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Appl Environ Microbiol, May 1998, p. 1650-1656, Vol. 64, No. 5
0099-2240/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Identification and Analysis of Genes Involved in
Anaerobic Toluene Metabolism by Strain T1: Putative Role of a
Glycine Free Radical
Peter W.
Coschigano,1,*
Thomas S.
Wehrman,2,
and
L. Y.
Young2
Department of Biological Sciences and Program
in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
45701-2979,1 and
Biotechnology Center
for Agriculture and the Environment, Rutgers, The State University
of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903-02312
Received 9 December 1997/Accepted 2 March 1998
The denitrifying strain T1 is able to grow with toluene serving as
its sole carbon source. Two mutants which have defects in this toluene
utilization pathway have been characterized. A clone has been isolated,
and subclones which contain tutD and tutE, two
genes in the T1 toluene metabolic pathway, have been generated. The
tutD gene codes for an 864-amino-acid protein with a
calculated molecular mass of 97,600 Da. The tutE gene codes for a 375-amino-acid protein with a calculated molecular mass of 41,300 Da. Two additional small open reading frames have been identified, but
their role is not known. The TutE protein has homology to pyruvate
formate-lyase activating enzymes. The TutD protein has homology to
pyruvate formate-lyase enzymes, including a conserved cysteine residue
at the active site and a conserved glycine residue that is activated to
a free radical in this enzyme. Site-directed mutagenesis of these two
conserved amino acids shows that they are also essential for the
function of TutD.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Biological Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701-2979. Phone:
(740) 593-9488. Fax: (740) 593-0300. E-mail:
Coschiga{at}ohiou.edu.

Present address: Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Stanford
School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-5332.
Appl Environ Microbiol, May 1998, p. 1650-1656, Vol. 64, No. 5
0099-2240/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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