Novel phosphotransferase genes revealed by bacterial genome sequencing: a gene cluster encoding a putative N-acetylgalactosamine metabolic pathway in Escherichia coli

Abstract
Summary: We have analysed a gene cluster in the 67.4-76.0 min region of theEscherichia colichromosome, revealed by recent systematic genome sequencing. The genes within this cluster include: (1) five genes encoding homologues of theE. colimannose permease of the phosphotransferase system (IIB, IIB', IIC, IIC' and IID); (2) genes encoding a putativeN-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 designatedkbagene that encodes tagatose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase. These proteins and a novel IIAMan-like protein encoded in the 2.4-4.1 min region are characterized with respect to their sequence similarities and phylogenetic relationships with other homologous proteins. A pathway for the metabolism ofN-acetylgalactosamine biochemically similar to that for the metabolism ofN-acetylglucosamine is proposed.

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