DNA sequence and analysis of the bet genes encoding the osmoregulatory choline—glycine betaine pathway of Escherichia coli

The sequence was determined of 6493 nucleotides encompassing the bet genes of Escherichia coli which encode the osmoregulatory choline-glycine betaine pathway. Four open reading frames were identified: betA encoding choline dehydrogenase, a flavoprotein of 61.9kDa; betB encoding betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (52.8kDa); betT encoding a proton-motive-force-driven, high-affinity transport system for choline (75.8kDa); and betl, capable of encoding a protein of 21.8kDa, implicated as a repressor involved in choline regulation of the bet genes. Identification of the genes was supported by subcloning, physical mapping of lambda placMu53 insertions, amino acid sequence similarity, or N-terminal amino acid sequencing. The bet genes are tightly spaced, with betT located upstream of, and transcribed divergently to, the tandemly linked betIBA genes.