title: An evolutionary alternative system for aryl beta-glucosides assimilation in bacteria.
abstract: Some bacteria of the soil microflora or of the digestive systems of mammals can grow on aryl beta-glucosides as sole carbon sources. The bgl operon of E. coli is the paradigm for such a catabolic pathway. In Azospirillum irakense, the two adjacent genes salAB encode beta-glucosidases which are required for salicin assimilation. In this report, we analyse the sequence of salC, the last gene to be identified in the salCAB operon and investigate the phylogenetic origins of the sal and bgl genes. The results suggest an alternative model for the assimilation of aryl beta-glucosides in bacteria.
authors.affiliation: FA Janssens Laboratorium voor Genetica, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium. denis.faure@ujf-grenoble.fr
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Faure
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Saier
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vanderleyden
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D016949:Azospirillum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D001592:Benzyl Alcohols / Q000378:metabolism*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005960:Glucosides / Q000378:metabolism; D008322:Mammals; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009876:Operon; D010802:Phylogeny; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012988:Soil Microbiology
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001592:Benzyl Alcohols; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D005960:Glucosides; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; C412711:SalC protein, Azospirillum; C005696:salicin