Cloning and sequencing of the xylose isomerase and xylulose kinase genes of Escherichia coli.

A 4.2-kilobase-pair fragment of the Escherichia coli chromosome which contains the genes for xylose isomerase and xylulose kinase was cloned into plasmid pBR322. The hybrid plasmid (designated pECX14) complements strains deficient in either or both of the two enzymes. Deletion derivatives of pECX14 were used to localize the two genes on the cloned fragment. The entire nucleotide sequence of the cloned fragment was determined. Open reading frames which, if translated, would encode proteins of molecular weights 54,000 and 52,000 were found. These were identified as the isomerase and kinase structural genes, respectively.