title: Identification of a novel nutrient-deprivation-induced Sinorhizobium meliloti gene (hmgA) involved in the degradation of tyrosine.
abstract: Sinorhizobium meliloti strain N4 carries a Tn5luxAB insertion in a gene which is induced by nitrogen and carbon deprivation as well as in the presence of tyrosine. The Tn5luxAB-tagged locus was found to share significant similarity with the human hmgA gene and the corresponding Aspergillus nidulans gene, encoding the enzyme homogentisate dioxygenase, which is involved in the degradation of tyrosine. Extended DNA sequence analysis of the tagged locus revealed the presence of several ORFs, including one encoding a polypeptide sharing a high degree of similarity with human and fungal maleylacetoacetate isomerases. Strain N4 was found to be unable to use tyrosine as carbon source, to lack homogentisate dioxygenase activity, to produce a melanin-like pigment and to be affected in stationary-phase survival. This is believed to be the first report of a hmgA-homologous gene in bacteria.
authors.affiliation: MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.|NSF Center for Microbial Ecology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Milcamps
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.|NSF Center for Microbial Ecology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.|MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Frans J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: de Bruijn
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics; D049308:Dioxygenases; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D050560:Homogentisate 1,2-Dioxygenase; D006713:Homogentisic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008156:Luciferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D016296:Mutagenesis; D010105:Oxygenases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D016962:Sinorhizobium meliloti / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D014443:Tyrosine / Q000378:metabolism*; D019745:cis-trans-Isomerases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D014443:Tyrosine; D010105:Oxygenases; D049308:Dioxygenases; D050560:Homogentisate 1,2-Dioxygenase; D008156:Luciferases; D019745:cis-trans-Isomerases; C021531:maleylacetoacetate isomerase; D006713:Homogentisic Acid