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. 1996 Feb;64(2):385–391. doi: 10.1128/iai.64.2.385-391.1996

Cloning and sequence analysis of the pfl gene encoding pyruvate formate-lyase from Streptococcus mutans.

Y Yamamoto 1, Y Sato 1, S Takahashi-Abbe 1, K Abbe 1, T Yamada 1, H Kizaki 1
PMCID: PMC173775  PMID: 8550181

Abstract

We have isolated a sorbitol-negative mutant of Streptococcus mutans GS-5 following random mutagenesis with plasmid pVA891 clone banks. This mutant did not metabolize sorbitol anaerobically but did so aerobically. A 10-kb chromosomal DNA fragment flanking the pVA891 insertion was deleted in this mutant. The corresponding region from the parental strain GS-5 was then recovered by a marker rescue method with Escherichia coli. The pyruvate formate-lyase gene, pfl, was identified within a 3-kb PstI-XbaI fragment located in the middle of the deleted region of the chromosome, and its inactivation in S. mutans produced the same sorbitol-negative phenotype. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the pfl gene revealed a 2.3-kb open reading frame (ORF) preceded by potential ribosome-binding and promoter-like sequences. The ORF specified a putative protein of 775 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular weight of 87,533. The amino acid sequence deduced from the ORF exhibited significant similarity to that of the E. coli pfl gene.

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Selected References

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