dye (arc) mutants: Insights into an unexplained phenotype and its suppression by the synthesis of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) in Escherichia coli recombinants.

RUIZ, JIMENA ALICIA; FERNÁNDEZ, RUBÉN OMAR; NIKEL, PABLO IVÁN; MÉNDEZ, BEATRIZ SILVIA; PETTINARI, MARÍA JULIA

FEMS MICROBIOLOGY LETTERS

Backwell Publishing

Lugar: Oxford, UK; Año: 2006 p. 55 - 60

0378-1097

arcA codes for a central regulator in Escherichia coli that responds to redoxconditions of growth. Mutations in this gene, originally named dye, confersensitivity to toluidine blue and other redox dyes. However, the molecular basisfor the dye-sensitive phenotype has not been elucidated. In this work, we show thattoluidine blue redirects electrons to O2 and causes an increase in the generationof reactive O2 species (ROS). We also demonstrate that synthesis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) suppresses the Dye phenotype in E. coli recombinants, asthe capacity to synthesize the polymer reduces sensitivity to toluidine blue,O2 consumption and ROS production levels.