title: A gene complex coding for the membrane-bound hydrogenase of Alcaligenes eutrophus H16.
abstract: One of the key enzymes in the chemolithoautotrophic metabolism of Alcaligenes eutrophus H16 is a dimeric, membrane-associated hydrogenase. The genetic determinants of this enzyme are located on the endogenous megaplasmid pHG1 (G. Eberz, C. Hogrefe, C. Kortlüke, A. Kamienski, and B. Friedrich, J. Bacteriol. 168:636-641, 1986). Complementation studies showed that the information required for the formation of active membrane-bound hydrogenase occupies more than 7.5 kb of megaplasmid DNA. We cloned and sequenced this region and identified the genes encoding the two hydrogenase subunits (hoxK and hoxG). The nucleotide sequence contains nine additional closely spaced open reading frames. Immunoelectron microscopy showed that the gene product of one of these open reading frames (hoxM) is involved in the process leading to the attachment of hydrogenase to the membrane. Other open reading frames may encode additional processing functions and components of a hydrogenase-linked electron transport chain. Analysis of Tn5-B21-mediated transcriptional fusions provided evidence that the structural genes and accessory functions belong to at least three coordinately regulated transcriptional units.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Pflanzenphysiologie und Mikrobiologie, Freien Universität Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kortlüke
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Horstmann
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rohde
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Binsack
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Friedrich
mesh_terms: D000421:Alcaligenes / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D006864:Hydrogenase / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012313:RNA; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D017385:Sequence Homology; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; C039919:RNA, recombinant; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012313:RNA; D006864:Hydrogenase