New Archaebacterial Genes Coding for Redox Proteins: Implications for the Evolution of Aerobic Metabolism

• Published in: Journal of molecular biology Vol. 250; no. 2; pp. 202 - 210
• Main Authors: Castresana, Jose, Lübben, Mathias, Saraste, Matti
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 07-07-1995
• Subjects: aerobic metabolism; Aerobiosis; Amino Acid Sequence; Archaeal Proteins; archaebacteria; Bacterial Proteins - chemistry; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Base Sequence; Cloning, Molecular; Cytochrome b Group - genetics; cytochrome oxidase; Electron Transport - genetics; Electron Transport Complex III; Electron Transport Complex IV - genetics; Genes, Bacterial - genetics; Iron-Sulfur Proteins - genetics; molecular evolution; Molecular Sequence Data; Multigene Family - genetics; Oxidation-Reduction; Phylogeny; Restriction Mapping; Rieske protein; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Space life sciences; Sulfolobus acidocaldarius; Sulfolobus acidocaldarius - genetics; Sulfolobus acidocaldarius - metabolism; aerobic metabolism; archaebacteria; cytochrome oxidase; Rieske protein; molecular evolution
• ISSN: 0022-2836; 1089-8638
• DOI: 10.1006/jmbi.1995.0371

Archaebacterial respiratory chains are poorly understood at the molecular level. We have cloned and sequenced a cluster of five new genes from the archaebacterium
Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, four of them coding for redox proteins: a Rieske iron-sulphur protein, a cytochrome
b, a subunit II of cytochrome oxidase and a blue copper protein (sulfocyanin). The fifth gene codes for a hydrophobic protein with no homologue in the databases. The gene organization and biochemical data suggest that all four redox proteins probably form part of a membrane respiratory complex together with SoxM, a previously characterized catalytic subunit of cytochrome oxidase. A phylogenetic analysis of the new protein sequences gives support to the view that an elaborate aerobic respiratory chain was already present in the last common ancestor of all living organisms.
f2
f2
Present address: Mathias Lübben, Lehrstuhl für Biophysik, Ruhr-Universität-Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany.
Abbreviations used: EPR, electron paramagnetic resonance; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; DIG, digoxigenin.