Molecular cloning of A1-ATPase gene from extremely halophilic archaeon Haloarcula japonica strain TR-1.

The genes encoding A1-ATPase A- and B-subunits were cloned from Haloarcula japonica strain TR-1. Nucleotide sequencing analysis of the A1-ATPase gene revealed that the A- and B-subunits consisted of 586 and 473 amino acids, respectively. The deduced amino acid sequences of the A- and B-subunits of Ha. japonica showed high identities with those of Halobacterium salinarum and Haloferax volcanii. The consensus ATP-binding motif was found in the A-subunit.     

Cloning, expression, and nucleotide sequence of the alpha-amylase gene from the haloalkaliphilic archaeon Natronococcus sp. strain Ah-36.

The alpha-amylase gene of a Natronococcus sp. (1,512 bp) contained a signal peptide of 43 amino acids. Haloferax volcanii expressed the gene and cleaved the signal peptide accurately. The signal peptide shared an extremely high amino acid sequence identity with that of a protease from the halophilic archaeon 172P1.     

NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase from the halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii: cloning,sequence determination and overexpression in Escherichia coli

A gene encoding NADP-dependent Ds-threo-isocitrate dehydrogenase was isolated from Haloferax volcanii genomic DNA by using a combination of polymerase chain reaction and screening of a lambda EMBL3 library. Analysis of the nucleotide sequence revealed an open reading frame of 1260 bp encoding a protein of 419 amino acids with 45837 Da molecular mass. This sequence is highly similar to previously sequenced isocitrate dehydrogenases. In the alignment of the amino acid sequences with those from several archaeal and mesophilic NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenases, the residues involved in dinucleotide binding and isocitrate binding are well conserved. We have developed methods for the expression in Escherichia coli and purification of the enzyme from H. volcanii. This expression was carried out in E. coli as inclusion bodies using the cytoplasmic expression vector pET3a. The enzyme was refolded by solubilisation in 8 M urea followed by dilution into a buffer containing EDTA, MgCl(2) and 3 M NaCl. Maximal activity was obtained after several hours incubation at room temperature.     

水稻ADP—葡萄糖焦磷酸化酶的cDNA基因克隆和结构分析

用ＰＣＲ技术从我国水稻品种“中花１０ 号”（Ｏｒｙｚａ ｓａｔｉｖａ ｖａｒ． ｊａｐｏｎｉｃａ ｃｖ． Ｚｈｏｎｇｈｕａ １０）的未成熟种子中克隆到ＡＤＰ－葡萄糖焦磷酸化酶基因,进行了全序列分析,并与国外已报道的同类基因进行了核苷酸及推导氨基酸序列的同源性比较。结果表明,作者克隆的ＡＤＰ－葡萄糖焦磷酸化酶基因全长１４６１ ｂｐ,编码１个由４８３ 个氨基酸组成的多肽,与国外基因的核苷酸和推导氨基酸同源率分别为９９．６％ 和９９．７％ 。此外,还对该基因进行了结构及进化分析。     

cDNA Cloning and Structural Analysis of Rice ADP-Glucose Pyrophosphorylase Gene

ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase is a key enzyme in the pathway of starch synthesis. The gene encoding this.important enzyme was cloned by PCR amplification from immature seeds of a Chinese rice cultivar-Oryza sativa var. japonica cv. Zhonghua 10. It was then sequenced and compared with the same gene reported from other rice cultivar. The gene obtained in this study is composed of 1461 bp and encodes 483 amino acid residues. Its nucleotide sequence and deduced amino acid sequence shared 99.6% and 99.7% homology with those of published data respectively. The analyses on the structure and evolution of this gene have been conducted.     

The extremely halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii has two very different dihydrofolate reductases

The gene encoding dihydrofolate reductase, hdrA, from the extremely halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii was previously isolated from a spontaneous trimethoprim-resistant mutant in a DNA sequence that had undergone amplification. Here, we show that deletion of hdrA did not affect growth in minimal medium and that the strain carrying the deletion remained sensitive to trimethoprim. A spontaneous trimethoprim-resistant colony was isolated in the hdrA deletion strain and found to possess a new DNA amplification. Sequencing of the amplification revealed a second, substantially different, dihydrofolate reductase gene, hdrB, which was found to be located immediately downstream of the thymidylate synthase gene, hts. The physiological role of hDHFR-1 and hDHFR-2 was determined by generating Haloferax volcanii strains in which each gene, hdrA or hdrB, or both genes were deleted. It was found that hdrB alone can support growth of Haloferax volcanii in minimal medium, whereas hdrA alone can support growth of Haloferax volcanii in minimal medium only when the medium is supplemented with thymidine. It was also shown that, in contrast to Escherichia coli, the DeltahdrA, DeltahdrB double deletion mutant is viable in the presence of a functional thymidylate synthase gene. The hdrB gene was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and the enzyme purified to homogeneity. The biochemical properties of the new enzyme (hDHFR-2) are markedly different from those of hDHFR-1. The use of the dihydrofolate reductase and thymidylate synthase genes as stable selectable markers is described.     

曼氏无针乌贼神经肽sCAP基因克隆与组织表达定位

为研究曼氏无针乌贼(Sepiella japonica)小心激肽(small cardioactive peptides, sCAP)生理功能, 通过RACE技术克隆曼氏无针乌贼sCAP基因(简称SjsCAP, GenBank登录号:MG779491), 得到总长度为696 bp的cDNA序列, 包括111 bp的5′非编码区(UTR)和324 bp的3′UTR, 预测的开放阅读框(ORF)共261 bp, 编码86个氨基酸, 相对分子量(MW)为9.331 kD, 等电点(pI)为8.52。信号肽以及跨膜区预测结果表明, sCAP中含有明显的信号肽序列和跨膜区结构。因此, 推测该蛋白可能由细胞内分泌到细胞外发挥作用。亲水性分析显示该蛋白为亲水性蛋白。基于sCAP氨基酸序列进行的系统进化分析表明曼氏无针乌贼与商乌贼(Sepia officinalis)亲缘关系最近, 相似性达到90%。通过荧光定量PCR (Quantitative real-time PCR, qRT-PCR)技术对SjsCAP基因在成熟雄性和雌性曼氏无针乌贼不同组织中的表达量进行分析, 结果显示sCAP主要在视叶中显著表达, 在脑中也有较高的表达量, 其中雄性个体表达量显著高于雌性个体。原位杂交实验结果显示sCAP基因在曼氏无针乌贼的脑组织的视叶、食道上神经团的垂直叶、亚垂直、脑脚叶、背外侧叶和视腺均可以观察到明显的阳性杂交信号。sCAP基因的成功克隆以及组织表达定位分析为sCAP的亚细胞定位以及生物学功能研究奠定一定的基础, 同时为曼氏无针乌贼的种质资源保护与开发提供一定的理论支持。     

Cloning and sequencing of the gene encoding the cell surface glycoprotein of Haloarcula japonica strain TR-1

The triangular disk-shaped halophilic archaeon Haloarcula japonica strain TR-1 has a glycoprotein on its cell surface. The complete gene encoding the cell surface glycoprotein (CSG) was cloned and sequenced. The gene has an open reading frame of 2586 bp, and a potential archaeal promoter sequence approximately 150 bp upstream of the ATG initiation codon. The mature CSG is composed of 828 amino acids and is preceded by a signal sequence of 34 amino acid residues. A hydropathy analysis showed a hydrophobic stretch at the C-terminus, that probably serves as a transmembrane domain. The amino acid sequence of the Ha. japonica CSG showed 52.1% and 43.2% identities to those from the Halobacterium halobium and Haloferax volcanii CSGs, respectively. Five potential N-glycosylation sites were found in the mature Ha. japonica CSG, sites that were distinctly different from those in Hb. halobium and Hf. volcanii. The Ha. japonica CSG gene was expressed in Escherichia coli. Received: 20 September 1996 / Accepted: 9 October 1996     

Gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase from Haloferax sp. D1227

Gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase from the extreme halophile Haloferax sp. D1227 (Hf. D1227) was purified using a three-step procedure. The enzyme was found to be a homotetramer of 42 000 ± 1000 Da subunits, with a native molecular weight of 174 000 ± 6000 Da. The optimal salt concentration, temperature, and pH for enzyme activity were 2 M KCl or NaCl, 45°C, and pH 7.2, respectively. The gene encoding Hf. D1227 gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase was cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Haloferax volcanii. The deduced amino acid sequence exhibited a 9.2% excess acidic over basic amino acids typical of halophilic enzymes. Four novel histidine clusters and a possible extradiol dioxygenase fingerprint region were identified. Received: November 19, 1997 / Accepted: May 12, 1998     

Proteomics of multigenic families from species underrepresented in databases: the case of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) polyphenol oxidases

Here, we approach the problem of obtaining accurate and reliable information about the gene origin of a protein belonging to a multigenic family, polyphenol oxidase, from an underrepresented species, Eriobotrya japonica. De novo sequencing was a key approach to obtain broad sequence coverage. Alignment of peptides on their most similar homologous protein revealed divergent amino acid positions that lead to hypothesize the minimal number of genes encoding for the proteins analyzed.     

A new D-2-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase with dual coenzyme-specificity from Haloferax mediterranei, sequence analysis and heterologous overexpression

A gene encoding a new D-2-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase (E.C. 1.1.1.) from the halophilic Archaeon Haloferax mediterranei has been sequenced, cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli cells with the inducible expression plasmid pET3a. The nucleotide sequence analysis showed an open reading frame of 927 bp which encodes a 308 amino acid protein. Multiple amino acid sequence alignments of the D-2-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase from H. mediterranei showed high homology with D-2-hydroxyacid dehydrogenases from different organisms and other enzymes of this family. Analysis of the amino acid sequence showed catalytic residues conserved in hydroxyacid dehydrogenases with d-stereospecificity. In the reductive reaction, the enzyme showed broad substrate specificity, although alpha-ketoisoleucine was the most favourable of all alpha-ketocarboxylic acids tested. Kinetic data revealed that this new D-2-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase from H. mediterranei exhibits dual coenzyme-specificity, using both NADPH and NADH as coenzymes. To date, all D-2-hydroxyacid dehydrogenases have been found to be NADH-dependent. Here, we report the first example of a D-2-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase with dual coenzyme-specificity.     

A halocin-H4 mutant Haloferax mediterranei strain retains the ability to inhibit growth of other halophilic archaea

Many members of the Halobacteriaceae were found to produce halocins, molecules that inhibit the growth of other halophilic archaea. Halocin H4 that is produced by Haloferax mediterranei and inhibits the growth of Halobacterium salinarum is one of the best studied halocins to date. The gene encoding this halocin had been previously identified as halH4, located on one of Hfx. mediterranei megaplasmids. We generated a mutant of the halH4 gene and examined the killing ability of the Haloferax mediterranei halH4 mutant with respect to both Halobacterium salinarum and Haloferax volcanii. We showed that both wild-type Hfx. mediterranei and the halH4 mutant strain efficiently inhibited the growth of both species, indicating halocin redundancy. Surprisingly, the halH4 deletion mutant exhibited faster growth in standard medium than the wild type, and is likely to have a better response to several nucleotides, which could explain this phenotype.     

Primary structure and glycosylation of the S-layer protein of Haloferax volcanii.

The outer surface of the archaebacterium Haloferax volcanii (formerly named Halobacterium volcanii) is covered with a hexagonally packed surface (S) layer. The gene coding for the S-layer protein was cloned and sequenced. The mature polypeptide is composed of 794 amino acids and is preceded by a typical signal sequence of 34 amino acid residues. A highly hydrophobic stretch of 20 amino acids at the C-terminal end probably serves as a transmembrane domain. Clusters of threonine residues are located adjacent to this membrane anchor. The S-layer protein is a glycoprotein containing both N- and O-glycosidic bonds. Glucosyl-(1----2)-galactose disaccharides are linked to threonine residues. The primary structure and the glycosylation pattern of the S-layer glycoproteins from Haloferax volcanii and from Halobacterium halobium were compared and found to exhibit distinct differences, despite the fact that three-dimensional reconstructions from electron micrographs revealed no structural differences at least to the 2.5-nm level attained so far (M. Kessel, I. Wildhaber, S. Cohe, and W. Baumeister, EMBO J. 7:1549-1554, 1988).     

Molecular cloning and sequencing of the gene for a halophilic alkaline serine protease (halolysin) from an unidentified halophilic archaea strain (172P1) and expression of the gene in Haloferax volcanii.

The gene of a halophilic alkaline serine protease, halolysin, from an unidentified halophilic archaea (archaebacterium) was cloned and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The deduced amino acid sequence showed that halolysin consists of 411 amino acids, with a molecular weight of 41,963. The highest homology was found with thermitase from Thermoactinomyces vulgaris. Halolysin has a long C-terminal extension of approximately 120 amino acids which has not been found in other extracellular subtilisin type serine proteases. The gene, hly, was expressed in another halophilic archaea, Haloferax volcanii, in a medium containing 18% salts by using a plasmid shuttle vector which has a novobiocin resistance determinant as a selectable marker.