Cloning, sequencing, and use as a molecular probe of a gene encoding an aminoglycoside 6'-N-acetyltransferase of broad substrate profile.

A gene coding for an aminoglycoside 6'-N-acetyltransferase that was able to modify amikacin was cloned from a plasmid isolated from a clinical strain of Enterobacter cloacae. Sequencing of a 955-bp segment which mediates the modifying activity revealed a single open reading frame of 432 nucleotides that predicted a polypeptide of 144 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 16,021. Putative ribosomal binding sites and -10 and -35 sequences were located at the 5' end of the gene. The size of the polypeptide was confirmed through minicell analysis of the expression products of plasmids containing the sequence. The use of the gene as a molecular probe revealed its specificity toward strains harboring genes coding for related enzymes. This probe is therefore useful for epidemiological studies.