title: Aromatic amino acid biosynthesis in Buchnera aphidicola (endosymbiont of aphids): cloning and sequencing of a DNA fragment containing aroH-thrS-infC-rpmI-rplT.
abstract: A 4.5-kilobase DNA fragment from Buchnera aphidicola, the endosymbiont of the aphid Schizaphis graminum, was cloned and sequenced. On the basis of homology to Escherichia coli, the following genes were found in the order listed: aroH-thrS-infC-rpmI-rplT. AroH corresponds to the E. coli tryptophan-inhibited 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate (DAHP) synthase. Evidence was presented indicating that this is the sole gene for DAHP synthase in the B. aphidicola genome. This enzyme initiates the complex branched pathway leading to aromatic amino acid biosynthesis. The presence of aroH is consistent with past observations indicating that aphid endosymbionts are able to synthesize tryptophan for the aphid host. thrS, infC, rpmI, and rplT correspond to genes for threonine tRNA synthase, initiation factor-3, and large ribosome subunit proteins L35 and L20, respectively. Sequence comparisons indicate some differences and similarities between E. coli and B. aphidicola with respect to the possible regulation of synthesis of these proteins.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Section, University of California, Davis 95616-8665, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kolibachuk
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rouhbakhsh
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baumann
mesh_terms: D010723:3-Deoxy-7-Phosphoheptulonate Synthase / Q000235:genetics; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000818:Animals; D001042:Aphids / Q000382:microbiology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009876:Operon; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D013559:Symbiosis
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D010723:3-Deoxy-7-Phosphoheptulonate Synthase