Cloning and characterization of the N-acetylglucosamine operon of Escherichia coli

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishna G. Peri ◽  
Hughes Goldie ◽  
E. Bruce Waygood

Three enzymes are required for N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) utilization in Escherichia coli: enzyme IInag (gene nagE), N-acetylglucosamine-6-phosphate deacetylase (gene nagA), and glucosamine-6-phosphate isomerase (gene nagB). The three genes are located near 16 min on the E. coli chromosome. A strain of E. coli, KPN9, incapable of utilizing N-acetylglucosamine, was used to screen a genomic library of E. coli for a complementing recombinant colicin E1 plasmid that allowed for growth on N-acetylglucosamine. Plasmid pLC5-21 was found to contain all three known nag genes on a 5.7-kilobase (5.7-kb) fragment of DNA. The products of these nag genes were identified by complementation of E. coli strains with mutations in nagA, nagB, and nagE. The gene products from the 5.7-kb fragment were identified by [35S]methionine-labelled maxicells and autoradiography of sodium dodecyl sulphate – polyacrylamide electrophoresis gels. The gene products had the following relative masses (Mrs: nagE, 62 000; nagA, 45 000; nagB, 29 000. In addition, another product of Mr 44 000 was detected. The genes have been sequenced to reveal an additional open reading frame (nagC), a putative catabolite activator protein binding site that may control nagB and nagE, putative rho-independent terminator sites for nagB and nagE, and sequence homologies for RNA polymerase binding sites preceding each of the open reading frames, except for nagA. The calculated molecular weights (MWs) of the gene products derived from the sequence are as follows: nagA, 40 954; nagB, 29 657; nagC, 44 664; nagE, 68 356. No role is known for nagC, although a number of regulatory roles appear to be plausible. No obvious transcriptional termination site distal to nagC was found and another open reading frame begins after nagC. This gene, nagD, was isolated separately from pLC5-21, and the sequence revealed a protein with a calculated MW of 27 181. The nagD gene is followed by repetitive extragenic palindromic sequences. The nag genes appear to be organized in an operon: [Formula: see text]Key words: N-acetylglucosamine, N-acetylglucosamine-6-P deacetylase, glucosamine-6-P isomerase, repetitive extragenic palindromic sequences, catabolite repression.

1999 ◽  
Vol 67 (8) ◽  
pp. 4084-4091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Lindenthal ◽  
Eric A. Elsinghorst

ABSTRACT Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strain H10407 is capable of invading epithelial cell lines derived from the human ileocecum and colon in vitro. Two separate chromosomally encoded invasion loci (tia and tib) have been cloned from this strain. These loci direct nonadherent and noninvasive laboratory strains of E. coli to adhere to and invade cultured human intestinal epithelial cells. The tib locus directs the synthesis of TibA, a 104-kDa outer membrane protein that is directly correlated with the adherence and invasion phenotypes. TibA is synthesized as a 100-kDa precursor (preTibA) that must be modified for biological activity. Outer membranes of recombinant E. coliexpressing TibA or preTibA were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and blotted to nitrocellulose. The presence of glycoproteins was detected by oxidization of carbohydrates with periodate and labeling with hydrazide-conjugated digoxigenin. Only TibA could be detected as a glycoprotein. Complementation experiments with tib deletion mutants of ETEC strain H10407 demonstrate that the TibA glycoprotein is expressed in H10407, that the entire tib locus is required for TibA synthesis, and that TibA is the only glycoprotein produced by H10407. Protease treatment of intact H10407 cells removes the carbohydrates on TibA, suggesting that they are surface exposed. TibA shows homology with AIDA-I from diffuse-adhering E. coliand with pertactin precursor from Bordetella pertussis. Both pertactin and AIDA-I are members of the autotransporter family of outer membrane proteins and are afimbrial adhesins that play an important role in the virulence of these organisms. Analysis of the predicted TibA amino acid sequence indicates that TibA is also an autotransporter. Analysis of the tib locus DNA sequence revealed an open reading frame with similarity to RfaQ, a glycosyltransferase. The product of this tib locus open reading frame is proposed to be responsible for TibA modification. These results suggest that TibA glycoprotein acts as an adhesin that may participate in the disease process.


2004 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 1570-1575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dae Heoun Baek ◽  
Jae Jun Song ◽  
Seok-Joon Kwon ◽  
Chung Park ◽  
Chang-Min Jung ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT A new thermostable dipeptidase gene was cloned from the thermophile Brevibacillus borstelensis BCS-1 by genetic complementation of the d-Glu auxotroph Escherichia coli WM335 on a plate containing d-Ala-d-Glu. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that the gene included an open reading frame coding for a 307-amino-acid sequence with an M r of 35,000. The deduced amino acid sequence of the dipeptidase exhibited 52% similarity with the dipeptidase from Listeria monocytogenes. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity from recombinant E. coli WM335 harboring the dipeptidase gene from B. borstelensis BCS-1. Investigation of the enantioselectivity (E) to the P1 and P1′ site of Ala-Ala revealed that the ratio of the specificity constant (k cat /Km ) for l-enantioselectivity to the P1 site of Ala-Ala was 23.4 � 2.2 [E = (k cat /Km ) l,d /(k cat /Km ) d,d ], while the d-enantioselectivity to the P1′ site of Ala-Ala was 16.4 � 0.5 [E = (k cat /Km ) l,d /(k cat /Km ) l,l ] at 55�C. The enzyme was stable up to 55�C, and the optimal pH and temperature were 8.5 and 65�C, respectively. The enzyme was able to hydrolyze l-Asp-d-Ala, l-Asp-d-AlaOMe, Z-d-Ala-d-AlaOBzl, and Z-l-Asp-d-AlaOBzl, yet it could not hydrolyze d-Ala-l-Asp, d-Ala-l-Ala, d-AlaNH2, and l-AlaNH2. The enzyme also exhibited β-lactamase activity similar to that of a human renal dipeptidase. The dipeptidase successfully synthesized the precursor of the dipeptide sweetener Z-l-Asp-d-AlaOBzl.


1999 ◽  
Vol 181 (15) ◽  
pp. 4499-4504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick M. Hahn ◽  
Anthony P. Hurlburt ◽  
C. Dale Poulter

ABSTRACT Isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase catalyzes the interconversion of isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP). In eukaryotes, archaebacteria, and some bacteria, IPP is synthesized from acetyl coenzyme A by the mevalonate pathway. The subsequent isomerization of IPP to DMAPP activates the five-carbon isoprene unit for subsequent prenyl transfer reactions. In Escherichia coli, the isoprene unit is synthesized from pyruvate and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate by the recently discovered nonmevalonate pathway. An open reading frame (ORF696) encoding a putative IPP isomerase was identified in the E. coli chromosome at 65.3 min. ORF696 was cloned into an expression vector; the 20.5 kDa recombinant protein was purified in three steps, and its identity as an IPP isomerase was established biochemically. The gene for IPP isomerase, idi, is not clustered with other known genes for enzymes in the isoprenoid pathway. E. coli FH12 was constructed by disruption of the chromosomal idi gene with the aminoglycoside 3′-phosphotransferase gene and complemented by the wild-type idi gene on plasmid pFMH33 with a temperature-sensitive origin of replication. FH12/pFMH33 was able to grow at the restrictive temperature of 44°C and FH12 lacking the plasmid grew on minimal medium, thereby establishing thatidi is a nonessential gene. Although theV max of the bacterial protein was 20-fold lower than that of its yeast counterpart, the catalytic efficiencies of the two enzymes were similar through a counterbalance inKm s. The E. coli protein requires Mg2+ or Mn2+ for activity. The enzyme contains conserved cysteine and glutamate active-site residues found in other IPP isomerases.


1999 ◽  
Vol 181 (23) ◽  
pp. 7256-7265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgitta Esberg ◽  
Hon-Chiu Eastwood Leung ◽  
Ho-Ching Tiffany Tsui ◽  
Glenn R. Björk ◽  
Malcolm E. Winkler

ABSTRACT The tRNA of the miaB2508::Tn10dCm mutant of Salmonella typhimurium is deficient in the methylthio group of the modified nucleosideN 6-(4-hydroxyisopentenyl)-2-methylthioadenosine (ms2io6A37). By sequencing, we found that the Tn10dCm of this strain had been inserted into thef474 (yleA) open reading frame, which is located close to the nag locus in both S. typhimurium and Escherichia coli. By complementation of the miaB2508::Tn10dCm mutation with a minimal subcloned f474 fragment, we showed thatf474 could be identified as the miaB gene, which is transcribed in the counterclockwise direction on the bacterial chromosome. Transcriptional studies revealed two promoters upstream ofmiaB in E. coli and S. typhimurium. A Rho-independent terminator was identified downstream of themiaB gene, at which the majority (96%) of themiaB transcripts terminate in E. coli, showing that the miaB gene is part of a monocistronic operon. A highly conserved motif with three cysteine residues was present in MiaB. This motif resembles iron-binding sites in other proteins. Only a weak similarity to an AdoMet-binding site was found, favoring the idea that the MiaB protein is involved in the thiolation step and not in the methylating reaction of ms2i(o)6A37 formation.


1999 ◽  
Vol 65 (9) ◽  
pp. 4028-4031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takeshi Shibasaki ◽  
Hideo Mori ◽  
Shigeru Chiba ◽  
Akio Ozaki

ABSTRACT Microbial proline 4-hydroxylases, which hydroxylate freel-proline totrans-4-hydroxy-l-proline, were screened in order to establish an industrial system for biotransformation of l-proline totrans-4-hydroxy-l-proline. Enzyme activities were detected in eight strains, including strains ofDactylosporangium spp. and Amycolatopsis spp. The Dactylosporangium sp. strain RH1 enzyme was partially purified 3,300-fold and was estimated to be a monomer polypeptide with an apparent molecular mass of 31 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Degenerate primers based on the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the 31-kDa polypeptide were synthesized in order to amplify the corresponding 71-bp DNA fragment. A 5.5-kbp DNA fragment was isolated by using the 71-bp fragment labeled with digoxigenin as a probe for a genomic library ofDactylosporangium sp. strain RH1 constructed inEscherichia coli. One of the open reading frames found in the cloned DNA, which encoded a 272-amino-acid polypeptide (molecular mass, 29,715 daltons), was thought to be a proline 4-hydroxylase gene. The gene was expressed in E. coli as a fused protein with the N-terminal 34 amino acids of the β-galactosidase α-fragment. The E. coli recombinant exhibited proline 4-hydroxylase activity that was 13.6-fold higher than the activity in the original strain, Dactylosporangium sp. strain RH1. No homology was detected with other 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases when databases were searched; however, the histidine motif conserved in 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases was found in the gene.


2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenwen Zhou ◽  
Ruili Guan ◽  
Yiyu Yang ◽  
Ling Chen ◽  
Jie Fu ◽  
...  

New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) is a novel type of metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) responsible for bacterial resistance to β-lactam antibiotics. Acinetobacter junii was previously shown to possess a MBL phenotype; however, the genes responsible for this phenotype were not identified. In this study, we reported the identification of NDM-1 gene in a clinical isolate of A. junii from a child patient in China, which was resistant to all β-lactams except aztreonam but sensitive to aminoglycosides and quinolones. The cloned NDM-1 gene contained an open reading frame of 813 bp and had a nucleotide sequence 99.9% identical (812/813) to reported NDM-1 genes carried by Acinetobacter baumannii , Enterococcus faecium , Escherichia coli , and Klebsiella pneumoniae . Recombinant NDM-1 protein was successfully expressed in E. coli BL21, and antibiotic sensitivities of the NDM-1-producing E. coli were largely similar to the A. junii 1454 isolate. The findings of this study raise attention to the emergence and spread of NDM-1-carrying bacteria in China.


1999 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 885-890 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min-Ah Han ◽  
Heung-Shick Lee ◽  
Choong-Ill Cheon ◽  
Kyung-Hee Min ◽  
Myeong-Sok Lee

The aroB gene encoding dehydroquinate synthase of Corynebacterium glutamicum has been cloned by complementation of an aro auxotrophic mutant of Escherichia coli with the genomic DNA library. The recombinant plasmid contained a 1.4-kb fragment that complemented the Escherichia coli dehydroquinate-synthase-deficient mutant. The nucleotide sequences of the subcloned DNA has been determined. The sequences contain an open reading frame of 360 codons, from which a protein with a molecular mass of about 38 kDa could be predicted. This is consistent with the size of the AroB protein expressed in E. coli. Alignment of different prokaryotic and eukaryotic aroB gene products reveals an overall identity ranging from 29 to 57% and the presence of several highly conserved regions.Key words: Corynebacterium glutamicum, aromatic amino acid biosynthetic gene, dehydroquinate synthase, aroB gene.


2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (6) ◽  
pp. 2030-2037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomokuni Abe ◽  
Eiji Masai ◽  
Keisuke Miyauchi ◽  
Yoshihiro Katayama ◽  
Masao Fukuda

ABSTRACT Vanillate and syringate are converted into protocatechuate (PCA) and 3-O-methylgallate (3MGA), respectively, by O-demethylases in Sphingomonas paucimobilis SYK-6. PCA is further degraded via the PCA 4,5-cleavage pathway, while 3MGA is degraded through multiple pathways in which PCA 4,5-dioxygenase (LigAB), 3MGA 3,4-dioxygenase (DesZ), and an unidentified 3MGA O-demethylase and gallate dioxygenase are participants. For this study, we isolated a 4.7-kb SmaI fragment that conferred on Escherichia coli the activity required for the conversion of vanillate to PCA. The nucleotide sequence of this fragment revealed an open reading frame of 1,413 bp (ligM), the deduced amino acid sequence of which showed 49% identity with that of the tetrahydrofolate (H4folate)-dependent syringate O-demethylase gene (desA). The metF and ligH genes, which are thought to be involved in H4folate-mediated C1 metabolism, were located just downstream of ligM. The crude LigM enzyme expressed in E. coli converted vanillate and 3MGA to PCA and gallate, respectively, with similar specific activities, and only in the presence of H4folate; however, syringate was not a substrate for LigM. The disruption of ligM led to significant growth retardation on both vanillate and syringate, indicating that ligM is involved in the catabolism of these substrates. The ability of the ligM mutant to transform vanillate was markedly decreased, and this mutant completely lost the 3MGA O-demethylase activity. A ligM desA double mutant completely lost the ability to transform vanillate, thus indicating that desA also contributes to vanillate degradation. All of these results indicate that ligM encodes vanillate/3MGA O-demethylase and plays an important role in the O demethylation of vanillate and 3MGA, respectively.


1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (4) ◽  
pp. 885-891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian J. Beck ◽  
Diana M. Downs

ABSTRACT Thiamine pyrophosphate is an essential cofactor that is synthesized de novo in Salmonella typhimurium. The biochemical steps and gene products involved in the conversion of aminoimidazole ribotide (AIR), a purine intermediate, to the 4-amino-5-hydroxymethyl-2-methyl pyrimidine (HMP) moiety of thiamine have yet to be elucidated. We have isolated mutations in a new locus (Escherichia coli open reading frame designation yojK) at 49 min on the S. typhimurium chromosome. Two significant phenotypes associated with lesions in this locus (apbE) were identified. First,apbE purF double mutants require thiamine, specifically the HMP moiety. Second, in the presence of adenine, apbE single mutants require thiamine, specifically both the HMP and the thiazole moieties. Together, the phenotypes associated with apbEmutants suggest that flux through the purine pathway has a role in regulating synthesis of the thiazole moiety of thiamine and are consistent with ApbE being involved in the conversion of AIR to HMP. The product of the apbE gene was found to be a 36-kDa membrane-associated lipoprotein, making it the second membrane protein implicated in thiamine synthesis.


1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (9) ◽  
pp. 2522-2530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio L. Fuenmayor ◽  
Mark Wild ◽  
Alastair L. Boyes ◽  
Peter A. Williams

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas sp. strain U2 was isolated from oil-contaminated soil in Venezuela by selective enrichment on naphthalene as the sole carbon source. The genes for naphthalene dioxygenase were cloned from the plasmid DNA of strain U2 on an 8.3-kbBamHI fragment. The genes for the naphthalene dioxygenase genes nagAa (for ferredoxin reductase), nagAb(for ferredoxin), and nagAc and nagAd (for the large and small subunits of dioxygenase, respectively) were located by Southern hybridizations and by nucleotide sequencing. The genes for nagB (for naphthalenecis-dihydrodiol dehydrogenase) and nagF (for salicylaldehyde dehydrogenase) were inferred from subclones by their biochemical activities. Between nagAa and nagAbwere two open reading frames, homologs of which have also been identified in similar locations in two nitrotoluene-using strains (J. V. Parales, A. Kumar, R. E. Parales, and D. T. Gibson, Gene 181:57–61, 1996; W.-C. Suen, B. Haigler, and J. C. Spain, J. Bacteriol. 178:4926–4934, 1996) and a naphthalene-using strain (G. J. Zylstra, E. Kim, and A. K. Goyal, Genet. Eng. 19:257–269, 1997). Recombinant Escherichia coli strains with plasmids carrying this region were able to convert salicylate to gentisate, which was identified by a combination of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance. The first open reading frame, designated nagG, encodes a protein with characteristics of a Rieske-type iron-sulfur center homologous to the large subunits of dihydroxylating dioxygenases, and the second open reading frame, designatednagH, encodes a protein with limited homology to the small subunits of the same dioxygenases. Cloned together inE. coli, nagG, nagH, andnagAb, were able to convert salicylate (2-hydroxybenzoate) into gentisate (2,5-dihydroxybenzoate) and therefore encode a salicylate 5-hydroxylase activity. Single-gene knockouts ofnagG, nagH, and nagAb demonstrated their functional roles in the formation of gentisate. It is proposed that NagG and NagH are structural subunits of salicylate 5-hydroxylase linked to an electron transport chain consisting of NagAb and NagAa, although E. coli appears to be able to partially substitute for the latter. This constitutes a novel mechanism for monohydroxylation of the aromatic ring. Salicylate hydroxylase and catechol 2,3-dioxygenase in strain U2 could not be detected either by enzyme assay or by Southern hybridization. However growth on both naphthalene and salicylate caused induction of gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase, confirming this route for salicylate catabolism in strain U2. Sequence comparisons suggest that the novel gene ordernagAa-nagG-nagH-nagAb-nagAc-nagAd-nagB-nagF represents the archetype for naphthalene strains which use the gentisate pathway rather than the meta cleavage pathway of catechol.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document