Rv0233 is not essential for the survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in stress conditions

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an important global pathogen. We were interested in understanding the role of Rv0233, a proposed subunit of the class IB ribonucleotide reductase. We constructed an in-frame, unmarked deletion strain of M. tuberculosis and characterized its growth and survival under replicating and non-replicating conditions. We confirmed previous studies that Rv0233 is not essential for aerobic growth or survival in the presence of nitrite. We demonstrate that the deletion of Rv0233 does not affect susceptibility to frontline tuberculosis drugs or hydrogen peroxide. The deletion strain survived equally well under nutrient starvation or in hypoxia and was not attenuated for growth in macrophages.