• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.134-142
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• 1994

The neucleotide sequences of the xylA gene encoding $\beta $-xylosidase of Bacillus stearothermophilus and is its flanking regions were datermined. Three open reading frame(ORFs) were found, one of which(ORF1) appeared to code for the $\beta $-xylosidase. The 1830 base pair ORF1 encoded 609 amino acids starting from a TTG initiation codon. The molecular weight deduced from the nucleotide sequence(68 KD) was in agreement with that estimated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified enzyme(66 KD). The Shine-Dalgarno sequence(5'-AGGAGG-3') was found 11 bp upstream of the initiation codon. Further 15 bp upstream, there observed a potential transcription initiation signals. The putative -10 sequence(CATAAT) and -35 sequence(TTGTTA) coresponded closely to the consensus sequences for Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase with major sigma factor. The guanine-plus-cytosine content of the coding region of the xylA gene was 56mol% while that of the third position of the codons was 63 mol%. Based on the comparison with the amino acid sequences of several other carbohydrate degrading enzymes, two conserved regions, possibly participating in the catalytic mechamism of $\beta $-xylosidase xylA, were identified in 278-298 and 329-350 regions of the translated xylA gene. The nucleotide sequence of the xylA was found to exhibit no homology to any other genes so far reproted.