Site-directed Mutagenesis Based on Overlap Extension PCR

[Objective] To establish an efficient, convenient and economical method for site-directed mutagenesis. [Method] The target mutation was introduced into primers designed by DNAMAN5.0 software. Through overlap extension PCR for twice obtained the mutation gene which of the full length of the recombinant Human Tissue type plasminogen activator （Reteplase）. The mutation gene cloned it into pEASY- blunt simple cloning vector for sequencing. [Result] The sequencing results showed that three site mutations were fully consistent with the expected results （10~ site had been added a base-pair of A, C had been changed into G at 137~ site, G had been changed into A at 686~ site）.Three site mutations were introduced by using overlap extension PCR on one-step. The overall rate of obtaining the mutant sites was 100%. Site-directed mutagenesis will clone the recombinant Human Tissue type plas- minogen activator and laid the basis for the functional study. [Conclusion] Site-directed mutagenesis was successfully implemented based on the overlap extension PCR which is an efficient, convenient and economical DNA-directed mutagenesis method.

Site-directed Mutagenesis of Streptomyces avermitilis aveD Gene

[Objective] The aim of this study was to produce Streptomyces avermitilis strain with site-directed mutagenesis in aveD gene,and so as to provide theoretical basis for genetic breeding of S.avermitilis.[Method] PCR-driven overlap extension was conducted for the site-directed mutagenesis in aveD gene;the mutated aveD gene then was used to construct vector pDC3（pKC1139∷aveD） via molecular manipulations like in vitro enzyme digestion and ligation;the vector pDC3（pKC1139∷aveD） was then introduced to aveD deletion mutant 489 of avermectin-producing strain S.avermitilis 76-9.[Result] Mutant strain 536 of site-directed mutagenesis of S.avermitilis 76-9 was obtained by homologous recombination.The sequencing results show that the sixty-ninth base C in aveD-coding region of mutant 536 was substituted by T,and the corresponding amino acid Thr was mutated to be Ile.[Conclusion] This study laid basis for the development of strains specifically producing avermectin B.

Increased L-arginine Production by Site-directed Mutagenesis of N-acetyl-L-glutamate Kinase and pro B Gene Deletion in Corynebacterium crenatum

Objective In Corynebacterium crenatum,the adjacent D311 and D312 of N-acetyl-L-glutamate kinase(NAGK),as a key rate-limiting enzyme of L-arginine biosynthesis under substrate regulatory control by arginine,were initially replaced with two arginine residues to investigate the L-arginine feedback inhibition for NAGK.Methods NAGK enzyme expression was evaluated using a plasmid-based method.Homologous recombination was employed to eliminate the pro B.Results The IC50 and enzyme activity of NAGK M4,in which the D311 R and D312 R amino acid substitutions were combined with the previously reported E19 R and H26 E substitutions,were 3.7-fold and 14.6% higher,respectively,than those of the wild-type NAGK.NAGK M4 was successfully introduced into the C.crenatum MT genome without any genetic markers;the L-arginine yield of C.crenatum MT-M4 was 26.2% higher than that of C.crenatum MT.To further improve upon the L-arginine yield,we constructed the mutant C.crenatum MT-M4 ?pro B.The optimum concentration of L-proline was also investigated in order to determine its contribution to L-arginine yield.After L-proline was added to the medium at 10 mmol/L,the L-arginine yield reached 16.5 g/L after 108 h of shake-flask fermentation,approximately 70.1% higher than the yield attained using C.crenatum MT.Conclusion Feedback inhibition of L-arginine on NAGK in C.crenatum is clearly alleviated by the M4 mutation of NAGK,and deletion of the pro B in C.crenatum from MT to M4 results in a significant increase in arginine production.

Identification of Residue Involved in Nucleotidyltransferase Activity of LinA from Staphylococci by Site-directed Mutagenesis

The lincosamide class of antibacterials is widely used for the treatment of a broad spectrum of infections, and one prevalent route of resistance to lincosamides in pathogenic gram-positive cocco is antibiotic modification. Enzymes encoded by lin genes, belonging to nucleotidyltransferase superfamily, catalyze adenylylation to inactivate lincosamides. LinA can adenylylate lincosamides at either 3?-or 4?-OH of the methylthiolincosamide sugar. The crystal structure of LinA/lincomycin has confirmed its active site. However, the residue interacting with nucleotidyl donors remains elusive. Here, we modeled the complex structure of LinA/lincomycin/Mg^(2+)/AMPCPP to reveal a putative pocket for nucleotidyl donors and suggested the residue R45 in this pocket involved in the recognition of donor substrates NTP and catalysis. ITC and enzyme activity assays show that the mutation of residue R45 impairs LinA nucleotidyltransferase activity in vitro. This work provides insights into the molecular mechanism of the nucleotide binding and transferring activity of antibiotic NTases.

Ultrafast solvation dynamics at internal sites of staphylococcal nuclease investigated by site-directed mutagenesis

Internal solvation of protein was studied by site-directed mutagenesis, with which an intrinsically fluorescent probe,tryptophan, is inserted into the desired position inside a protein molecule for ultrafast spectroscopic study. Here we review this unique method for protein dynamics research. We first introduce the frontiers of protein solvation, site-directed mutagenesis, protein stability and characteristics, and the spectroscopic methods. Then we present time-resolved spectroscopic dynamics of solvation dynamics inside cavities of active sites. The studies are carried out on a globular protein, staphylococcal nuclease. The solvation at sites inside the protein molecule＇s cavities clearly reveals characteristics of the local environment. These solvation behaviors are directly correlated to enzyme activity.

Monitoring the autoproteolysis of hiv-1 protease by site-directed spin-labeling and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy

Site-directed spin-labeling with continuous wave electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to monitor autoproteolysis of HIV-1 protease, an enzyme essential for viral maturation. Two protein constructs were examined, namely subtype F and the circulating recombinant form CRF01_A/E. As the protease undergoes self-cleavage, protein unfolds and small peptide fragments containing the spin label are generated, which collectively give rise to a sharp spectral component that is easily discernable in the high-field resonance line in the EPR spectrum. By monitoring the intensity of this spectral component over time, the autoproteolytic stability of each construct was characterized under various conditions. Data were collected for samples stored at 4 °C, 25 °C, and 37 °C, and on a subtype F HIV-1 protease sample stored at 25 °C and containing the FDA-approved protease inhibitor Tipranavir. As expected, the rate of autoproteolysis decreased as the storage temperature was lowered. Minimal autoproteolysis was seen for the sample that contained Tipranavir, providing direction for future spectroscopic studies of active protease samples. When compared to standard methods of monitoring protein degradation such as gel electrophoresis or chromatographic analyses, spin-labeling with CW EPR offers a facile, real-time, non-consuming way to monitor autoproteolysis or protein degradation. Additionally, mass spectrometry studies revealed that the N-termini of both constructs are sensitive to degradation and that the sites of specific autoproteolysis vary.

Optical biosensing of monkeypox virus using novel recombinant silica-binding proteins for site-directed antibody immobilization

The efficient immobilization of capture antibodies is crucial for timely pathogen detection during global pandemic outbreaks.Therefore,we proposed a silica-binding protein featuring core functional domains(cSP).It comprises a peptide with a silica-binding tag designed to adhere to silica surfaces and tandem protein G fragments(2C2)for effective antibody capture.This innovation facilitates precise site-directed immobilization of antibodies onto silica surfaces.We applied cSP to silica-coated optical fibers,creating a fiber-optic biolayer interferometer(FO-BLI)biosensor capable of monitoring the monkeypox virus(MPXV)protein A29L in spiked clinical samples to rapidly detect the MPXV.The cSP-based FO-BLI biosensor for MPXV demonstrated a limit of detection(LOD)of 0.62 ng/mL in buffer,comparable to the 0.52 ng/mL LOD achieved using a conventional streptavidin(SA)-based FO-BLI biosensor.Furthermore,it achieved LODs of 0.77 ng/mL in spiked serum and 0.80 ng/mL in spiked saliva,exhibiting no cross-reactivity with other viral antigens.The MPXV detection process was completed within 14 min.We further proposed a cSP-based multi-virus biosensor strategy capable of detecting various pandemic strains,such as MPXV,the latest coronavirus disease(COVID)variants,and influenza A protein,to extend its versatility.The proposed cSP-modified FO-BLI biosensor has a high potential for rapidly and accurately detecting MPXV antigens,making valuable contributions to epidemiological studies.

Activity after Site-Directed Mutagenesis of CD59 on Complement-Mediated Cytolysis

CD59 may inhibit the cytolytic activity of complement by binding to C8/C9 and protect host cell membranes against homologous membrane attack complex （MAC）. However, CD59 is widely overexpressed on tumor cells, which has been implicated in tumorigenesis. The active site of CD59 relative to MAC is still confused. As reported the MAC binding site is located in the vicinity of a hydrophobic groove on the membrane distal face of the protein centered around residue W40. Here two site-directed mutagenesis were performed by overlapping extension PCR to delete residue W40 site （Mutant 1, M1） or to change C39W40K41 to W39W40W41 （Mutant 2, M2）. Then we constructed mutant CD59 eukaryotic expression system and investigated their biological function on CI-IO cells compared with wild-type CD59. Stable populations of CHO cells expressing recombinant proteins were screened by immunotechnique. After 30 passages culturing, proteins could be tested. Dye release assays suggest that M1CD59 loses the activity against complement, while M2CD59 increases the anti-complement activity slightly. Results indicate that W40 of human CD59 is important to its activity, and prohibition of this site may be a potential way to increase complement activity and to treat tumors. Cellular ＆ Molecular Immunology.

An easy-to-use site-directed mutagenesis method with a designed restriction site for convenient and reliable mutant screening

Site-directed mutagenesis (SDM) has been a very important method to probe the function-structure relationship of proteins. In this study, we introduced an easy-to-use, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based SDM method for double-stranded plasmid DNA, with a designed restriction site to ensure simple and efficient mutant screening. The DNA sequence to be mutated was first translated into amino acid sequence and then the amino acid sequence was reversely translated into DNA sequence with degenerate codons, resulting in a large number of sequences with silent mutations, which contained various restriction endonu-clease (RE) sites. Certain mutated sequence with an appropriate RE site was selected as the target DNA sequence for designing a pair of mutation primers to amplify the full-length plasmid via inverse PCR. The amplified product was 5′-phosphorylated, cir-cularized, and transformed into an Escherichia coli host. The transformants were screened by digesting with the designed RE. This protocol uses only one pair of primers and only one PCR is conducted, without the need for hybridization with hazardous isotope for mutant screening or subcloning step.

TALEN-Mediated Homologous Recombination Produces Site-Directed DNA Base Change and Herbicide-Resistant Rice

Over the last decades,much endeavor has been made to advance genome editing technology due to its promising role in both basic and synthetic biology.The breakthrough has been made in recent years with the advent of sequence-specific endonucleases,especially zinc finger nucleases（ZFNs）,transcription activator-like effector nucleases（TALENs） and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats（CRISPRs） guided nucleases（e.g.,Cas9）.In higher eukaryotic organisms,site-directed mutagenesis usually can be achieved through non-homologous end-joining（NHEJ） repair to the DNA double-strand breaks（DSBs） caused by the exogenously applied nucleases.However,site-specific gene replacement or genuine genome editing through homologous recombination（HR） repair to DSBs remains a challenge.As a proof of concept gene replacement through TALEN-based HR in rice（Oryza sativa）,we successfully produced double point mutations in rice acetolactate synthase gene（OsALS） and generated herbicide resistant rice lines by using TALENs and donor DNA carrying the desired mutations.After ballistic delivery into rice calli of TALEN construct and donor DNA,nine HR events with different genotypes of OsALS were obtained in T_0 generation at the efficiency of 1.4%—6.3%from three experiments.The HRmediated gene edits were heritable to the progeny of T_1 generation.The edited T_1 plants were as morphologically normal as the control plants while displayed strong herbicide resistance.The results demonstrate the feasibility of TALEN-mediated genome editing in rice and provide useful information for further genome editing by other nuclease-based genome editing platforms.

Activation of anthrachamycin biosynthesis in Streptomyces chattanoogensis L10 by site-directed mutagenesis of rpoB

Genome sequencing projects revealed massive cryptic gene clusters encoding the undiscovered secondary metabolites in Streptomyces. To investigate the metabolic products of silent gene clusters in Streptomyces chattanoogensis L10(CGMCC 2644), we used site-directed mutagenesis to generate ten mutants with point mutations in the highly conserved region of rpsL(encoding the ribosomal protein S12) or rpoB(encoding the RNA polymerase β-subunit). Among them, L10/RpoB(H437 Y) accumulated a dark pigment on a yeast extract-malt extract-glucose(YMG) plate. This was absent in the wild type. After further investigation, a novel angucycline antibiotic named anthrachamycin was isolated and determined using nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) spectroscopic techniques. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR) analysis and electrophoretic mobility shift assay(EMSA) were performed to investigate the mechanism underlying the activation effect on the anthrachamycin biosynthetic gene cluster. This work indicated that the rpoB-specific missense H437 Y mutation had activated anthrachamycin biosynthesis in S. chattanoogensis L10. This may be helpful in the investigation of the pleiotropic regulation system in Streptomyces.

Improvement of PCR reaction conditions for site-directed mutagenesis of big plasmids

QuickChange mutagenesis is the method of choice for site-directed mutagenesis （SDM） of target sequences in a plasmid. It can be applied successfully to small plasmids （up to 10 kb）. However, this method cannot efficiently mutate bigger plasmids. Using KOD Hot Start polymerase in combination with high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） purified primers, we were able to achieve SDM in big plasmids （up to 16 kb） involving not only a single base change but also multiple base changes. Moreover, only six polymerase chain reaction （PCR） cycles and 0.5μI of polymerase （instead of 18 PCR cycles and 1.0 μI of enzyme in the standard protocol） were sufficient for the reaction.

Molecular dynamics simulation of site-directed mutagenesis of HIV-1 Tat trans-activator

The Cys-rich domain, core region and basic domain are highly conserved and very important to the trans-activation activity of HIV-1 Tat trans-activator. The three-dimensional structures of 6 mutants of HIV-1 Tat protein were constructed with the methods of molecular dynamics simulation. The variations of the structures of the mutants have been analyzed and the factors that led to abolishment of trans-activation activity have been discussed.

Strategies used for genetically modifying bacterial genome: site-directed mutagenesis, gene inactivation, and gene over-expression

With the availability of the whole genome sequence of Escherichia coli or Corynebacterium glutamicum, strategies for directed DNA manipulation have developed rapidly. DNA manipulation plays an important role in understanding the function of genes and in constructing novel engineering bacteria according to requirement. DNA manipulation involves modifying the autologous genes and expressing the heterogenous genes. Two alternative approaches, using electroporation linear DNA or recombinant suicide plasmid, allow a wide variety of DNA manipulation. However, the over-expression of the desired gene is generally executed via plasmid-mediation. The current review summarizes the common strategies used for genetically modifying E. coli and C. glutamicum genomes, and discusses the technical problem of multi-layered DNA manipulation. Strategies for gene over-expression via integrating into genome are proposed. This review is intended to be an accessible introduction to DNA manipulation within the bacterial genome for novices and a source of the latest experimental information for experienced investigators.

Anti-oxidative effect of ribonuclease inhibitor by site-directed mutagenesis and expression in Pichia pastoris

Human placental ribonuclease inhibitor(hRI)is an acidic protein of Mr∼50kDa with unusually high contents of leucine and cysteine residues.It is a cytosolic protein that protects cells from the adventitious invasion of pancreatic-type ribonuclease.hRI has 32 cysteine residues,and the oxidative formation of disulfide bonds from those cysteine residues is a rapid cooperative process that inactivates hRI.The most proximal cysteine residues in native hRI are two pairs that are adjacent in sequence.In the present aork,two molecules of alanine substituting for Cys328 and Cys329 were performed by site-directed mutagenesis.The site-mutated RI cDNA was constructed into plasmid pPIC9K and then transformed Pichia pastoris GS115 by electroporation.After colony screening,the bacterium was cultured and the product was purified with affinity chromatography.The affinity of the recombinant human RI with double site mutation was examined for RNase A and its anti-oxidative effect.Results indicated that there were not many changes in the affinity for RNase A detected when compared with the wild type of RI.But the capacity of anti-oxidative effect increased by 7~9 times.The enhancement in anti-oxidative effect might be attributed to preventing the formation of disulfide bond between Cys328 and Cys329 and the three dimensional structure of RI was thereby maintained.

Site-directed mutagenesis of long QT syndrome KCNQ1 gene in vitro

To construct a polymerase chain reaction(PCR)site-directed mutagenesis of the long QT syndrome KCNQ1 gene in vitro,two sets of primers were designed according to the sequence of KCNQ1 cDNA and a mismatch was introduced into primers.Mutagenesis was performed in a two-step PCR.The amplified fragments from the third PCR which contained the mutation site were sub-cloned into the T-vector pCR2.1.Then,the fragments containing the mutation site was obtained from pCR2.1 using restriction enzymes digestion and inserted into the same restriction site of pIRES2-EGFP-KCNQ1.The sequencing analysis shows that the mutation site was correct.Mutation from A to G in site 983 of KCNQ1 cDNA was found.Using the Effectene transfection reagent,pIRES2-EGFP-KCNQ1(G983A)was transfected into HEK cells successfully.These results may shed light on further functional study of KCNQ1 gene.

Improvement of the Optimum Temperature of Penicillium expansum Lipase by Site-Directed Mutagenesis

In order to improve the optimum temperature of lipases,the Penicillum expansum lipase(PEL)gene was mutated by site-directed mutagenesis using overlap extension PCR technique.The recombinant plasmid containing mutant E83V pPIC3.5K-lip-E83V was expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115.Comparison experiments of the mutant PEL-E83V-GS and the wild-type PEL-GS showed that the optimum temperature(45℃)of the mutant was 5℃ higher than that of the wild type.The thermostability of the mutant was similar to that of the wild type.The enzymatic activity of the mutant was 188 U/ml at 37℃,which was 80%that of the wild type in the same conditions.Hydrophobic interaction may be enhanced in the surface region by the hydrophilic amino acid Glu substituted with the hydrophobic amino acid Val,and may be responsible for the improvement of the optimum temperature.

Cloning,expression and improvement of catalytic activity of alginate lyase by site-directed mutation

Alginate lyase mainly produces active alginate oligosaccharides(AOS)by degrading alginate viaβ-elimination process.In this study,the Pseudoalteromonas sp.Alg6B alginate lyase-encoding gene alg6B-7 from polysaccharide lyase(PL)-7 family was successfully cloned,sequenced,expressed in Escherichia coli.Based on rational design and amino acid sequence alignment of the alginate lyase from various sources,four positive mutants were obtained.The specific enzyme activities of four mutants I62A,A99K,V132S,and L157T were 38.84%,42.85%,75.8%and 51.83%higher than that of the wild enzyme,respectively.The K_(cat)/K_(m) values of the four mutants were both increased,and the catalytic efficiency of V132S was 1.92-fold higher than that of the wild enzyme,especially.The rational design that was employed in this study achieved the dramatic improvement of catalytic activity,which may provide the application potential in industrial production.

Aphid-resistant Transgenic Tobacco Plants Expressing Modified gna Gene

A gene sequence coding for the precursor of Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA) was modified by site-directed mutagenesis to change very low usage bias codons to higher usage bias ones for improvement of the gene expression in transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) plants. Results from Western blot analysis of some of the transgenic tobacco plants showed that the expression level of GNA in plants transformed with the modified gene GNA34m reached 0.25% of total soluble proteins, while that of the GNA34 gene transgenic plants was 0.17%. Since the GNA expression level increased, the aphid resistance of GNA34m transgenic plants were also enhanced significantly as judged by a 71.0% aphid population inhibition in insect bioassay of GNA34m transformed plants and 63.7% for the plants transformed with the natural GNA34 gene.