Characterization of Ferrochelatase ( <i>hemH</i> ) Mutations in <i>Haemophilus influenzae</i>

Abstract

Haemophilus influenzae lacks most of the biosynthetic enzymes for hemin synthesis. However, the organism has retained ferrochelatase activity, which we identified to be encoded by a hemH-homologous gene. In this report we characterize the growth physiology conferred by hemH mutations under infection and laboratory conditions.