M. Tsuzuki et al., PHOSPHOTRANSFER CIRCUITRY OF THE PUTATIVE MULTISIGNAL TRANSDUCER, ARCB, OF ESCHERICHIA-COLI - IN-VITRO STUDIES WITH MUTANTS, Molecular microbiology, 18(5), 1995, pp. 953-962
Recently we demonstrated the occurrence of a novel device of signal tr
ansducers in Escherichia coli. This class of bacterial sensory kinases
, typified by ArcB and BarA, possesses two phospho-donor (His) sites,
together with a phospho-accepting (Asp) site. These multi-phosphorylat
ion sites were suggested to make a phosphotransfer circuit. To clarify
this complex circuitry, we carried out a series of in vitro assays in
volving a set of ArcB mutant proteins which have an amino acid substit
ution at each putative phosphorylation site (His-292, Asp-576 and His-
717). By these in vitro phosphorylation and/or phosphotransfer assays,
the followings were assessed: (i) ArcB autophosphorylation; (ii) ArcB
-mediated phosphorylation of the cognate response regulator, ArcA; (ii
i) ArcB-mediated phosphorylation of its truncated form (ArcB(c)) encom
passing only the C-terminal phosphorylation site (His-717); (iv) phosp
hotransfer from ArcB(c) to ArcA; and (v) phosphotransfer from ArcB(c)
to ArcB. On the basis of these in vitro results, a complex circuitry w
as revealed for the signal transducer ArcB. This evidence obtained in
vitro supports the view that ArcB can serve as a powerful device for n
ot only propagating multi-signals, but also making up signalling netwo
rks, in ways more sophisticated than previously thought.