The mtl genes and the mannitol-l-phosphate dehydrogenase from Klebsiella pneumoniae KAY2026

The mtl operon of Klebsiella pneumoniae KAY2076 (formerly Aerobacter aerogenes 1033-5P14) was shown to contain as the promoter-proximal gene mtlA, encoding a D-mannitol-specific enzyme II transporter (IICBA(Mtl)). This gene is followed by mtlD, coding for a mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase (MtlD, 382 amino acid residues), and mtlR (MtlR, 195 amino acid residues) coding for a putative repressor, gene mtlR overlaps the termination codon of mtlD. The DNA and protein sequences are highly similar to the corresponding genes (81%, identical bp) and proteins (79-85% identical amino acids) of Escherichia coli K-12. A truncated form of MtlD lacking the 162 C-terminal amino acid residues still shows 10% dehydrogenase activity which may explain the controversy in the literature concerning the properties of mannitol-phosphate and other medium-length dehydrogenases. (C) 2001 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.