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1988 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

Structure and Function of the RodA Protein Responsible for the Rod Shape of Escherichia coli

Research Project

Project/Area Number 62560072
Research Category

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

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Research Field 応用生物化学・栄養化学
Research InstitutionUniversity of Tokyo

Principal Investigator

MATSUZAWA Hiroshi  Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tokyo, 農学部, 助教授 (00011966)

Project Period (FY) 1987 – 1988
KeywordsEscherichia coli / rod shape of bacteria / cell division / peptidoglycan synthetase / the rodA gene / RodA protein / transmembrane structure of a protein / 遺伝子工学
Research Abstract

In this study, the structure and function of the RodA protein of Escherichia coli were analysezed by the methods of protein chemistry and gene engineering.
1. the rodA gene is located 5 nucleotides downstream of the pbpA gene, encoding penicillin-binding protein (PBP) 2. Overproduced RodA protein was purified by SDS-PAGE. The determined N-terminal amino acid sequence showed that the protein has no cleavable signal sequene, but its N-terminal Met residue is removed.
2. To determine the transmembrane structure of the RodA protein, plasmids carrying rodA-bla gene fusions were constructed. Based on the ampicillin resistance of the cells producing RodA-beta-lactamase fusion protein and the hydropathy of the RodA protein at the fused region, localization of the fused point was determined to be in the cytoplasm, cytoplasmic membrane or periplasm. The results obtained showed that the RodA protein traverses the membrane eight times with its N- and C-terminals in the cytoplasm.
3. The ftsL gene is the structural gene for PBP 3. sui mutation was reported, which is a kind of rodA mutation and suppresses a temperature-sensitive lethal mutation of ftsL. The roda(sui) gene was cloned, and its determined nucleotide sequence indicated that the sui mutation is a mutation of CAG (Gln-III) to amber termination codon, TAG, in the rodA gene. Suppressor strain KJBI, which contains both ftsL(Ts) and sui mutations, also has supE mutaion. supE can partially replace the termination signal with Glh. It is considered that the reduction of the RodA protein caused by sui mutaion suppresses the low activity of PBP 3. It is suggested that the RodA protein, probably as a RodA-PBP 2 complex, is involved in the cell division together with PBP 3.

  • Research Products

    (4 results)

All Other

All Publications (4 results)

  • [Publications] 高須賀晶子: 生化学. 60. 716 (1988)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] 高須賀晶子: 第11回日本分子生物学会プログラム講演要旨集. 231 (1988)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] TAKASUGI, Akiko: "Identification of the sui mutation, which can suppress a ftsI(Ts) mutation, in the rodA gene of Escherichia coli" SEIKAGAKI (Japanese Journal of Biochemistry). 60. 716 (1988)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] TAKASUGA, Akiko: "Determination of the topology of the RodA protein in the cytoplasmic membrane of Escherichia coli" Proceeding of the 11th Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan. 231 (1988)

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

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Published: 1990-03-20  

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