Functional Identification of OphR, an IclR Family Transcriptional Regulator Involved in the Regulation of the Phthalate Catabolic Operon in Rhodococcus sp. Strain DK17

A putative gene for a transcriptional regulator (ophR) was detected near each copy of the duplicated phthalate-degrading operon of Rhodococcus sp. DK17. Sequence analysis and molecular modeling indicate that OphR belongs to the IclR family of transcriptional regulators and possesses the N-terminal DNA-binding and C-terminal effector-binding domains. DNA-binding assays demonstrate that OphR regulates the phthalate operon by binding to the ophA1-ophR intergenic region.