Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1981 Dec;148(3):745–752. doi: 10.1128/jb.148.3.745-752.1981

Effect of nalidixic acid and novobiocin on pBR322 genetic expression in Escherichia coli minicells.

M C Gómez-Eichelmann
PMCID: PMC216271  PMID: 7031033

Abstract

The effects of two deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) gyrase inhibitors, nalidixic acid and novobiocin, on the gene expression of plasmid pBR322 in Escherichia coli minicells were studied. Quantitative estimates of the synthesis of pBR322-coded polypeptides in novobiocin-treated minicells showed that the synthesis of a polypeptide of molecular weight of 34,000 (the tetracycline resistance protein) was reduced to 11 to 20% of control levels, whereas the amount of a polypeptide of 30,500 (the beta-lactamase precursor) was increased to as much as 200%. Nalidixic acid affected the synthesis of the tetracycline resistance protein similarly to novobiocin, although to a lesser extent. The effects of nalidixic acid were not observed in a nalidixic-resistant mutant; those induced by novobiocin were only partially suppressed in a novobiocin-resistant mutant. The synthesis of one of the inducible tetracycline-resistant proteins (34,000) coded by plasmid pSC101 was also reduced in nalidixic acid- and novobiocin-treated minicells. These results suggest that the gyrase inhibitors modified the interaction of ribonucleic acid polymerase with some promoters, either by decreasing the supercoiling density of plasmid DNA or by altering the association constant of the gyrase to specific DNA sites.

Full text

PDF
747

Selected References

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

  1. Adler H. I., Fisher W. D., Cohen A., Hardigree A. A. MINIATURE escherichia coli CELLS DEFICIENT IN DNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1967 Feb;57(2):321–326. doi: 10.1073/pnas.57.2.321. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bolivar F., Rodriguez R. L., Greene P. J., Betlach M. C., Heyneker H. L., Boyer H. W., Crosa J. H., Falkow S. Construction and characterization of new cloning vehicles. II. A multipurpose cloning system. Gene. 1977;2(2):95–113. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Clewell D. B. Nature of Col E 1 plasmid replication in Escherichia coli in the presence of the chloramphenicol. J Bacteriol. 1972 May;110(2):667–676. doi: 10.1128/jb.110.2.667-676.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cohen S. N., Chang A. C., Hsu L. Nonchromosomal antibiotic resistance in bacteria: genetic transformation of Escherichia coli by R-factor DNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 Aug;69(8):2110–2114. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.8.2110. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cohen S. N., Chang A. C. Recircularization and autonomous replication of a sheared R-factor DNA segment in Escherichia coli transformants. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1973 May;70(5):1293–1297. doi: 10.1073/pnas.70.5.1293. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cozzarelli N. R. DNA gyrase and the supercoiling of DNA. Science. 1980 Feb 29;207(4434):953–960. doi: 10.1126/science.6243420. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Crick F. H. Linking numbers and nucleosomes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Aug;73(8):2639–2643. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.8.2639. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Dougan G., Saul M., Twigg A., Gill R., Sherratt D. Polypeptides expressed in Escherichia coli K-12 minicells by transposition elements Tn1 and Tn3. J Bacteriol. 1979 Apr;138(1):48–54. doi: 10.1128/jb.138.1.48-54.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Drlica K., Snyder M. Superhelical Escherichia coli DNA: relaxation by coumermycin. J Mol Biol. 1978 Apr 5;120(2):145–154. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(78)90061-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. GOSS W. A., DEITZ W. H., COOK T. M. MECHANISM OF ACTION OF NALIDIXIC ACID ON ESCHERICHIA COLI.II. INHIBITION OF DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID SYNTHESIS. J Bacteriol. 1965 Apr;89:1068–1074. doi: 10.1128/jb.89.4.1068-1074.1965. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Gellert M., Mizuuchi K., O'Dea M. H., Itoh T., Tomizawa J. I. Nalidixic acid resistance: a second genetic character involved in DNA gyrase activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Nov;74(11):4772–4776. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.11.4772. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Gellert M., Mizuuchi K., O'Dea M. H., Nash H. A. DNA gyrase: an enzyme that introduces superhelical turns into DNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Nov;73(11):3872–3876. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.11.3872. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Gellert M., Mizuuchi K., O'Dea M. H., Ohmori H., Tomizawa J. DNA gyrase and DNA supercoiling. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1979;43(Pt 1):35–40. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1979.043.01.007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Gellert M., O'Dea M. H., Itoh T., Tomizawa J. Novobiocin and coumermycin inhibit DNA supercoiling catalyzed by DNA gyrase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Dec;73(12):4474–4478. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.12.4474. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Hays J. B., Boehmer S. Antagonists of DNA gyrase inhibit repair and recombination of UV-irradiated phage lambda. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Sep;75(9):4125–4129. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.9.4125. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Kennedy N., Beutin L., Achtman M., Skurray R., Rahmsdorf U., Herrlich P. Conjugation proteins encoded by the F sex factor. Nature. 1977 Dec 15;270(5638):580–585. doi: 10.1038/270580a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Kopylova-Sviridova T. N., Soukovatitsin V. V., Fodor I. Synthesis of proteins coded by plasmid vectors of pCV series (Apr, Tcr) and their recombinant derivatives (pDm) in E. coli minicells. Gene. 1979 Oct;7(2):121–139. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(79)90028-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Kreuzer K. N., Cozzarelli N. R. Escherichia coli mutants thermosensitive for deoxyribonucleic acid gyrase subunit A: effects on deoxyribonucleic acid replication, transcription, and bacteriophage growth. J Bacteriol. 1979 Nov;140(2):424–435. doi: 10.1128/jb.140.2.424-435.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Kubo M., Kano Y., Nakamura H., Nagata A., Imamoto F. In vivo enhancement of general and specific transcription in Escherichia coli by DNA gyrase activity. Gene. 1979 Oct;7(2):153–171. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(79)90030-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. LENNOX E. S. Transduction of linked genetic characters of the host by bacteriophage P1. Virology. 1955 Jul;1(2):190–206. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(55)90016-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. 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]
  22. Meagher R. B., Tait R. C., Betlach M., Boyer H. W. Protein expression in E. coli minicells by recombinant plasmids. Cell. 1977 Mar;10(3):521–536. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(77)90039-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Mizuuchi K., Fisher L. M., O'Dea M. H., Gellert M. DNA gyrase action involves the introduction of transient double-strand breaks into DNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Apr;77(4):1847–1851. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.4.1847. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Mizuuchi K., Gellert M., Nash H. A. Involement of supertwisted DNA in integrative recombination of bacteriophage lambda. J Mol Biol. 1978 May 25;121(3):375–392. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(78)90370-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Orr E., Fairweather N. F., Holland I. B., Pritchard R. H. Isolation and characterisation of a strain carrying a conditional lethal mutation in the cou gene of Escherichia coli K12. Mol Gen Genet. 1979;177(1):103–112. doi: 10.1007/BF00267259. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Peebles C. L., Higgins N. P., Kreuzer K. N., Morrison A., Brown P. O., Sugino A., Cozzarelli N. R. Structure and activities of Escherichia coli DNA gyrase. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1979;43(Pt 1):41–52. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1979.043.01.008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Roozen K. J., Fenwick R. G., Jr, Curtiss R., 3rd Synthesis of ribonucleic acid and protein in plasmid-containing minicells of Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol. 1971 Jul;107(1):21–33. doi: 10.1128/jb.107.1.21-33.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Sanzey B. Modulation of gene expression by drugs affecting deoxyribonucleic acid gyrase. J Bacteriol. 1979 Apr;138(1):40–47. doi: 10.1128/jb.138.1.40-47.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Smith C. L., Kubo M., Imamoto F. Promoter-specific inhibition of transcription by antibiotics which act on DNA gyrase. Nature. 1978 Oct 5;275(5679):420–423. doi: 10.1038/275420a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Smith D. H., Davis B. D. Mode of action of novobiocin in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1967 Jan;93(1):71–79. doi: 10.1128/jb.93.1.71-79.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Stüber D., Bujard H. Organization of transcriptional signals in plasmids pBR322 and pACYC184. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Jan;78(1):167–171. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.1.167. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Sugino A., Higgins N. P., Brown P. O., Peebles C. L., Cozzarelli N. R. Energy coupling in DNA gyrase and the mechanism of action of novobiocin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Oct;75(10):4838–4842. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.10.4838. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Sugino A., Peebles C. L., Kreuzer K. N., Cozzarelli N. R. Mechanism of action of nalidixic acid: purification of Escherichia coli nalA gene product and its relationship to DNA gyrase and a novel nicking-closing enzyme. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Nov;74(11):4767–4771. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.11.4767. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Sutcliffe J. G. Complete nucleotide sequence of the Escherichia coli plasmid pBR322. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1979;43(Pt 1):77–90. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1979.043.01.013. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Tait R. C., Boyer H. W. On the nature of tetracycline resistance controlled by the plasmid pSC101. Cell. 1978 Jan;13(1):73–81. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(78)90139-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Yang H. L., Heller K., Gellert M., Zubay G. Differential sensitivity of gene expression in vitro to inhibitors of DNA gyrase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Jul;76(7):3304–3308. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.7.3304. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES