This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Cheng, Y L Articles by Kaiser, D Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Cheng, Y L Articles by Kaiser, D

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J Bacteriol. 1994 March; 176(5): 1427-1433

research-article

The dsg gene of Myxococcus xanthus encodes a protein similar to translation initiation factor IF3.

Department of Biochemistry and Developmental Biology, Stanford University, California 94305.

ABSTRACT

The dsg mutants of Myxococcus xanthus are defective in fruiting body development and sporulation, yet they grow normally. The deduced amino acid sequence of the dsg gene product is 50 and 51% identical to the amino acid sequence of translation initiation factor IF3 of both Escherichia coli and Bacillus stearothermophilus, respectively. However, the Dsg protein has a carboxy-terminal extension of 66 amino acids, which are absent from its E. coli and B. stearothermophilus homologs. The Shine-Dalgarno sequence GGAGG and 5 bases further upstream are identical in M. xanthus and several enteric bacteria, despite the wide phylogenetic gap between these species. The infC gene, which encodes IF3 in enteric bacteria, starts with the atypical translation initiation codon AUU, which is known to be important for regulating the cellular level of IF3 in E. coli. Translation of the Dsg protein overexpressed from the M. xanthus dsg gene in E. coli cells initiates at an AUC codon, an atypical initiation codon in the AUU class. The dsg mutants DK429 and DK439 carry the same missense mutation that changes Gly-134 to Glu in a region of amino acid identity.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Haque, Md. E., Grasso, D., Spremulli, L. L. (2008). The interaction of mammalian mitochondrial translational initiation factor 3 with ribosomes: evolution of terminal extensions in IF3mt. Nucleic Acids Res 36: 589-597 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Viswanathan, P., Murphy, K., Julien, B., Garza, A. G., Kroos, L. (2007). Regulation of dev, an Operon That Includes Genes Essential for Myxococcus xanthus Development and CRISPR-Associated Genes and Repeats. J. Bacteriol. 189: 3738-3750 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Tiennault-Desbordes, E., Cenatiempo, Y., Laalami, S. (2001). Initiation Factor 2 of Myxococcus xanthus, a Large Version of Prokaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 2. J. Bacteriol. 183: 207-213 [Abstract] [Full Text]