title: Identification of the genes and their polypeptide products responsible for aerobactin synthesis by pColV plasmids.
abstract: Iron acquisition via aerobactin enhances the virulence of Escherichia coli. Genes that specify functions for aerobactin synthesis and iron(III)-aerobactin transport have been identified on several ColV plasmids. Previously, we cloned the locus for aerobactin synthesis from pColV-K311 and assigned to three loci termed aerA, aerB, and aerC the functions for hydroxylation of lysine, acetylation of the 6-amino group of 6-hydroxy-lysine and coupling of N-acetyl-N-hydroxy-lysine with citrate, respectively (Gross et al. 1984). In this paper we show that aerA and aerB determine polypeptides with molecular weights of 50,000 and 35,000, respectively. We identified a fourth gene designated aerD that codes for a polypeptide with a molecular weight of 60,000, and which is required for the linkage of one residue of N-acetyl-N-hydroxy-lysine to citrate. The aerC gene product completes aerobactin synthesis by coupling the second N-acetyl-N-hydroxy-lysine to the monoacylated derivative citrate. The order of the genes in the operon was found to be aerD-aerB-aerC-aerA.
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D004274:DNA, Recombinant / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005796:Genes; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005838:Genotype; D006877:Hydroxamic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D007502:Iron Chelating Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics*; D010957:Plasmids; D013045:Species Specificity; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D006877:Hydroxamic Acids; D007502:Iron Chelating Agents; D010455:Peptides; C031819:aerobactin; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes