Characterization of the transcription unit encoding the major pneumococcal autolysin

The pneumococcal lytA gene coding for the major autolysin (amidase) can be expressed in Streptococcus pneumoniae and Escherichia coli using unchanged promoter and termination signals. A region containing several -10, -35 and -44 promoter elements, identical to other previously described prokaryotic promoter sequences, has been found upstream from the transcription start point. A transcription terminator consisting of a hairpin structure (-20.8 kcal/mol) typical of Rho-independent prokaryotic terminators was also localized. The lytA gene has a rather long (240-bp) leader sequence with a high A + T content (70%) that contrasts with the very short (2-bp) untranslated region of the polA gene [López et al., J. Biol. Chem. 264 (1989) 4255-4263], the unique pneumococcal transcription unit that had been characterized so far. Although two open reading frames have been found in the leader region it seems unlikely that these sequences can be translated due to the absence of appropriate ribosome-binding sites.