Role of Protein Methylation in Halobacterium Halobium Phototaxis
Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate the role of methyl- accepting proteins in the phototaxis signaling system of H. halobium membranes. A carboxylmethylated protein in the membrane, HtrI (halobacterial transducer for sensory rhodopsin I) appears to relay the signal from Photoactivated sensory rhodopsin I (SR-I, a visual pigment-like photosensor). Our primary objective was to elucidate the relationship between SR-I and HtrI. HtrI primary structure and other properties were determined by purification of the protein, tryptic digestion and isolation of fragments for peptide sequencing, and use of sequence-derived oligonucleotide probes to clone the HtrI-encoding gene. The htrI gene was cloned, mapped, and sequenced. It was found to be in an operon-like arrangement with the SR-I-encoding sopI gene. A fragment containing the htrI-sopI region was used to transform H. halobium and restore phototaxis function to a mutant in which the region is deleted.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 31, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA266126
Entities
People
- John L. Spudich
Organizations
- McGovern Medical School