Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1989 Jan;171(1):93–98. doi: 10.1128/jb.171.1.93-98.1989

Isolation and characterization of an archaebacterial viruslike particle from Methanococcus voltae A3.

A G Wood 1, W B Whitman 1, J Konisky 1
PMCID: PMC209559  PMID: 2914861

Abstract

Small amounts of a 23-kilobase covalently closed circular DNA molecule were isolated from unwashed cells of Methanococcus voltae A3. Further investigation indicated the presence of greater quantities of the circular DNA in the culture supernatant, complexed with protein in a manner rendering the DNA resistant to DNase. Electron-microscopic examination of supernatant material revealed the presence of particles which morphologically resemble virus. Phenol extraction of viruslike particle preparations resulted in the recovery of DNase-sensitive open-circular DNA molecules. As many as 30 viruslike particles per cell were recovered from some cultures. Hybridization data clearly indicated the presence of a chromosomally integrated copy of the viruslike particle DNA. Although M. voltae PS was not observed to produce viruslike particles, DNA homologous to the viruslike particle DNA was detected in its chromosome. A mutant of M. voltae A3 was isolated which produced no particles; its DNA was deleted for 80% of the integrated viruslike particle DNA. Despite any similarities to lysogenic bacteriophages of eubacteria, neither infectivity nor inducibility of the viruslike particles could be demonstrated.

Full text

PDF
98

Images in this article

95Image
on p.95
95Image
on p.95
95Image
on p.95
96Image
on p.96

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Balch W. E., Fox G. E., Magrum L. J., Woese C. R., Wolfe R. S. Methanogens: reevaluation of a unique biological group. Microbiol Rev. 1979 Jun;43(2):260–296. doi: 10.1128/mr.43.2.260-296.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bertani G., Baresi L. Genetic transformation in the methanogen Methanococcus voltae PS. J Bacteriol. 1987 Jun;169(6):2730–2738. doi: 10.1128/jb.169.6.2730-2738.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Dennis P. P. Molecular biology of archaebacteria. J Bacteriol. 1986 Nov;168(2):471–478. doi: 10.1128/jb.168.2.471-478.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hanahan D., Meselson M. Plasmid screening at high colony density. Methods Enzymol. 1983;100:333–342. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(83)00066-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Jones J. B., Stadtman T. C. Methanococcus vannielii: culture and effects of selenium and tungsten on growth. J Bacteriol. 1977 Jun;130(3):1404–1406. doi: 10.1128/jb.130.3.1404-1406.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Jones W. J., Whitman W. B., Fields R. D., Wolfe R. S. Growth and plating efficiency of methanococci on agar media. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1983 Jul;46(1):220–226. doi: 10.1128/aem.46.1.220-226.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kalmokoff M. L., Jarrell K. F., Koval S. F. Isolation of flagella from the archaebacterium Methanococcus voltae by phase separation with Triton X-114. J Bacteriol. 1988 Apr;170(4):1752–1758. doi: 10.1128/jb.170.4.1752-1758.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Koval S. F., Jarrell K. F. Ultrastructure and biochemistry of the cell wall of Methanococcus voltae. J Bacteriol. 1987 Mar;169(3):1298–1306. doi: 10.1128/jb.169.3.1298-1306.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Laemmli U. K. Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature. 1970 Aug 15;227(5259):680–685. doi: 10.1038/227680a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Meile L., Kiener A., Leisinger T. A plasmid in the archaebacterium Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum. Mol Gen Genet. 1983;191(3):480–484. doi: 10.1007/BF00425766. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Morrissey J. H. Silver stain for proteins in polyacrylamide gels: a modified procedure with enhanced uniform sensitivity. Anal Biochem. 1981 Nov 1;117(2):307–310. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(81)90783-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Reiter W D, Palm P, Yeats S, Zillig W. Gene expression in archaebacteria: physical mapping of constitutive and UV-inducible transcripts from the Sulfolobus virus-like particle SSV1. Mol Gen Genet. 1987 Sep;209(2):270–275. doi: 10.1007/BF00329653. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. SAITO H., MIURA K. I. PREPARATION OF TRANSFORMING DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID BY PHENOL TREATMENT. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1963 Aug 20;72:619–629. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Southern E. M. Detection of specific sequences among DNA fragments separated by gel electrophoresis. J Mol Biol. 1975 Nov 5;98(3):503–517. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(75)80083-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Thomm M., Altenbuchner J., Stetter K. O. Evidence for a plasmid in a methanogenic bacterium. J Bacteriol. 1983 Feb;153(2):1060–1062. doi: 10.1128/jb.153.2.1060-1062.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Whitman W. B., Ankwanda E., Wolfe R. S. Nutrition and carbon metabolism of Methanococcus voltae. J Bacteriol. 1982 Mar;149(3):852–863. doi: 10.1128/jb.149.3.852-863.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Woese C. R. Bacterial evolution. Microbiol Rev. 1987 Jun;51(2):221–271. doi: 10.1128/mr.51.2.221-271.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Woese C. R., Olsen G. J. Archaebacterial phylogeny: perspectives on the urkingdoms. Syst Appl Microbiol. 1986;7:161–177. doi: 10.1016/s0723-2020(86)80001-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Wood A. G., Redborg A. H., Cue D. R., Whitman W. B., Konisky J. Complementation of argG and hisA mutations of Escherichia coli by DNA cloned from the archaebacterium Methanococcus voltae. J Bacteriol. 1983 Oct;156(1):19–29. doi: 10.1128/jb.156.1.19-29.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Wood A. G., Whitman W. B., Konisky J. A newly-isolated marine methanogen harbors a small cryptic plasmid. Arch Microbiol. 1985 Aug;142(3):259–261. doi: 10.1007/BF00693400. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES