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Volume 146, Issue 2

The genes for erythritol catabolism are organized as an inducible operon in

The GenBank accession number for the sequence reported in this paper is U57100.

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Abstract

Erythritol utilization is a characteristic of pathogenic strains. The attenuated vaccine strain B19 is the only strain that is inhibited by erythritol, so a role for erythritol metabolism in virulence is suspected. A chromosomal fragment from the pathogenic strain 2308 containing genes for the utilization of erythritol was cloned taking advantage of an erythritol-sensitive Tn insertion mutant. The nucleotide sequence of the complete 7714 bp fragment was determined. Four ORFs were identified in the sequence. The four genes were closely spaced, suggesting that they were organized as a single operon (the operon). The first gene () encoded a 519 aa putative erythritol kinase. The second gene () encoded an erythritol phosphate dehydrogenase. The function of the third gene () product was tentatively assigned as D-erythrulose-1-phosphate dehydrogenase and the fourth gene () encoded a regulator of operon expression. The operon promoter was located 5′ to , and contained an IHF (integration host factor) binding site. Transcription from this promoter was repressed by EryD, and stimulated by erythritol. Functional IHF was required for expression of the operon in , suggesting a role for IHF in its regulation in . The results obtained will be helpful in clarifying the role of erythritol metabolism in the virulence of spp.

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Keyword(s): Brucella abortus , erythritol operon and IHF, integration host factor
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2000-02-01
2024-04-19
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The genes for erythritol catabolism are organized as an inducible operon in Brucella abortusThe GenBank accession number for the sequence reported in this paper is U57100.
Microbiology 146, 487 (2000); https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-146-2-487
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-146-2-487
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-146-2-487
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