Mutation of the fer gene, has a pleiotropic metabolism-related phenotype in Bacillus subtilis.

CARLA MARTIARENA, LETICIA; BORTOLOTTI, A.; CORTEZ, N.; DE MENDOZA, D; ALTABE, SILVIA (AUTOR CORRESPONDIENTE)

Rosario-Argentina

Congreso; XLII-Reunión Anual SAIB-Rosario-Argentina; 2006

SAIB

Ferredoxin are soluble iron-sulfur proteins ubiquitous in nature involved in several membrane-bound electron transport systems as well as the metabolism of carbon, hydrogen, oxigen sulfur and nitrogen. Recently the single fer gene of B. subtilis has been expressed and characterized. It has been demostrated that Fer protein, is a low molecular weight, 4Fe-4S ferredoxin, and supports electron tranfer to cytochrome P450BioI, involved in biotin synthesis. On the other side it has been reported that cyanobacterial desaturases use ferredoxin as an electron donor in the desaturation reaction. We report here the isolation of fer mutant L43 in B. subtilis by gene disruption using a kanamycin resistance cassette. Parent and mutant strains were identical for unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis as it has been demostrated by GC-MS and TLC analysis. This mutant can not growth in minimal medium but the defect could be overcomed by supplementing the media with methionine, isolucine and valine. Ours results show that ferredoxin is not involved in the desaturation reaction and the ferredoxin gene disruption affects aminoacids metabolism, ressembling oxidative stress condition in B. subtilis cells.