title: Cloning, nucleotide sequence, and disruption of Streptococcus mutans glutathione reductase gene (gor).
abstract: We cloned and sequenced the glutathione reductase gene (gor) of an oxygen-tolerant Streptococcus mutans, and constructed a gor-disruption mutant by homologous recombination. The gor gene consisted of 1,350 bp, coding for a protein of 450 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence of the S. mutans gor gene product showed extensive similarity with those of glutathione reductases from prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Although the mutant could grow aerobically, it showed no growth in the presence of 2 mM diamide, a thiol-specific oxidant. In contrast, growth of the wild-type strain was not significantly inhibited by 2 mM diamide, and glutathione reductase activity was increased 2.2-fold under these conditions. In addition, the level of glutathione reductase activity in the wild-type strain was increased 3.6-fold upon exposure to air, and the elevated level of the enzyme was retained throughout the aerobic growth. Thus, glutathione reductase may be important in protection of S. mutans against oxidative stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kamio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Higuchi
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D005980:Glutathione Reductase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation / Q000502:physiology; D016877:Oxidants / Q000633:toxicity; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D016877:Oxidants; D005980:Glutathione Reductase