Identification of a second lipase gene, gehD, in Staphylococcus epidermidis: comparison of sequence with those of other staphylococcal lipases.

The identification and molecular characterization of a previously unidentified lipase, gehD, from the human cutaneous commensal Staphylococcus epidermidis is reported. A lipase-GehC-deficient but otherwise isogenic mutant of S. epidermidis 9 was constructed by allele replacement.

Propionibacterium acnes, a resident of lipid-rich human skin, produces a 33 kDa extracellular lipase encoded by gehA.

Five independent clones of the Propionibacterium acnes P-37 lipase gene (gehA) were obtained in Escherichia coli, and the gene was localized to a 2.75 kb Xhol fragment by subcloning. The five clones were shown to contain the same gene by Southern blotting with a DIG-labelled probe to gehA.