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1993 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

Molecular and Cell Biological studies on Intracellular Symbiosis

Research Project

Project/Area Number 03454020
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (B)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Research Field 動物発生・生理学
Research InstitutionThe University of Tokyo

Principal Investigator

ISHIKAWA Hajime  The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Science, Professor, 大学院・理学系研究科, 教授 (70012482)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) SASAKI Tetsuhiko  The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Science, Instructor, 大学院・理学系研究科, 助手 (60235257)
YAMASHITA Tetsuro  The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Science, Instructor, 大学院・理学系研究科, 助手 (20202377)
Project Period (FY) 1991 – 1993
KeywordsIntracellular Symbiosis / Chaperonin / Energy-Coupling / Histidine Protein Kinase / Glutamine / Adaptive Molecular Evolution / Gut Microbes
Research Abstract

1. Symbionin, an aphid endosymbiont-specific protein, is an energy-coupling protein which undergoes autophosphorylation in the presence of high-energy phosphate compounds and transfers its phosphate group to other acceptor compounds. While this property of symbionin is reminiscent of that of histidine protein kinases in the tow-component system that transduces environmental signals in E.coli, no considerable homology between the two proteins is apparent.
2. It has been suggested that symbionin is phophorylated at His-133, where GroEL has Ala instead of His. Since between the two proteins the overall amino acid sequence is highly conserved, it is all the more conspicuous that symbionin has created His at this position as the result of three consecutive base substitutions of a codon for Ala in GroEL.It is possible that symbionin has acquired a new function through positive selection in favor of His at this position, suggesting that adaptive evolution is in action even at molecular level.
3. While in the groE operon the expression of GroES and GroEL are comparable with each other, in the aphid endosymbiont the expression of GroES homolog is disproportionately less than that of symbionin.
4. In the synthesis of essential amino acids by the endosymbiont using glutamine, glutamine is first converted into glutamate and ammonia in the bacteriocyte and then absorbed by the symbiont.
5. One of gut microbes of aphid resembles E.coli, but prefers lower temperatures than does the latter. Comparison of structure of several genes suggested that the gut microbe is phylogenetically closer to the endosymbiont than is E.coli.

  • Research Products

    (12 results)

All Other

All Publications (12 results)

  • [Publications] Minoru Kobayashi: "Breakdown of indirect flight muscles of alate aphids in relation to their flight,feeding and reproductive behavior." Journal of Insect Physiology. 39. 549-554 (1993)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Mizue Morioka: "Chaperonin produced by an intracellular symbiont is an energy-coupling protein with phosphotransferase activity." Journal of Biochemistry. 114. 246-250 (1993)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Tetsuhiko Sasaki: "Nitrogen recycling in the endosymbiotic system of the pea aphid,Acyrthosiphon pisum." Zoological Science. 10. 779-785 (1993)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Mizue Morioka: "Self-assembly of symbionin,a chaperonin of intracellular symbiont." Journal of Biochemistry. 114. 468-472 (1993)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Nancy A.Moran: "A molecular clock in endosymbiotic bacteria is calibrated using the insect host." Proceedings of Royal Society of London,Series B. 253. 167-171 (1993)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Hosami Harada: "Gut microbe closely related to its intracellular symbiont." BioSystems. 31. 185-191 (1993)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Minoru Kobayashi: "Breakown of indirect flight muscles of alate aphids in relation to their flight, feeding and reproductive behavior" Journal of Insect Physiology. 39. 549-554 (1993)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Mizue Morioka: "Chaperonin produced by an intracellular symbiont is an energy-coupling protein with phosphotransferase activity" Journal of Biochemistry. 114. 246-250 (1993)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Tetsuhiko Sasaki: "Nitrogen recycling in the endosymbiotic system of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum" Zoological Science. 10. 779-785 (1993)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Mizue Morioka: "Self-assembly of symbionin, a chaperonin of intracellular symbiont" Journal of Biochemistry. 114. 468-472 (1993)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Nancy A.Moran: "A molecular clock in endosymbiotic bacteria is calibrated using the insect host" Proceedings of Royal Society of London, Series B. 253. 167-171 (1993)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Hosami Harada: "Gut microbe closely related to its intracellular symbiont" BioSystems. 31. 185-191 (1993)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より

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Published: 1995-03-27  

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