The Vibrio cholerae hlyC gene encodes a protein that is related to lipases of pseudomonas species.

The nucleotide sequence of the Vibrio cholerae N16961 hlyC gene was determined. The hlyC gene encompasses 513 nucleotides that are predicted to encode a 171-amino acid protein with a calculated molecular weight of 18.2 kDa. The predicted HlyC protein contains a region that is 93.5% similar to the substrate-binding/catalytic domain of the Pseudomonas species triacylglycerol acylhydrolase (lipase). The proposed catalytic serine residue is also conserved in the HlyC protein. The contribution of the putative HlyC lipase to the physiology of V. cholerae is currently under investigation.