Cloning and characterization of Planctomyces limnophilus rpoN: complementation of a Salmonella typhimurium rpoN mutant strain

• Published in: Gene Vol. 221; no. 1; pp. 151 - 157
• Main Authors: Leary, B A, Ward-Rainey, N, Hoover, T R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands 09.10.1998
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Bacteria - chemistry; Bacteria - genetics; Base Sequence; Cloning, Molecular; DNA, Bacterial - chemistry; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; DNA-Binding Proteins; DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases - genetics; Genetic Complementation Test; Gram-Negative Bacteria - chemistry; Gram-Negative Bacteria - genetics; Molecular Sequence Data; Mutation; Planctomyces limnophilus; RNA Polymerase Sigma 54; Salmonella typhimurium; Salmonella typhimurium - genetics; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Sigma Factor - genetics; Sigma Factor - physiology; Trans-Activators - genetics
• ISSN: 0378-1119
• DOI: 10.1016/S0378-1119(98)00423-5

The rpoN gene, which encodes the alternative sigma factor sigma 54, was cloned from the budding, peptidoglycan-less bacterium Planctomyces limnophilus. P. limnophilus rpoN complemented the Ntr- phenotype of a Salmonella typhimurium rpoN mutant strain. The P. limnophilus rpoN gene encoded a predicted polypeptide that was 495 residues in length and shared a significant homology with other members of the sigma 54 family. The protein sequence displayed all of the characteristic motifs found in members of this family, including the C-terminal helix-turn-helix motif and the well-conserved RpoN box. A potential sigma 54-dependent activator was also identified in P. limnophilus. These findings extend the range of phylogenetic groups within the Domain Bacteria that are known to contain sigma 54.