Diverse genes of alkaliphilic Bacillus firmus OF4 that complement K+-uptake-deficient Escherichia coli include an ftsH homologue.
Seven clones isolated from libraries of DNA from alkaliphilic Bacillus firmus OF4 restored the growth of a K+-uptake-deficient Escherichia coli mutant on only 10 mM K+. None of the clones contained genes with apparent homology to known K+ transport systems in other organisms. Based on sequence homologies, the newly isolated alkaliphile loci included: ftsH; a dipeptide transport system; a gerC locus with hydrophobic open reading frames not found in the comparable locus of Bacillus subtilis; a sugar phosphotransferase enzyme; and a capBC homologue. The ftsH gene provided a new and striking example of a recognized property of extracellular and external regions of polytopic alkaliphile proteins: a significant paucity of basic amino acid residues relative to neutrophile counterparts. The alkaliphile ftsH gene was able to complement a mutant of E. coli with a temperature-sensitive ftsH gene product.
Department of Biochemistry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA.
M
M
Ito
B
B
Cooperberg
T A
TA
Krulwich
D049069:ATP-Dependent Proteases; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000235:genetics*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001407:Bacillus / Q000235:genetics*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism*
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D049069:ATP-Dependent Proteases; C513383:FtsH protein, E coli; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; D011188:Potassium