OCCURRENCE OF HOMOLOGS OF THE ESCHERICHIA-COLI LYTB GENE IN GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIAL SPECIES

The Escherichia coli LytB protein regulates the activity of guanosine 3',5'-bispyrophosphate synthetase I (RelA). A Southern blot analysis o f chromosomal DNA with the E. coil lytB gene as a probe revealed the p resence of lytB homologs in all of the gram-negative bacterial species examined but not in gram-positive species. The lytB homologs from Ent erobacter aerogenes and Pseudomonas fluorescens complemented the E. co il lytB44 mutant allele.