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PubMed1992

Inhibition of tonoplast ATPase by 2',3'-dialdehyde derivative of ATP.

The 2',3'-dialdehyde derivative of ATP (dial-ATP) has been shown to be an affinity label for the ATP binding site of the H(+)-ATPase from tonoplast of etiolated mung bean seedlings (Vigna radiata L.). The dial-ATP caused marked inactivation of enzymatic activities of both membrane-bound and soluble ATPase and its associated proton translocation. The inactivation was reversible, but could be stabilized by NaBH(4). The sodium dodecyl sulfatepolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis pattern revealed that the dial-ATP binding site was in the large (A) subunit of ATPase. The inhibition could be substantially protected by its physiological substrate ATP, pyrophosphate, and nucleotides in the decreasing order: ATP > pyrophosphate > ADP = AMP > GTP > CTP = UTP. A Lineweaver-Burk plot showed that the mode of inhibition was competitive with respect to ATP. Loss of ATPase activity followed pseudo-first order kinetics with a K(i) of 4.1 millimolar, a minimum inactivation half-time of 20 seconds, and a pseudo-first order rate constant of 0.035 s(-1). The double logarithmic plot of apparent rate constant versus dial-ATP concentration gave a slope of 0.927, indicating that inactivation results from reaction of at least one lysine residue at the catalytic site of the large subunit. Labeling studies with [(3)H]dial-ATP indicate that the incorporation of approximately 1 mole of dial-ATP per mole ATPase is sufficient to completely inhibit the ATPase. A working model of nonequivalent subunits for enzymatic mechanism of vacuolar ATPase is suggested.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1992

Induction of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase mRNA by auxin in mung bean hypocotyls and cultured apple shoots.

Auxin is known to promote ethylene production in vegetative tissues by increasing the activity of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) synthase; therefore, we have studied the effect of auxins on ACC synthase mRNA expression. Total RNA was isolated from auxin-incubated cultured apple (Malus sylvestris Mill.) shoots or mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) hypocotyls. These RNAs and a set of oligonucleotide primers corresponding to two conserved amino acid sequences (SNPLGTT and MSSFGLV) found in ACC synthases isolated from other species were used for polymerase chain reaction-based amplification of DNA fragments encoding the ACC synthase-active site domain. We obtained and sequenced a 290-base pair cDNA fragment (pAA1) from cultured apple shoots and a 328-base pair cDNA clone (pMBA1) from mung bean hypocotyls. Comparisons of their deduced amino acid sequences with those of previously characterized ACC synthase cDNAs indicate that both fragments are, indeed, closely related to ACC synthase cDNA. Northern blot analyses further showed that the expression of these transcripts is regulated by auxin treatment. These data indicate that auxin induces ethylene production transcriptionally by increasing the ACC synthase transcripts. The pAA1 shares 46% amino acid sequence homology with ripening-regulated apple fruit ACC synthase, indicating that ripening-regulated and auxin-regulated ACC synthases are encoded by different genes. In mung bean hypocotyls, aminooxyacetic acid, a potent inhibitor of ACC synthase activity, promoted the expression of auxin-induced ACC synthase mRNA, but cycloheximide inhibited this induction.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1992

Posttranslational modifications in the amino- terminal region of the large subunit of ribulose- 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase from several plant species.

A combination of limited tryptic proteolysis, reverse phasehigh performance liquid chromatography, Edman degradative sequencing, amino acid analysis, and fast-atom bombardment mass-spectrometry was used to remove and identify the first 14 to 18 N-terminal amino acid residues of the large subunit of higher plant-type ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Marchantia polymorpha, pea (Pisum sativum), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), potato (Solanum tuberosum), pepper (Capsicum annuum), soybean (Glycine max), petunia (Petunia x hybrida), cowpea (Vigna sinensis), and cucumber (Cucumis sativus) plants. The N-terminal tryptic peptide from acetylated Pro-3 to Lys-8 of the large subunit of Rubisco was identical in all species, but the amino acid sequence of the penultimate N-terminal tryptic peptide varied. Eight of the 10 species examined contained a trimethyllysyl residue at position 14 in the large subunit of Rubisco, whereas Chlamydomonas and Marchantia contained an unmodified lysyl residue at this position.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1992

Comparison of developmental gradients for growth, ATPase, and fusicoccin-binding activity in mung bean hypocotyls.

A comparison has been made of the developmental gradients along a mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) hypocotyl of the growth rate, plasma membrane ATPase, and fusicoccin-binding protein (FCBP) activity to determine whether they are interrelated. The hook and four sequential 7.5 millimeter segments of the hypocotyl below the hook were cut. A plasma membrane-enriched fraction was isolated from each section by aqueous two-phase partitioning and assayed for vanadate-sensitive ATPase and FCBP activity. Each gradient had a distinctive and different pattern. Endogenous growth rate was maximal in the second section and much lower in the others. Vanadate-sensitive ATPase activity was maximal in the third section, but remained high in the older sections. Amounts of ATPase protein, shown by specific antibody binding, did not correlate with the amount of vanadate-sensitive ATPase activity in the three youngest sections. FCBP activity was almost absent in the first section, then increased to a maximum in the oldest sections. These data show that the growth rate is not determined by the ATPase activity, and that there are no fixed ratios between the ATPase and FCBP.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1992

Characterization of the major integral protein of vacuolar membrane.

The vacuolar membrane of radish (Raphanus sativus) taproot contained a large quantity of a protein of 23 kilodaltons that accounted for more than 25% of the total membrane proteins. The protein, tentatively named VM 23, was purified and characterized. VM 23 tends to aggregate at high temperature even in the presence of 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate. The apparent molecular size of VM 23 was estimated to be about 400 kilodaltons by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of 0.1% Triton X-100. VM 23 was partially extracted from the vacuolar membranes with chloroform:methanol, indicating its high hydrophobicity. The hydrophobic carboxyl modifier N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide bound covalently to VM 23. The results suggest that VM 23 may act as a secondary transport system coupled with the proton transport. The antibody against radish VM 23 reacted with the major proteins in the vacuolar membranes of mung bean (Vigna radiata) and castor bean (Ricinus communis) hypocotyls and pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) epicotyl, but not with that of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) taproot. VM 23 comigrated with vacuolar H(+)-pyrophosphatase on sucrose density gradient centrifugation after sonication of membranes, indicating that it is associated with the vacuolar membrane.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1992

Differential Detergent Stability of the Major Light-Harvesting Complex II in Thylakoids Isolated from Monocotyledonous and Dicotyledonous Plants.

A survey of isolated thylakoids from 11 different higher plant species (Spinacia oleracea L., Pisum sativum L., Vicia faba L., Brassica napus L., Vigna sinensis L., Vinca minor L., Secale cereale L., Triticum aestivum L., Triticosecale Wittn., Hordeum vulgare L., Zea mays L.) indicated that the ratio of the oligomeric:monomeric form of the light-harvesting complex II was twofold higher for the dicots (3.16 +/- 0.35) than the monocots (1.64 +/- 0.25) examined under identical separation procedures. Under conditions specifically designed to stabilize the oligomeric form in vitro, we show that the oligomeric form of dicot light-harvesting complex II is twice as stable to solubilization in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) than that observed for monocots. This decreased stability of monocot light-harvesting complex II is associated with a twofold increase in the trienoic fatty acid level of thylakoid phosphatidylglycerol but with no significant changes in the trienoic fatty acid levels in the major galactolipids. In addition, SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and western blot analyses with monoclonal antibodies indicated that monocots exhibited greater heterogeneity in the polypeptide complements associated with subfractions of light-harvesting complex II than the dicots examined. The data indicate that the oligomeric form of the light-harvesting complex II is not the result of a simple oligomerization of a common monomeric unit. We suggest that the difference in stability of the oligomeric form of light-harvesting complex II in isolated thylakoids of monocots and dicots is probably due to a differential accessibility to SDS. The differential SDS accessibility may be due to differences in thylakoid protein-protein and/or protein-lipid interactions.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Crystallization, data collection and phasing of black-eyed pea trypsin/chymotrypsin inhibitor in complex with bovine beta-trypsin.

The black-eyed pea trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitor (BTCI) is a Bowman-Birk-type inhibitor from Vigna unguiculata seeds. A complex of BTCI with bovine beta-trypsin was crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method with ammonium sulfate as precipitant. Crystals belong to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 59.3, b = 61.8, c = 80.0 A. Diffraction data were collected to 2.36 A resolution and were processed to give an overall R(sym) of 0.137. The Matthews coefficient for one complex per asymmetric unit is 2.2 A(3) Da(-1), with a corresponding solvent content of 43%. After molecular replacement and initial refinement, the model gives an R(cryst) of 0.361 and an R(free) of 0.432.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Structure of 8Salpha globulin, the major seed storage protein of mung bean.

The 8S globulins of mung bean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] are vicilin-type seed storage globulins which consist of three isoforms: 8Salpha, 8Salpha' and 8Sbeta. The three isoforms have high sequence identities with each other (around 90%). The structure of 8Salpha globulin has been determined for the first time by X-ray crystallographic analysis and refined at 2.65 A resolution with a final R factor of 19.6% for 10-2.65 A resolution data. The refined 8Salpha globulin structure consisted of 366 of the 423 amino-acid residues (one subunit of the biological trimer). With the exception of several disordered regions, the overall 8Salpha globulin structure closely resembled those of other seed storage 7S globulins. The 8Salpha globulin exhibited the highest degree of sequence identity (68%) and structural similarity (a root-mean-square deviation of 0.6 A) with soybean beta-conglycinin beta (7S globulin). Their surface hydrophobicities are also similar to each other, although their solubilities differ under alkaline conditions at low ionic strength. This difference seems to be a consequence of charge-charge interactions and not hydrophobic interactions of the surfaces, based on a comparison of the electrostatic potentials of the molecular surfaces. The thermal stability of 8Salpha globulin is lower than that of soybean beta-conglycinin beta. This correlates with the cavity size derived from the crystal structure, although other structural features also have a small effect on the protein's thermal stability.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2005

The crystal structure of an eukaryotic iron superoxide dismutase suggests intersubunit cooperation during catalysis.

Superoxide dismutases (SODs) are a family of metalloenzymes that catalyze the dismutation of superoxide anion radicals into molecular oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. Iron superoxide dismutases (FeSODs) are only expressed in some prokaryotes and plants. A new and highly active FeSOD with an unusual subcellular localization has recently been isolated from the plant Vigna unguiculata (cowpea). This protein functions as a homodimer and, in contrast to the other members of the SOD family, is localized to the cytosol. The crystal structure of the recombinant enzyme has been solved and the model refined to 1.97 A resolution. The superoxide anion binding site is located in a cleft close to the dimer interface. The coordination geometry of the Fe site is a distorted trigonal bipyramidal arrangement, whose axial ligands are His43 and a solvent molecule, and whose in-plane ligands are His95, Asp195, and His199. A comparison of the structural features of cowpea FeSOD with those of homologous SODs reveals subtle differences in regard to the metal-protein interactions, and confirms the existence of two regions that may control the traffic of substrate and product: one located near the Fe binding site, and another in the dimer interface. The evolutionary conservation of reciprocal interactions of both monomers in neighboring active sites suggests possible subunit cooperation during catalysis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Broad-host-range Rhizobium species strain NGR234 secretes a family of carbamoylated, and fucosylated, nodulation signals that are O-acetylated or sulphated.

Rhizobium species strain NGR234 is the most promiscuous known rhizobium. In addition to the non-legume Parasponia andersonii, it nodulates at least 70 genera of legumes. Here we show that the nodulation genes of this bacterium determine the production of a large family of Nod-factors which are N-acylated chitin pentamers carrying a variety of substituents. The terminal non-reducing glucosamine is N-acylated with vaccenic or palmitic acids, is N-methylated, and carries varying numbers of carbamoyl groups. The reducing N-acetyl-glucosamine residue is substituted on position 6 with 2-O-methyl-L-fucose which may be acetylated or sulphated or non-substituted. All three internal residues are N-acetylated. At pico- to nanomolar concentrations, these signal molecules exhibit biological activities on the tropical legumes Macroptilium and Vigna (Phaseoleae), as well as on both the temperate genera Medicago (Trifoliae) and Vicia (Viciae). These data strongly suggest that the uniquely broad host range of NGR234 is mediated by the synthesis of a family of varied sulphated and non-sulphated lipo-oligosaccharide signals.

Acetylation↗
PubMed1994

Nod factors of Rhizobium are a key to the legume door.

Symbiotic interactions between rhizobia and legumes are largely controlled by reciprocal signal exchange. Legume roots excrete flavonoids which induce rhizobial nodulation genes to synthesize and excrete lipo-oligosaccharide Nod factors. In turn, Nod factors provoke deformation of the root hairs and nodule primordium formation. Normally, rhizobia enter roots through infection threads in markedly curled root hairs. If Nod factors are responsible for symbiosis-specific root hair deformation, they could also be the signal for entry of rhizobia into legume roots. We tested this hypothesis by adding, at inoculation, NodNGR-factors to signal-production-deficient mutants of the broad-host-range Rhizobium sp. NGR234 and Bradyrhizobium japonicum strain USDA110. Between 10(-7) M and 10(-6) M NodNGR factors permitted these NodABC- mutants to penetrate, nodulate and fix nitrogen on Vigna unguiculata and Glycine max, respectively. NodNGR factors also allowed Rhizobium fredii strain USDA257 to enter and fix nitrogen on Calopogonium caeruleum, a nonhost. Detailed cytological investigations of V. unguiculata showed that the NodABC- mutant NGR delta nodABC, in the presence of NodNGR factors, entered roots in the same way as the wild-type bacterium. Since infection threads were also present in the resulting nodules, we conclude that Nod factors are the signals that permit rhizobia to penetrate legume roots via infection threads.

Acyltransferases↗
PubMed2006

Transgenic Medicago truncatula plants that accumulate proline display nitrogen-fixing activity with enhanced tolerance to osmotic stress.

Legume root nodule nitrogen-fixing activity is severely affected by osmotic stress. Proline accumulation has been shown to induce tolerance to salt stress, and transgenic plants over-expressing Delta(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase (P5CS), which accumulates high levels of proline, display enhanced osmotolerance. Here, we transformed the model legume Medicago truncatula with the P5CS gene from Vigna aconitifolia, and nodule activity was evaluated under osmotic stress in transgenic plants that showed high proline accumulation levels. Nitrogen fixation was significantly less affected by salt treatment compared to wild-type (WT) plants. To our knowledge, this is the first time that transgenic legumes have been produced that display nitrogen-fixing activity with enhanced tolerance to osmotic stress. We studied the expression of M. truncatula proline-related endogenous genes M. truncatulaDelta(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase 1 (MtP5CS1), M. truncatulaDelta(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase 2 (MtP5CS2), M. truncatula ornithine delta-aminotransferase (MtOAT), M. truncatula proline dehydrogenase (MtProDH) and a proline transporter gene in both WT and transgenic plants. Our results indicate that proline metabolism is finely regulated in response to osmotic stress in an organ-specific manner. The transgenic model allowed us to analyse some of the biochemical and molecular mechanisms that are activated in the nodule in response to high salt conditions, and to ascertain the essential role of proline in the maintenance of nitrogen-fixing activity under osmotic stress.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1993

Steady-state kinetics of substrate hydrolysis by vacuolar H(+)-pyrophosphatase. A simple three-state model.

The results of analyses of the steady-state kinetics of the vacuolar H(+)-translocating pyrophosphatase (V-PPase) of native tonoplast vesicles isolated from etiolated hypocotyls of Vigna radiata (mung bean) and purified enzyme from the same source under a wide range of Mg2+, pyrophosphate (PPi) and K+ concentrations are consistent with a minimal reaction scheme in which dimagnesium pyrophosphate is the active substrate species and catalysis is mediated by preformed enzyme-Mg2+ complex. When account is taken of the sensitivity of the V-PPase to ionic strength, additional kinetic interactions are not required to describe the behavior of the enzyme. N-Ethylmaleimide-protection assays show that the dissociation constant for Mg2+ binding in the absence of PPi is an order of magnitude smaller than that estimated from the steady-state kinetics of PPi hydrolysis. Two distinct Mg(2+)-binding sites are therefore invoked. Since the protective action of Mg2+ is independent of the nature of the monovalent cations and Mg2+ and K+ do not compete during substrate hydrolysis, divalent and monovalent cations are concluded to bind at separate sites. The pH dependencies of the kinetic parameters are consistent with the participation of groups of pKa 5.7 and 8.6 in substrate binding and groups of pKa 6.1 and 9.0 in the substrate-conversion step, indicating that at least four ionizable groups are essential for catalysis. These findings are discussed with respect to the reaction mechanism of the V-PPase and the potential regulatory significance of cytosolic free Mg2+ and K+ in vivo.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1995

Purification of a processing enzyme (VmPE-1) that is involved in post-translational processing of a plant cysteine endopeptidase (SH-EP).

A cysteine endopeptidase, designated SH-EP, occurs in the cotyledons of germinated seeds of Vigna mungo and acts to degrade the seed storage protein in protein storage vacuoles. SH-EP is synthesized on membrane-bound ribosomes as an inactive 45-kDa precursor, which is cotranslationally processed to a 43-kDa intermediate through cleavage of the signal sequence; the 43-kDa intermediate of SH-EP is further processed to the 33-kDa mature enzyme via 39-kDa and 36-kDa intermediates [Mitsuhashi, W. & Minamikawa, T. (1989) Plant Physiol. 89, 274-279]. The present in vitro processing experiments indicated that at least two processing enzymes, designated VmPE-1 and VmPE-2 (V. mungo processing enzymes 1 and 2), were involved in post-translational processing of SH-EP in cotyledons of V. mungo seedlings. VmPE-1 was purified from the cotyledons as a protease that was involved in the processing of the 43-kDa intermediate to the 36-kDa intermediate. The enzyme has a molecular mass of 33 kDa as estimated by SDS/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and showed high similarity to the jackbean asparaginyl endopeptidase in terms of the primary structure and substrate specificity. We discuss the function of VmPE-1 in the processing of SH-EP and related proteases in the cotyledons of germinated seeds.

Albumins↗
PubMed1996

Successive amino-terminal proteolysis of the large subunit of ribulose 1,5-biphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase by vacuolar enzymes from French bean leaves.

Mainly using the protein immunoblot technique, we observed the decrease in amounts of the large subunit (LSU) and the small subunit (SSU) of ribulose 1,5-biphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) in detached primary leaves of French bean plants during senescence under the light or in darkness, but detected no significant degradation products of these subunits. Treatment of the detached leaves with 0.6% (mass/vol.) dimethyl sulfoxide, 0.05% (mass/vol.) Tween 80 considerably promoted the senescence, as estimated by the reduction in content of the soluble protein, and also in the amounts of LSU and SSU, but no degradation product of either subunit was found. When extracts prepared from the primary leaves were incubated at pH 5.4 or pH 7.4, the amount of LSU of 53 kDa decreased and concurrently 50-kDa and 42-kDa polypeptides were formed. Since the results suggested that Rubisco may be degraded by vacuolar enzymes, we incubated Rubisco with vacuolar lysates prepared from the senescing primary leaves and found that the LSU, but not SSU, was degraded to a 41-kDa polypeptide through three intermediates of 50 kDa, 48 kDa and 42 kDa. Determination of amino-terminal amino acid sequences of these fragments indicated that each of the proteolysis steps occurred by removal of a small amino-terminal peptide. Experiments with various inhibitors of proteases as well as with a purified Vigna mungo vacuolar protease, termed SH-EP [Mitsuhashi, W. & Minamikawa, T. (1989) Plant Physiol. 89, 274-279] suggested the involvement of two types of proteases in these steps: a cysteine protease that is the same type of enzyme as SH-EP catalyzes the steps from the LSU to the 48-kDa polypeptide through the 50-kDa polypeptide, and a serine protease catalyzes the steps from the 48-kDa polypeptide to the 41-kDa polypeptide through the 42-kDa polypeptide.

Acetates↗
PubMed1997

Proteinase A, a storage-globulin-degrading endopeptidase of vetch (Vicia sativa L.) seeds, is not involved in early steps of storage-protein mobilization.

Proteinase A is a papain-like cysteine endopeptidase of vetch (Vicia sativa L.) which was assumed to initiate storage-globulin breakdown just after the onset of seed germination. This enzyme was purified from cotyledons of vetch seedlings. On gelatin-containg SDS gels, active proteinase A migrated with an apparent molecular mass of 21 kDa, whereas after heat denaturation its molecular size on SDS/PAGE was 29 kDa. Although proteinase A is capable of hydrolyzing storage globulins in vitro it could not be localized in the protein-body fraction of cotyledons from germinating seeds. cDNA clones encoding proteinase A precursor have been obtained by PCR. The precursor is composed of an N-terminal signal sequence followed by a propeptide, the region encoding mature proteinase A, and a C-terminal KDEL sequence. Mature proteinase A with a derived molecular mass of 25,244 Da does not have the KDEL sequence. The derived amino acid sequence of the proteinase A precursor is 78.2% identical to sulfhydryl-endopeptidase (SH-EP), a cysteine endopeptidase from germinating Vigna mungo seedlings. Northern blot analysis indicated that proteinase A mRNA appears de novo in cotyledons of 1-day-germinated vetch seeds, where its amount increases up to day 6. No proteinase A mRNA was detected in other vetch organs, not even in the embryo axis, which contains stored globulins. By means of antibodies raised against the purified and against recombinantly produced proteinase A, the 29-kDa bands of mature proteinase A were detected in cotyledon extracts of 6-day-germinated seeds when globulin degradation has already far proceeded. The reported data do not agree with the proposed triggering role of proteinase A in storage-globulin breakdown during germination.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

A new root-nodulating symbiont of the tropical legume Sesbania, Rhizobium sp. SIN-1, is closely related to R. galegae, a species that nodulates temperate legumes.

Rhizobium sp. SIN-1, isolated in India from root nodules on the tropical legume Sesbania aculeata, also induces nitrogen-fixing nodules on roots of S. macrocarpa, S. speciosa, S. procumbens, S. punicea, S. rostrata, and Vigna unguiculata. Unlike Azorhizobium caulinodans, SIN-1 does not induce stem nodules on S. rostrata. The nodules induced by SIN-1 develop exclusively at the bases of secondary roots. Electron microscopic studies of mature nodule sections revealed rhizobia within intercellular spaces, indicating a 'crack entry' mechanism of root infection. SIN-1 is a fast-growing, acid-producing, salt-tolerant Rhizobium that utilizes a wide variety of carbon sources. The nodulation (nod) genes of this strain are located on a 300-MDa symbiosis (sym) plasmid. Fatty acid profile and sequence comparison of a 260-bp conserved region of the 16S rRNA gene demonstrated that SIN-1 is phylogenetically closely related to R. galegae, a species that nodulates temperate legumes.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Genomic organization of purK and purE in Brevibacterium ammoniagenes ATCC 6872: purE locus provides a clue for genomic evolution.

From the genomic library of Brevibacterium ammoniagenes ATCC6872, the purE locus encoding 5'-phosphoribosyl-5-aminoimidazole (AIR) carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.21) was cloned and its nucleotide sequence was determined. From the sequence analysis, two distinct open reading frames (ORFs) in the sequence of the purE locus were identified as purK and purE genes (purK-purE). An in vivo translation experiment reconfirmed the purK and purE genes to be independent. The genomic organization in the purE locus of B. ammoniagenes is opposite to that of the bacteria Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. However, it coincides with the fused genes (purKE) of higher organisms Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Vigna aconitifolia. This suggests that the purE locus might be an intermediate form for genomic evolution of bacteria to higher organisms.

Amino Acid Sequence↗