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A Search For The Cause Of Excess Thiol Sensitivity In A Mutant Of Escherichia Coli, Hongying Zeng

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The subject of this study was a search for the biochemical basis of hypersensitivity to thiols in a mutant of Escherichia coli (IS16). A 1.3 kb chromosomal fragment from E. coli (introduced into the mutant on a plasmid) successfully abolished the hypersensitivity. This fragment contained only one intact gene, ubiX, which codes for polyprenyl-4-hydroxybenzoatelyase. The decarboxylation of octaprenyl-4- hydroxybenzoate in E. coli is catalyzed not only by the ubiX protein but also by the product of ubiD. The ubiquinone content of IS16 was only 2% of that of its parent strain, while the complementing plasmid increased it …