Ching Shang | PubMed Health

PubMed2005

Identification, characterization, and classification of genes encoding perchlorate reductase.

The reduction of perchlorate to chlorite, the first enzymatic step in the bacterial reduction of perchlorate, is catalyzed by perchlorate reductase. The genes encoding perchlorate reductase (pcrABCD) in two Dechloromonas species were characterized. Sequence analysis of the pcrAB gene products revealed similarity to alpha- and beta-subunits of microbial nitrate reductase, selenate reductase, dimethyl sulfide dehydrogenase, ethylbenzene dehydrogenase, and chlorate reductase, all of which are type II members of the microbial dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) reductase family. The pcrC gene product was similar to a c-type cytochrome, while the pcrD gene product exhibited similarity to molybdenum chaperone proteins of the DMSO reductase family members mentioned above. Expression analysis of the pcrA gene from Dechloromonas agitata indicated that transcription occurred only under anaerobic (per)chlorate-reducing conditions. The presence of oxygen completely inhibited pcrA expression regardless of the presence of perchlorate, chlorate, or nitrate. Deletion of the pcrA gene in Dechloromonas aromatica abolished growth in both perchlorate and chlorate but not growth in nitrate, indicating that the pcrABCD genes play a functional role in perchlorate reduction separate from nitrate reduction. Phylogenetic analysis of PcrA and other alpha-subunits of the DMSO reductase family indicated that perchlorate reductase forms a monophyletic group separate from chlorate reductase of Ideonella dechloratans. The separation of perchlorate reductase as an activity distinct from chlorate reductase was further supported by DNA hybridization analysis of (per)chlorate- and chlorate-reducing strains using the pcrA gene as a probe.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2003

Kinetochore protein interactions and their regulation by the Aurora kinase Ipl1p.

Although there has been a recent explosion in the identification of budding yeast kinetochore components, the physical interactions that underlie kinetochore function remain obscure. To better understand how kinetochores attach to microtubules and how this attachment is regulated, we sought to characterize the interactions among kinetochore proteins, especially with respect to the microtubule-binding Dam1 complex. The Dam1 complex plays a crucial role in the chromosome-spindle attachment and is a key target for phospho-regulation of this attachment by the Aurora kinase Ipl1p. To identify protein-protein interactions involving the Dam1 complex, and the effects of Dam1p phosphorylation state on these physical interactions, we conducted both a genome-wide two-hybrid screen and a series of biochemical binding assays for Dam1p. A two-hybrid screen of a library of 6000 yeast open reading frames identified nine kinetochore proteins as Dam1p-interacting partners. From 113 in vitro binding reactions involving all nine subunits of the Dam1 complex and 32 kinetochore proteins, we found at least nine interactions within the Dam1 complex and 19 potential partners for the Dam1 complex. Strikingly, we found that the Dam1p-Ndc80p and Dam1p-Spc34p interactions were weakened by mutations mimicking phosphorylation at Ipl1p sites, allowing us to formulate a model for the effects of phosphoregulation on kinetochore function.

Aurora Kinases↗