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Escherichia coli genes required for cytochrome c maturation
L Thöny-Meyer1, F Fischer, P Künzler
1Mikrobiologisches Institut, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, Zürich, Switzerland.
Journal of Bacteriology
|August 1, 1995
Summary
The Escherichia coli ccm gene cluster is essential for the maturation of c-type cytochromes under anaerobic respiration. This pathway is crucial for utilizing various electron acceptors and for the proper folding of foreign cytochromes.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- The aeg-46.5 region in Escherichia coli contains genes induced during anaerobic growth.
- These genes show homology to Bradyrhizobium japonicum gene clusters involved in c-type cytochrome biogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the function of the E. coli ccmABCDEFGH gene cluster.
- To determine the role of this cluster in the maturation of c-type cytochromes.
Main Methods:
- Construction of an E. coli deletion mutant lacking the ccmABCDEFGH genes.
- Analysis of c-type cytochrome maturation in the mutant under various anaerobic conditions.
- Expression and analysis of foreign cytochromes (B. japonicum and B. subtilis) in the mutant.
Main Results:
- The E. coli ccm mutant exhibited defective maturation of indigenous c-type cytochromes with different electron acceptors (nitrite, nitrate, TMAO).
- Maturation of heterologously expressed B. japonicum and B. subtilis cytochromes c550 was also impaired in the mutant.
- Wild-type E. coli successfully matured these cytochromes, indicating the ccm cluster's necessity.
Conclusions:
- The E. coli ccm gene cluster is indispensable for a general pathway mediating c-type cytochrome maturation.
- This pathway is vital for anaerobic respiration and potentially for the correct biogenesis of various c-type cytochromes.