Inducibility of tryptophan synthetase in Pseudomonas putida

Development and Characterization of Indole-Responsive Whole-Cell Biosensor Based on the Inducible Gene Expression System from Pseudomonas putida KT2440

Indole is a biologically active compound naturally occurring in plants and some bacteria. It is an important specialty chemical that is used as a precursor by the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, as well as in agriculture. Recently, indole has been identified as an important signaling molecule for bacteria in the mammalian gut. The regulation of indole biosynthesis has been studied in several bacterial species. However, this has been limited by the lack of in vivo tools suitable for indole-producing species identification and monitoring. The genetically encoded biosensors have been shown to be useful for real-time quantitative metabolite analysis. This paper describes the identification and characterization of the indole-inducible system PpTrpI/P_{PP_RS00425} from Pseudomonas putida KT2440. Indole whole-cell biosensors based on Escherichia coli and Cupriavidus necator strains are developed and validated. The specificity and dynamics of biosensors in response to indole and its structurally similar derivatives are investigated. The gene expression system PpTrpI/P_{PP_RS00425} is shown to be specifically induced up to 639.6-fold by indole, exhibiting a linear response in the concentration range from approximately 0.4 to 5 mM. The results of this study form the basis for the use of whole-cell biosensors in indole metabolism-relevant bacterial species screening and characterization.

Effects of mutations in the Pseudomonas putida miaA gene: regulation of the trpE and trpGDC operons in P. putida by attenuation

Tn5 insertion mutants defective in regulation of the Pseudomonas putida trpE and trpGDC operons by tryptophan were found to contain insertions in the P. putida miaA gene, whose product (in Escherichia coli) modifies tRNA(Trp) and is required for attenuation. Nucleotide sequences upstream of trpE and trpG encode putative leader peptides similar in sequence to leader peptides found in other bacterial species, and the phenotypes of the mutants strongly suggest that transcription of these operons is regulated solely by attenuation.

Cloning of the trp gene cluster from a tryptophan-hyperproducing strain of Corynebacterium glutamicum: identification of a mutation in the trp leader sequence

Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 21850 produces up to 5 g of extracellular L-tryptophan per liter in broth culture and displays resistance to several synthetic analogs of aromatic amino acids. Here we report the cloning of the tryptophan biosynthesis (trp) gene cluster of this strain on a 14.5-kb BamHI fragment. Subcloning and complementation of Escherichia coli trp auxotrophs revealed that as in Brevibacterium lactofermentum, the C. glutamicum trp genes are clustered in an operon in the order trpE, trpD, trpC, trpB, trpA. The cloned fragment also confers increased resistance to the analogs 5-methyltryptophan and 6-fluorotryptophan on E. coli. The sequence of the ATCC 21850 trpE gene revealed no significant changes when compared to the trpE sequence of a wild-type strain reported previously. However, analysis of the promoter-regulatory region revealed a nonsense (TGG-to-TGA) mutation in the third of three tandem Trp codons present within a trp leader gene. Polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing of the corresponding region confirmed the absence of this mutation in the wild-type strain. RNA secondary-structure predictions and sequence similarities to the E. coli trp attenuator suggest that this mutation results in a constitutive antitermination response.

Tryptophan biosynthesis genes in Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis

The Lactococcus lactis chromosomal region containing the seven structural genes required for tryptophan biosynthesis was characterized by cloning and sequencing. All of the trp genes were identified by the homology of their products with known Trp proteins from other organisms. The identification was confirmed for five genes by their ability to complement trp mutations in Escherichia coli. The seven structural genes are present in the order trpEGDCFBA and span a 7,968-bp segment. Each gene is preceded by a putative ribosome binding site complementary to the 3' end of the L. lactis 16S rRNA. Three pairs of genes (trpG-trpD, trpC-trpF, and trpB-trpA) overlap, and there is intercistronic spacing of 124, 46, and 585 bp between the trpE-trpG, trpD-trpC, and trpF-trpB gene pairs, respectively. No gene fusion was found. Upstream of the trp genes, a 457-bp noncoding DNA segment contains several regions fitting the consensus for gram-positive promoters and one region strongly resembling a transcription terminator. However, it seems unlikely that an attenuation mechanism similar to the one found in E. coli regulates tryptophan biosynthesis in L. lactis, since no potential leader peptide was detected. We propose that a mechanisms resembling that described in Bacillus spp. can regulate trp genes expression in L. lactis.

Up-promoter mutations in the trpBA operon of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the operon encoding tryptophan synthase (trpBA) is positively regulated by the TrpI protein and an intermediate in tryptophan biosynthesis, indoleglycerol phosphate (InGP). A gene fusion in which the trpBA promoter directs expression of the Pseudomonas putida xylE gene was constructed. By using a P. putida F1 todE mutant carrying this fusion on a plasmid, three cis-acting mutations that increased xylE expression enough to allow the todE strain to grow on toluene were isolated. The level of xylE transcript from the trpBA promoter was increased in all three mutants. All three mutations are base substitutions located in the -10 region of the trpBA promoter; two of these mutations make the promoter sequence more like the Escherichia coli RNA polymerase sigma 70 promoter consensus sequence. The activities of the wild-type and mutant trpBA promoters, as monitored by xylE expression, were assayed in P. putida PpG1 and in E. coli. The up-regulatory phenotypes of the mutants were maintained in the heterologous backgrounds, as was trpI and InGP dependence. These results indicate that the P. aeruginosa trpBA promoter has the key characteristics of a typical E. coli positively regulated promoter. The results also show that the P. aeruginosa and P. putida trpI activator gene products are functionally interchangeable.

Activation of the trpBA promoter of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by TrpI protein in vitro

We have developed an in vitro transcription system in which purified TrpI protein and indoleglycerol phosphate (InGP) activate transcription initiation at the trpBA promoter (trpPB) and repress initiation at the trpI promoter (trpPI) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The phenotypes resulting from mutations in the -10 region of both promoters indicate that the -10 region consensus sequence in P. aeruginosa is probably the same as that in Escherichia coli. Furthermore, in the absence of TrpI and InGP, the activities of the two promoters are inversely correlated: down mutations in trpPI lead to increased activity of trpPB, and up mutations in trpPB cause a decrease in trpPI activity. These results are a consequence of the fact that the two promoters overlap, so that RNA polymerase cannot form open complexes with both promoters simultaneously. Thus, in theory, by preventing RNA polymerase from binding at trpPI, TrpI protein could indirectly activate trpPB. However, oligonucleotide-induced mutations that completely inactivate trpPI do not relieve the requirement for TrpI and InGP to activate trpPB. Therefore, activation of trpPB is mediated by a direct effect of TrpI on transcription initiation at trpPB. In addition, the oligonucleotide-induced mutations in trpPI alter site II, the weaker of two TrpI binding sites identified in DNase I and hydroxyl radical footprinting studies (M. Chang and I. P. Crawford, Nucleic Acids Res. 18:979-988, 1990). Since these mutations prevent full activation of trpPB, we conclude that specific base pairs in site II are required for activation.

In vitro determination of the effect of indoleglycerol phosphate on the interaction of purified TrpI protein with its DNA-binding sites

Expression of the trpBA gene pair of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is regulated by the endogenous level of indoleglycerol phosphate (InGP) and the trpI gene product. The TrpI protein binds to the -77 to -32 region of the trpBA promoter. This region is divisible into two sites: site I, which is protected by TrpI in the presence and absence of InGP; and site II, which is protected by TrpI only in the presence of InGP. Recently, the trpI gene was subcloned into an expression vector and the protein was overproduced in Escherichia coli. The TrpI protein was purified to 80 to 95% purity. The molecular weight of native TrpI protein is estimated to be 129,000 by gel exclusion chromatography, and therefore it is likely a tetramer composed of 31,000-dalton monomers. Gel retardation assays with the purified TrpI protein demonstrated that InGP increases the affinity of TrpI for sites I and II approximately 17- and 14-fold, respectively. Binding of TrpI to site I is site II independent. However, the protein has low intrinsic affinity for site II and its binding to site II is site I dependent. Therefore, binding of TrpI to site II probably requires its interaction with a second TrpI molecule at site I.

The roles of indoleglycerol phosphate and the TrpI protein in the expression of trpBA from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The TrpI protein belongs to the LysR-family of procaryotic regulatory proteins. Members of this family share a characteristic similarity of their N-terminal amino acid sequences, and many of them are activators of divergently transcribed genes or operons. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the genes for tryptophan synthase, trpBA, are regulated by indoleglycerol phosphate (InGP) and TrpI. We demonstrate here that in the absence of InGP, the binding site of TrpI is located in the -52 to -77 region of the trpBA promoter; in the presence of InGP, the binding region is extended to the -32 region. In addition, two major, slow moving protein-DNA complexes are seen in gel retardation assays: the faster moving complex is formed in the absence of InGP and the amount of the slower moving complex is greatly enhanced in the presence of InGP. These results suggest that the binding of a second TrpI protein molecule, promoted by InGP, plays a crucial role in activating the expression of the trpBA gene pair.

Evolutionary differences in chromosomal locations of four early genes of the tryptophan pathway in fluorescent pseudomonads: DNA sequences and characterization of Pseudomonas putida trpE and trpGDC

Pseudomonas putida possesses seven structural genes for enzymes of the tryptophan pathway. All but one, trpG, which encodes the small (beta) subunit of anthranilate synthase, have been mapped on the circular chromosome. This report describes the cloning and sequencing of P. putida trpE, trpG, trpD, and trpC. In P. putida and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, DNA sequence analysis as well as growth and enzyme assays of insertionally inactivated strains indicated that trpG is the first gene in a three-gene operon that also contains trpD and trpC. In P. putida, trpE is 2.2 kilobases upstream from the trpGDC cluster, whereas in P. aeruginosa, they are separated by at least 25 kilobases (T. Shinomiya, S. Shiga, and M. Kageyama, Mol. Gen. Genet., 189:382-389, 1983). The DNA sequence in P. putida shows an open reading frame on the opposite strand between trpE and trpGDC; this putative gene was not characterized. Evidence is also presented for sequence similarities in the 5' untranslated regions of trpE and trpGDC in both pseudomonads; the function of these regions is unknown, but it is possible that they play some role in regulation of these genes, since all the genes respond to repression by tryptophan. The sequences of the anthranilate synthase genes in the fluorescent pseudomonads resemble those of p-aminobenzoate synthase genes of the enteric bacteria more closely than the anthranilate synthase genes of those organisms; however, no requirement for p-aminobenzoate was found in the Pseudomonas mutants created in this study.

Sequence of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa trpI activator gene and relatedness of trpI to other procaryotic regulatory genes

In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the trpI gene product regulates the expression of the trpBA gene pair encoding tryptophan synthase. trpI and trpBA are transcribed divergently. The trpI DNA sequence and deduced amino acid sequence were determined. The trpI start codon was found to be 103 base pairs from that of trpB. trpI encodes a 293-residue protein and the size of the trpI gene product, measured on sodium dodecyl sulfatepolyacrylamide gels, was close to that calculated from the amino acid sequence. The amino acid sequence of trpI resembles that of Enterobacter cloacae ampR, the regulatory gene for the ampC cephalosporinase. The N-terminal portions of trpI and ampR resemble corresponding portions of ilvY, metR, and lysR in Escherichia coli and nodD in Rhizobium meliloti. This resemblance may help to define a trpI-related family of activator proteins sharing a common structural plan.

Genetic and physical analyses of Caulobacter crescentus trp genes

Caulobacter crescentus trp mutants were identified from a collection of auxotrophs. Precursor feeding experiments, accumulation studies, and complementation experiments resulted in the identification of six genes corresponding to trpA, trpB, trpC, trpD, trpE, and trpF. Genetic mapping experiments demonstrated that the trp genes were in two clusters, trpCDE and trpFBA, and a 5.4-kilobase restriction fragment from the C. crescentus chromosome was isolated that contained the trpFBA gene cluster. Complementation experiments with clones containing the 5.4-kilobase fragment indicated that trpF was expressed in Escherichia coli and that all three genes were expressed in Pseudomonas putida. This expression was lost in both organisms when the pBR322 tet gene promoter was inactivated, indicating that all three genes were transcribed in the same orientation from the tet promoter. Thus, the C. crescentus promoters do not seem to be expressed in E. coli or P. putida. Complementation of the C. crescentus trp mutants indicated that the tet promoter was not necessary for expression in C. crescentus and suggested that at least two native promoters were present for expression of the trpF, trpB, and trpA genes. Taken together, these results indicate that C. crescentus promoters may have structures that are significantly different from the promoters of other gram-negative species.

Genetic determinant of pyocin R2 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO. I. Localization of the pyocin R2 gene cluster between the trpCD and trpE genes

Thirty-seven mutants defective in pyocin R2 production in the P. aeruginosa PAO strain were subjected to fine mapping of pyocin R2 genes by transduction with phage F116L. Sixteen complementation groups (designated prtA through prtP) involved in pyocin R2 production were tentatively identified by complementation tests using phage F116L. Their linkages to trpC and trpE markers and fine mapping by three point crosses demonstrated that most of the mutations (prtA through prtN) were located in between trpC and trpE, and that the prtP mutation was localized outside this major prt cluster but in the proximity of the rifA and strA region.

Tryptophan biosynthesis in the marine luminous bacterium Vibrio harveyi

Tryptophan biosynthetic enzyme levels in wild-type Vibrio harveyi and a number of tryptophan auxotrophs of this species were coordinately regulated over a 100-fold range of specific activities. The tryptophan analog indoleacrylic acid evoked substantial derepression of the enzymes in wild-type cells. Even higher enzyme levels were attained in auxotrophs starved for tryptophan, regardless of the location of the block in the pathway. A derepressed mutant selected by resistance to 5-fluorotryptophan was found to have elevated basal levels of trp gene expression; these basal levels were increased only two- to threefold by tryptophan limitation. The taxonomic implications of these and other biochemical results support previous suggestions that the marine luminous bacteria are more closely related to enteric bacteria than to other gram-negative taxa.

Biochemical genetics of tryptophan synthesis in Pseudomonas acidovorans

Sixty independent tryptophan auxotrophs of Pseudomonas acidovorans were isolated and characterized for nutritional response to intermediates of the pathway, accumulation of intermediates, and levels of tryptophan-synthetic enzymes. Mutants for each of the seven proteins catalyzing the five steps of tryptophan synthesis were obtained. Transductional analysis established three unlinked chromosomal regions: trpE, trpGDC, and trpFBA. The order of the genes within the two clusters was not determined. The levels and enzymatic activities of wild-type and mutant strains indicated that trpE and trpGDC were repressed by tryptophan. In contrast, trpFBA was not derepressed significantly by starvation for tryptophan. The trpG mutants had an additional requirement for p-aminobenzoate, which suggested that anthranilate synthase subunit II also served as glutamine-binding protein in the analogous reaction catalyzed by p-aminobenzoate synthase. In addition, trpD mutants revealed the ability of P. acidovorans to degrade anthranilate via the beta-ketoadipate pathway.

Ordering tryptophan synthase genes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by cloning in Escherichia coli

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa tryptophan synthase genes, trpA and trpB, which are induced by their substrate indoleglycerol phosphate, were cloned along with their controlling region into the BamHI site of pBR322 to produce the 10.7-megadalton plasmid pZAZ5. SalI partial digestion and ligation yielded a smaller plasmid, pZAZ167, with the chromosomal insert reduced in size from 8.1 to 3.4 megadaltons. Both pZAZ5 and pZAZ167 display Pseudomonas-like regulation of the trpA and trpB genes. Deletion of an EcoRI fragment or a BglII fragment from pZAZ167 yielded plasmids pZAZ168 and pZAZ169; the former expresses trpB but not trpA, and the latter has lost both activities. A deleted form of pZAZ5 designated pZAZ101 was obtained by excising a BglII-BamHI segment and religating the trip gene segment in the opposite orientation. This plasmid expresses trpA and trpB constitutively. The physical maps of these plasmids establish the gene order: promoter-trpB-trpA.

Comparative studies on the regulation of tryptophan synthesis

In vitro DNA recombination techniques have revolutionized the study of genetic control of biosynthetic pathways. Using examples drawn from the pathway of tryptophan synthesis, approaches to the deciphering of regulatory signals and response mechanisms through transposition of DNA segments and DNA sequence analysis will be presented. After reviewing the known chromosomal arrangements and regulatory patterns of trp genes in the bacterial groups studied so far, and describing the results of transferring all or part of the pathway's genes from one organism to a distantly related one, the use of this technique to analyze new organisms will be described. Along with some advantages over the conventional methods there are some pitfalls. Finally, since it is likely that events analogous to recombinant DNA experiments take place readily in nature, their consequences in studies of bacterial evolution will be conjectured.

Isolation and characterization of two tryptophan biosynthetic enzymes, indoleglycerol phosphate synthase and phosphoribosyl anthranilate isomerase, from Bacillus subtilis

Two of the enzymes responsible for tryptophan biosynthesis in Bacillus subtilis have been extensively purified. These proteins are indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthase and N-(5'-phosphoribosyl) anthranilate isomerase. By comparison to the non-differentiating enteric bacteria in which these two enzymes are fused into a single polypeptide, the isolation of the indoleglycerol phosphate synthase and phosphoribosyl anthranilate isomerase from B. subtilis has demonstrated that the two proteins are separate species in this organism. The two enzymes were clearly separable by anion-exchange chromatography without any significant loss of activity. Molecular weights were determined for both enzymes by gel filtration and sodium dodecyl sulfate-slab gel electrophoresis, and indicated that the indoleglycerol phosphate synthase is the slightly larger of the two proteins. The minimum molecular weight for indoleglycerol phosphate synthase was 23,500, and that for phosphoribosyl anthranilate isomerase was 21,800. Both enzymes have been examined as to conditions necessary to achieve maximal activity of their individual functions and to maintain that activity.

F'-plasmid transfer from Escherichia coli to Pseudomonas fluorescens

Various F' plasmids of Escherichia coli K-12 could be transferred into mutants of the soil strain 6.2, classified herein as a Pseudomonas fluorescens biotype IV. This strain was previously found to receive Flac plasmid (N. Datta and R.W. Hedges, J. Gen Microbiol. 70:453-460, 1972). ilv, leu, met, arg, and his auxotrophs were complemented by plasmids carrying isofunctional genes; trp mutants were not complemented or were very poorly complemented. The frequency of transfer was 10(-5). Subsequent transfer into other P. fluorescens recipients was of the same order of magnitude. Some transconjugants were unable to act as donors, and these did not lose the received information if subcultured on nonselective media. Use of F' plasmids helped to discriminate metabolic blocks in P. fluorescens. In particular, metA, metB, and argH mutants were so distinguished. In addition, F131 plasmid carrying the his operon and a supD mutation could partially relieve the auxotrophy of thr, ilv, and metA13 mutants, suggesting functional expression of E. coli tRNA in P. fluorescens. In P. fluorescens metA Rifr mutants carrying the F110 plasmid, which carried the E. coli metA gene and the E. coli rifs allele, sensitivity to rifampin was found to be dominant at least temporarily over resistance. This suggests interaction of E. coli and P. fluorescens subunits of RNA polymerase. his mutations were also complemented by composite P plasmids containing the his-nif region of Klebsiella pneumoniae (plasmids FN68 and RP41). nif expression could be detected by acetylene reduction in some his+ transconjugants. The frequency of transfer of these P plasmids was 5 X 10(-4).

Design of molecular control mechanisms and the demand for gene expression

Regulation by a repressor protein is the mechanism selected when, in the organism's natural environment, there is low demand for expression of the regulated structural genes. Regulation by an activator protein is selected when there is high demand for expression of the regulated structural genes. These general conclusions are useful in relating physiological function to underlying molecular determinants in a wide variety of systems that includes repressible biosynthetic pathways, inducible biosynthetic enzymes, inducible drug resistance, and prophage induction, as well as inducible catabolic pathways, for which a special case of this prediction previously was reported [Savageau, M. A. (1974) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 71, 2453-2455].

The anthranilate synthetase enzyme complex and the trifunctional trpC gene of Aspergillus

In all fungi, anthranilate synthetase (AS) depends on two unlinked genes, one coding for a protein which has ammonia-dependent AS activity in vitro, the other providing glutamine-amido transferase (GAT) activity. In Aspergillus nidulans these proteins are part of a 10 S enzyme complex; the former is the trpA gene product and can be isolated as 4.5 S subunits, while the latter is one of three enzyme activities of the 7.5 S subunits coded for by the trpC gene or gene region. To investigate whether trpC represents a multi-functional gene or an operon-like gene cluster various trpC mutants were mapped by meiotic recombination, checked for complementation in diploids, assayed for residual enzyme activities and the size of their active proteins was estimated by sucrose gradient centrifugation. Three of the five types found each lacked one enzyme activity, produced 10 S complexes and complemented each other; mutants of the same type mapped in the same gene segment and presumably were missense mutations. The most extreme type lacked all three activities but several cases showed partial complementation, indicative of a one-gene trifunctional-polypeptide situation. However, the most interesting type retained GAT-function alone and produced AS-activity in 6-7 S complexes. These are proposed to contain trpC polypeptide fragments which fold normally in the GAT-domain and by combining with trpA+polypeptides form complexes of reduced but almost constant size due to protease activities, as demonstrated for the homologous proteins in Neurospora by Hulett and DeMoss (J. Biol. Chem. 250: 6648, 1975).

Immunochemical comparison of phosphoribosylanthranilate isomerase-indoleglycerol phosphate synthetase among the Enterobacteriaceae

The bifunctional enzyme of the tryptophan operon, phosphoribosylanthranilate isomerase-indoleglycerol phosphate synthetase (PRAI-InGPS;EC 4.1.1.48), was characterized by an immunochemical study of six representative members of the Enterobacteriaceae: Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Enterobacter aerogenes, Serratia marcescens, Erwinia carotovora, and Proteus vulgaris. PRAI-InGPS was purified from E. coli, and antisera were prepared in rabbits. These antisera were utilized in quantitative microcomplement fixation allowing for a comparison of the overall antigenic surface structure of the various homologous enzymes. These data showed E. coli PRAI-InGPS and S. marcescens and E. carotovora PRAI-InGPS (taken as a group) to have an index of dissimilarity of approximately 10, whereas the other organisms had values intermediate. In addition, antiserum to E. coli tryptophan synthetase beta2 subunit was used in microcomplement fixation to extend the previous comparison of this subunit (Rocha, Crawford, and Mills, 1972) to E. carotovora and P. vulgaris. Indexes of dissimilarity for E. coli compared to P. vulgaris of E. carotovora were 1.0 and 1.7, respectively. Agar immunodiffusion using PRAI-Ingps antisera showed significant cross-reaction among E. coli, E. aerogenes, S. typhimurium, and P. vulgaris whereas the enzymes from S. marcescens and E. carotovora cross-reacted to a lesser extent, with the latter reaction being quite weak. Comparative enzyme neutralization using E. coli PRAI-InGPS antisera showed significant cross-reactions among the enzymes in that all were neutralized at least 25%. The data taken together indicate that the trpC gene products in the Enterobacteriaceae are a homologous group of proteins, that the genetic divergene of the trpC gene is basically the same as the trpA gene, and that both are less conserved than the trpB gene. Furthermore, the PRAI-InGPS, enzyme active site appears to represent a more evolutionarily conserved region of the protein. These findings indicate that, with respect to PRAI-InGPS, similarity to E. coli among the organisms examined is in the following order: (E. aerogenes, S. typhimurium, P. vulgaris) greater than (S. marcescens, E. carotovora).

Regulation of enzyme synthesis in the tryptophan pathway of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus

In Acinetobacter calcoaceticus the seven genes coding for the enzymes responsible for tryptophan synthesis map at three chromosomal locations. Two three-gene clusters, one (trpGDC) specifying the small subunit of anthranilate synthase, phosphoribosyl transferase, and indoleglycerol phosphate synthase and the other (trpFBA) specifying phosphoribosyl anthranilate isomerase and both tryptophan synthase subunits, are not linked to each other or to the trpE gene specifying the large anthranilate synthase subunit. When regulation of trp gene expression is studied in the wild type, only the level of the trpF gene product decreases upon addition of tryptophan to the medium. Tryptophan starvation of tryptophan auxotrophs, however, results in increased levels of all the tryptophan enzymes; this and additional evidence suggests that the expression of all the trp genes is subject to repression. The trpGDC genes are coordinately controlled, and the trpE gene is regulated in parallel with them. The trpFBA genes are controlled neither coordinately nor in parallel with the other trp genes, but respond proportionally when compared with each other. So far, two types of constitutive mutants have been found. The first class of mutants apparently occurs in the structural gene for a repressor protein; this repressor locus is unlinked to any of the biosynthetic trp genes and affects only the expression of trpE and the trpGDC cluster. The second class contains mutants closely linked to the trpGDC region; they overproduce only the gene products of this cluster.

Evidence for autogenous regulation of Pseudomonas putida tryptophan synthase

Studies of a trpA mutant constitutive for tryptophan synthase production support the hypothesis of autogenous regulation (R. F. Goldberger, 1974; A. R. Proctor and I. P. Crawford, 1975) of the Pseudomonas putida trpAB loci.

Some Physical Characteristics of the Enzymes of l-Tryptophan Biosynthesis in Higher Plants

Anthranilate synthetase, phosphoribosyltransferase, phosphoribosyl anthranilate isomerase, and indoleglycerol phosphate synthetase were examined in partially purified extracts of the monocotyledon, Zea mays and the dicotyledon, Pisum sativum. The plant extracts were chromatographed on DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex G150. The molecular weights of the enzymes were determined and found to be similar to those observed for many bacteria. None of the plant tryptophan enzyme activities was aggregated in vitro as is also the case with most bacteria. This is in contrast with the complex aggregation patterns observed in other eucaryotic organisms that have been examined (fungi and Euglena gracilis). The tryptophan enzymes from peas and corn were generally similar but some differences in stability were observed.

Study of a corn (Zea mays L.) mutant (blue fluorescent-1) which accumulates anthranilic acid and its beta-glucoside

A corn (Zea mays L.) mutant, blue fluorescent-1 (bf), is described that shows ultraviolet light induced blue fluorescence in young seedling leaves if homozygous for the mutant gene, and in anthers if either homozygous or heterozygous. The blue fluorescent compounds were extracted with acetone and separated by paper chromatography. Anthranilic acid was present and the beta-glucoside was also identified by paper chromatography and beta-glucosdase and acid treatment. A third major fluorescent compound was not identified, but it was convertible to anthranilic acid by acid treatment. Anthranilate synthetase from mutant plants was 3-40 times more active and was also more resistant to feedback inhibition by tryptophan than was the enzyme from normal plants. The high activity and feedback resistance would both lead to anthranilate accumulation. Anthranilate-phosphoribosylpyrophosphate phosphoribosyltransferase (PR transferase), the enzyme which usually utilizes anthranilate in the tryptophan pathway, was inhibited by the beta-glucoside of anthranilic acid in a noncompetitive manner and showed very little activity in the mutant plant extract. This inhibition of the enzyme which utilizes anthranilate would also lead to accumulation. Apparently the oversynthesis of anthranilate leads to the formation of the beta-glucoside, which inhibits anthranilate utilization. The fluorescent compounds are absent in seed, but form on germination. The levels decrease with age after 35 days postgermination, but are still present in leaves during grain filling.

Autogenous regulation of the inducible tryptophan synthase of Pseudomonas putida

Mutants blocked before indole-3-glycerol phosphate formation in the tryptophan biosynthetic pathway of P. putida ("early-blocked" mutants) are unable to use indole as a source of tryptophan for growth on minimal medium. The uninduced level of tryptophan synthase [EC 4.2.1.20; L-serine hydro-lyase (adding indole)] in such mutants was thought to be responsible for this property. We have shown that levels of indole higher than those previously tested will support growth of these mutants. In addition, the growth rate of these mutants on a given indole concentration was shown to be proportional to the synthase level induced under the same conditions. This apparent induction of tryptophan synthase by indole in "early-blocked" mutants was shown to be caused by formation of the normal effector molecule, indole-3-glycerol-P, from indole. Secondary mutations occur in "early-blocked" trp strains, which enable them to grow on low concentrations of indole. One type of "indole-utilization" mutation occurs in the trpA gene, inactivating its product. Tryptophan synthase is readily induced by low concentrations of indole in these mutants, even though they are unable to convert indole to indole-3-glycerol-P. We propose that the alpha-chain of the synthase has an autogenous regulatory function, serving as the repressor or the indole-3-glycerol-P recognition component of the repressor of the trpAB operon (synthase alpha-and beta-chains). Our hypothesis holds that the trpA type of "indole-utilization" mutation alters the repressor (synthase alpha-chain) so that indole as well as indole-3-glycerol-P serves as an effector molecule for tryptophan synthase induction.

Tryptophan biosynthetic enzymes of Staphylococcus aureus

Tryptophan biosynthetic enzymes were assayed in various tryptophan mutants of Staphylococcus aureus strain 655 and the wild-type parent. All mutants, except trpB mutants, lacked only the activity corresponding to the particular biosynthetic block, as suggested previously by analysis of accumulated intermediates and auxonography. Tryptophan synthetase A was not detected in extracts of either trpA or trpB mutants but appeared normal in other mutants. Mutants in certain other classes exhibited partial loss of another particular tryptophan enzyme activity. Tryptophan synthetase B activity was not detected in cell extract preparations but was detected in whole cells. The original map order proposed for the S. aureus tryptophan gene cluster was clarified by the definition of trpD (phosphoribosyl transferase(-)) and trpF (phosphoribosyl anthranilate isomerase(-)) mutants. These mutants were previously unresolved and designated as trp(DF) mutants (anthranilate accumulators). Phosphoribosyl anthranilate isomerase and indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthetase enzymes were separable by molecular sieve chromatography, suggesting that these functions are coded by separate loci. Molecular sieve chromatography failed to reveal aggregates involving anthranilate synthetase, phosphoribosyl transferase, phosphoribosyl anthranilate isomerase, and indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthetase, and this procedure provided an estimate of the molecular weights of these enzymes. Tryptophan was shown to repress synthesis of all six tryptophan biosynthetic enzymes, and derepression of all six activities was incident upon tryptophan starvation. Tryptophan inhibited the activity of anthranilate synthetase, the first enzyme of the pathway.

A transmissible plasmid controlling camphor oxidation in Pseudomonas putida

Earlier papers demonstrated an extensive genetic exchange among fluorescent Pseudomonads; this one documents for genes specifying enzymes of peripheral dissimilation an extrachromosomal array, segregation, and frequent interstrain transfer. An hypothesis is presented of a general mechanism for the formation and maintenance of metabolic diversity. The example used, the path of oxidative cleavage of the carbocyclic rings of the bicyclic monoterpene D- and L-camphor, terminates in acetate release and isobutyrate chain debranching. By transduction, two gene linkage groups are shown for the reactions before and after isobutyrate. The group for reactions before isobutyrate is plasmid borne, contransferable by conjugation, mitomycin curable, and shows a higher segregation rate from cells that are multiplasmid rather than carrying a single plasmid. The genes that code for isobutyrate and essential anaplerotic and amphibolic metabolism are chromosomal. By conjugation plasmid-borne genes are transferred at a higher frequency than are chromosomal, and are transferred in homologous crosses more frequently than between heterologous species. Most isobutyrate-positive fluorescent pseudomonad strains will accept and express the camphor plasmid.

Genetic analysis of phenylalanine-responding mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

A transduction analysis of phenylalanine-responding mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa revealed the existence of six unlinked genes. Enzyme assays showed that one gene was involved in the terminal production of phenylalanine (chorismate mutase), and the remaining five genes were involved in the common pathway of aromatic amino acid biosynthesis.

Isoleucine and valine metabolism in Escherichia coli. 18. Induction of acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase

The regulation by substrate induction of the acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase was studied in Escherichia coli. Induction was inhibited by chloramphenicol and rifampin. The addition of rifampin resulted in a decay of the capacity to form isomeroreductase. This was attributed to the breakdown of the isomeroreductase messenger, which had a half-life of about 45 sec at 37 C. Induction of isomeroreductase was enhanced by including glucose in the medium. This effect was shown to be due in part to the lowering of the pH of the medium, which presumably made inducer entry more rapid.

Regulation of the tryptophan synthetic enzymes in Clostridium butyricum

Experiments concerned with the regulation of the tryptophan synthetic enzymes in anaerobes were carried out with a strain of Clostridium butyricum. Enzyme activities for four of the five synthetic reactions were readily detected in wild-type cells grown in minimal medium. The enzymes mediating reactions 3, 4, and 5 were derepressed 4- to 20-fold, and the data suggest that these enzymes are coordinately controlled in this anaerobe. The first enzyme of the pathway, anthranilate synthetase, could be derepressed approximately 90-fold under these conditions, suggesting that this enzyme is semicoordinately controlled. Mutants resistant to 5-methyl tryptophan were isolated, and two of these were selected for further analysis. Both mutants retained high constitutive levels of the tryptophan synthetic enzymes even in the presence of repressing concentrations of tryptophan. The anthranilate synthetase from one mutant was more sensitive to feedback inhibition by tryptophan than the enzyme from wild-type cells. The enzyme from the second mutant was comparatively resistant to feedback inhibition by tryptophan. Neither strain excreted tryptophan into the culture fluid. Tryptophan inhibits anthranilate synthetase from wild-type cells noncompetitively with respect to chorismate and uncompetitively with respect to glutamine. The Michaelis constants calculated for chorismate and glutamine are 7.6 x 10(-5)m and 6.7 x 10(-5)m, respectively. The molecular weights of the enzymes estimated by zonal centrifugation in sucrose and by gel filtration ranged from 24,000 to 89,000. With the possible exception of a tryptophan synthetase complex, there was no evidence for the existence of other enzyme aggregates. The data indicate that tryptophan synthesis is regulated by repression control of the relevant enzymes and by feedback inhibition of anthranilate synthetase. That this enzyme system more closely resembles that found in Bacillus than that found in enteric bacteria is discussed.

Partial characterization of phosphoribosyl transferase, phosphoribosyl anthranilate isomerase, and indole glycerol phosphate synthase from Serratia marcescens

The molecular organization of the enzymes phosphoribosyl (PR) transferase, phosphoribosyl anthranilate (PRA) isomerase, and indole glycerol phosphate (InGP) synthase of the tryptophan biosynthetic pathway of Serratia marcescens was investigated and compared with that reported in other enteric bacteria. PRA isomerase and InGP synthase activities were found to reside in a single polypeptide chain, a situation analogous to that in Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Aerobacter aerogenes. This bifunctional enzyme was purified to near homogeneity. Its molecular weight was estimated to be 48,000. PR transferase was found unassociated with PRA isomerase and InGP synthase after gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography. Whereas in other enteric organisms PR transferase has been reported to form an aggregate with anthranilate synthase, it is a distinct entity in S. marcescens.

Documentation of auxotrophic mutation in blue-green bacteria: characterization of a tryptophan auxotroph in Agmenellum quadruplicatum

A tryptophan-requiring auxotroph of Agmenellum quadruplicatum strain BG1, a species of blue-green bacteria, was isolated by means of a nitrosoguanidine-penicillin procedure. Its growth characteristics were determined, and the enzymological block was identified in the A activity of tryptophan synthetase. Starvation of the auxotroph for tryptophan resulted in the derepression of the synthesis of all five enzymes. The first four enzymes derepressed 2- to 3-fold, and tryptophan synthetase B derepressed 20-fold. In the parental prototroph, BG1, anthranilate synthetase was active in crude extracts with ammonia as the amino donor reactant, but not with glutamine.

Escherichia coli tryptophanase in the enteric environment

The activity of the enzyme tryptophanase in the enteric environment was investigated to elucidate the significance of the enzyme in the metabolism of Escherichia coli. The tryptophanase activity, tryptophan content, and indole concentration as well as the numbers of E. coli were determined in the intestinal and fecal contents of conventional, germ-free, and monocontaminated axenic laboratory mice. Increasing the tryptophan content of the diet of mice having a conventional microflora increased the tryptophanase activity of the enteric microflora by a factor of almost 2 but did not increase the numbers of E. coli either absolutely or relative to other facultative enteric coliforms. In the enteric environment, E. coli is responsible for very little tryptophanase activity, a fraction calculated to be less than 0.02%. The values for the experimental parameters were much the same in the contents of the cecum and in the fecal material.

Pseudomonas putida tryptophan synthetase

The two protein components of Pseudomonas putida tryptophan synthetase have been purified to homogeneity. Although there is general similarity between the Pseudomonas enzyme and that of the enteric bacteria, many differences were found. Components from Escherichia coli and P. putida do not stimulate each other enzymatically, and the enzymes differ in their response to monovalent cations. Serine deamination occurs best with the intact enzyme of P. putida, not with the beta(2) subunit alone as in E. coli. The amino acid compositions of the alpha subunits differ appreciably. These findings extend earlier studies showing differences between enteric organisms and pseudomonads in the regulation and genetic organization of the enzymes of the tryptophan pathway.

Pseudomonas putida tryptophan synthetase: partial sequence of the subunit

There is 50% identity in the sequences of the first 50 residues of the alpha chains of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida. No deletions or additions of residues are found in this region, except for the N-terminal methionine residue which is missing in the polypeptide isolated from P. putida. Most of the residues which differ are chemically dissimilar, and half of them are specified by codons which differ by more than a single base. The two residues known by mutational analysis to be essential for catalysis in E. coli are conserved in P. putida. The potential taxonomic usefulness of information of this sort is analyzed.

Regulation of tryptophan biosynthetic enzymes in Neurospora crassa

The formation of enzymatic activities involved in the biosynthesis of tryptophan in Neurospora crassa was examined under various conditions in several strains. With growth-limiting tryptophan, the formation of four enzymatic activities, anthranilic acid synthetase (AAS), anthranilate-5-phosphoribosylpyrophosphate phosphoribosyl transferase (PRAT), indoleglycerol phosphate synthetase (InGPS), and tryptophan synthetase (TS) did not occur coordinately. AAS and TS activities began to increase immediately, whereas PRAT and InGPS activities began to increase only after 6 to 12 hr of incubation. In the presence of amitrole (3-amino-1,2,4-triazole), the formation of TS activity in a wild-type strain was more greatly enhanced than were AAS and InGPS activities. With a tr-3 mutant, which ordinarily exhibits an elevated TS activity, amitrole did not produce an increase in TS activity greater than that observed on limiting tryptophan. With tr-3 mutants, the increased levels of TS activity could be correlated with the accumulation of indoleglycerol in the medium; prior genetic blocks which prevented or reduced the synthesis of indoleglycerol also reduced the formation of TS activity. The addition of indoleglycerol to cultures of a double mutant (tr-1, tr-3) which could not synthesize indoleglycerol markedly stimulated the production of TS activity but not PRAT activity; the production of TS activity reached the same level with limiting or with excess tryptophan. A model explaining these and other related observations on enzyme formation in N. crassa is proposed.