title: Alanyl-tRNA synthetase gene of the extreme acidophilic chemolithoautotrophic Thiobacillus ferrooxidans is highly homologous to alaS genes from all living kingdoms but cannot be transcribed from its promoter in Escherichia coli.
abstract: The alaS gene of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans has been cloned and sequenced and its expression in Escherichia coli and T. ferrooxidans analysed. The same genomic organization to that in E. coli (recA-recX-alaS) has been found in T. ferrooxidans. The recA and alaS genes cannot be transcribed from their own promoters in E. coli. In addition to the well-known homology at the protein level between AlaS proteins from various organisms, a strong homology was found between all the known alaS genes from bacteria, archaea and eucarya. Two regions, one of which corresponds to the catalytic core, are particularly well-conserved at the nucleotide sequence level, a possible indication of strong constraints during evolution on these parts of the genes.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne, Institut de Biologie Structurale et de Microbiologie, 31 chemin Joseph Aiguier, 13402 Marseille Cedex 20, France.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Guiliani
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne, Institut de Biologie Structurale et de Microbiologie, 31 chemin Joseph Aiguier, 13402 Marseille Cedex 20, France.
authors.forename: Abderrahmane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bengrine
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne, Institut de Biologie Structurale et de Microbiologie, 31 chemin Joseph Aiguier, 13402 Marseille Cedex 20, France.
authors.forename: Francoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Borne
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne, Institut de Biologie Structurale et de Microbiologie, 31 chemin Joseph Aiguier, 13402 Marseille Cedex 20, France.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chippaux
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne, Institut de Biologie Structurale et de Microbiologie, 31 chemin Joseph Aiguier, 13402 Marseille Cedex 20, France.
authors.forename: Violaine
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bonnefoy
mesh_terms: D000412:Alanine-tRNA Ligase / Q000235:genetics*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D011938:Rec A Recombinases / Q000235:genetics; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D013855:Thiobacillus / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D011938:Rec A Recombinases; D000412:Alanine-tRNA Ligase