Transient repression of the lac operon

Quantitative effect and regulatory function of cyclic adenosine 5'-phosphate in Escherichia coli

Cyclic adenosine 5'-phosphate (cAMP) is a global regulator of gene expression in Escherichia coli. Despite decades of intensive study, the quantitative effect and regulatory function of cAMP remain the subjects of considerable debate. Here, we analyse the data in the literature to show that: (a) In carbon-limited cultures (including cultures limited by glucose), cAMP is at near-saturation levels with respect to expression of several catabolic promoters (including lac, ara and gal). It follows that cAMP receptor protein (CRP) cAMP-mediated regulation cannot account for the strong repression of these operons in the presence of glucose. (b) The cAMP levels in carbon-excess cultures are substantially lower than those observed in carbon-limited cultures under these conditions, the expression of catabolic promoters is very sensitive to variation of cAMP levels. (c)=CRPcAMP invariably activates the expression of catabolic promoters, but it appears to inhibit the expression of anabolic promoters. (d) These results suggest that the physiological function of cAMP is to maintain homeostatic energy levels. In carbon-limited cultures, growth is limited by the supply of energy; the cAMP levels therefore increase to enhance energy accumulation by activating the catabolic promoters and inhibiting the anabolic promoters. Conversely, in carbonexcess cultures, characterized by the availability of excess energy, the cAMP levels decrease in order to depress energy accumulation by inhibiting the catabolic promoters and activating the anabolic promoters.

Genetic and carbon source regulation of phosphorylation of Sip1p, a Snf1p-associated protein involved in carbon response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The SIP1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a carbon-catabolite-specific negative regulator of GAL gene transcription and acts as a multicopy suppressor of growth defects associated with impaired Snf1p protein kinase activity. The Sip1 protein is known to undergo phosphorylation when associated in vitro with the Snf1 protein kinase. We have carried out in vivo studies of the genetic and carbon control of Sip1p phosphorylation. Metabolic labeling reveals phosphorylation of Sip1p under both carbon catabolite-repressing and non-repressing conditions and in both SNF1 wild-type and snf1-deletion cells. By sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis immunoblot assay, we detect apparent changes in Sip1p phosphorylation states in response to changes in carbon source. At least one dephosphorylation of Sip1p occurs with a shift from non-repressing carbon source to repressing carbon source. The MIG1 gene, acting through SNF1-dependent and SNF1-independent pathways, is required for some Sip1p phosphorylations. REG1 appears to be required for at least one dephosphorylation of Sip1p, whereas SSN6 appears to be required for at least one phosphorylation of Sip1p. These results reveal new complexities in carbon response signaling, and may reflect the involvement of the Sip1 protein in the same complex as the Mig1 and Ssn6 proteins.

Consequences of growth media, gene copy number, and regulatory mutations on the expression of the PRB1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Glucose represses PRB1 expression at the level of transcription. However, release from glucose repression initially does not result in accumulation of protease B (PrB) activity despite transcriptional derepression. PrB activity accumulates only upon a second transcriptional derepression as the cells approach stationary phase. Increasing the PRB1 gene dosage on 2 mu-based plasmids does not overcome glucose repression. Glucose-mediated repression of PRB1 is not subject to the same genetic controls as SUC2. Mutation of the HXK2 gene, which confers glucose-insensitive expression of secreted invertase, had no effect on PRB1 expression at the level of PrB activity. Strains bearing a mutation in any of the SNF1-SNF6 genes cannot derepress secreted invertase synthesis, but did derepress PrB synthesis when grown in the absence of glucose. Mutation of the SNF2 or SNF5 gene led to accumulation of PrB activity to levels ten times that of wild type. Polymorphism for a suppressor gene was observed: in snf5-bearing strains, one allele of this suppressor gene resulted in elevated levels of PrB and the other allele resulted in wild-type levels of PrB; neither allele suppressed the Suc- phenotype of the snf5 mutant. Re-examination of published data on SUC2 expression in snf2 and snf5 mutants and examination of PRB1 expression in these mutants paradoxically suggest that the SNF2 and SNF5 gene products might act as negative regulators of gene expression.

Dual promoter control of the Escherichia coli lactose operon

The control of transcription initiation at the lactose operon promoter was investigated in vitro. We found that an upstream promoter (termed lac P2) interfered with RNA polymerase binding at the principal promoter (termed lac P1). The start site for lac P2 was located at base pair position -22 relative to the P1 start site. The addition of cAMP receptor protein and cAMP was shown to repress lac P2 and to activate lac P1. Abortive initiation reactions for both promoters were used to investigate the coordinate repression-activation elicited by CRP-cAMP. The effects of lac promoter mutations (L8, Ps, and UV5) were consistent with an important RNA polymerase positioning role for CRP-cAMP in the activation of lac operon expression.

[Microbial utilization of mixed substrates]

Decomposition of substrates by heterotrophic microorganisms is accomplished in natural biotopes such as in soil and in waters, on or in macroorganisms but also in laboratory and industrial biotopes. The interest of man in these processes is manifold. Starting with the division of substrates into three groups of simple substrates, complex and mixed substrates with or without solid particles their qualitative and quantitative occurrence in nature and their significance in biotechnology will be discussed. In the decomposition of these substrates their utilization by pure cultures or mixed populations is to be exactly distinguished. Simple growth curves, di- or polyauxy, sequences of decomposition of simple substrates of a mixed substrate, population changes and successions are only some of the phenomena occurring in this process. The pathways of catabolism are subjected to manifold regulations on the three levels of stoichiometric regulation, the regulation of enzyme activity and the regulation of enzyme synthesis. In natural biotopes there is hardly a constant substrate supply over a longer period. That's why certain mechanisms of regulation are permanently acting. Thus the "normal" physiological state for microorganisms is characterized by permanent transition situations--called "transients". These reactions are also applied to many biotechnological processes.

Regulation of lac operon expression: reappraisal of the theory of catabolite repression

The physiological state of Escherichia coli with respect to (permanent) catabolite repression was assessed by measuring the steady-state level of beta-galactosidase in induced or in constitutive cells under a variety of growth conditions. Four results were obtained. (i) Catabolite repression had a major effect on fully induced or constitutive expression of the lac gene, and the magnitude of this effect was found to be dependent on the promoter structure; cells with a wild-type lac promoter showed an 18-fold variation in lac expression, and cells with the lacP37 (formerly lac-L37) promoter exhibited several hundred-fold variation. (ii) Exogenous adenosine cyclic 3',5'-monophosphoric acid (cAMP) could not abolish catabolite repression, even though several controls demonstrated that cAMP was entering the cells in significant amounts. (Rapid intracellular degradation of cAMP could not be ruled out.) (iii) Neither the growth rate nor the presence of biosynthetic products altered the degree of catabolite repression; all variation could be related to the catabolites present in the growth medium. (iv) Slowing by imposing an amino acid restriction decreased the differential rate of beta-galactosidase synthesis from the wild-type lac promoter when bacteria were cultured in either the absence or presence of cAMP; this decreased lac expression also occurred when the bacteria harbored the catabolite-insensitive lacP5 (formerly lacUV5) promoter mutation. These findings support the idea that (permanent) catabolite repression is set by the catabolites in the growth medium and may not be related to an imbalance between catabolism and anabolism.

Glucose effect in tgl mutant of Escherichia col K12 defective in methyl-alpha-D-glucoside transport

1. The dependence of the rate of accumulation of methyl-alpha-D-glucoside on its extracellular concentration was studied in the tgl mutant of Escherichia coli K12, isolated earlier. It has been shown that the kinetics of methyl-alpha-D-glucoside transport differ sharply from those in wild-type bacteria. 2. The beta-galactosidase synthesis in tgl strain is much less sensitive both to permanent and transient glucose catabolite repression. The level of cyclic AMP in mutant cells under the conditions of glucose catabolite repression is several times higher than in the parent strain. 3. The tgl mutation does not affect the manifestation of catabolite inhibition and inducer exclusion with glucose. 4. The data obtained are discussed in the light of a hypothesis concerning the existence of two sites, binding and pecific enzyme II of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system. The tgl mutation alters the first site, and the second one is damaged by the pgt mutation. 5. It is suggested that the products of the tgl and gpt genes are necessary for the manifestation of the phenomena of glucose permanent and transient repression. The effects of catabolite inhibition and inducer exclusion are realized irrespective of the existence or absence of the tgl product.

The reversal of glucose repressed prodigiosin production in Serratia marcescens by the cyclic 3'5'-adenosine monophosphate inhibitor theophylline

Glucose was found to cause severe repression of prodigiosin production in Serratia marcescens and a dose related partial reversal was demonstrated by theophylline. It is suggested that this reversal is due to the inhibition of cAMP phosphodiesterase and the concomitant increase in cellular cAMP concentration.

Maltose metabolism of Pseudomonas fluorescens

Pseudomonas fluorescens W uses maltose exclusively by hydrolyzing it to glucose via an inducible alpha-glucosidase (alpha-D-glucoside glucohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.20). No evidence for phosphorolytic cleavage or oxidation to maltobionic acid was found in this organism. The alpha-glucosidase was totally intracellular and was most active at pH of 7.0. Induction occurred when cells were incubated with maltotriose or maltose. Induction was rapid and easily detectable within the first 5 min after the addition of the inducer. Glucose and its derivatives did not repress induction. Cells growing on DL-alanine or succinate plus maltose exhibited lower levels of alpha-glucosidase than those grown on maltose alone or maltose plus glucose. Induction required both messenger ribonucleic acid and protein synthesis.

Transient repression of catabolite-sensitive enzyme synthesis elicited by 2,4-dinitrophenol

Transient inhibition of catabolic enzyme synthesis in Escherichia coli occurred when a low concentration of 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) was simultaneously added with inducer. Using mutant strains defective for gamma-gene product or constitutive for lac enzymes, it was found that the inhibition is not due to the exclusion of inducer by uncoupling. The addition of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate overcame repression. The components of the lac operon coordinately responded to DNP inhibition. From deoxyribonucleic acid-ribonucleic acid hybridization experiments, it was found that the inhibition of beta-galactosidase induction occurred at the level of messenger ribonucleic acid synthesis specific for the lac operon. It seems probable that DNP represses induction in a similar manner to that of transient repression observed upon the addition of glucose. Furthermore, it was found that transient repression disappeared if cells were preincubated with DNP before induction. This indicates that new contact of cells with DNP is obligatory for transient repression. From these results, it is suggested that the cell membrane may be responsible for regulation of catabolite-sensitive enzyme synthesis.

Two types of glucose effects on beta-galactosidase synthesis in a membrane fraction of Escherichia coli: correlation with repression observed in intact cells

A membrane fraction obtained from an osmotic lysate of Escherichia coli spheroplasts retains capability to synthesize beta-galactosidase. The system also retains cellular regulatory functions, one of which is known as catabolite repression. Two types of repression of beta-galactosidase synthesis were observed in this membrane system: one was caused by the addition of 2-deoxyglucose or glucose at a low concentration (3 times 10- minus 4 M), and the other was caused by glucose-6-phosphate or glucose at a high concentration (3 times 10- minus 2 M). In the presence of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (10 mM), repression caused by the former was completely reversed, whereas repression by the latter was only partially reversed. Conditions in intact cells causing transient and permanent repression were also investigated. Upon addition of 2-deoxyglucose or glucose at a low concentration to intact cells, only transient repression of beta-galactosidase synthesis was observed. Glucose at a high concentration caused both transient and subsequent permanent repression, and intensity of permanent repression depended upon glucose concentration, whereas duration and intensity of transient repression were independent of glucose concentration. Mutants deficient in phosphoenolpyruvate-phosphotransferase system (Hpr minus and enzyme I minus) showed transient repression but failed to show permanent repression. In mutants deficient in glucose catabolism beyond glucose-6-phosphate, both transient and permanent repression were observed. Correlation between the observations in the membrane system and in intact cells is discussed. The results obtained here strongly suggest that transient repression is caused by glucose itself, and that permanent repression is caused by glucose-6-phosphate of high intracellular levels of glucose.

Cyclic 3':5'-adenosine monophosphate in Escherichia coli during transient and catabolite repression

Cyclic AMP concentrations were low for an adenylate cyclase-deficient mutant (cya(-)) and abnormally high for a catabolite receptor protein-deficient mutant (crp(-)). A fall in cellular cAMP concentration was always found when cells were subjected to transient repression. No consistent correlations were observed between catabolite repression and cellular cAMP levels.

Factors affecting the regulation of staphylococcal enterotoxin B

Several factors which regulate the synthesis of enterotoxin B were examined in Staphylococcus aureus S-6 and in its heme-requiring mutant S-6H2. The kinetics of enterotoxin B synthesis during anaerobic growth were identical to those observed under aerobic conditions; extracellular enterotoxin accumulated in the medium during the transition between exponential and stationary phase growth. Strain S-6H2 lacked a functional electron transport system unless the medium was supplemented with heme. In a casein hydrolysate medium, the presence or absence of a functional electron transport system had no effect upon the differential rate of toxin synthesis. The repression of toxin synthesis by glucose at either pH 6.0 or 7.7 or by pyruvate at pH 7.7 occurred in the absence of a functional electron transport system, but was enhanced significantly in its presence. Thus, a functional electron transport system appears to be involved in regulating the degree of glucose and pyruvate repression of enterotoxin B synthesis.

Production of staphylococcal alpha toxin. II. Glucose repression of toxin formation

The effect of glucose on alpha toxin production was studied in the Wood 46 strain of Staphylococcus aureus. Optimal toxin production occurred when 0.2% glucose was present in the medium. Omission of glucose gave lower yields of toxin, and concentrations of 0.5% and higher severely depressed toxin formation. Glucose affected the initiation of alpha toxin synthesis in growing cultures. As the glucose concentration increased, the time lag prior to the onset of toxin production also increased, and maximal rates of synthesis were not obtained until essentially all the glucose had been exhausted from the medium. The addition of glucose to toxin-producing cultures caused a temporary, almost complete repression of toxin formation which was not due to pH changes in the culture. The synthesis of most extracellular proteins was not inhibited during the period of repression. After recovery, toxin was produced at rates equal to those of untreated control cultures. The kinetics of toxin repression and the observation that the glucose analogues, 2-deoxy-d-glucose and alpha-methyl-glucoside, as well as other carbon sources, inhibit toxin production suggest that transient repression is responsible for the inhibition of toxin formation. No evidence for a regulatory role of adenosine 3', 5'-cyclc monophosphate in alpha toxin production was obtained.

Induction of galactokinase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: kinetics of induction and glucose effects

The induced synthesis of galactokinase and the repressing effects of glucose on this synthesis have been investigated in whole yeast cells rendered permeable by treatment with dimethyl sulfoxide. It was found that the induction response of uninduced cells to galactose is clearly dependent on the nature of the carbon source upon which the culture was grown prior to exposure to galactose. Glucose-grown cells exhibited a long lag before induction, whereas lactate-grown cells exhibited induced synthesis within 8 min. A concentration of 0.5% galactose was found to be optimal for induction. The addition of glucose to yeast cultures growing on galactose resulted in a severe transient repression of synthesis which was followed by a resumed rate of synthesis characteristic of a weaker permanent catabolite repression. Neither 2-deoxygalactose nor fucose acted as gratuitous inducers of the pathway, nor did they serve as a substrates for galactokinase.

Catabolite repression of bacterial bioluminescence: functional implications

The synthesis of the bioluminescent system of the marine luminous bacterium Photobacterium fischeri (strain MAV) is subject to both transient and catabolite repression by glucose, and this repression can be reversed by adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate. Catabolite repression is a mechanism that characteristically controls the synthesis of inducible enzymes involved in energy metabolism. The fact that luciferase synthesis is subject to this control suggests that whatever its role(s) may be, it cannot be considered a nonfunctional or vestigial enzyme system as previously hypothesized, and may actually have some more direct role in metabolic processes.

Effect of point mutations in the lac promoter on transient and severe catabolite repression of the lac operon of Escherichia coli

1. Experiments were devised to show whether the point mutations L8 and L29 in the lac promoter alleviate transient repression. 2. Several recombinants were picked from matings between a single F(-)p(+) strain and Hfr strains carrying mutations L8 and L29. All of the 19 p(-) recombinants tested proved to suffer no transient repression, whereas all of the eight p(+) recombinants tested suffered prolonged transient repression. 3. A diploid strain was constructed in which more than 90% of the thiogalactoside transacetylase is synthesized from the episome with a wild-type lac promoter, whereas 100% of the beta-galactosidase is synthesized from the chromosome with a promoter carrying mutation L8. In this diploid the synthesis of thiogalactoside transacetylase suffered transient repression but the synthesis of beta-galactosidase did not. 4. Exactly similar results were obtained with a diploid strain in which the chromosomal promoter carried mutation L29. 5. The same diploid strains were used in experiments to show whether mutations L8 and L29 alleviate the severe catabolite repression caused by growth in glucose plus gluconate. In both strains glucose+gluconate repressed the synthesis of beta-galactosidase much less than the synthesis of thiogalactoside transacetylase. 6. These and previously reported results can be explained by assuming (a) that both mutations L8 and L29 render the lac promoter partially, but not completely, insensitive to catabolite repression, and (b) that transient repression is an exceptionally severe form of catabolite repression.

Hyperinducibility as a result of mutation in structural genes and self-catabolite repression in the ara operon

Mutations in gene araB producing an l-arabinose-negative phenotype cause either an increase (hyperinducible), decrease (polar), or have no effect at all on the inducible rate of expression of the l-arabinose operon. Fourteen araB gene mutants exhibiting such effects were shown to be the result of: nonsense, frameshift, or missense mutations. All missense mutants were hyperinducible, exhibiting approximately a twofold increase in rate of l-arabinose isomerase production. All frameshift and most nonsense mutants exhibited polar effect. One nonsense mutant was hyperinducible. The cis-dominant polar effect of nonsense and frameshift mutants (as compared to induced wild type) were more pronounced in arabinose-utilizing merodiploids and in araBaraC(c) double mutants where inducible and constitutive enzyme levels are respectively determined. On the other hand, in arabinose-utilizing merodiploids, missense mutations no longer exhibited hyperinducibility but displayed a wild-type level of operon expression. Increases in the wild type-inducible rate of expression of the operon were found when growth rate was dependent on the concentration of l-arabinose. Cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate also stimulated expression of the operon with the wild type in a mineral l-arabinose medium. These observations are explained on the basis that the steady-state expression of the l-arabinose operon OIBAD is dependent on the concentration of (i) l-arabinose, the effector of this system, which stimulates the expression of the operon, and (ii) catabolite repressors, produced from l-arabinose, which dampen the expression of the operon. We have termed the latter phenomenon "self-catabolite" repression.

D-Fucose as a gratuitous inducer of the L-arabinose operon in strains of Escherichia coli B-r mutant in gene araC

d-Fucose, a nonmetabolizable analogue of l-arabinose, prevents growth of Escherichia coli B/r on a mineral salts medium plus l-arabinose by inhibiting induction of the l-arabinose operon. Mutations giving rise to d-fucose resistance map in gene araC and result in constitutive expression of the l-arabinose operon. Most of these mutations also permit d-fucose to serve as a gratuitous inducer. It is concluded that d-fucose-resistant mutants produce an araC gene product with an altered inducer specificity. Addition of l-arabinose to cells induced with the gratuitous inducer, d-fucose, resulted in severe transient repression of operon expression followed by permanent catabolite repression. Transient repression but no permanent catabolite repression was obtained when cells unable to metabolize l-arabinose were employed. It is concluded that transport of l-arabinose alone is sufficient to achieve transient repression of its own operon, but that metabolism of l-arabinose must occur to achieve permanent catabolite repression of the l-arabinose operon. This general effect has been termed "self-catabolite repression."

Induction and repression of L-arabinose isomerase in Salmonella typhimurium

As with other inducible enzymes, the induced synthesis of l-arabinose isomerase (l-arabinose ketol isomerase, EC 5.3.1.4) in Salmonella typhimurium is subject to catabolite repression. Of the three catabolite repressors tested, glucose produces maximum repression. Analogues of catabolite repressors like 2-deoxy-d-glucose and d-fucose also inhibit the synthesis of the enzyme. The catabolite repression is completely reversed in the presence of 1.5 x 10(-3)m cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate (AMP). The maximum repression is produced in glucose-grown cells in glucose-containing induction medium. Cyclic 3',5-AMP reverses this repression provided that the cells are treated with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). In normal cells, cyclic 3',5'-AMP has no effect on the induction but in EDTA-treated cells the cyclic nucleotide enhances synthesis of the enzyme. The inhibition produced by d-fucose cannot be reversed by cyclic 3',5'-AMP. d-Fucose competes with the inducer l-arabinose in some step(s) involved in the process of induction.

Catabolite repression of tryptophanase in Escherichia coli

Catabolite repression of tryptophanase was studied in detail under various conditions in several strains of Escherichia coli and was compared with catabolite repression of beta-glactosidase. Induction of tryptophanase and beta-galactosidase in cultures grown with various carbon sources including succinate, glycerol, pyruvate, glucose, gluconate, and arabinose is affected differently by the various carbon sources. The extent of induction does not seem to be related to the growth rate of the culture permitted by the carbon source during the course of the experiment. In cultures grown with glycerol as carbon source, preinduced for beta-galactosidase or tryptophanase and made permeable by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) treatment, catabolite repression of tryptophanase was not affected markedly by the addition of cAMP (3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate). Catabolite repression by glucose was only partially relieved by the addition of cAMP. In contrast, under the same conditions, cAMP completely relieved catabolite repression of beta-galactosidase by either pyruvate or glucose. Under conditions of limited oxygen, induction of tryptophanase is sensitive to catabolite repression; under the same conditions, beta-galactosidase induction is not sensitive to catabolite repression. Induction of tryptophanase in cells grown with succinate as carbon source is sensitive to catabolite repression by glycerol and pyruvate as well as by glucose. Studies with a glycerol kinaseless mutant indicate that glycerol must be metabolized before it can cause catabolite repression. The EDTA treatment used to make the cells permeable to cAMP was found to affect subsequent growth and induction of either beta-galactosidase or tryptophanase much more adversely in E. coli strain BB than in E. coli strain K-12. Inducation of tryptophanase was reduced by the EDTA treatment significantly more than induction of beta-galactosidase in both strains. Addition of 2.5 x 10(-3)m cAMP appeared partially to reverse the inhibitory effect of the EDTA treatment on enzyme induction but did not restore normal growth.

Transient repression of the lac operon - the effect of a lac promoter deletion

Experiments have been done to show whether the lac promoter delection L1, which partly alleviates catabolite repression, also affects transient repression of lac. In stain L1/F'M15 all of the beta-galactosidase is synthesized from a chromosomal gene cis to L1, whereas 98% of the thiogalactosidase transacetylase is synthesized from an episomal gene cis to an intact i-p-o region. The addition of glucose to induced cultures of strain L1/F'M15 growing in glycerol medium caused extensive transient repression of transacetylase but almost no transient repression of beta-galactosidase. In control experiments with a diploid stain of genotype p(+)z(+)a(-)/F'p(+)z(-)a(+) the two enzymes suffered equal transient repression. Thus L1 substantially relieves transient repression.

Cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate and N-acetylglucosamine-6-phosphate as regulatory signals in catabolite repression of the lac operon in Escherichia coli

When an Escherichia coli mutant lacking the enzyme N-acetyl-glucosamine-6-phosphate (AcGN6P) deacetylase is grown in a succinate-mineral salts medium and exposed to an exogenous source of N-acetylglucosamine, approximately 20 to 30 pmoles of AcGN6P per mug of cell dry weight will accumulate in these cells. This accumulation occurs within 2 to 4 min after the addition of N-acetylglucosamine and is coincident with the production of a severe permanent catabolite repression of beta-galactosidase synthesis. This repression does not occur if adenosine 3',5'-cyclic phosphate (cyclic AMP) is added to the cells before AcGN6P accumulates. An immediate derepression occurs when cyclic AMP is added to cells that have already accumulated a large AcGN6P pool. These findings are consistent with the view that low-molecular-weight carbohydrate metabolites and cyclic AMP play key roles in the catabolite repression phenomenon, and that metabolites such as AcGN6P may participate in the represion mechanism by influencing either the formation or degradation of cyclic AMP in E. coli.

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate in bacteria

Both cyclic AMP and a specific inducer acting in concert are required for the synthesis of many inducible enzymes in E. coli. Little enzyme is made in the absence of either. In contrast to the specific inducers which stimulate the synthesis only of the proteins required for their metabolism, cyclic AMP controls the synthesis of many proteins. Glucose and certain other carbohydrates decrease the differential rate of synthesis of inducible enzymes by lowering cyclic AMP concentrations. In the lac operon, cyclic AMP acts at the promoter site to facilitate initiation of transcription. This action requires another protein, the cyclic AMP receptor protein. The nucleotide stimulates tryptophanase synthesis at a translational level. The action of cyclic AMP in E. coli may serve as a model to understand its action on transcriptional and translational processes in eukaryotes.

Catabolite-insensitive revertants of lac promoter mutants

The maximum rate of expression of the lac operon is severely reduced in lac promoter mutants. Revertants of these mutations which produce higher levels of enzyme were isolated. Some of these revertants had lost sensitivity to catabolite repression and transient repression. The mutations responsible for these losses took place at sites very close to the original promoter mutations. From these results we conclude that the promoter itself is the target site for both catabolite and transient repression of the lac operon.

Physiological basis of transient repression of catabolic enzymes in Escherichia coli

Transient repression of catabolic enzymes occurs in cells that encounter a new carbon compound in their growth medium, but only when the cells contain the enzyme catalyzing the transfer of phosphate from phosphoenolpyruvate to a small heat-stable protein (HPr), as well as a permease capable of transporting the new compound across the cell membrane. The newly added compound need not be metabolized. The degree and duration of the transient repression have no obvious relation to the intracellular level of the exogenously added compound. It is suggested that the actual passage of the compound through the cell membrane is responsible for the repression.

Catabolite repression gene of Escherichia coli

A catabolite repression gene (cat) which alters the sensitivity of Escherichia coli to catabolite repression has been mapped by transduction and shown to be located between the pyrC and purB genes. When the cat-1 mutation was studied in a number of genetic backgrounds, the results showed that this mutation affects the synthesis of more than one catabolic enzyme but does not completely eliminate catabolic repression under all conditions. It is suggested that this mutation may cause a block in the accumulation of the catabolite effector. Our experiments show that this effector is not glucose-6-phosphate.

Carabolite repression of the lac operon. Repression of translation

1. Experiments were devised to show whether catabolite repression of beta-galactosidase synthesis operates at the level of transcription or of translation. Escherichia coli K12 was induced for a short period in non-repressing medium (glycerol-minimal medium), and transcription of the lac operon was terminated by either of two methods; glucose was then added as a source of the catabolite repressor during the subsequent translation of the accumulated beta-galactosidase messenger RNA. 2. When induced bacteria in glycerol medium were infected with T6 phage, which is known to halt transcription, the addition of glucose up to 3min. later diminished the yield of beta-galactosidase. 3. When induced bacteria in glycerol medium were removed from the inducer and resuspended in fresh medium (a process that is also known to halt transcription), the yield of enzyme was again diminished by the presence of glucose in the resuspension medium. 4. It is concluded that repression of beta-galactosidase synthesis can be brought about by the presence of glucose during the translation phase only. 5. In E. coli strain 300U the effect on translation was sufficient to account for almost all the catabolite repression of beta-galactosidase synthesis observed during exponential growth of the organism in glucose-minimal medium. In E. coli strain 200P, however, much more severe repression occurred during exponential growth, and an additional effect of glucose is postulated.

Molecular basis of transient repression of beta-galactosidase in Escherichia coli

The molecular basis of transient repression of beta-galactosidase by glucose was examined. This repression acted only at the level of transcription. Apparently, it was not mediated by the I-gene product. Analysis of single cells in a culture subjected to transient repression showed that essentially all cells initially experienced repression and later became gradually resistant to repression.