Genetic manipulations of the hyperthermophilic piezophilic archaeon Thermococcus barophilus

Appl Environ Microbiol. 2014 Apr;80(7):2299-306. doi: 10.1128/AEM.00084-14. Epub 2014 Jan 31.

Abstract

In this study, we developed a gene disruption system for Thermococcus barophilus using simvastatin for positive selection and 5-fluoroorotic acid (5-FOA) for negative selection or counterselection to obtain markerless deletion mutants using single- and double-crossover events. Disruption plasmids carrying flanking regions of each targeted gene were constructed and introduced by transformation into wild-type T. barophilus MP cells. Initially, a pyrF deletion mutant was obtained as a starting point for the construction of further markerless mutants. A deletion of the hisB gene was also constructed in the UBOCC-3256 (ΔpyrF) background, generating a strain (UBOCC-3260) that was auxotrophic for histidine. A functional pyrF or hisB allele from T. barophilus was inserted into the chromosome of UBOCC-3256 (ΔpyrF) or UBOCC-3260 (ΔpyrF ΔhisB), allowing homologous complementation of these mutants. The piezophilic genetic tools developed in this study provide a way to construct strains with multiple genetic backgrounds that will allow further genetic studies for hyperthermophilic piezophilic archaea.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Gene Deletion
  • Gene Knockout Techniques / methods*
  • Genetics, Microbial / methods*
  • Molecular Biology / methods*
  • Mutagenesis, Insertional / methods*
  • Plasmids
  • Selection, Genetic
  • Thermococcus / genetics*
  • Transformation, Genetic