Publication Date

1998

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Meganathan, Rangaswamy

Degree Name

M.S. (Master of Science)

Legacy Department

Department of Biological Sciences

LCSH

Escherichia coli--Genetics; Mutagenesis; Operons; Gene fusion

Abstract

In Gram negative bacteria a number of iron-responsive gene products are regulated by the Fur protein. Mutations in the fu r gene are reported to be pleiotropic. In this study, fu r mutants were isolated by mini-transposon mutagenesis of an entC-lacZ operon fusion strain followed by direct selection on MacConkey agar. The majority of the mutants were not pleiotropic. However, two of the mutants showed slow growth on succinate, fumarate and acetate, and a third on acetate alone as carbon sources. Revertants that regained the ability to use these carbon sources were obtained with ease; these revertants retained th e-fur phenotype. The fu r mutants produced from 1.5 to 3-fold higher levels of enterobactin when grown in iron sufficiency compared to iron deficiency. The pleiotropy attributed to fu r is probably due to secondary mutations induced by the selection procedure combined with the high rate of appearance of spontaneous mutations.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references (pages [20]-22)

Extent

22 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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