title: Isolation of an ftsZ homolog from the archaebacterium Halobacterium salinarium: implications for the evolution of FtsZ and tubulin.
abstract: We have isolated a homolog of the cell division gene ftsZ from the extremely halophilic archaebacterium Halobacterium salinarium. The predicted protein of 39 kDa is divergent relative to eubacterial homologs, with 32% identity to Escherichia coli FtsZ. No other eubacterial cell division gene homologs were found adjacent to H. salinarium ftsZ. Expression of the ftsZ gene region in H. salinarium induced significant morphological changes leading to the loss of rod shape. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the H. salinarium FtsZ protein is more related to tubulins than are the FtsZ proteins of eubacteria, supporting the hypothesis that FtsZ may have evolved into eukaryotic tubulin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Medical School, Houston 77030, USA.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Margolin
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006217:Halobacterium / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014404:Tubulin
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; C071525:FtsZ protein, Bacteria; D014404:Tubulin