The araC gene of Escherichia coli: transcriptional and translational start-points and complete nucleotide sequence.

The nucleotide sequence of the Escherichia coli araC gene and flanking regions have been determined from a series of overlapping fragments using the technique of base-specific chemical cleavage of Maxam and Gilbert (1980). The nucleotide sequence of araC gene was confirmed by the partial amino acid sequences of araC protein and its methionine peptides. The primary structure of araC polypeptide consists of 291 amino acid residues, giving it a chemical molecular weight of 33 314 daltons. The transcriptional start-point has been deduced from the sequence of araC mRNA synthesized in vitro and in vivo, and it is located 148 bp away from the transcriptional start-point of the araBAD operon. The translational start-point for the araC gene was deduced from the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the protein, and is located 165 bp from the 5'-end of araC mRNA. There is, therefore, a leader sequence of 164 bp preceding the araC gene.