Cloning, sequencing and analysis of dnaK -dnaJ gene cluster of Bacillus megaterium

The DNA fragment of heat shock genes (hrcA-grpE-dnaK-dnaJ) containing complete hrcA-grpE-dnaK operon and the transcription unit of dnaJ was cloned, sequensed and analyzed from Bacillus megaterium RF5. The sequence of hrcA, grpE and dnaJ were first time reported, and their coding products exibit 60%, 63% and 81% of identities to the homologs of B. subtilis. A sigmaA-type promoter of Gram-positive bacteria (PA1) and a terminator were located upstream of the hrcA and downstream of dnaK, and a Controlling inverted repeat of chaperone expression element (CIRCE) was identified between PA1 and hrcA. Another sigmaA-type promoter (PA2) and a terminator were found upstream and downstream of dnaJ, indicating B. megaterium has a transcription unit containing a single gene dnaJ. The structure of dnaJ transcription unit is more similar to that of Listeria monocytogenes than other species of Bacillus. A partial protein-based phylogenetic tree, derived from Gram-positive bacteria using HrcA sequence, indicated a closer phylogenetic relationship between B. megaterium and Geobacillus species than other two Bacillus species.