Accumulation and intracellular fate of tellurite in tellurite-resistant Escherichia coli: a model for the mechanism of resistance.
The tellurite accumulation properties of three Escherichia coli strains containing different tellurium-resistance determinants of Gram-negative origin, from plasmids pMER610, pHH1508a and RK2, were compared. In all three cases membrane-associated tellurium crystallization was observed, and neither reduced uptake nor increased export contributed to the resistance. Specific membrane-proximal reduction is proposed as the mechanism of resistance to tellurite coded by all three determinants, despite their lack of sequence homology.
Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Donnan Laboratories, University of Liverpool, UK.
G
G
Lloyd-Jones
A M
AM
Osborn
D A
DA
Ritchie
P
P
Strike
J L
JL
Hobman
N L
NL
Brown
D A
DA
Rouch
D003460:Crystallization; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008954:Models, Biological; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D013691:Tellurium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology
C016774:tellurium dioxide; D013691:Tellurium