Mutation to rifampicin resistance at the beginning of the RNA polymerase β subunit gene in Escherichia coli

• DOI: 10.1007/bf00334112
• Publication Date: 2004-10-26T08:50:54Z
• Authors: N. A. Lisitsyn; E. D. Sverdlov; E. P. Moiseyeva; O. N. Danilevskaya; V. G. Nikiforov
• Keywords: rpoB; Transversion

The unusual recombinant plasmid pRC19 carrying the N-terminal fragment of the Escherichia coli RNA polymerase rpoB gene was found to specify high level rifampicin resistance of E. coli cells. Sequence analysis of this plasmid revealed one substitution only: transversion G----T, leading to amino acid substitution Val146----Phe. This mutational change marks the second domain of the beta subunit involved in rifampicin binding.