Mapping of organic solvent tolerance gene ostA in Escherichia coli K-12

The extent of organic solvent tolerance was variable among strains of Escherichia coli K-12. Genetic analyses of n-hexane-tolerant strains indicated that a number of genes were involved in the solvent-tolerance phenotype. One such gene, designated ostA, was mapped at 1.2 min, close to pdxA. Transduction of ostA from a n-hexane-sensitive strain to a n-hexane-tolerant strain generated n-hexane-sensitive transductants. The sensitive transductant restored n-hexane-tolerance by transduction of ostA from a tolerant strain. Thus, the gene ostA is one of the genes that contributes to deciding the level of organic solvent tolerance in E. coli.