Nucleotide sequencing of a polyurethanase gene (pulA) from Pseudomonas fluorescens

Nucleotide sequencing of a gene (pulA) encoding an extracellular polyuretha nase/esterase from Pseudomonas fluorescens revealed an open reading frame e ncoding a 48 kDa protein of 451 amino acid residues. The deduced polypeptid e sequence contained:a serine-hydrolase consensus sequence GXSXG. The polyp eptide lacked an N-terminal signal peptide, but did contain short region to ward the C-terminus that has been observed in secreted lipases, EXXXGXTFIIG SXGNDXIXGGXGXDXXEXXXGXD. The most closely related proteins to the polyureth anase had amino acid sequence homologies of 71%, 67%, 69%, 67% for lipases from P. fluorescens, and 51% for lipases from Serratia marcescens. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.