Nucleotide Sequence and Cloning of sfs4, One of the Genes Involved in the CRP-Dependent Expression of E. coli mal Genes.

CRP 의존성 maltose 대사 촉진 유전자 sfs4의 클로닝 및 염기배열 결정

In Escherichia coli, CRP forms a complex with cAMP and acts as a transcriptional regulator of many genes, including sugar metabolism operons. The E. coli MK2001, which is introduced the altered crp, is functional in the expression of lac, ara and man, in the absence of cAMP. However, the expression of mal gene is fully activated by the addition of cAMP or cGMP. The object of the study is cloning of the sfs (sugar fermentation stimulation) genes, which was involved in regulation of mal gene expression with the altered crp gene, and structural analysis and characterization of the genes at the molecular level. We have cloned 5 different E. coli genes which stimulate the maltose metabolism in a crp, cya::km (MK2001) background. Newly identified genes were designated as sfs. One of the sfs genes (pPC1), located at the 53.2 min map position on the E. coli chromosome, was further analyzed. Expression of the genes, which is involved in maltose metabolism, malQ (amylomaltase), was increased to 5.8-fold in the presence of a plasmid, pAP5, containing the subcloned sfs4 gene. The nucleotide seguence of a common 2,126 bp segment of the pPCM1 was determined and two open reading frames (ORF1 and ORF2) were detected. The ORF1 encodes the sfs4 gene and ORF2 encodes a truncated protein. Potential CRP binding site is located in the upstream of the putative promoter in the regulatory region. Expression of the cloned sfs4 gene was positively regulated by the cAMP-CRP complex.

CRP (cAMP receptor protein)은 cAMP와 결합하여 cAMP-CRP 복합체를 형성하여 전사조절의 조절인자로서 작용한다. crp 유전자에 변이를 도입하여 cAMP의 비존재 상태에서 cAMP-CRP와 비슷한 기능을 가진 crp 유전자가 도입된 대장균 MK2001 (crp, cya::km)을 숙주로 사용하여 cAMP 혹은 cGMP의 비존재하에서도 mal 유전자의 발현을 촉진시키는 유전자 sfs (sugar fermentation stimulation) 수 종을 클로닝 하였다. 본 실험에서는 이미 밝혀진 nlp (Ner like protein) 유전자와 같이, sfs의 새로운 유전자를 탐색하여, 그 중 sfs4의 2126 bp 전 염기배열을 결정하고, 잠정적인 sfs4의 promoter 영역에는 CRP 단백질과의 결합 DNA 공통 염기배열(5' AAT TGTGA ACACCA TCACC CGT 3')이 존재함을 확인했다. lacZ 융합 유전자를 작성하여 TP2010R1 MK2001의 균주에서 cAMP를 첨가할 경우 각각 2.3배, 1.8배의 ${\beta}-galactosidase$ 활성이 증가하는 것으로 보아 sfs4는 cAMP-CRP에 의해 발현 조절을 받는 것으로 나타났다.