Open AccessIdentification and characterization of the pqqDGC gene cluster involved in pyrroloquinoline quinone production in an obligate methylotroph Methylobacillus flagellatum
Author(s) -
Gomelsky Mark,
Biville Francis,
Gasser Francis,
Tsygankov Yuri D.
Publication year - 1996
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.1574-6968.1996.tb08380.x
Subject(s) - pyrroloquinoline quinone , methylotroph , gene cluster , biology , biochemistry , quinone , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , genetics , cofactor , enzyme
Pyrroloquinoline quinone is a prosthetic group of bacterial methanol dehydrogenases as well as some alcohol and glucose dehydrogenases. Genes involved in pyrroloquinoline quinone production have previously been cloned from the representatives of the α and γ subdivisions of the Proteobacteria. We report identification and the sequence of the pqqDGC gene cluster in the obligate methylotroph, Methylobacillus flagellatum , which belongs to the β subdivision. The deduced products of the pqq genes from M. flagellatum appear to be more similar to their counterparts from non‐methylotrophic species of the γ subdivision than to a facultative methylotroph of the a subdivision. A non‐polar mutation in pqqG was constructed and resulted in a strain impaired in growth on methanol. This mutant accumulated a detectable amount of intracellular pyrroloquinoline quinone, but in contrast to the wild type, did not excrete pyrroloquinoline quinone into the culture medium. The possible role of PqqG is discussed.