title: Structure of a Rhodococcus gene encoding pigment production in Escherichia coli.
abstract: A 2.1 kbp DNA fragment from Rhodococcus strain ATCC 21145 gave rise to the production of blue and pink pigments in Escherichia coli when cloned downstream of a strong promoter. The sequence of this DNA fragment contains a single open reading frame with a putative ribosome-binding site, potentially coding for a single protein of Mr 42,560. Deletion analysis and in vitro transcription-translation experiments support the hypothesis that pigment production in E. coli is due to a single enzyme whose catalytic activity is still unknown. This small pigment gene may become useful for the development of a new generation of chromogenic cloning vectors which do not require expensive substrates for the detection of gene expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kirby
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Woods
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003062:Codon; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010641:Phenotype; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000235:genetics*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012240:Rhodococcus / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D003062:Codon; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D010860:Pigments, Biological