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Transfer and expression of a Streptomyces cholesterol oxidase gene in Streptococcus thermophilus

DOI

30

Citations

0

References

1991

Year

G. A. Somkuti, D. K. Y. Solaiman, TL Johnson, DH Steinberg
Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry

Abstract

The recombinant plasmid pNCO937 (8.1 kbp) containing a Streptomyces sp. cholesterol oxidase gene was introduced into Streptococcus thermophilus by electrotransformation. Transformation frequency was 7.2 x 10(5) colony forming units/micrograms of DNA. The presence of the cholesterol oxidase gene in S. thermophilus was confirmed with Southern blot analysis using a biotinylated probe. Thin-layer chromatographic analysis showed the expression of the Streptomyces cholesterol oxidase gene resulting in the oxidation of cholesterol to 4-cholesten-3-one. S. thermophilus may be a suitable host for the expression of other genes regulating prokaryotic cholesterol metabolism.