Characterization of Acholeplasma laidlawii ftsZ Gene and Its Gene Product

• Published in: Biochemical and biophysical research communications Vol. 262; no. 1; pp. 44 - 49
• Main Authors: Kukekova, A.V, Malinin, A.Yu, Ayala, J.A, Borchsenius, S.N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 19.08.1999
• Subjects: Acholeplasma; Acholeplasma laidlawii; Acholeplasma laidlawii - genetics; Acholeplasma laidlawii - immunology; Amino Acid Sequence; Antibodies, Bacterial - immunology; Antibody Specificity; Bacterial Proteins - biosynthesis; Bacterial Proteins - chemistry; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Proteins - immunology; Base Sequence; Cloning, Molecular; Cytoskeletal Proteins; Escherichia coli - genetics; Evolution, Molecular; ftsZ gene; gene expression; Genes, Bacterial - genetics; Genetic Variation - genetics; Isoelectric Point; Molecular Sequence Data; Molecular Weight; Mycoplasma; Open Reading Frames - genetics; Recombinant Fusion Proteins - biosynthesis; Recombinant Fusion Proteins - chemistry; Recombinant Fusion Proteins - immunology; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; ftsZ gene; Mycoplasma; Acholeplasma; gene expression
• DOI: 10.1006/bbrc.1999.1135
• ISSN: 0006-291X

The ftsZ gene was found among representatives of all bacterial groups. FtsZ protein is an essential component of cell division ring. Contraction of this cytoskeleton-like ring is believed to be the universal way of bacterial division. Acholeplasma laidlawii possesses all features of the minimal mycoplasma cell and some traits of cell-wall bacteria and seems to be a promising object for study of basic principles of the bacterial division process. We cloned an A. laidlawii chromosomal fragment containing ftsZ gene and two flanking orf which also were identified. A. laidlawii FtsZ protein has been determined with polyclonal antibodies raised in rabbit. It was demonstrated that ftsZ gene of A. laidlawii could be expressed in E. coli cells. We also revealed that A. laidlawii FtsZ had a low similarity to proteins of Mycoplasma genitalium and M. pneumoniae. The comparison of FtsZ structures may be used for investigation of bacterial phylogenetic relations.