APPENDIX C The Nucleases of Escherichia coli

Abstract

As an indication of the number of nucleases in a single organism, the tables list those nucleases that have been documented from Escherichia coli. These tables also serve as references for researchers looking for the paradigm of a number of enzyme homologs.

One or two recent references are provided for each enzyme for an entrée into the literature. Recent references can also be found in the other chapters of this book where the individual enzymes are discussed with regard to their function; older references can be found in the chapter on E. coli DNases or in the appendix on RNases in the first edition of Nucleases (S.M. Linn and R.J. Roberts; Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory [1982, 1985]). For additional references, see Bachmann’s 8th edition of the E. coli linkage map (Microbiol. Rev. 54: 130 [1990]) or K. Rudd’s EcoBase.

In the Deoxyribonucleases of E. coli table, molecular weights are based on the translated gene sequence where available, and map positions are according to Bachmann (Microbiol. Rev. 54: 130 [1990]) for the 100-min E. coli linkage map. All known E. coli DNases that act as simple phosphodiesterases on undamaged DNA yield 3′-hydroxyl and 5′-phosphate termini, with the exception of EcoKI/EcoBI which yield 3′-hydroxy and unknown 5′ termini.

Included in the table for Ribonucleases of E. coli are RNases that have been reported to be present in E. coli, except for several that are now known to have been mixtures of enzymes or manifestations of other RNases. It is still possible that...