Convenient and Sensitive Evaluation of a Superoxide Anion-Generating Reagent Methyl Viologen by Escherichia coli Harboring a soxS’::gfp Reporter Plasmid

Abstract

We constructed a reporter system to detect a superoxide-generating methyl viologen using SoxRS of Escherichia coli and GFP of Aequorea victoria. E. coli carrying this plasmid exhibited strong fluorescence when grown in the presence of a superoxide-generating reagent methyl viologen. The fluorescence intensity observed in the stationary phase culture of the transformant increased in response to the methyl viologen concentration in a range of 0.01 μM to 10 μM.