Macromolecular syntheses in an Escherichia coli adk mutant

Preferential inhibition by high temperatures of synthesis of newly induced enzymes in Escherichia coli K-12 CR341T28 adk is only apparent; syntheses of all macromolecules cease simultaneously.     

Calorimetric analysis of aspartate transcarbamylase from Escherichia coli: binding of cytosine 5'-triphosphate and adenosine 5'-triphosphate.

The binding of CTP and ATP to aspartate transcarbamylase at pH 7.8 and 8.5 at 25 degrees has been investigated by equilibrium dialysis and flow microcalorimetry. The binding isotherms for CTP at both pH 7.8 and 8.5 and ATP AT PH 8.5 can be fit by a model which assumes three tight, three moderately tight, and six weak binding sites. The binding isotherms for ATP at pH 7.8 are best fit by a model which assumes six tight and six weaker sites. Both finite differenceH binding and finite differenceS binding are negative for both nucleotides at both pH values, so that the binding is enthalpy driven. For both nucleotides, finite differenceH is the same for the first two classes of binding sites, implying that the difference in the dissociation constants of these two classes of sites is the result of entropic effects. Direct pH measurements and calorimetric measurements in two buffers with very different heats of ionization (Tris and Hepes) indicate that the binding of both nucleotides is accompanied by the binding of protons. In the pH range 6.7-8.4, the number of moles of protons bound per mole of nucleotide increases as the pH decreases.     

Beta-galactoside transport and proton movements in an adenosine triphosphatase-deficient mutant of Escherichia coli

A mutant of Escherichia coli lacking the Mg²⁺-adenosine triphosphatase (E.C.3.6.1.3.) has been previously shown to lack active transport of amino acids and sugars. It is shown that this mutant can couple proton movements to β-galactoside uptake, but that the rate of passive proton permeation is greatly increased. N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide simultaneously reduces the passive proton release and increases the β-galactoside transport. It is concluded that the mutant is uncoupled for active transport due to inability to establish a proton gradient.     

Carbohydrate transport and cyclic 3'',5'' adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels in a temperature sensitive phosphotransferase mutant of Escherichia coli

Summary An E. coli mutant with a temperature sensitive enzyme I of the phosphoenolpyruvate dependent transferase system (PTS) is described. Its phenotype at 41° C is Mtl^– Glu^± Fru^– Man^– Lac^– Glp^– Mal^– Ara⁺ Gal⁺; at 28°C, wild type. The half-life of the enzyme in extracts is 1.5–2.0 minutes at 41°C. The cellular content of 3,5 cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in this mutant was measured and was the same at both temperatures. It is concluded that the effect of loss of enzyme I on the utilization of lactose¹, maltose, and glycerol is not mediated through cellular cAMP levels. The mutant was used to study carbohydrate uptake and it was found that destruction of enzyme I by heating affected the uptake of those carbohydrates phosphorylated by the PTS but did not significantly affect the uptake of carbohydrates not phosphorylated by the PTS.Grant support: NSF grant GB-24844, Genetic Study of Metabolic Regulation. Life Insuranco Medical Research Fund grant G69-23, Molecular Basis of Carbohydrate Transport in Staphylococcus aureus.     

Increased binding of a hydrophobic, photolabile probe to Escherichia coli inversely correlates to membrane potential but not adenosine 5'-triphosphate levels.

We describe conditions for a quantitative determination of azidopyrene binding to Escherichia coli cells. In addition, we define conditions whereby irradiation of azidopyrene in the presence of cells leads to irreversible association of probe with cells. This is presumably due to the light-dependent generation of reactive nitrenes and subsequent incorporation of nitrenopyrene moieties into cellular components. These methods allowed us to determine that the amount of azidopyrene bound to cells was inversely correlated with the magnitude of the cellular membrane potential, but was not correlated with high or low adenosine 5-triphosphate levels per se. Cells bound more azidopyrene if the delta psi was low. Cell-bound azidopyrene was found to be entirely associated with the inner and outer membrane. We suggest that the decreased association of hydrophobic probes upon energization of whole cells reflects a rapid transition in structural properties of the cell envelope.     

Restoration of active transport in an Mg2+-adenosine triphosphatase-deficient mutant of Escherichia coli

A neomycin-resistant mutant of Escherichia coli, NR70, lacking membrane-bound Mg(2+)-adenosine triphosphatase (EC 3.6.1.3) activity has been isolated. Both whole cells and membrane vesicles exhibit a reduced ability to accumulate amino acids and sugars. Other membrane-related functions such as oxygen consumption, the in vivo hydrolysis of o-nitrophenyl-beta-d-galactoside, and the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system did not exhibit reduced activities in NR70. Amino acid transport could be partially restored by the addition of N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. The results suggest that a role of the Mg(2+)-adenosine triphosphatase may be to participate in the coupling of energy derived from the electron transport chain to other processes such as transport.     

Interactions between the mitochondrial adenosinetriphosphatase and periodate-oxidized adenosine 5'-triphosphate, an affinity label for adenosine 5'-triphosphate binding sites

Periodate-oxidized ATP (o-ATP) was prepared as an affinity label of nucleotide binding sites on the chloroform-released ox heart mitochondrial ATPase. In the presence of MgSO4, o-ATP is a substrate for the ATPase. It can act as a reversible, competitive inhibitor of ATPase activity and can also induce an irreversible inhibition of ATPase activity. In parallel with the irreversible inhibition, covalent incorporation of [3H]o-ATP occurs. ATPase has about 1.05 mol of o-ATP bound per mol of ATPase when the enzyme is 50% inhibited. Most of the covalently bound o-ATP is associated with the alpha and beta subunits and is equally distributed between them. The incorporation of o-ATP into the ATPase is reduced, and the irreversible inhibition induced by o-ATP can be prevented totally by MgADP, MgATP, EDTA/ATP, or EDTA. The location, number, and the functional significance of the o-ATP binding sites are discussed. o-ATP can decompose to form an adenosine-containing compound and the tripolyphosphate anion in a beta-elimination reaction mechanism. The structures of the adenine-containing compound and its borohydride reduction product were determined. The adenine-containing elimination product inhibited the mitochondrial ATPase activity at a rate greater than that observed with o-ATP. The nature and mechanism of the inhibition of ATPase activity exerted by o-ATP and the elimination product were examined. The significance of the beta-elimination reaction to the use of periodate-oxidized nucleotides as affinity labels of nucleotide binding sites on other proteins is discussed.     

The lactose/H+ carrier of Escherichia coli: lac YUN mutation decreases the rate of active transport and mimics an energy-uncoupled phenotype.

The Escherichia coli K12 strain X71-54 carries the lac YUN allele, coding for a lactose/H+ carrier defective in the accumulation of a number of galactosides [Wilson, Kusch & Kashket (1970) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 40, 1409-1414]. Previous studies proposed that the lower accumulation in the mutant be due to a faulty coupling of H+ and galactoside fluxes via the carrier. Immunochemical characterization of the carriers in membranes from mutant and parent strains with an antibody directed against the C-terminal decapeptide of the wild-type carrier leads to the conclusion that the mutant carrier is similar to the wild-type in terms of apparent Mr, C-terminal sequence, and level of incorporation into the membrane. The pH-dependence of galactoside transport was compared in the mutant and the parent. At pH 8.0-9.0, mutant and parent behave similarly with respect to the accumulation of beta-D-galactosyl 1-thio-beta-D-galactoside and to the ability to grow on the carrier substrate melibiose. At pH 6.0, both the maximal velocity for active transport and the level of accumulation of beta-D-galactosyl-1-thio-beta-D-galactoside are lower in the mutant. The mutant also is unable to grow on melibiose at pH 5.5. However, at pH 6.0 and low galactoside concentrations, the symport stoichiometry is 0.90 H+ per galactoside in the mutant as compared with 1.07 in the parent. These observations suggest that symport is normal in the mutant and that the lower rate of transport in the mutant is responsible for the phenotype. At higher galactoside concentrations, accumulation is determined not only thermodynamically but also kinetically, contrary to a simple interpretation of the chemiosmotic theory. Therefore lower rates of active transport can mimic the effect of uncoupling H+ and galactoside symport. Examination of countertransport in poisoned cells at pH 6.0 reveals that the rate constants for the reorientation of the loaded and unloaded carrier are altered in the mutant. The reorientation of the unloaded carrier is slower in the mutant. However, the reorientation of the galactoside-H+-carrier complex is slower for substrates like melibiose, but faster for substrates like lactose. These findings suggest that lactose-like and melibiose-like substrates interact with the carrier in slightly different ways.     

Altered hexose transport and salt sensitivity in cyclic adenosine 3'',5''-monophosphate-deficient Escherichia coli.

A cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP)-deficient mutant strain of Escherichia coli K-12 was studied to determine the effect this cyclic nucleotide has on the overall growth and metabolism of this organism. Deficient cells were found to be more susceptible to growth inhibition by salts than were their cAMP-sufficient counterparts. The deficient cells transported alpha-methylglucoside by passive diffusion, whereas the parental cells or mutant cells grown in the presence of exogenous cAMP were able to take up alpha-methylglucoside by the normal active transport process. When viewed together with earlier studies conducted on cAMP-deficient cells, these findings support the view that cAMP plays a key role in regulating the construction and operation of the E. coli membrane system.     

Optimized analysis of intracellular adenosine and guanosine phosphates in Escherichia coli.

To investigate the intracellular concentrations of adenosine phosphates in Escherichia coli, especially during bioreactor cultivations, a method that enables reproducible determination of adenosine phosphates in culture solutions containing at least 0.25 g dry cell weight/L has been developed. The detection limits of AMP, ADP, and ATP were found to be as low as 1 pmol. The method involves fast sampling, instantaneous inactivation of cell metabolism, extraction of nucleotides, and quantitative analysis by ion-pair reversed-phase HPLC.     

Carbon source transport, nucleotide levels, and stable RNA synthesis in a mutant strain of Escherichia coli

We have previously described a temperature-sensitive mutant of Escherichia coli, 2S142 (rel-, met-, rns-, ilv-, ts-) which shows specific inhibition of stable RNA synthesis at 42 degrees C. This mutation mimics a carbon source downshift in that the decay of guanosine 5'-diphosphate, 3'-diphosphate (ppGpp) is inhibited at the restrictive temperature. In this paper we show that the temperature-sensitive lesion in 2S142 does affect the uptake of glucose or alpha-D-methylglucopyranoside (alpha DMG) at 42 degrees C. However, restoration of glucose or alpha DMG uptake by the insertion of a constitutive galactose permease gene or further restriction of glucose uptake by insertion of a ptsG mutation into 2S142 have no effect on rRNA synthesis at 42 degrees C (although ppGpp levels are lowered in both cases). Furthermore, while restriction of uptake at 42 degrees C varies widely from carbon source to carbon source, severe restriction of rRNA synthesis is observed on all carbon sources tested at 42 degrees C. Levels of glycolytic intermediates, adenylate energy charge, ATP levels, and cAMP levels are all unaffected at the restrictive temperature. GTP levels decrease at 42 degrees C in glucose grown cells but that also does not appear to be related to the decrease in rRNA synthesis. These data were interpreted to suggest that the restriction of stable RNA synthesis in 2S142 at 42 degrees C can not be explained on the basis of decreased uptake and/or metabolism of carbon source. "Phantom spot" levels do decrease in 2S142 at 42 degrees C. In fact, "phantom spot" is the only putative regulatory molecule which correlates with restriction of rRNA synthesis on all carbon sources tested.     

Uptake of adenosine 5'-monophosphate by Escherichia coli.

Adenosine 5'-monophosphate is dephosphorylated before its uptake by cells of Escherichia coli. This is demonstrated by using a radioactive double-labeled culture, and with a 5'-nucleotidase-deficient, mutant strain. The adenosine formed is further phosphorolyzed to adenine as a prerequisite for its uptake and incorporation. The cellular localization of the enzymes involved in the catabolism of adenosine 5'-monophosphate is discussed.     

Metabolism of exogenous uridine 5'-triphosphate,adenosine 5'-triphosphate and pyrophosphate by alkylsulfatase-producing bacteria

• 1.1. The uptake and metabolism of β-P³²-labelled UTP, ATP and uniformly labelled PPi was studied using bacteria washed twice with and immediately resuspended in a medium containing 0.031 M PO³⁻₄.
• 2.2. Under these conditions, little P³²-labelled PO³⁻₄ was detected extracellularly when the cells were exposed for 2–5 min to 5 × 10⁻⁵ M concentrations of the above effectors.
• 3.3. Cells of both Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas C₁₂B incorporated the P³²-label from all effectors under the above conditions.