The gene (aroK) encoding shikimate kinase I from Escherichia coli

Shikimate kinase I (SKI), encoded by the aroK gene, converts shikimate to shikimate 3-phosphate, an intermediate in the biosynthesis of the aromatic amino acids. This paper provides evidence that the E. coli aroK reading frame is in a different place to that reported previously and presents a predicted SKI sequence of 173 residues and a molecular mass of 19.5 kDa. The translational start point of aroK is some 84 bp downstream of the site proposed earlier and the reading frame ends 169 bp beyond the stop site reported in the previous sequence. The SKI sequence reported here more closely resembles those from other organisms and the predicted molecular mass approximates more closely that determined by experiment.