Nucleotide sequences and characterization of genes encoding naphthalene upper pathway of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PaK1 and Pseudomonas putida OUS82

A 12,808-nucleotide containing DNA fragment cloned from naphthalene-utilizi ng (Nah(+)) Pseudomonas aeruginosa PaK1 was analyzed and compared with the genes (pah(OUS)) of a 14,462-nucleotide DNA fragment from Pseudomonas putid a OUS82, The DNA sequence analyses demonstrated that the naphthalene upper- pathway genes and their deduced enzymes were very similar between the two b acteria: nucleotide similarities, 83-93%; amino acid similarities, 79-95%. These genes were also similar to those of the nah operon of plasmid NAH7; i n particular, the OUS82 genes were similar to the nah genes, whereas the Pa K1 genes were almost identical to the dox genes of Pseudomonas sp. C18, A r egion homologous with the 84-bp repeated sequence that Eaten (J. Bacteriol. , 176, 7757-7762, 1994) has found at a site upstream of he nah operon was f ound only in a region downstream of the pah(PaK) gene cluster in PaK1 and o n both sides of the pah(OUS) gene cluster in OUS82, A PaKI gene, correspond ing to an unknown gene (nahQ) in the nah operon, is located between the 1,2 -dihydroxynaphthalene dioxygenase gene and the trans-o-hydroxybenzylindenep yruvate (tHBPA) hydratase-aldolase gene (nahE), and was suggested to be inv olved in the conversion of naphthalene to salicylate. Just downstream of th e pah(PaK); gene cluster, a portion of a region was identical to one-third of the transposase gene (tnpA) in a phenol-catabolic plasmid pEST1226.