title: A carotenogenic gene cluster exists on a large plasmid in Thermus thermophilus.
abstract: In Thermus thermophilus HB27, the crtB gene encoding phytoene synthase was found to exist on the large plasmid, pTT27. One of the carotenoid under-producing mutants, Crt31, carried a derivative of pTT27 (pTT27') in which deletion and inversion were observed near the crtB gene. T. thermophilus HB8 also contained a large plasmid which showed homology to pTT27 and the crtB gene. These results suggested that genes for carotenoid biosynthesis occurred as a cluster on a large plasmid in Thermus thermophilus. This is the first report to show directly that carotenogenesis is plasmid-encoded in microorganisms.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Biochemistry, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tabata
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakahara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hoshino
mesh_terms: D019883:Alkyl and Aryl Transferases; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D017353:Gene Deletion; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D051232:Geranylgeranyl-Diphosphate Geranylgeranyltransferase; D005810:Multigene Family; D009154:Mutation; D010957:Plasmids; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D016963:Thermus thermophilus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014166:Transferases / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D002338:Carotenoids; D014166:Transferases; D019883:Alkyl and Aryl Transferases; D051232:Geranylgeranyl-Diphosphate Geranylgeranyltransferase