Disease relevance of nfsB

• The Escherichia coli B gene (nfnB) encoding nitroreductase has been cloned in Escherichia coli K-12 and its nucleotide sequence determined [1].
• nfsB, encoding a minor oxygen-insensitive nitroreductase, was isolated by PCR using primers corresponding to two amino acid sequences conserved among the major flavin reductase from Vibrio fischeri and classical nitroreductases from Salmonella typhimurium and Enterobacter cloacae [2].
• We have constructed an oncolytic adenovirus expressing the Escherichia coli nitroreductase gene nfsB from an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) in the adenovirus L5 major late transcript [3].
• Salmonella typhimurium mutagenicity tester strains that overexpress oxygen-insensitive nitroreductases nfsA and nfsB [4].

High impact information on nfsB

• While nitroreductase enzymes are widespread, nearly all the work using these in GDEPT has been with the nfsB gene product of Escherichia coli, an oxygen-insensitive flavin mononucleotide nitroreductase (NTR) [5].
• Insertion hot spots for IS30 and IS186 are indicated in nfsA, and a hot spot for IS5 insertion is evident in nfsB [6].
• Oxygen-insensitive nitroreductases: analysis of the roles of nfsA and nfsB in development of resistance to 5-nitrofuran derivatives in Escherichia coli [6].
• These results suggest that the cnr gene of S. typhimurium is a counterpart of the nfsB and nfnB genes of E. coli, and that the newly constructed cnr-deletion strains are useful to assess the role of nitroreductases in the metabolic activation of mutagenic nitro compounds [7].

References