CLONING OF THE DAPB GENE, ENCODING DIHYDRODIPICOLINATE REDUCTASE, FROM MYCOBACTERIUM-TUBERCULOSIS

Diaminopimelate (DAP) is used by bacteria for the synthesis of lysine. In many species of bacteria, including mycobacteria, DAP is also used for peptidoglycan biosynthesis. In this report we describe the clonin g of the dapB gene encoding dihydrodipicolinate reductase (DHPR), whic h catalyzes a key branch point reaction in the bacterial DAP biosynthe tic pathway, from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Analyses of the DapB pro teins from different bacterial species suggest that two different clas ses of DHPR enzymes may exist in bacteria.