title: Cloning and sequencing of the gene for a lactococcal endopeptidase, an enzyme with sequence similarity to mammalian enkephalinase.
abstract: The gene specifying an endopeptidase of Lactococcus lactis, named pepO, was cloned from a genomic library of L. lactis subsp. cremoris P8-2-47 in lambda EMBL3 and was subsequently sequenced. pepO is probably the last gene of an operon encoding the binding-protein-dependent oligopeptide transport system of L. lactis. The inferred amino acid sequence of PepO showed that the lactococcal endopeptidase has a marked similarity to the mammalian neutral endopeptidase EC 3.4.24.11 (enkephalinase), whereas no obvious sequence similarity with any bacterial enzyme was found. By means of gene disruption, a pepO-negative mutant was constructed. Growth and acid production of the mutant strain in milk were not affected, indicating that the endopeptidase is not essential for growth of L. lactis in milk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, Haren, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mierau
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Haandrikman
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mayo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kok
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Leenhouts
authors.forename: W N
authors.initials: WN
authors.lastname: Konings
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Venema
mesh_terms: D000143:Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D015723:Gene Library; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D013294:Lactococcus lactis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000235:genetics*; D008892:Milk / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D015260:Neprilysin / Q000235:genetics; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D000143:Acids; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; C080385:oligopeptidase PepO; D015260:Neprilysin