7168 Nucleic Acids Research, Vol. 18, No. 23

Nucleotide rickettsii

sequence

of the P34

from Rickettsia

gene

B.E.Anderson1' 3, * B.R.Baumstark3 and W.J.Bellini2 'Viral and Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch and 2Respiratory and Enterovirus Branch, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Public Health Service, US Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta and 3Laboratory for Microbial and Biochemical Sciences, Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA EMBL accession no. X56068

Submitted October 24, 1990

potential transcription initiation sites for the P34 gene (not shown) have been identified by primer extension of RNA (3). The reported nucleotide sequence for P34 should be of value for studies involving the polymerase chain reaction and for attempts to develop a physical map of the rickettsial genome.

The region upstream of the 17 kDa surface antigen gene of Rickettsia rickettsii is known to contain divergent promoters capable of initiating transcription in both directions (1). A divergent open reading frame further upstream of this promoter region has been identified and codes for a protein (P34) with a predicted molecular mass of 34.7 kDa. P34 is slightly hydrophilic overall, with several hydrophobic domains interspersed along the deduced amino acid sequence. In vitro expression of the P34 open reading frame has previously been demonstrated (1). The region immediately upstream of the putative initiator methionine is a polypurine-rich sequence (underlined) that may act as a ribosome binding site. Similar sequences have been reported upstream of other rickettsial genes (2). Additionally,

REFERENCES 1. Anderson,B.E., Baumstark,B.R. and Bellini,W.J. (1988) J. Bacteriol. 170, 4493 -4500. 2. Wood,D.O. (1988) In Moulder,J.W. (ed.) Intracellular Parasitism. CRC Press, Boca Raton, 93-103. 3. Anderson,B.E. (1988) Ph.D. dissertation, Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA.

M D T N S R N R L I K S A S Y L S V T T A L I I L S 1 TTGGAAAGATTTGTCATGGATACTAATAGCCGTAATCGGTTAATAAAATCGGCATCTTATTTATCGGTTACTACGGCATTAATTATTTTAAGTA 1 K L Y A W V V T D S Q S I L A A L I D S M L D I T S S F I N L

94

95 TAAAATTATATGCTTGGGTTGTTACCGATTCACAATCAATCCTTGCTGCTTTAATTGATTCAATGCTTGATATAACTTCCTCCTTTATTAATCT 188 I A

R

L

F

A

L

P

Q

D

P

H

H

R

H

F

Y

G

K

E

D

Q

L

I

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S I

Q

S

189 AATAGCTTTAAGATTTGCCCTGCAACCGCCAGATCATCATCATCGATTCGGGTATGAAAAACTGCAGGATTTAACAATTTTTTCTCAATCGATA 282 F F F A S A F F V G F S S V K S L F E K T K P E N I S D G T T 283 TTTTTCTTTGCTTCAGCTTTTTTTGTAGGCTTTTCTTCGGTTAAATCTTTATTTGAAAAAACAAAACCGGAGAATATTAGCGACGGTACTACTG 376 V

Y

M

V

C

F

I

L

T

I

I

L

Y

F

V

Q

Y

T

V

K

I

K

E

S

G

T

D

A

K

V

I

K

377 TAATGTATGTATGTATATTCTTAACAATTATTTTAGTGTTTTACCAAACTTATGTAATTAAAAAAACAGGATCGGAAATAGTAAAAGCCGATAA 470 L

H

Y

F

T

D

L

L

T

N

V

I

V

I

I

S

I

N

L

S

D

Y

F

W

F

V

D

P

L

F

G

471 GCTTCATTATTTCACGGACTTACTAACTAATGTTATAGTAATTATCTCTATAAATTTAAGTGATTATTTTTGGTTTGTTGACCCATTATTTGGT 564 V V I S L Y I F H S S Y S L F K K A F K N L V D H E L P E Q D 565 GTAGTTATTTCGTTATATATATTTCACTCTTCTTATTCTTTATTTAAAAAGGCATTTAAAAATTTAGTAGATCATGAATTACCCGAACAAGACA 658 R Q K I I S I V N N H L G A K G M H E M K T R Y A G Q K A F I Q 659 GACAAAAAATTATCTCGATAGTGAATAACCATTTAGGGGCAAAAGGTATGCACGAAATGAAAACTAGATATGCCGGTCAAAAAGCTTTTATCCA 752 C H L E M D G N M S L Y N A H K I S D E I A F E I L Q E F P E 753 GTGCCATCTGGAAATGGACGGCAATATGTCGCTTTATAATGCTCATAAAATTAGCGATGAGATTGCTTTTGAAATATTGCAGGAATTTCCGGAG 846 A E I I I H Q D P F G I E E H V K Y R E Y I V R * 847 GCTGAAATAATTATCCACCAAGATCCTTTTGGAATCGAAGAACACGTAAAGTACCGTGAATATATTGTTAGATAAAGAAGCTAATTTTAATAAT 940 941 TTTTTCATGGAGCAAGCT 958

*

To whom correspondence should be addressed at Viral and Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Bldg. 15, Room 1611, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA