HPhA, a recombinant histone-like protein from Pyrococcus horikoshii OT3 strain, has compacting activity with DNA as previously reported. The extreme stability and DNA packaging activity of the HPhA make it a candidate as a DNA carrier. Here, the plasmid DNA-HPhA complexes were fully characterized by gel retardation assay and DNase resistance assay. It was further proved that HPhA has in vitro DNA transfection activity. HPhA-mediated transfection efficiency was dependent on the mass ratio of HPhA to DNA, the incubation time and the presence of calcium. A protocol for HPhA-mediated transfection in vitro was established to improve transfection efficiency. The optimal mass ratio of HPhA to DNAwas 6:1, and the incubation time required for the DNA-HPhA complex to be in contact with the cell was 4 h. In addition, the presence of 2 mM CaCl2 in the cell culture medium was required for efficient transfection. Serum did not show inhibition of HPhA-mediated transfection. Most importantly, the cytotoxicity of HPhA is lower than that of commonly used cationic liposome-based gene delivery systems, and HPhA-mediated transfection in NIH 3T3, HEK 293, HL-7702, HepG2 and Cos 7 cell lines in vitro has a higher efficiency and reproducibility. These results demonstrate that the HPhA is a new, potentially widely applicable and highly efficient gene carrier.

A histone-like gene, PHS051 from hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii OT3 strain, was cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant histone, HPhA, encodes a protein of 70 amino acids with a molecular weight of 7868 Da. Amino acid sequence analysis of HPhA showed high homology with other archaeal histones and eukaryal core histones. The HPhA was purified to homogeneity by heat precipitation and affinity chromatography. Gel electrophoresis mobility shift assays demonstrate that the purified HPhA has high affinity to DNA. The complex of the HPhA and DNA allows DNA to be protected from cleavage by the restriction enzyme TaqI at 65℃. Circular dichroism spectra reveal that the conformation of the recombinant histone HPhA becomes looser when temperatures increase from 25 to 90℃. The HPhA has inherited a remarkable thermostability especially in the presence of 1M KCl and retained DNA binding activity at extreme temperature, which is consistent with our previous report about its structure stability analyzed by X-ray crystallography.

The histone protein HPhA from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii, shows hyperthermostability, as required for optimal growth of the organism at 95℃. The structure of recombinant P. horikoshii HPhA has been determined to 2.3A resolution by molecular replacement, and refined to Rwork and Rfree values of 20.7% and 27.3%, respectively. The HPhA monomer structure is characterized by the histone fold and assembles into a homodimer like other archaeal histones. There are four anions found in the dimer structure, giving rise to clues as to where DNA might bind. A detailed comparison of four known structures of archaeal histones, which evolve and exist under different temperatures, shows that the thermophilic archaeal histone HPhA has a larger hydrophobic contact area, an increased number of hydrogen bonds and a reduced solvent-accessible area. We also observe a unique network of tyrosine residues located at the crossover point of the two HPhA monomers, which locks them together and stabilizes the dimer. These factors together account for the increased thermal stability.

A homolog to the eubacteria inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPase, EC 3.6.1.1) was found in the genome of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii. This inorganic pyrophosphatase (Pho-PPase) grows optimally at 88℃. To understand the structural basis for the thermostability of Pho-PPase, we have determined the crystal structure to 2.66 A resolution. The crystallographic asymmetric unit contains three monomers related by approximate threefold symmetry, and a hexamer is built up by twofold crystallographic symmetry. The main-chain fold of Pho-PPase is almost identical to that of the known crystal structure of the model from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. A detailed comparison of the crystal structure of Pho-PPase with related structures from S. acidocaldarius, Thermus thermophilus, and Escherichia colishows significant differences that may account for the difference in their thermostabilities. A reduction in thermolabile residues, additional aromatic residues, and more intimate association between subunits all contribute to the larger thermophilicity of Pho-PPase. In particular, deletions in two loops surrounding the active site help to stabilize its conformation, while ion-pair networks unique to Pho-PPase are located in the active site and near the C-terminus. The identification of structural features that make PPases more adaptable to extreme temperature should prove helpful for future biotechnology applications.

首先采用紫外线与亚硝基胍两种传统微生物诱变方法对干酪乳杆菌进行诱变，经低pH平板、碳酸钙平板和摇瓶试验获得了5株耐酸性提高的突变菌株。以获得的突变菌株为出发菌株，应用灭活双亲原生质体融合后致死损伤得到互补获得活性融合子的方法，对其进行基因组改组，经过低pH平板、碳酸钙平板和摇瓶筛选，获得4株可以在pH3.8平板上旺盛生长且产酸量较高的改组菌株。将改组菌株与原始菌株分别于pH 3.8和3.4的YE液体培养基中培养，改组菌株能够在原始菌株无法生存的pH条件（pH 3.4）下生长。在pH 3.8的条件下，对改组菌株与原始菌株的发酵特征进行比较，37℃发酵48小时后，改组菌株产酸量为原始菌株的2.4倍，表明基因组改组技术能有效提高多基因调控表型的进化。