title: Gp66, a calcineurin family phosphatase encoded by mycobacteriophage D29, is a 2', 3' cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase that negatively regulates phage growth.
abstract: Mycobacteriophage D29 encodes a protein Gp66 which has been predicted to be a calcineurin family phosphoesterase. Phylogenetically Gp66 and related proteins mostly derived from mycobacteriophages form a distinct clade within this family. Interestingly, the presence of gene 66 orthologs can be traced to bacteria of diverse phylogenetic lineages such as Aquifex aeolicus, a deep branching eubacteria and Methanococcus jannaschii, an archaebacteria. The promiscuous nature of gene 66 suggests that it may have been transferred across genus barriers by horizontal gene transfer mechanisms. The biological function of members of this novel clade comprising mostly the mycobacteriophage phosphoesterases have not been elucidated so far. In this investigation, it has been demonstrated for the first time that Gp66, a member of this novel family, is a 2', 3' cyclic phosphodiesterase. The gene is expressed during phage infection and the net result is negative regulation of bacteriophage as well as bacterial growth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Bose Institute, Kolkata, India.
authors.forename: Soumita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dutta
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Bose Institute, Kolkata, India.
authors.forename: Niketa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bhawsinghka
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Bose Institute, Kolkata, India sujoy@jcbose.ac.in.
authors.forename: Sujoy K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Das Gupta
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019703:Calcineurin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009154:Mutation; D009160:Mycobacteriophages / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D020102:Mycobacterium smegmatis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology*; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; C120817:calcineurin phosphatase; D019703:Calcineurin; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases
keywords: cyclic phosphodiesterase activity; mycobacteriophage; phage growth; phosphoesterase