Molecular cloning and sequence analysis of the Zygosaccharomyces rouxiiLEU2 gene encoding a beta-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase.

A DNA fragment carrying the LEU2 gene of osmotolerant yeast Zygosaccharomyces rouxii was isolated. The sequenced DNA fragment (2630 bp) contained two ORFs; one of them (1086 bp long, predicting a protein of 362 amino acids) shared a high degree of similarity with LEU2 genes of other yeast species. The cloned DNA fragment fully complemented the leu2 mutations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Z. rouxii.