Nucleotide sequence analysis of a 3.5-kb chromosomal fragment from the low G + C Gram-positive bacterium Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus revealed a cluster of five contiguous open reading frames (ORFs) designated hisH, hisA, hisF, hislE, and ORF5. The first four ORFs showed homology to genes of the histidine biosynthesis pathway, and ORF5 encoded a product with no significant similarities to polypeptides presently known. The hisH ORF was partial (truncated by cloning) and ORF5 was adjacent to xylF, which codes for a xylose-binding periplasmic protein. The five genes encoded putative proteins of >104, 237, 254, 216, and 169 amino acids, respectively. Amino acid sequence comparison of the four his gene products indicated closely related homologs in prokaryotes, varying from low G + C Gram-positive bacteria to archaea. This is the first report of his anabolic genes in a thermophilic anaerobic bacterium.