title: Cloning and sequencing of the gene encoding a 125-kilodalton surface-layer protein from Bacillus sphaericus 2362 and of a related cryptic gene.
abstract: Using the vector pGEM-4-blue, a 4,251-base-pair DNA fragment containing the gene for the surface (S)-layer protein of Bacillus sphaericus 2362 was cloned into Escherichia coli. Determination of the nucleotide sequence indicated an open reading frame (ORF) coding for a protein of 1,176 amino acids with a molecular size of 125 kilodaltons (kDa). A protein of this size which reacted with antibody to the 122-kDa S-layer protein of B. sphaericus was detected in cells of E. coli containing the recombinant plasmid. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence indicated a highly hydrophobic N-terminal region which had the characteristics of a leader peptide. The first amino acid of the N-terminal sequence of the 122-kDa S-layer protein followed the predicted cleavage site of the leader peptide in the 125-kDa protein. A sequence characteristic of promoters expressed during vegetative growth was found within a 177-base-pair region upstream from the ORF coding for the 125-kDa protein. This putative promoter may account for the expression of this gene during the vegetative growth of B. sphaericus and E. coli. The gene for the 125-kDa protein was followed by an inverted repeat characteristic of terminators. Downstream from this gene (11.2 kilobases) was an ORF coding for a putative 80-kDa protein having a high sequence similarity to the 125-kDa protein. Evidence was presented indicating that this gene is cryptic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of California, Davis 95616.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Bowditch
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baumann
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Yousten
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001407:Bacillus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005796:Genes; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011487:Protein Conformation; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins