title: Cloning and sequencing of Escherichia coli murZ and purification of its product, a UDP-N-acetylglucosamine enolpyruvyl transferase.
abstract: The Escherichia coli gene murZ, encoding the enzyme UDP-N-acetylglucosamine enolpyruvyl transferase, has been cloned and sequenced. Identified by screening an E. coli genomic library for clones that conferred phosphomycin resistance, murZ encoded a 419-amino-acid polypeptide and was mapped to 69.3 min on the E. coli chromosome. MurZ protein was purified to near homogeneity and found to have the expected UDP-N-acetylglucosamine enolpyruvyl transferase activity. Sequence analysis of the predicted product revealed 44% identity to OrfR from Bacillus subtilis (K. Trach, J.W. Chapman, P. Piggot, D. LeCoq, and J.A. Hoch, J. Bacteriol. 170:4194-4208, 1988), suggesting that orfR may also encode a UDP-N-acetylglucosamine enolpyruvyl transferase enzyme. MurZ is also homologous to the aromatic amino acid biosynthetic enzyme enolpyruvyl shikimate phosphate synthase, the other enzyme known to catalyze an enolpyruvyl transfer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Marquardt
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Siegele
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kolter
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Walsh
mesh_terms: D019883:Alkyl and Aryl Transferases; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001483:Base Sequence; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D014166:Transferases / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D014166:Transferases; D019883:Alkyl and Aryl Transferases; C022566:UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 1-carboxyvinyltransferase