Open AccessCharacterization of the genes encoding urease activity of Klebsiella pneumoniae
Author(s) -
Gerlach GeraldF.,
Clegg Steven,
Nichols Wade A.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1988.tb02925.x
Subject(s) - klebsiella pneumoniae , plasmid , urease , morganella morganii , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , escherichia coli , gene , recombinant dna , southern blot , genetics , biochemistry , enzyme
The genes encoding urease activity of Klebsiella pneumoniae were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli . Transformants containing recombinant plasmids were selected by the antibiotic resistance phenotype and the production of urease in a Urease‐test agar. Deletion derivatives of the parental recombinant plasmid were construced, and the relative position of six genes, necessary for urease production, was determined. Using a colorimetric assay it was demonstrated that some of the transformants exhibited ureolytic activity up to six‐times greater than that of the original K pneumoniae isolate. Dot‐blot DNA hybridization analysis revealed that the urease gene cluster of K. pneumoniae possesses no significant homology with those of Proteus species and Morganella morganii .