Characterization of the Mycoplasma hominis ftsZ gene and its sequence variability in mycoplasma clinical isolates

• Published in: Biochemical and biophysical research communications Vol. 293; no. 1; pp. 155 - 162
• Main Authors: Momynaliev, K.T, Smirnova, O.V, Lazyrev, V.N, Akopian, T.A, Chelysheva, V.V, Ayala, J.A, Simankova, A.N, Borchsenius, S.N, Govorun, V.M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 26.04.2002
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Bacterial evolution; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Base Sequence; Chromosome Mapping; Chromosomes, Bacterial - genetics; Cloning, Molecular; Cytoskeletal Proteins; Escherichia coli - genetics; ftsZ Gene; Gene expression; Genes, Bacterial; Genetic Variation; GTP Phosphohydrolases - genetics; M. hominis; Molecular Sequence Data; Mycoplasma; Mycoplasma hominis - genetics; Recombinant Proteins - biosynthesis; Recombinant Proteins - chemistry; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; ftsZ Gene; Bacterial evolution; Mycoplasma; Gene expression; M. hominis
• DOI: 10.1016/S0006-291X(02)00184-5
• ISSN: 0006-291X

We cloned and sequenced Mycoplasma hominis chromosomal fragment containing ftsZ gene. The wild-type expression of the gene was shown at RNA level by reverse transcription followed by PCR amplification. We revealed that M. hominis FtsZ had a comparatively low similarity to proteins of Mycoplasma genitalium and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. After full ftsZ gene sequencing for 14 clinical isolates of M. hominis, single-nucleotide substitutions were found in 21 positions, 6 of them being common for almost all isolates. This ftsZ gene polymorphism may be used for subtyping of M. hominis in clinical samples. Expression of the M. hominis ftsZ gene in different Escherichia coli strains was also demonstrated, and M. hominis FtsZ protein was purified from E. coli cells transformed with recombinant expression plasmid. Complementation between the M. hominis FtsZ and E. coli FtsZ could be shown. The comparison of FtsZ protein structures may also be used for investigation of bacterial phylogenetic relationships.