title: Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin. Nucleotide sequence of the A subunit gene.
abstract: We report the complete DNA sequence of the Escherichia coli elt A gene, which codes for the A subunit of the heat-labile enterotoxin, LT. The amino acid sequence of the LT A subunit has been deduced from the DNA sequence of elt A. The LT A subunit starts with methionine, ends with leucine, and comprises 254 amino acids. The computed molecular weight of LT A is 29,673. The A subunit of cholera toxin (CT A) has been shown to be structurally and functionally related to the LT A subunit. Comparison of the primary structure of LT A with the known partial amino acid sequence of CT A indicates that the 2 polypeptides share considerable homology throughout their sequences. The NH2-terminal regions exhibit the highest degree of homology (91%), while the COOH-terminal region, containing the sole cystine residue in each toxin is less conserved (approximately 52%). Alignment of homologous residues in the COOH-terminal regions of LT A and CT A indicates that a likely site for proteolytic cleavage of LT A is after Arg residue 188. The resulting A2 polypeptide would be 46 amino acids long, would contain a single cysteine residue, and have Mr = 5261. The elt A nucleotide sequence further predicts that the LT A protein is synthesized in a precursor form, possessing an 18-amino acid signal sequence at its NH2 terminus.
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis; D001483:Base Sequence; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000235:genetics*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D005796:Genes; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D010957:Plasmids
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D004768:Enterotoxins; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes