Biomedical subjects

A Rasooly

Publications and source records attributed to A Rasooly.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1996

Modification of the plasmid initiator protein RepC active site during replication.

pT181 is a Staphylococcus aureus rolling circle replicating plasmid whose copy number is controlled by regulating the synthesis and activity of the initiator protein, RepC*. The RepC* dimer is modified during pT181 replication by the addition of an oligodeoxynucleotide, giving rise to a new form, RepC. To purify RepC, RepC was expressed in S. aureus as a fusion protein with a polyhistidine tail. The histidine-tagged RepC retains its initiation and topoisomerase activities in vitro. His-tagged RepC/RepC and RepC/RepC* were purified in a two-step procedure. Peptide mapping, mass spectrometric analysis and protein sequencing of purified RepC and RepC* were carried out, and both proteins appeared identical, except that the peptide containing the RepC active site tyrosine used in nicking activity was absent when the purified RepC* sample was analyzed. The absence of the active site in RepC* suggests that this site was modified during replication. The results provide the first direct biochemical evidence that RepC* is a modified form of RepC, and support a model in which RepC replication of pT181 leaves RepC with an oligonucleotide blocking the active site of one of its subunits.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1994

Replication-specific conversion of the Staphylococcus aureus pT181 initiator protein from an active homodimer to an inactive heterodimer.

The Staphylococcus aureus rolling circle plasmid pT181 regulates its replication by controlling the synthesis of its initiator protein RepC. RepC is inactivated during pT181 replication by the addition of an oligodeoxynucleotide, giving rise to a new form, RepC*. We analyzed RepC and RepC* in four classes of mutants: plasmid copy number mutants, two classes of RepC mutants affecting different portions of the protein and oriC (origin) mutants. We have found that in the cell with wild-type RepC there are similar relative amounts of RepC and RepC*, regardless of copy number, and that the conversion of RepC to RepC* is replication dependent. Genetic and biochemical evidence is presented that RepC functions as a dimer and that during replication the RepC homodimer is converted to the RepC/RepC* heterodimer.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed1994

Plasmids of the pT181 family show replication-specific initiator protein modification.

The rolling circle plasmids of Staphylococcus aureus regulate their replication by controlling initiator (Rep) protein synthesis. It was demonstrated recently that the pT181 initiator protein RepC is inactivated during pT181 replication by the addition of an oligodeoxynucleotide, giving rise to a new form, RepC* (A. Rasooly and R. P. Novick, Science, 262:1048-1050). We establish here that this initiator modification occurs with four other members of the pT181 family and that it occurs in Bacillus subtilis as well as S. aureus. These results suggest that Rep conversion to Rep* is probably universal among plasmids of the pT181 family and is not host dependent.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1993

Replication-specific inactivation of the pT181 plasmid initiator protein.

Replication of the Staphylococcus aureus plasmid pT181, which occurs by the rolling circle mechanism, is accompanied by the covalent attachment of a approximately 12-residue oligodeoxy-nucleotide to one subunit of the dimeric plasmid-coded initiator protein, RepC. This oligonucleotide represents the plasmid sequence immediately 3' to the initiating nick site. The resulting heterodimeric protein lacks the topoisomerase and replication activities of unmodified RepC, suggesting that the regulation of plasmid DNA replication requires post-replicational inactivation of the initiator protein as well as control of its synthesis.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed1993

Electrophoretic karyotyping of the lignin-degrading basidiomycete Phanerochaete chrysosporium.

Electrophoretic karyotyping of the two most widely studied strains of Phanerochaete chrysosporium, BKMF-1767 and ME-446, has been determined using transverse alternating field electrophoresis. The genomic DNA of BKMF-1767 was resolved into 10 chromosomes ranging in size from 1.8-5.0 Mb, amounting to a total genome size of about 29 Mb. The genomic DNA of strain ME-446, on the other hand, was resolved into 11 chromosomes, amounting to a total genome size of about 32 Mb. Lignin peroxidase genes have been localized to five chromosomes in strain BKMF-1767 and to four chromosomes in strain ME-446.

Basidiomycota↗

PubMed1991

Cloning of several lignin peroxidase (LIP)-encoding genes: sequence analysis of the LIP6 gene from the white-rot basidiomycete, Phanerochaete chrysosporium.

A Phanerochaete chrysosporium BKMF1767 genomic library, constructed in the BamHI site of vector YRp12, was screened with the lignin peroxidase(LIP)-encoding cDNAs, CLG4 and CLG5, that have been shown to encode LIP2 (previously H2) and LIP6 (previously H10), respectively. Six distinct LIP genomic clones, designated pGLG1, pGLG2, pGLG3, pGLG4, pGLG5, and pGLG6, were isolated in this study. Probe CLG4 hybridized only to pGLG1. Probe CLG5 gave intense hybridization to pGLG2 and weaker hybridization to clones pGLG3 through pGLG6, but showed little or no hybridization to pGLG1. These results, in agreement with previous biochemical results, indicate the existence of LIP gene subfamilies. The limits and transcriptional orientation of the LIP gene in each clone were determined. The sequence data showed that pGLG2 contains the LIP6 gene, which encodes a protein identical in amino acid (aa) composition to that encoded by CLG5. It contains a leader sequence of 27 aa and a mature protein of 344 aa (Mr 36,607). Archetypal TATA-box-like and CAAT-box-like sequences in the 5'-noncoding region are located 51 and 97 nt upstream from the cDNA start point, respectively. S1 nuclease analysis of the 5' region of LIP6 revealed two transcription start points 8 nt apart downstream from the TATA box. Comparison of the sequence of LIP6 with its corresponding cDNA CLG5 showed that the gene contains nine small introns which range in size from 50 to 62 bp. These introns contained consensus splice junction sequences similar to those reported in other fungal and yeast introns.

Amino Acid Sequence↗