title: Mutations in ftsZ that confer resistance to SulA affect the interaction of FtsZ with GTP.
abstract: Mutations in the essential cell division gene ftsZ confer resistance to SulA, a cell division inhibitor that is induced as part of the SOS response. In this study we have purified and characterized the gene products of six of these mutant ftsZ alleles, ftsZ1, ftsZ2, ftsZ3, ftsZ9, ftsZ100, and ftsZ114, and compared their properties to those of the wild-type gene product. The binding of GTP was differentially affected by these mutations. FtsZ3 exhibited no detectable GTP binding, and FtsZ9 and FtsZ100 exhibited markedly reduced GTP binding. In contrast, FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 bound GTP almost as well as the wild type, and FtsZ114 displayed increased GTP binding. Furthermore, we observed that all mutant FtsZ proteins exhibited markedly reduced intrinsic GTPase activity. It is likely that mutations in ftsZ that confer sulA resistance alter the conformation of the protein such that it assumes the active form.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics, and Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City 66103.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mukherjee
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lutkenhaus
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C071525:FtsZ protein, Bacteria; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C053139:sulA protein, E coli; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins