title: Novel phosphotransferase genes revealed by bacterial genome sequencing: a gene cluster encoding a putative N-acetylgalactosamine metabolic pathway in Escherichia coli.
abstract: We have analysed a gene cluster in the 67 center dot 4-76 center dot 0 min region of the Escherichia coli chromosome, revealed by recent systematic genome sequencing. The genes within this cluster include: (1) five genes encoding homologues of the E. coli mannose permease of the phosphotransferase system (IIB, IIB', IIC, IIC' and IID); (2) genes encoding a putative N-acetylgalactosamine 6-phosphate metabolic pathway including (a) a deacetylase, (b) an isomerizing deaminase, (c) a putative carbohydrate kinase, and (d) an aldolase; and (3) a transcriptional regulatory protein homologous to members of the DeoR family. Evidence is presented suggesting that the aldolase-encoding gene within this cluster is the previously designated kba gene that encodes tagatose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase. These proteins and a novel IIAMan-like protein encoded in the 2 center dot 4-4 center dot 1 min region are characterized with respect to their sequence similarities and phylogenetic relationships with other homologous proteins. A pathway for the metabolism of N-acetylgalactosamine biochemically similar to that for the metabolism of N-acetylglucosamine is proposed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0116, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reizer
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0116, USA.
authors.forename: Tom M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Ramseier
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0116, USA.
authors.forename: Aiala
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reizer
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0116, USA.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Charbit
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0116, USA.
authors.forename: Milton H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Saier
mesh_terms: D000116:Acetylgalactosamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010731:Phosphoenolpyruvate Sugar Phosphotransferase System / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010802:Phylogeny; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D010731:Phosphoenolpyruvate Sugar Phosphotransferase System; D000116:Acetylgalactosamine