Function of ubiquinone in Escherichia coli: a mutant strain forming a low level of ubiquinone.

A ubiquinone-deficient mutant of Escherichia coli K-12 forming 20% of the normal amount of ubiquinone was compared with a normal strain. This lowered concentration of ubiquinone is still four times the concentration of cytochrome b(1). The mutant strain grew more slowly than the normal strain on a minimal medium with glucose as sole source of carbon and gave a lower aerobic growth yield than the normal strain. The reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) oxidase rate in membranes from the mutant strain was 40% of the oxidase rate in membranes from the normal strain, and the percentage reduction of cytochrome b(1) in the aerobic steady state, with NADH as substrate, was increased in membranes from the mutant strain. It is concluded that ubiquinone is required for maximum oxidase activity at the relatively high concentration (27 times that of cytochrome b(1)) found in normal cells. The results are discussed in relation to a scheme previously advanced for ubiquinone function in E. coli.