of arthropods. It has been implicated in causing cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), parthenogenesis, the feminization of genetic males and male-killing in different hosts. However, the molecular mechanisms by which this fastidious bacterium causes these reproductive abnormalities have not yet been determined. In this study, we report on the cloning and characterization of the gene encoding phage-related tail protein (PrTP) from Wolbachia in Drosophila melanogaster CantonS (wMelCS) and from Wolbachia in Drosophila melanogaster yw67c23 (wMel) by representational difference analysis (RDA) and ligation-mediated PCR (LM-PCR). The functionality of a bipartite nuclear localization signal sequence (NLS) of the gene was also successfully tested in Drosophila S2 cells. PrTP expression in various strains of Wolbachia was investigated. Our results suggest that PrTP may not induce CI directly. However, the existence of prtp provided direct evidence of phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer (HGT) that might play an important role in a variety of reproductive abnormalities of Wolbachia.     

Innovation for ascertaining genomic islands in PAO1 and PA14 of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Based on three distinct traits of genomic islands, a novel approach was developed to search for and determine genomic islands in special strains. Two genomic islands in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 and 7 genomic islands in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 were defined with this method. Among the 9 genomic islands, 4 islands had been characterized before, while the other 5 islands were initially determined. The insert sites of 6 genomic islands are tRNA sequences, direct repeats of PA14GI-3 are relative to tRNA^Leu, and direct repeats of PA14GI-2 are at the 3＇ end of bifunctional GMP synthase/ glutamine amidotransferase. Only direct repeats of PA14GI-4 are not clear. Among the 5 newly-found genomic islands, it was supposed that PA14GI-2 is a genomic island related to Hg^2＋ uptake, PA14GI-3 is a secretory activity genomic island, PA14GI-6 is a pathogenicity island, and functions of PA14GI-1 and PA14GI-5 are not clear. Finally, the tyrosine type integrases in PAOIGI-1, PA14GI-5 and PA14GI-7 were analyzed, and their binding and restriction sites were predicted.