The firefly luciferase protein contains a peroxisomal targeting signal at its extreme COOH terminus (Gould et al., 1987). Site-directed mutagenesis of the luciferase gene reveals that this peroxisomal targeting signal consists of the COOH-terminal three amino acids of the protein, serine-lysine-leucine. When this tripeptide is appended to the COOH terminus of a cytosolic protein (chloramphenico...

Short-range interactions for secondary structures of proteins are evaluated as potentials of mean force from the observed frequencies of secondary structures in known protein structures which are assumed to have an equilibrium distribution with the Boltzmann factor of secondary structure energies. A secondary conformation at each residue position in a protein is described by a tripeptide, inclu...

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa toxin L-2-amino-4-methoxy-trans-3-butenoic acid (AMB) is a non-proteinogenic amino acid which is toxic for prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Production of AMB requires a five-gene cluster encoding a putative LysE-type transporter (AmbA), two non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (AmbB and AmbE), and two iron(II)/α-ketoglutarate-dependent oxygenases (AmbC and AmbD). Bioinformati...

Beta-lactamase induction in Enterobacter cloacae, which is linked to peptidoglycan recycling, was investigated by high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of cell wall fragments in genetically defined cells of Escherichia coli. After treatment of cells with beta-lactams, we detected an increase in a D-tripeptide (disaccharide-tripeptide, N-acetylglucosaminyl-1,6-anhydro-N-acetylmuramyl-...