title: Cloning and expression of mel gene from Bacillus thuringiensis in Escherichia coli.
abstract: Previous work from our laboratory has shown that most of Bacillus thuringiensis strains possess the ability to produce melanin in the presence of L -tyrosine at elevated temperatures (42 degrees C). Furthermore, it was shown that the melanin produced by B. thuringiensis was synthesized by the action of tyrosinase, which catalyzed the conversion of L -tyrosine, via L -DOPA, to melanin. In this study, the tyrosinase-encoding gene (mel) from B. thuringiensis 4D11 was cloned using PCR techniques and expressed in Escherichia coli DH5 alpha. A DNA fragment with 1179 bp which contained the intact mel gene in the recombinant plasmid pGEM1179 imparted the ability to synthesize melanin to the E. coli recipient strain. The nucleotide sequence of this DNA fragment revealed an open reading frame of 744 bp, encoding a protein of 248 amino acids. The novel mel gene from B.thuringiensis expressed in E. coli DH5 alpha conferred UV protection on the recipient strain.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan 430070, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ruan
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000528:radiation effects; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017931:DNA Primers; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000528:radiation effects; D007980:Levodopa / Q000378:metabolism; D008543:Melanins / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D008543:Melanins; D007980:Levodopa; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase