Cloning and Identification of the hemG Gene Encoding Protoporphyrinogen Oxidase (PPO) of Escherichia coli K-12

Cells of the VSR751 strain, which was previously isolated asa photoresistant revertant of the visA-deleted (hemH-deleted)strain of Escherichia coli K-12, accumulated uroporphyrin (uro),coproporphyrin (copro) and protoporphyrin IX (proto), but didnot accumulate as much protoporphyrin as cells of the parentalstrain (hemH-deleted). Therefore, we concluded that strain VSR751must be defective in protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO), the productof the hemG gene. By complementation analysis using VSR751,we isolated and identified this gene. The hemG gene is locatedat 86 mim on the E. coli chromosome, just upstream of the rrnAoperon, and is transcribed clockwise in the same direction asthe rrnA operon. This gene encodes a 181-amino acid proteinwith a calculated molecular mass of about 21 kDa. Sequence analysisrevealed the presence of flavodoxin motif, suggesting that acofactor of this enzyme is flavin mononucleotide, which is consistentwith the previous report that the mammalian PPO had the flavincofactor.