A hypomorphic mutation made in the ORC2 gene of a human cancer cell line through homologous recombination decreased Orc2 protein levels by 90%. The G1 phase of the cell cycle was prolonged, but there was no effect on the utilization of either the c-Myc or beta-globin cellular origins of replication. Cells carrying this mutation failed to support the replication of a plasmid bearing the oriP replicator of Epstein Barr virus (EBV), and this defect was rescued by reintroduction of Orc2. Orc2 specifically associates with oriP in cells, most likely through its interaction with EBNA1. Geminin, an inhibitor of the mammalian replication initiation complex, inhibits replication from oriP. Therefore, ORC and the human replication initiation apparatus is required for replication from a viral origin of replication.

The 165-kb chromosome of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is replicated by cellular enzymes only once per cell cycle in human cells that are latently infected. Here, we report that the human origin recognition complex, ORC, can be detected in association with an EBV replication origin, oriP, in cells by using antibodies against three different subunits of human ORC to precipitate crosslinked chromatin. Mcm2, a subunit of the MCM replication licensing complex, was found to associate with oriP during G 1 and to dissociate from it during S phase. The detection of ORC and Mcm2 at oriP was shown to require the presence of the 120-bp replicator of oriP. Licensing and initiation of replication at oriP of EBV thus seem to be mediated by ORC. This is an example of a virus apparently using ORC and associated factors for the propagation of its genome.

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BackgroundGlucosyltransferases (Gtfs), enzymes that produce extracellular glucans from dietary sucrose, contribute to dental plaque formation by Streptococcus gordonii and Streptococcus mutans. The alpha-amylase-binding protein A (AbpA) of S. gordonii, an early colonizing bacterium in dental plaque, interacts with salivary amylase and may influence dental plaque formation by this organism. We examined the interaction of amylase and recombinant AbpA (rAbpA), together with Gtfs of S. gordonii and S. mutans.ResultsThe addition of salivary alpha-amylase to culture supernatants of S. gordonii precipitated a protein complex containing amylase, AbpA, amylase-binding protein B (AbpB), and the glucosyltransferase produced by S. gordonii (Gtf-G). rAbpA was expressed from an inducible plasmid, purified from Escherichia coli and characterized. Purified rAbpA, along with purified amylase, interacted with and precipitated Gtfs from culture supernatants of both S. gordonii and S. mutans. The presence of amylase and/or rAbpA increased both the sucrase and transferase component activities of S. mutans Gtf-B. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using anti-Gtf-B antibody verified the interaction of rAbpA and amylase with Gtf-B. A S. gordonii abpA-deficient mutant showed greater biofilm growth under static conditions than wild-type in the presence of sucrose. Interestingly, biofilm formation by every strain was inhibited in the presence of saliva.ConclusionThe results suggest that an extracellular protein network of AbpA-amylase-Gtf may influence the ecology of oral biofilms, likely during initial phases of colonization.

The oral commensal bacterium Streptococcus gordonii interacts with salivary amylase via two amylasebinding proteins, AbpA and AbpB. Based on sequence analysis, the 20-kDa AbpA protein is unique to S. gordonii, whereas the 82-kDa AbpB protein appears to share sequence homology with other bacterial dipeptidases. The aim of this study was to verify the peptidase activity of AbpB and further explore its potential functions. The abpB gene was cloned, and histidine-tagged AbpB (His-AbpB) was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. Its amylase-binding activity was verified in an amylase ligand binding assay, and its crossreactivity was verified with an anti-AbpB antibody. Both recombinant His-AbpB and partially purified native AbpB displayed dipeptidase activity and degraded human type VI collagen and fibrinogen, but not salivary amylase. Salivary amylase precipitates not only AbpA and AbpB but also glucosyltransferase G (Gtf-G) from S. gordonii supernatants. Since Streptococcus mutans also releases Gtf enzymes that could also be involved in multispecies plaque interactions, the effect of S. gordonii AbpB on S. mutans Gtf-B activity was also tested. Salivary amylase and/or His-AbpB caused a 1.4-to 2-fold increase of S. mutans Gtf-B sucrase activity and a 3-to 6-fold increase in transferase activity. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay verified the interaction of His-AbpB and amylase with Gtf-B. In summary, AbpB demonstrates proteolytic activity and interacts with and modulates Gtf activity. These activities may help explain the crucial role AbpB appears to play in S. gordonii oral colonization.

SUMMARYA substantial proportion of the streptococcal species found in dental plaque biofilms are able to interact with the abundant salivary enzyme α-amylase. These streptococci produce proteins that specifically bind amylase. An important plaque species, Streptococcus mitis, secretes a 36-kDa amylase binding protein into the extracellular milieu. Proteins precipitated from S. mitis NS51 cell culture supernatant by the addition of purified salivary amylase were separated by SDS-PAGE, transferred to a membrane, and a prominent 36-kDa band was cut from the membrane and sequencedto yield N-terminal amino acid sequence DSQAQYSNGV. Search of the S. mitis genome sequence database revealed a single open reading frame containing this sequence, and the gene was amplified from S. mitis genomic DNA polymerase chain reaction. The coding region of this ORF, designated amylase-binding protein C (AbpC), was cloned into an Escherichia coli expression vectorand the recombinant AbpC protein (rAbpC) was purified from the soluble fraction of E. coli cell lysate. Purified AbpC was found to interact with immobilized amylase, thus confirming AbpC as a new streptococcal amylase-binding protein. Keywords Dental plaque; SalivaInteractions between salivary components and oral bacteria are thought to play an important role in the ecology of the oral biofilms (5,13,14). Amylase, the most abundant enzyme in human saliva, specifically binds to several species of oral streptococci (4,6,8,15). One or more bacterial receptors mediate the binding of amylase to the streptococcal surface (3,16). Much of our current knowledge about the mechanism of interaction of amylase with oral bacteria derives from the study of two amylase-binding proteins (AbpA and AbpB) produced by Streptococcus gordonii (2,9,12). Both of these proteins appear to be expressed transiently on the cell surface before being released into the extracellular milieu in soluble form. AbpA is a 20-kDa protein that is unique to S. gordonii, and is essential for amylase binding to the cell surface (12). AbpB, a 82-kDa AbpB protein that shares sequence homology with other bacterial dipeptidases, and appears to play a crucial role in S. gordonii oral colonization (1,20). To date, however, little is known about the amylase-binding proteins of other species of oral streptococci.Streptococcus mitis NS51 releases a 36-kDa amylase-binding protein into the culture medium during growth (7). The goal of this study was to identify the gene encoding this protein, express and purify the polypeptide andverify its function in vitro.This information

Mutants in the adenine biosynthetic pathway of yeasts (ade1 and ade2 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ade6 and ade7 of Schizosaccharomyces pombe) accumulate an intense red pigment in their vacuoles when grown under adenine-limiting conditions. The precise events that determine the formation of the pigment are however, still unknown. We have begun a genetic investigation into the nature and cause of pigmentation of ade6 mutants of S. pombe and have discovered that one of these pigmentation defective mutants, apd1 (adenine pigmentation defective), is a strict glutathione auxotroph. The gene apd1  + was found to encode the first enzyme in glutathione biosynthesis, γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase, gcs1  +. This gene when expressed in the mutant could confer both glutathione prototrophy and the characteristic red pigmentation, and disruption of the gene led to a loss in both phenotypes. Supplementation of glutathione in the medium, however, could only restore growth but not the pigmentation because the cells were unable to achieve sufficient intracellular levels of glutathione. Disruption of the second enzyme in glutathione biosynthesis, glutathione synthetase, gsh2  +, also led to glutathione auxotrophy, but only a partial defect in pigment formation. A reevaluation of the major amino acids previously reported to be present in the pigment indicated that the pigment is probably a glutathione conjugate. The ability of vanadate to inhibit pigment formation indicated that the conjugate was transported into the vacuole through a glutathione-conjugate pump. This was further confirmed using strains of S. cerevisiae bearing disruptions in the recently identified glutathione-conjugate pump, YCF1, where a significant reduction in pigment formation was observed. The pump of S. pombe is distinct from the previously identified vacuolar pump, hmt1p, for transporting cadystin peptides into vacuoles of S. pombe.

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