title: Role of the ompT mutation in stimulated decrease in colony-forming ability due to intracellular protein aggregate formation in Escherichia coli strain BL21.
abstract: Recently we found that the cells of Escherichia coli strain BL21 producing a fusion protein, GST-Sup35NM, show a much more rapid decrease in colony-forming ability in the stationary phase than control cells. In this study, it was found that an extract of the cells producing GST-Sup35NM forms fibrous protein polymers containing GST-Sup35NM. In the course of the study, we realized that strain BL21 carried the ompT mutation. We suspected that the deficiency in OmpT protease was responsible for the observed phenotype. To test this, we introduced the wild-type ompT gene into strain BL21, and found that the transformed cells recovered the wild-type phenotype. We concluded that OmpT protease, though known to localize on the cell surface, is involved in protein quality control within the cell.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga, Japan. ono@se.ritsumei.ac.jp
authors.forename: Bun-ichiro
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kimiduka
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.forename: Kazuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okuno
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yabuta
mesh_terms: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003224:Congo Red; D003470:Culture Media; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D005990:Glycerol / Q000737:chemistry; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000235:genetics*; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003470:Culture Media; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C499588:ompT protein, E coli; D003224:Congo Red; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases; D005978:Glutathione; D005990:Glycerol