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Molecular analysis and characterization of a urease gene operon from Campylobacter sputorum biovar paraureolyticus

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Abstract

When recombinant plasmid DNA from a genomic DNA library and inverse PCR products of Campylobacter sputorum biovar paraureolyticus LMG17591 strain were analyzed, an approximate 6.5-kb pair region, encoding a urease gene operon, was identified. Within the operon, seven closely spaced and putative open reading frames for ureG, ureH(D), ureA, ureB, ureC, ureE, and ureF were detected in order. A possible overlap was detected between ureG and ureH(D), ureH(D) and ureA, and ureE and ureF. In addition, two putative promoter structures, probable ribosome-binding sites and a putative ρ-independent transcriptional terminator structure were identified. The urease gene operon transcription in the cells was confirmed by the reverse transcription-PCR analysis. A neighbor-joining tree constructed based on the nucleotide sequence information of urease genes showed that C. sputorum biovar paraureolyticus formed a cluster with Arcobacter butzleri, urease-positive thermophilic Campylobacter and some Helicobacter spp., separating those from the other urease-producing bacteria, suggesting a commonly shared ancestry among these organisms.

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Acknowledgments

This research was partially supported by a research project grant awarded by the Azabu University (Research Services Division) and by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C; no. 20580346) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (to the corresponding author).

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Correspondence to M. Matsuda.

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Y. Kakinuma and K. Hayashi have contributed equally to this study and hence should be considered as equal first authors.

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Kakinuma, Y., Hayashi, K., Tazumi, A. et al. Molecular analysis and characterization of a urease gene operon from Campylobacter sputorum biovar paraureolyticus . Folia Microbiol 56, 159–165 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-011-0020-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-011-0020-6

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