Functional Characterization of a Caulobacter GPTase Effector Domain

摘要9723749 Maddock 为了了解细胞生长和分裂是如何发生的，有必要确定通常控制细胞分裂时间的蛋白质是如何工作的。 在这个过程中的主要参与者是GTP结合蛋白。 这些蛋白质充当细胞开关，接收输入信号，然后将信号传输到下游蛋白质。 GTP结合蛋白的活性通常被其他特异性蛋白质修饰。 最近，在许多不同种类的生物体中发现了一个新的GTP结合蛋白家族。 这种远亲物种之间的进化保守性表明，这个GTP结合蛋白家族具有基本的细胞作用，尽管目前尚不清楚。 本研究的目的是了解这种GTP结合蛋白的细胞作用，并确定这种蛋白质和相互作用蛋白质之间的关系。 这些研究将在新月柄杆菌中进行。 柄杆菌是剖析这种蛋白质的作用的理想模型系统，因为细胞周期研究很容易进行，并且可以利用细菌系统的所有分子和遗传优势。 由于这些GTP结合蛋白的保守性，这项工作很可能在其他系统中有应用。 %%% 这项研究正在研究一种必需蛋白质的功能，一种GTdR，它从古细菌和细菌到人类都是保守的。 进化保守性表明这种蛋白质具有基本作用，本研究的目的是确定这种作用。 ***

Abstract 9723749 Maddock In order to understand how cell growth and division occur, it is necessary to determine how proteins that normally control the timing of cell division work. Central players in this process are GTP-binding proteins. These proteins act as cellular switches, receiving input signals and then transmitting the signal to downstream proteins. The activity of the GTP-binding proteins is usually modified by other specific proteins. Recently, a new family of GTP-binding proteins has been found in many different kinds of organisms. This evolutionary conservation between distantly related species suggests that this family of GTP-binding proteins has a fundamental, though currently unknown, cellular role(s). The goal of this research is to understand the cellular role of this GTP-binding protein and to define the relationship between this protein and interacting proteins. These studies will be in the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus. Caulobacter is the ideal model system to dissect the role of this protein since cell cycle studies are easily performed and all of the molecular and genetic advantages of a bacterial system can be exploited. Due to the conservation of these GTP-binding proteins this work is likely to have application in other systems. %%% This research is looking at the function of an essential protein, a GTPase, which is conserved from archea and bacteria to humans. The evolutionary conservation suggests that this protein has a fundamental role, and the objective of this research is to determine that role. ***