Cloning of branched chain amino acid biosynthesis genes and assays of alpha-acetolactate synthase activities in Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris.

A genomic library from Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris (Lmc) in Escherichia coli was screened for alpha-acetolactate synthase (ALS) activity using a phenotypic test detecting the production of acetolactate or related C4 derivatives (diacetyl, acetoin or 2,3-butanediol) in the culture. Four recombinant E. coli clones, with plasmids containing overlapping DNA fragments and displaying anabolic ALS activity, were selected. This activity is encoded by an ilvB gene belonging to a putative operon which contains genes highly similar to the genes of the branched chain amino acid (BCAA) operon of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis. This putative BCAA operon is not functional as the ilvA gene …