Disease relevance of adhE

• The adhE gene of Escherichia coli encodes a multifunctional ethanol oxidoreductase (AdhE) that catalyzes successive reductions of acetyl-CoA to acetaldehyde and then to ethanol reversibly at the expense of NADH [1].
• Cloning and characterization of the bifunctional alcohol/acetaldehyde dehydrogenase gene (adhE) in Leuconostoc mesenteroides isolated from kimchi [2].

High impact information on adhE

• This pleiotropic phenotype disappeared when the adhE gene was reintroduced into the defective strain [3].
• Our results indicated that cells deleted in adhE gene could not grow aerobically in minimal media, were extremely sensitive to oxidative stress and showed division defects [3].
• These three genes together with a small open reading frame (ORF) of unknown function (upstream of adhE) formed an operon (sol operon), as shown by mRNA analyses [4].
• The adhE gene was identified as an open reading frame of 891 codons encoding an Mr 96,008 protein (minus the initiating methionine) [5].
• In particular, genes involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, the glyoxylate shunt and amino acid biosynthesis (leucine, isoleucine, valine and proline) were up-regulated, whereas the fermentative adhE gene was down-regulated [6].

Biological context of adhE

• We found that DC272 carried a point mutation in the Cra-binding site of the adhE promoter [7].
• The nucleotide sequence of the DNA fragment containing putative adhE, which is 2685 bp long and encodes an 886 amino acid polypeptide, exhibits 99% homology with Leu. mesenteroides sp. cremoris [2].

References