Expression of Outer Membrane Proteins in Escherichia coli Growing at Acid pH

It is generally accepted for Escherichia coli that (i) the level of OmpC increases with increased osmolarity when cells are growing in neutral and alkaline media, whereas the level of OmpF decreases at high osmolarity, and that (ii) the two-component system composed of OmpR (regulator) and EnvZ (sensor) regulates porin expression. In this study, we found that OmpC was expressed at low osmolarity in medium of pH below 6 and that the expression was repressed when medium osmolarity was increased. In contrast, the expression of ompF at acidic pH was essentially the same as that at alkaline pH. Neither OmpC nor OmpF was detectable in an ompR mutant at both acid and alkaline pH values. However, OmpC and OmpF were well expressed at acid pH in a mutant envZ strain, and their expression was regulated by medium osmolarity. Thus, it appears that E. coli has a different mechanism for porin expression at acid pH. A mutant deficient in ompR grew slower than its parent strain in low-osmolarity medium at acid pH (below 5.5). The same growth diminution was observed when ompC and ompF were deleted, suggesting that both OmpF and OmpC are required for optimal growth under hypoosmosis at acid pH.     

Osmoregulatory expression of porin genes in Escherichia coli: a comparative study on strains B and K-12

Escherichia coli K-12 produces both the OmpF and OmpC porins, the relative amounts of which in the outer membrane are affected in a reciprocal manner by the osmolarity of the growth medium. In contrast, E. coli B produces only the OmpF porin, regardless of the medium osmolarity. In this study, it was revealed that there is an extensive deletion within the ompC locus of the E. coli B chromosome. Cloning and nucleotide sequencing of the regulatory gene, ompR , of E. coli B revealed that there are two amino acid alterations (Lys-6 to Asn and Ala-130 to Thr) in the amino acid sequence of the OmpR protein, as compared with that of E. coli K-12. It is suggested that these particular amino acid alterations are responsible for the constitutive expression of the ompF gene observed in E. coli B.     

Complementation analysis of the wild-type and mutant ompR genes exhibiting different phenotypes of osmoregulation of the ompF and ompC genes of Escherichia coli

Expression of the ompF and ompC genes, which encode the major outer membrane proteins, OmpF and OmpC, respectively, is affected in a reciprocal manner by the osmolarity of the growth medium. This osmoregulation is mediated by the OmpR protein, a positive regulator of both genes, which is encoded by the ompR gene. Structural and functional properties of this regulatory protein were studied through complementation analysis of the wild-type and five mutant ompR genes that exhibited differences in osmoregulation of the expression of the OmpF and OmpC proteins. Complementation was carried out with combinations of a host strain and a plasmid, each of which carried either the wild-type or a mutant ompR gene. In some combinations, negative complementation was observed. For example, ompR1, a deletion mutation with an OmpF- OmpC- phenotype, was dominant to OmpF+ or OmpC+ phenotypes conferred by other ompR genes. Positive complementation of two mutant ompR genes was also observed in other combinations, when the two mutations were distantly located from each other on the OmpR protein. These results, together with other observations, support the view that the OmpR protein has a two-domain structure, each domain exhibiting a different role in the expression of the OmpF and OmpC proteins, and that this protein takes a multimeric structure as a functional unit.     

OmpC and OmpF are required for growth under hyperosmotic stress above pH 8 in Escherichia coli

AIMS: To investigate the requirement of outer membrane porins for osmotic adaptation at alkaline pH in Escherichia coli. METHODS AND RESULTS: Escherichia coli mutants deficient in ompC, ompF and both genes were constructed and the growth of these mutants was observed at alkaline pH. The growth rate of the mutant deficient in both ompC and ompF was slower than that of the wild type and mutants deficient in one of these genes under hyperosmotic stress at pHs above 8.0. The decreased rate was recovered when a cloned ompC was introduced to the mutant, but the growth recovery with a cloned ompF was partial. Such growth diminution was not observed at pHs below 8.0. CONCLUSION: OmpC and OmpF were shown to participate in hyperosmotic adaptation at alkaline pH in E. coli. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study is the first report to demonstrate that OmpC and OmpF are required for hyperosmotic adaptation at pHs above 8.0, but not below 8.0.     

Re-examination of the role of the periplasmic domain of EnvZ in sensing of osmolarity signals in Escherichia coli

In Escherichia coli , EnvZ senses changes in the osmotic conditions of the growth environment and controls the phosphorylated state of the regulatory protein, OmpR. OmpR-phosphate regulates the expression of the porin genes, ompF and ompC . To investigate the role of the periplasmic domain of EnvZ in sensing of osmolarity signals, portions of this domain were deleted. Cells containing the EnvZ mutant proteins were able to regulate normally the production of OmpF and OmpC in response to changes in osmolarity. The periplasmic domain of EnvZ was also replaced with the non-homologous periplasmic domain of the histidine kinase PhoR of Bacillus subtilis . Osmoregulation of OmpF and OmpC production in cells containing the PhoR–EnvZ hybrid protein was indistinguishable from that in cells containing wild-type EnvZ. Identical results were obtained with an envZ – pta/ack strain, which could not synthesize acetyl phosphate. Thus, acetyl phosphate was not involved in the regulation of ompF and ompC observed in this study. These results indicate that the periplasmic domain of EnvZ is not essential for sensing of osmolarity signals.     

The regulation of porin expression in Escherichia coli: effect of turgor stress

The OmpF and OmpC porins are major outer membrane proteins of Escherichia coli. Their expression is affected by medium osmolarity such that OmpF is normally produced at low osmolarity and OmpC at high osmolarity. Potassium ion accumulation is a major means by which cells maintain their internal osmolarity in high osmolarity medium in the absence of organic osmolytes such as glycine-betaine. Starvation for potassium causes cells to become turgor stressed. The effect of turgor stress and potassium ion concentration on OmpF and OmpC expression was examined. It was found that ompF gene expression was switched off by turgor stress but there was no concomitant increase in OmpC. Instead, ompC expression responded to the accumulation of potassium ions by the cell in high osmolarity medium.     

Isolation and characterization of mutations altering expression of the major outer membrane porin proteins using the local anaesthetic procaine

Mutations at several different chromosomal locations affect expression of the major outer membrane porin proteins (OmpF and OmpC) of Escherichia coli K12. Those that map at 21 and 47 minutes define the structural genes for OmpF and OmpC, respectively. A third locus, ompB, is defined by mutations that map at 74 minutes. The ompB locus contains two genes whose products regulate the relative amounts of ompF and ompC expression. One of these genes, ompR, encodes a positive regulatory protein that interacts at the ompF and ompC promoters. Mutations in ompR exhibit an OmpF- OmpC- or an OmpF+ OmpC- phenotype. The product of the second gene, envZ, affects regulation of the porin proteins in an unknown manner. Previously isolated mutations in envZ exhibit an OmpF- OmpC+ phenotype and also have pleiotropic effects on other exported proteins. In the presence of local anaesthetics such as procaine, wild-type strains exhibit properties similar to these envZ mutants, i.e. OmpF- OmpC+. Using ompF-lac fusion strains, we have exploited this procaine effect to isolate two new classes of envZ mutations. One of these classes exhibits an OmpF+ OmpC- phenotype. The other allows expression of both OmpF and OmpC but alters the relative amounts found under various growth conditions. Like previously isolated envZ mutations, these also affect regulation of other exported proteins, such as lambda receptor. These results permit a more detailed analysis of the omp regulon and they may shed light on one of the mechanisms by which local anaesthetics exert their effect.     

Promoter exchange between ompF and ompC, genes for osmoregulated major outer membrane proteins of Escherichia coli K-12.

Expression of the ompF and ompC genes coding for major outer membrane proteins OmpF and OmpC is regulated in opposite directions by medium osmolarity. Chimera genes were constructed by a reciprocal exchange of the promoter-signal sequence region between the two genes. The chimera gene construction was designed so that the proteins synthesized by these genes were essentially the same as the OmpC and OmpF proteins. Studies with the chimera genes demonstrated that the osmoregulation of the OmpF-OmpC synthesis was promoter dependent. They also showed that cells grew normally even when the osmoregulation took place in opposite directions. The effects of the ompR2 and envZ mutations, which suppress ompC and ompF expression, respectively, also became reversed. The reduced expression was still subject to the promoter-controlled osmoregulation. Based on these observations, the mechanism of regulation of the ompF-ompC gene expression and its physiological importance are discussed.     

Purification and characterization of the OmpR protein, a positive regulator involved in osmoregulatory expression of the ompF and ompC genes in Escherichia coli

The OmpR protein is a positive regulator involved in osmoregulatory expression of the ompF and ompC genes, which respectively code for major outer membrane proteins OmpF and OmpC of Escherichia coli. The OmpR protein has been purified to homogeneity from an overproducing strain harboring an ompR gene-carrying plasmid. Throughout the purification the OmpR protein behaved as a single entity. The molecular weight determined on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel, the total amino acid composition, and the NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified protein were essentially the same as those deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the ompR gene. Molecular weight determination and cross-linking study on the native protein revealed that the purified protein exists as a monomer. The purified OmpR protein was specifically bound to the promoter regions of the ompC and ompF genes. Experiments with a series of upstream deletions of the ompC and ompF promoters revealed that the region upstream from the -35 region was indispensable for OmpR binding to both the ompC and the ompF promoters. Although it has been proposed that depending on the medium osmolarity the OmpR protein may exist in two alternative structures, which respectively regulate functioning of the ompC and the ompF promoters, the purified OmpR protein appeared to be homogeneous and interacted with both promoters to the same extent.     

cis-acting sites required for osmoregulation of ompF expression in Escherichia coli K-12.

OmpF and OmpC are major outer membrane proteins which form passive diffusion pores in Escherichia coli K-12. The expression of the structural genes for these proteins, ompF and ompC, is influenced by medium osmotic strength and requires the products of two regulatory genes, ompR and envZ. We have constructed a series of ompF-lacZ fusions containing different regions of ompF to determine sites involved with osmoregulation. These fusions were crossed onto a specialized transducing phage and integrated into the bacterial chromosome in unit copy. By measuring the fluctuations of beta-galactosidase activity in lysogens grown in high versus low osmolarity, we have identified three regions which are necessary. Furthermore, we have determined that, although the OmpR activation site is not sufficient, OmpR is probably essential for ompF osmoregulation.