Characterization of a pleiotropic succinate dehydrogenase-negative mutant of Bacillus subtilis.

A succinate dehydrogenase-negative mutant of Bacillus subtilis is described which lacks all three subunits of the membrane-bound succinate dehydrogenase complex: flavoprotein, iron protein, and cytochrome b558. The corresponding mutation is revertible and it maps at one extreme of the sdh region. The results presented suggest that the structural genes for the subunits of the succinate dehydrogenase complex are part of one operon.