• BMB Reports
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.183-191
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• 1996

DNA fragments, homologous to the dTDP-D-glucose 4,6-dehydratase gene, obtained from the genomic DNA of Streptomyces antibioticus $T\ddot{u}99$, a producer of the unusual macrolide antibiotic chlorothricin, were cloned and sequenced. This dehydratase gene was designated as oxil. The coding region of the oxil gene is composed of 987 bp, and analysis of the DNA sequence data reveals sequences for the gene products of 329 amino acids (molecular weight of 36,037). The deduced amino acids are 59% identical to the StrE, dTDP-D-glucose 4,6-dehydratase from the streptomycin pathway. The oxil's function was examined by expressing it in E. coli using the T7 RNA polymerase/promoter system (pRSET) to produce an active fusion protein including a his tag. This enzyme shows specificity of substrate, specific only to dTDP-D-glucose.

• BMB Reports
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.363-369
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• 1999

The orf8(chlD) gene cloned from Streptomyces antibioticus T$\"{u}$99 was overexpressed using an E. coli system to confirm its biological function. Induction of the E. coli strain transformed with recombinant plasmid pRFJ 1031 containing orf8 resulted in the production of a 43,000 dalton protein. Glucose-1-phosphate thymidylyltransferase activity of the cell extract obtained from the transformed strain was 4-5 times higher than that of the control strain. The expressed protein was purified 18-fold from E. coli cell lysate using three chromatographic steps with a 17% overall recovery to near homogeneity. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified protein agrees with the nucleotide sequence predicted from the orf8 gene. The SDS-PAGE estimated subunit mass of 43,000 dalton agrees well with that calculated from the amino acid composition deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the orf8 gene (43,000 Da). Also, the native enzyme has a monomeric structure with a molecular mass of 43,000 dalton. The purified protein showed glucose-1-phosphate thymidylyltransferase activity catalyzing a reversible bimolecular group transfer reaction, and was highly specific for dTTP and ${\alpha}$-D-glucose 1-phosphate as substrates in the forward reaction, and for dTDP-D-glucose and pyrophosphate in the reverse reaction.