dsDNA噬菌体裂解系统作用机制的研究进展

噬菌体作抗生素替代物用于动物生产,已被逐步认可和积极评价。将噬菌体应用于抗菌,主要是应用其裂解作用。为更科学地研发和应用噬菌体,本文综述了应用较普遍的dsDNA噬菌体近年来相关裂解机制的研究。目前发现,绝大多数dsDNA噬菌体均采用"穿孔素-内溶素"裂解系统,其主要由穿孔素和内溶素组成,分别破坏细菌细胞膜和肽聚糖层,致使细菌被裂解;而对革兰阴性菌的裂解,还需膜融合蛋白的参与。此外,还存在一种"针穿孔素-SAR内溶素"裂解系统,其主要由针穿孔素、信号锚定释放内溶素和膜融合蛋白组成,作用机制与上述裂解系统存在明显差异。本文为开发和应用噬菌体及其裂解相关蛋白提供了理论基础。     

噬菌体内溶素对奶牛乳房炎致病菌的溶解作用

奶牛乳房炎一直是困扰养牛业的顽疾。诱发奶牛乳房炎的致病菌通常包括金黄色葡萄球菌、无乳链球菌等致病菌,停乳链球菌、乳房链球菌、大肠埃希菌等环境致病菌以及表皮葡萄球菌、腐生葡萄球菌、模仿葡萄球菌等机会性致病菌。噬菌体是一类细菌依赖性的病毒,可通过内溶素抑制肽聚糖的合成,或利用穿孔素-内溶素系统水解肽聚糖。在体外试验中,噬菌体及其内溶素可溶解、抑制细菌生物膜,裂解乳房炎致病菌;在体内试验中,可清除感染动物体内的乳房炎致病菌,对奶牛乳房炎具有治疗效果。因此,噬菌体及其内溶素在奶牛乳房炎治疗方面具有良好的应用前景。     

大肠杆菌O157 Stx噬菌体裂解酶的克隆表达及活性分析

为研究大肠杆菌O157Stx噬菌体编码的裂解酶(内溶素)对肠出血性大肠杆菌的抗菌作用,克隆表达了大肠杆菌O157Stx噬菌体裂解酶,并检测其裂解作用和裂菌谱。利用PCR方法扩增大肠杆菌O157Min27株中Stx2噬菌体裂解酶基因(R基因),构建表达质粒pET28a(+)-lysEC1,并转化至大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)。重组质粒在BL21中获得了高表达,目的蛋白表达量占菌体总蛋白的34%,经His-trapTM亲和层析柱纯化后,获得的重组LysEC1的纯度大于97%。体外裂解活性试验证实纯化的噬菌体裂解酶LysEC1对肠出血性大肠杆菌菌株具有很好的裂解作用,这为新型噬菌体抗菌生物制剂的研发提供了新的研发方向。     

Endolysins from Antarctic Pseudomonas Display Lysozyme Activity at Low Temperature

Organisms specialized to thrive in cold environments (so-called psychrophiles) produce enzymes with the remarkable ability to catalyze chemical reactions at low temperature. Cold activity relies on adaptive changes in the proteins’ sequence and structural organization that result in high conformational flexibility. As a consequence of flexibility, several such enzymes are inherently heat sensitive. Cold-active enzymes are of interest for application in a number of bioprocesses, where cold activity coupled with easy thermal inactivation can be of advantage. We describe the biochemical and functional properties of two glycosyl hydrolases (named LYS177 and LYS188) of family 19 (GH19), identified in the genome of an Antarctic marine Pseudomonas. Molecular evolutionary analysis placed them in a group of characterized GH19 endolysins active on lysozyme substrates, such as peptidoglycan. Enzyme activity peaks at about 25–35 °C and 40% residual activity is retained at 5 °C. LYS177 and LYS188 are thermolabile, with Tm of 52 and 45 °C and half-lives of 48 and 12 h at 37 °C, respectively. Bioinformatics analyses suggest that low heat stability may be associated to temperature-driven increases in local flexibility occurring mainly in a specific region of the polypeptide that is predicted to contain hot spots for aggregation.     

Development of a tomato plant resistant to Clavibacter michiganensis using the endolysin gene of bacteriophage CMP1 as a transgene

The bacteriophage CMP1 endolysin gene (lys), encoding, a peptidase that was shown to effectively reduce Clavibacter michiganensis by specifically hydrolysing its murein, was transferred into tomato plants by Agrobacterium‐mediated transformation. The presence of the gene was verified by PCR and the gene product was confirmed in immunoblots and stably expressed over three generations. Transgenic tomato plants did not show disease symptoms after infection with C. michiganensis subsp. michiganensis, despite the fact that small amounts of bacteria could still be identified in xylem sap and leaf extracts, although in significantly reduced amounts.