title: Nucleotide sequence of the Escherichia coli rfe gene involved in the synthesis of enterobacterial common antigen. Molecular cloning of the rfe-rff gene cluster.
abstract: The genetic determinants of enterobacterial common antigen (ECA) include the rfe and rff genes located between ilv and cya near min 85 on the Escherichia coli chromosome. The rfe-rff gene cluster of E. coli K-12 was cloned in the cosmid pHC79. The cosmid clone complemented mutants defective in the synthesis of ECA due to lesions in the rfe, rffE, rffD, rffA, rffC, rffT, and rffM genes. Restriction endonuclease mapping combined with complementation studies of the original cosmid clone and six subclones revealed the order of genes in this region to be rfe-rffD/rffE-rffA/rffC-rffT-rffM . The rfe gene was localized to a 2.54-kilobase ClaI fragment of DNA, and the complete nucleotide sequence of this fragment was determined. The nucleotide sequencing data revealed two open reading frames, ORF-1 and ORF-2, located on the same strand of DNA. The putative initiation codon of ORF-1 was found to be 570 nucleotides downstream from the termination codon of rho. ORF-1 and ORF-2 specify putative proteins of 257 and 348 amino acids with calculated Mr values of 29,010 and 39,771, respectively. ORF-1 was identified as the rfe gene since ORF-1 alone was able to complement defects in the synthesis of ECA and 08-side chain synthesis in rfe mutants of E. coli. Data are also presented which suggest the possibility that the rfe gene is the structural gene for the tunicamycin sensitive UDP-GlcNAc:undecaprenylphosphate GlcNAc-1-phosphate transferase that catalyzes the synthesis of GlcNAc-pyrophosphorylundecaprenol (lipid I), the first lipid-linked intermediate involved in ECA synthesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Meier-Dieter
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Barr
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Starman
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hatch
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Rick
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003360:Cosmids; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000276:immunology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D009154:Mutation; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D014415:Tunicamycin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; C017286:enterobacterial common antigen; D014415:Tunicamycin