Takahara M, Takahashi H, Matsunaga S, Sakai A, Kawano S, Kuroiwa T
Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Curr Genet. 2000 Feb;37(2):143-51. doi: 10.1007/s002940050021.
The FtsZ protein is involved in eukaryote plastid division, but there is little information on its involvement in the plastid-dividing apparatus. To investigate the relationship between FtsZ and the plastid-dividing ring, the ftsZ gene was isolated from the unicellular primitive red alga Cyanidium caldarium RK-1. Comparison of several prokaryotic and eukaryotic FtsZ proteins shows that there are six highly conserved domains in the core region of FtsZ. To determine the chromosomal location of ftsZ, we first determined the electrophoretic karyotype of C. caldarium RK-1. Southern-hybridization analysis combined with CHEF revealed the chromosomes on which the ftsZ gene exist. Northern-hybridization analysis indicated that the C. caldarium RK-1 ftsZ gene is transcribed as a 1.9-kb molecule, and that the transcripts specifically accumulate just before plastid division. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that C. caldarium RK-1 and other eukaryotic ftsZ genes are the descendants of cyanobacterial ftsZ genes, supporting the current agreement that FtsZ is involved in plastid division.
FtsZ蛋白参与真核生物质体分裂，但关于其在质体分裂装置中的作用信息甚少。为了研究FtsZ与质体分裂环之间的关系，从单细胞原始红藻蓝氏拟甲色球藻RK-1中分离出ftsZ基因。对几种原核和真核FtsZ蛋白的比较表明，FtsZ核心区域有六个高度保守的结构域。为了确定ftsZ的染色体定位，我们首先确定了蓝氏拟甲色球藻RK-1的电泳核型。Southern杂交分析结合CHEF揭示了ftsZ基因所在的染色体。Northern杂交分析表明，蓝氏拟甲色球藻RK-1的ftsZ基因转录为一个1.9 kb的分子，并且转录本在质体分裂前特异性积累。系统发育分析表明，蓝氏拟甲色球藻RK-1和其他真核ftsZ基因是蓝细菌ftsZ基因的后代，支持了目前关于FtsZ参与质体分裂的观点。
