Transcript Do Halomicrobium mukohataei use potassium homeostasis to

Equalizing osmotic pressures
 H. salinarum

› Inorganic solute (K+)
› KdpFABC

Salinibacter ruber
› High K+ concentrations inside cell
› Low organic solute concentrations

Our species survival in high salinity
environments
› Use of organic or inorganic solutes?

Determination of genes related to K+
› JGI
› RAST
Comparison of RAST v JGI genes
 BLASTn and RAST comparisons with other
species
 H. salinarum KdpFABC
 Literature review

RAST
JGI

RAST called genes
› 13 related to K+
4
6
› 7 unique to RAST

JGI called genes
› 10 related to K+
› 4 unique to JGI

Lack of overlap intriguing
Both
7
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Blastn and species comparison in RAST
revealed sequence similarity with 7 other
species
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Halorhabdus utahensis
Halorubrum lacusprofundi
Halobacterium sp. NRC-1
Halobacterium salinarum
Haloarcula marismortui
Natronomonas pharaonis
Halogeometricum borinquense
In SEED, each gene called has this chart showing other species that also have this
gene. Only genomes sequenced with RAST are included.
This is a screenshot of the Blastn results for a K+ transport system gene called in JGI.
The similar sequence shown here is from the species H. marismortui.

KdpFABC blastx comparison
› Only 3 regions of similarity found
› All within gene B of operon
› None suggesting part of a K+ system
Amino acid similarity is only for a small portion of KdpFABC. All regions of similarity
are within the heavy metal translocating P-type ATPase of H. mukohataei. Unlikely
to be related to potassium transport.

Other species with potassium transport
genes related to H. mukohataei:
› No mention of K+ transport systems in
literature
› Probably not important
Potassium transport highly conserved
 In our species, probably does not play a
large role in maintaining life in high
salinity
 Future research: differences in called
genes between JGI and RAST

› Why are they different?
› Called correctly?
› Other genes?