Cloning, sequencing, and expression of the Lactobacillus casei thymidylate synthase gene

The thymidylate synthase (TS) gene from Lactobacillus casei has been isolated, cloned, and sequenced. The coding sequence is 948 bp and predicts a primary structure, identical to that reported by protein sequencing methods (Maley et al., 1979b). The gene has been placed in several expression systems which complement TS-deficient Escherichia coli, and express the catalytically active enzyme at levels of 10-20% of the soluble protein of E. coli. The expressed TS has kinetic and structural properties consistent with its being identical to the authentic enzyme from L. casei.