title: Cloning and characterization of the gene encoding RNA polymerase sigma factor sigma(54) of deep-sea piezophilic Shewanella violacea.
abstract: We have recently reported that a sigma(54)-like factor recognizes a DNA element, designated as region A, upstream of a pressure-regulated operon in piezophilic Shewanella violacea strain DSS12 (Nakasone et al., FEMS Microbiology Lett. 176 (1999) 351-356). In this study, we isolated and characterized the rpoN gene of this piezophilic bacterium. The rpoN gene was found to encode a putative protein consisting of 492 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 55359 Da. Significant homology was evident comparing the rpoN sequence of S. violacea with that of Escherichia coli (62.8% identity), Vibrio anguillarum (61.7% identity) and Pseudomonas putida (57.0% identity). The DNA-binding domain at the C-terminus of sigma(54) is well conserved in the case of the S. violacea rpoN gene product and the helix-turn-helix motif and the RpoN box are also present. In addition, the conserved glutamine-rich domain is present at the N-terminus. sigma(54) in S. violacea was expressed at a relatively constant level under various growth conditions as determined by both primer extension and Western blotting analyses. By means of a recombinant plasmid, a hexahistidine-tagged derivative of the sigma(54) from strain DSS12 was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified to near homogeneity. An electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated that the purified sigma(54) protein specifically recognizes region A in the above-mentioned pressure-regulated operon.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Toyo University, 2100 Kujirai, Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ikegami
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakasone
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Usami
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Horikoshi
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000235:genetics*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009876:Operon; D051877:RNA Polymerase Sigma 54; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D020592:Shewanella / Q000235:genetics*; D012808:Sigma Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D012808:Sigma Factor; C497751:rpoN protein, E coli; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases; D051877:RNA Polymerase Sigma 54