Cloning and expression of the gene for mycoplasma key cell-division protein ftsZ in Escherichia coli

Gene ftsZ responsible for division of bacterial cells was revealed in most prokaryote groups. A 520-bp fragment of the ftsZ gene was amplified on the template of A. laidlawii DNA using degenerate primers. This fragment was se quenced and served as a hybridization probe for cloning of the full-sized c opy of the A. laidlawii ftsZ gene. The amplified fragment was cloned in a p GEX3X vector and expressed in E. coli cells. Polyclonal antibodies derived from the chimeric polypeptide containing a fragment of A. laidlawii FtsZ pr otein interacted only with the A. laidlawii protein with molecular mass of 40 kDa. Comparison of nucleotide sequences of the ftsZ-gene region of A. la idlawii and other bacterial species showed that they were highly homologous in A. laidlawii, E. coli, and Bac. subtilis, while low homology was reveal ed between the A. laidlawii sequence and those of the members of the genus Mycoplasma. Analysis of the ftsZ-gene nucleotide sequences is suggested as a means to study the evolutionary relatedness of prokaryotes.