Characterization of the Escherichia coli gene for 1-acyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (plsC).

An Escherichia coli strain deficient in 1-acyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase activity has previously been isolated, and the gene (plsC) has been shown to map near min 65 on the chromosome. I precisely mapped the location of plsC on the chromosome, and determined its DNA sequence. plsC is located between parC and sufI, and is separated from sufI by 74 bp. Upstream of plsC is parC, separated by 233 bp, which includes an active promoter. parC, plsC, and sufI are all transcribed in the counterclockwise direction on the chromosome, possibly in an operon with multiple promoters. The amino-terminal sequence of the partially purified protein, combined with the DNA sequence, reveal 1-acyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase to be a 27.5 kDa highly basic protein. The plsC gene product, 1-acyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, is localized to the cytoplasmic membrane of the cell. The amino-terminal sequence of the purified protein reveals the first amino acid to be a blocked methionine residue, most probably a formyl-methionine. The amino acid sequence of 1-acyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase has a short region of homology to two other E. coli acyltransferases that utilize acyl-acyl carrier protein as the acyl donor, sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase and UDP-N-acetyl-glucosamine acyltransferase (involved in lipid A biosynthesis).