Isolation and characterization of Erwinia chrysanthemi mutants defective in degradation of hexuronates

Spontaneous and Tn9-induced mutants of Erwinia chrysanthemi were isolated which affect the degradative pathway of galacturonate and ketodeoxygluconate. The mutations were characterized both biochemically and functionally by complementation analysis and localized in the E. chrysanthemi chromosome. The kdgK gene mapped very close to ile, the kdgA gene was between trp and his, and the exuT-uxaC-uxaB-uxaA cluster was linked to thy. The different types of mutants obtained were consistent with an organization of the exu-uxa cluster into two transcription units, one containing the exuT gene, and the other containing the three uxa genes, with the transcription going from uxaC to uxaA.