Gene structure, organization, expression, and potential regulatory mechanisms of arginine catabolism in Enterococcus faecalis.

ABSTRACT: Although Enteroccus faecalis is the paradigm for biochemical studies on the arginine deiminase (ADI) pathway of fermentative arginine catabolism, little genetic information exists on this pathway in this organism. We fill this important gap by characterizing, in an 8,228-bp region cloned from a lambdagt11 genomic library of E. faecalis, a five-gene cluster forming a transcriptional unit (revealed by Northern blots and primer extension in E. faecalis) that corresponds to the ADI operon. Four additional genes in the opposite DNA strand and one in the same DNA strand are also identified. Studies on the protein products, including heterologous expression and/or sequence comparisons, allow us to ascertain or propose functions for all but 1 of the 10 genes. The ADI operon genes, arcABCRD, encode

SUBMITTER: Barcelona-Andres B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC151947 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature