ABSTRACT
We identified in the genome of Salmonella entericaserovar Typhi the gene encoding deoxyribokinase, deoK. Two other genes, vicinal to deoK, were determined to encode the putative deoxyribose transporter (deoP) and a repressor protein (deoQ). This locus, located between theuhpA and ilvN genes, is absent inEscherichia coli. The deoK gene inserted on a plasmid provides a selectable marker in E. coli for growth on deoxyribose-containing medium. Deoxyribokinase is a 306-amino-acid protein which exhibits about 35% identity with ribokinase from serovar Typhi, S. enterica serovar Typhimurium, or E. coli. The catalytic properties of the recombinant deoxyribokinase overproduced in E. colicorrespond to those previously described for the enzyme isolated from serovar Typhimurium. From a sequence comparison between serovar Typhi deoxyribokinase and E. coliribokinase, whose crystal structure was recently solved, we deduced that a key residue differentiating ribose and deoxyribose is Met10, which in ribokinase is replaced by Asn14. Replacement by site-directed mutagenesis of Met10 with Asn decreased theV
max of deoxyribokinase by a factor of 2.5 and increased the K
m for deoxyribose by a factor of 70, compared to the parent enzyme.
Characterization of the Multiple Transferable Resistance Repressor, MtrR, from Neisseria gonorrhoeae
