The molecular cloning and sequencing of the nitrilase gene of <i>Rhodococcus rhodochrous</i> PA‐34

Abstract

Abstract The nitrilase of Rhodococcus rhodochrous PA‐34 catalyzes the production of optically active amino acids from aminonitriles. The amino acid sequence of the NH 2 terminus of the purified nitrilase was determined for the preparation of a synthetic oligonucleotide as a southern hybridization probe. A 9.5‐kbp Pst I‐fragement, which hybridized with the oligonucleotide probe, was isolated from R. rhodochrous PA‐34 genomic libraries constructed in pUC 19. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that the nitrilase gene codes for a putative polypeptide of 380 amino acids which correspond to a relative molecular weight of 41, 723.