Sequence and analysis of the citrulline biosynthetic operon argC-F from Bacillus subtilis

The citrulline biosynthetic operon argC-F located at 100 degrees on the Bacillus subtilis chromosome contains seven open reading frames which encode all the enzymes required for the biosynthesis of citrulline. The operon is transcribed as a single transcription unit. The second cistron of the operon is homologous to ArgJ (ornithine acetyltransferase) from Bacillus stearothermophilus and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, suggesting that the acetylation of glutamate and the deacetylation of acetylornithine are carried out by a single enzyme in a cyclical pathway. The argF gene is an orthologue of argF from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and a paralogue of arcB from P. aeruginosa and argF/argI from Escherichia coli.