Identification of a ToxR-activated gene, tagE, that lies within the accessory colonization factor gene cluster of Vibrio cholerae O395.

The nucleotide (nt) sequence has been determined for a Vibrio cholerae ToxR-activated gene designated tagE that is located within a cluster of genes required for efficient intestinal colonization. The tagE gene encompasses 909 nt and is predicted to encode a 303-amino-acid (aa) protein with an estimated molecular mass of 34,468 Da. Computer-assisted similarity searches revealed that TagE possesses aa sequence similarity with Escherichia coli OrfU and Staphylococcus simulans lysostaphin, two proteins that are involved in cell-wall biosynthesis and peptidoglycan degradation, respectively. The role, if any, that TagE plays in the accessory colonization factor phenotype is currently under investigation.