Genetic analysis of Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans carbon monoxide dehydrogenase genes cooF and cooS

Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans is an extremely thermophilic, Gram-positi ve bacterium growing on carbon monoxide (CO) as single carbon and energy so urce and producing only H-2 and CO2. Carbon monoxide dehydrogenase is a key enzyme for CO metabolism. The carbon monoxide dehydrogenase genes cooF and cooS from C. hydrogenoformans were cloned and Sequenced. These genes showe d the highest similarity to the cooF genes from the archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus and the cooS gene from the bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum, respec tively. The cooS gene was identified immediately downstream of cooF, howeve r, the cooF and cooS genes from C. hydrogenoformans have substantially diff erent codon usage, and the cooF gene Arg codon usage pattern, dominated by AGA and AGG, resembles the archaeal pattern. The data therefore suggest lat eral transfer of these genes, possibly from different donor species. (C) 20 00 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.