The primary structure of the ribosomal A-protein (L12) from the moderate halophile NRCC 41227

Abstract

The complete amino acid sequence of the ribosomal A-protein (equivalent to L7/L12 in Escherichia coli) from a moderate halophile, NRCC 41227, has been determined using an automatic Beckman sequencer and by the manual Edman cleavage of peptides obtained from selective proteolytic cleavage of the ribosomal A-protein. The protein contains 122 amino acids and has a composition of Asp5, Asn2, Thr6, Ser6, Glu21, Gln2, Pro2, Gly12, Ala21, Val14, Met4, Ile4, Leu9, Phe2, Lys11, and Arg1, and a molecular weight of 12 537. It has a net negative charge of −14 and is, therefore, slightly more acidic than other eubacterial ribosomal A-proteins, The phylogenetic tree, obtained by computer analysis of the amino acid sequence of this and other eubacterial A-proteins, indicate these proteins form five subgroups within the eubacterial kingdom. The moderate halophile NRCC 41227 is part of a group of Gram-negative bacteria that include E. coli and another moderate halophile Vibrio costicola. The sequence data provides further evidence that the moderate and extreme halophiles have evolved by separate pathways.