CLONING OF THE LACTOCOCCUS-LACTIS ADHE GENE, ENCODING A MULTIFUNCTIONAL ALCOHOL-DEHYDROGENASE, BY COMPLEMENTATION OF A FERMENTATIVE MUTANT OF ESCHERICHIA-COLI
J. Arnau et al., CLONING OF THE LACTOCOCCUS-LACTIS ADHE GENE, ENCODING A MULTIFUNCTIONAL ALCOHOL-DEHYDROGENASE, BY COMPLEMENTATION OF A FERMENTATIVE MUTANT OF ESCHERICHIA-COLI, Journal of bacteriology, 180(12), 1998, pp. 3049-3055
The Lactococcus lactis adhE gene, which encodes a multifunctional alco
hol dehydrogenase, has been cloned and characterized. A DNA fragment e
ncoding the putative alcohol dehydrogenase domain of the AdhE protein
was cloned by screening an L. lactis genomic library in a fermentative
mutant of Escherichia coli and selecting for the ability to grow anae
robically. Further analysis of the clone obtained allowed the cloning
of the entire adhE gene sequence. Analysis of adhE expression in L. la
ctis during anaerobiosis showed induction at the transcriptional level
, especially in medium containing glucose. Constructed mutant strains
produced reduced amounts of ethanol under anaerobic conditions. With t
he L. lactis gene as a probe, adhE homologs were found in other indust
rially relevant lactic acid bacteria.