Effect of pleiotropic carbohydrate mutations (ctr) on tryptophan catabolism

Involvement of the Escherichia coli phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system in regulation of transcription of catabolic genes

Synthesis of catabolite-sensitive enzymes is repressed in mutants defective in the general proteins (enzyme I and HPr) of the Escherichia coli phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system (ptsI and ptsH mutations). To elucidate the mechanism of this phenomenon we constructed isogenic strains carrying pts mutations as well as different lesions of regulation of the lac operon or mutations affecting adenylate cyclase activity (cya mutation) and synthesis of cyclic AMP-receptor protein (crp mutation) Measurements of the differential rate of beta-galactosidase synthesis in these strains showed that the repressive effect of pts mutations was revealed in lac+, lacI, lacOc and cya bacteria, but it was lost in lacP and crp strains. It was concluded that mutational damage to the general components of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system diminishes activity of the lac promoter. The results obtained led to the conclusion that pts gene products (apparently phospho approximately HPr) are necessary for the initiation of transcription of catabolite-sensitive operons in E. coli.

Repression of inducible enzyme synthesis in a mutant of Escherichia coli K 12 deleted for the ptsH gene

The genome of lambda phage with thermosensitive repressor was inserted into the pts region of the Escherichia coli chromosome. This lysogenic culture possessed the PTS1 phenotype at 30 degrees C. A mutant strain with a deletion covering the ptsH gene was isolated after a prophage curing procedure. The deletion nature of the pts mutation was confirmed in genetical and biochemical experiments. The deletion covered a small fragment of the bacterial genome not extending in the ptsI and lig genes. The isolated deltaptsH mutant possessed all characteristics of known pts mutants: pleiotropical disturbances of transport and utilization of a number of carbohydrates, repression of the enzyme inducible synthesis, and resistance to glucose catabolite repression. From these and other data we can conclude that the phosphorylated form of the heat-stable protein HPr is involved (directly or indirectly) in activation of the DNA transcription process.

Metabolism of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate and induction of tryptophanase in Escherichia coli

The relationship between cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) metabolism and the induction of tryptophanase and beta-galactosidase was studied in several strains of Escherichia coli grown with succinate, acetate, glycerol, or glucose as the carbon source. No consistent relationship between the intracellular concentration of cyclic AMP in the several strains cultured and the various carbon sources was discerned. In E. coli K-12-1 the induction of tryptophanase was found to vary in the order: succinate greater than acetate greater than glycerol greater than glucose, and that of beta-galactosidase was found in the order: glycerol greater than acetate greater than succinate greater than glucose. Rate of accumulation of cyclic AMP in the culture filtrate was in the order: succinate greater than acetate greater than glycerol greater than glucose. The addition of glycerol to E. coli K-12-1 grown in acetate caused inhibition of tryptophanase and slight inhibition of accumulation of extracellular cyclic AMP. These same conditions caused beta-galactosidase induction to be stimulated. The addition of exogenous cyclic AMP to cultures grown with four different carbon sources had an effect characteristic for each of the two enzymes studied as well as each individual carbon source. The results suggest that there are control elements distinct from cyclic AMP and its receptor protein which respond to the catabolic situation of the cell.

Catabolite repression in Escherichia coli K12 mutants defective in glucose transport

The phenomenon of glucose catabolite repression was studied in Escherichia coli mutants unable to transport this carbohydrate. The pts I,H mutant P34 was much less sensitive to permanent and transient repressive effect of glucose on beta-galactosidase synthesis than parental type. The 1103 mutant with lack of enzyme 1 of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system (ptsI) behaves as well as P34 mutant after addition of glucose to casamino acids mineral medium. But in minimal medium with succinate as the sole source of carbon cells of the 1103 mutant (in accordance with the data of Perlman and Pastan, 1969) show hightened sensibility to transient glucose repression. The effect of hypersensibility disappears when the lacI mutation rendering the beta-galactosidase synthesis to costitutivity is introduced in 1103 mutant. It is shown that the hightened sensibility of beta-galactosidase synthesis to glucose transient repression in 1103 mutant is not an effect of the pts mutation and most probably is due to "inducer exclusion" of the lac operon. It is also shown that if one introduces the P34 mutation in strain devoided of one of the enzymes II for glucose (gptA) (and due to this resistant to glucose catabolite repression) then the level of resistance in double mutant does not increase in spite of considerable supression of 14C glucose accumulation. It is discussed the role of separate components of Escherichia coli K12 glucose transport system in realization of the phenomenon of catabolite repression.

Comparative studies on induction of sporulation and synthesis of inducible enzymes in Bacillus subtilis

An attempt was made to determine whether sporulation and inducible enzyme synthesis in Bacillus subtilis are controlled by the same mechanism of catabolite repression. By the use of a thymine-requiring strain, it has been shown that, whereas sporulation remained repressed unless chromosome replication proceeded to completion, the induction of the enzymes histidase, sucrase, and alpha-glucosidase proceeded quite normally in the absence of continued deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis. It is concluded that the mechanism for overcoming the repression of sporulation differs qualitatively from that involved in overcoming the repression of inducible enzyme synthesis. Attempts to isolate pleiotropic mutants that would provide additional support for this contention were unsuccessful. A pleiotropic mutant deficient in phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase activity sporulated quite well, whereas a mutant presumed deficient in glutamate synthetase sporulated poorly under all conditions.

Biochemical characterization of the ctr mutants of Escherichia coli

A test procedure based on complementation in mixed extracts is described for the assay of heat-stable protein and enzyme I of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system. The test was used to assay a collection of pleiotropic carbohydrate mutants of Escherichia coli (ctr mutants) and revertants of these mutants. All mutants were found to lack enzyme I of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent transferase system. Revertants of these mutants to complete wild phenotype regained enzyme I-forming ability. Reversion to partial wild type was not accompanied by restoration of enzyme I-forming ability.