title: Nucleotide sequence and transcriptional analysis of the flanking region of the gene (spb) for the trans-acting factor that controls light-mediated expression of the puf operon in Rhodobacter sphaeroides.
abstract: We recently reported the existence of a trans-acting factor (SPB) in Rhodobacter sphaeroides that repressed the expression of the puf operon during illumination. SPB was somewhat homologous to HvrA of Rhodobacter capsulatus, but these proteins appear to have functionally different properties. We now report an analysis of the flanking region of spb in the genome of R.sphaeroides, and we show that spb is a positional counterpart of hvrA of R. capsulatus. The region directly downstream of spb was found to contain three genes, two of which were highly homologous to orf5 and ahcY in R. capsulatus. However, a gene corresponding to hvrB, which controls the expression of orf5 and ahcY in R. capsulatus, was absent in R. sphaeroides. The level of the transcript of ahcY did not change in cells grown under photosynthetic and by respiratory conditions. By contrast, orf5 was transcribed at a higher rate in photosynthetically grown cells under high-intensity light than under low-intensity light, indicating features of transcription different from those in R. capsulatus. A third gene, orf318, which was absent in the corresponding region of R. capsulatus, encoded an amino acid sequence that was significantly homologous to the consensus sequence of RfaI and RfaJ of E.coli, which are glycosyl transferases involved in the synthesis of lipopolysaccharide. orf318 was transcribed in the opposite direction to ahcY, and at only a low level, under all conditions tested.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mizoguchi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shioi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takamiya
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000528:radiation effects*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D016695:Glycosyltransferases / Q000235:genetics; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D016354:Rhodobacter capsulatus / Q000235:genetics; D012242:Rhodobacter sphaeroides / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C090405:HvrA protein, Rhodobacter capsulatus; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D016695:Glycosyltransferases