Analysis and Molecular Cloning of Genes Involved in Thiophene and Furan Oxidation by Escherichia Coli.

摘要

Alternative methods for the desulfurization of coal are currently needed. The microbial removal of organic sulfur from coal is addressed in this issue by attempting to construct by genetic means, strains of bacteria which can degrade thiophenes and related organic sulfur compounds. Our first attempts in this direction have resulted in the isolation of a series of mutant strains of Escherchia coli with successively increased oxidizing ability towards furan and thiophene compounds. Three novel genes involved in thiophene oxidation, thdA, thdC, and thdD, were identified and mapped on the E. coli chromosome. In addition, mutations in two previously known regulatory genes fadR and atoC were also required. Further work resulted in more accurate mapping of thdA and thdD relative to known chromosomal genes and the isolation of a further mutation, thdE, so far unmapped. This conference presentation reviews some more recent findings, including the cloning of several genes involved in thiophene metabolism. 23 refs., 2 figs., 5 tabs.