Catabolite Repression

Although lipases have been intensively studied, some aspects of enzyme production like substrate uptake, catabolite repression, and enzyme stability under long storage periods are seldom discussed in the literature. This work deals with the production of lipase by a new selected strain of Candida lipolytica. Concerning nutrition, it was observed that inorganic nitrogen sources were not as effective as peptone, and that oleic acid or triacylglycerides (TAG) were essential carbon sources. Repression by glucose and stimulation by oleic acid and long chain TAG (triolein and olive oil) were observed. Extracellular lipase activity was only observed at high levels at late stationary phase, whereas intracellular lipase levels were constant and almost undetectable during the cultivation period, suggesting that the produced enzyme was attached to the cell wall, mainly at the beginning of cultivation. The crude lipase produced by this yeast strain shows the following optima conditions: pH 8.0-10.0, temperature of 55~ Moreover, this preparation maintains its full activity for at least 370 d at 5~

A major problem in the study of catabolite repression has been the identification of the lowmolecular-weight repressor(s). It is still not certain whether all sensitive enzymes are repressed by the same compounds, or whether the synthesis of each enzyme is controlled by a specific substance. The latter view is supported by the fact

Aspergillus oryzae is a fungus used extensively in the fermentation industry. We constructed cDNA microarrays comprising 2,070 highly expressed cDNAs selected from the ∼6,000 non-redundant expressed sequence tags (ESTs) in the A. oryzae EST database (http://www.aist.go.jp/RIODB/ffdb/index.html). Using the cDNA microarrays, we analyzed the gene expression profiles of A. oryzae cells grown under the glucose-rich (AC) and glucose-depleted (AN) liquid culture conditions used during the construction of the EST database. The sets of genes identified by the cDNA microarray as highly expressed under each culture condition agreed well with the highly redundant ESTs obtained under the same conditions. In particular, transcription levels of most catabolic genes of the glycolytic pathway (EMP) and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle were higher under AC than AN conditions, suggesting that A. oryzae uses both EMP and TCA for glucose metabolism under AC conditions. We further studied the expression of genes encoding hydrolytic enzymes and enzymes involved in energy catabolism by using three industrial solid-phase biomass media, including wheat-bran. The wheat-bran culture gave the richest gene expression profile of hydrolytic enzymes and the lowest expression levels of catabolic genes (EMP, TCA) among the three media tested. The low expression levels of catabolic genes in the wheat-bran culture may release catabolite repression, consequently leading to the rich expression profiles of the hydrolytic enzymes.

Peroxisome biogenesis and synthesis of peroxisomal enzymes in the methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha are under the strict control of glucose repression. We identified an H. polymorpha glucose catabolite repression gene (HpGCR1) that encodes a hexose transporter homologue. Deficiency in GCR1 leads to a pleiotropic phenotype that includes the constitutive presence of peroxisomes and peroxisomal enzymes in glucose-grown cells. Glucose transport and repression defects in a UV-induced gcr1-2 mutant were found to result from a missense point mutation that substitutes a serine residue (Ser 85 ) with a phenylalanine in the second predicted transmembrane segment of the Gcr1 protein. In addition to glucose, mannose and trehalose fail to repress the peroxisomal enzyme, alcohol oxidase in gcr1-2 cells. A mutant deleted for the GCR1 gene was additionally deficient in fructose repression. Ethanol, sucrose, and maltose continue to repress peroxisomes and peroxisomal enzymes normally and therefore, appear to have GCR1-independent repression mechanisms in H. polymorpha. Among proteins of the hexose transporter family of baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the amino acid sequence of the H. polymorpha Gcr1 protein shares the highest similarity with a core region of Snf3p, a putative high affinity glucose sensor. Certain features of the phenotype exhibited by gcr1 mutants suggest a regulatory role for Gcr1p in a repression pathway, along with involvement in hexose transport.

Previously, a native homoethanol pathway was engineered in Escherichia coli B by deletions of competing pathway genes and anaerobic expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH encoded by aceEF-lpd). The resulting ethanol pathway involves glycolysis, PDH, and alcohol dehydrogenase (AdhE). The E. coli B-derived ethanologenic strain SZ420 was then further improved for ethanol tolerance (up to 40 g l−1 ethanol) through adaptive evolution. However, the resulting ethanol tolerant mutant, SZ470, was still unable to complete fermentation of 75 g l−1 xylose, even though the theoretical maximum ethanol titer would have been less than 40 g l−1 should the fermentation have reached completion. In this study, the cra (encoding for a catabolite repressor activator) and the HSR2 region of rng (encoding for RNase G) were deleted from SZ470 in order to improve xylose fermentation. Deletion of the HSR2 domain resulted in significantly increased mRNA levels (47-fold to 409-fold) of multiple glycolytic ge...

The variability of Kluyveromyces lactis strains in sensitivity to glucose is correlated with genetic differences in Kluyveromyces hexose transporter (KHT) genes. The glucose sensitive strain JA6 was shown to contain an additional gene, KHT2, not found in strains that are less sensitive. KHT2 is tandemly arranged with KHTI which is identical to the low-affinity transporter gene RAGI, except for the Cterminus. Sequence analysis indicated that most of KHT2 had been lost by a recombination event between KHTl and KHT2 generating the chimeric gene RAGI. Recombination between KHTl and KHT2 was also found in mutants of JA6 selected as 2-deoxyglucose resistant colonies. These mutants, like k h f l k h d double mutants were unable to grow on glucose when respiration was blocked (Rag-phenotype) and glucose repression was strongly reduced. khtl or kht2 single mutants of JA6 were Rag' but still an influence of the kht mutations on glucose repression was detectable. Repression was not affected in a Rag-mutant deleted for the phosphoglucose isomerase gene suggesting that the influence of transporter genes on repression is not caused by a reduction of the glycolytic flux. The data rather suggest that sensitivity to glucose repression is dependent on the rate of glucose uptake.

An alkaline lipase from Burkholderia multivorans was produced within 15h of growth in a 14L bioreactor. An overall 12-fold enhanced production (58UmL−1 and 36Umg−1 protein) was achieved after medium optimization following the “one-variable-at-a-time” and the statistical approaches. The optimal composition of the lipase production medium was determined to be (% w/v or v/v): KH2PO4 0.1; K2HPO4 0.3; NH4Cl 0.5; MgSO4·7H2O

Communicated by C.Scazzocchio CREA is the negative regulator mediating carbon catabolism repression in Aspergillus nidulans. We have determined all the sites in the DNA region between the prnD and prnB genes of the proline degradation cluster of this organism which are able to bind a fusion protein containing the zinc finger domain of CREA. The consensus sequence derived for CREA binding is 5'-SYGGRG-3', but not all possible sites derived from this consensus do in fact bind. The binding of at least some sequences of the form 5'-SYGGAG-3' is context dependent. Two different and divergent sites, separated by one base pair (5'-GCGGAGACCCCAG-3'), contain the previously sequenced derepressed mutations and are essential for carbon catabolite repression in vivo. We have studied the binding of CREA to the region by DNase I and methylation protection, and by methylation and depurination interference. We propose that this pair of sites is the physiological, cis-acting element responsible for the carbon catabolite repression ofprnB transcription.

The influence of carbon and nitrogen sources on the production of cellulases was investigated. The enzyme production was variable according to the carbon source. Levels of b-cellobiohydrolase (CBH) were minimal in the presence of even low concentrations of glucose. Enzyme production was stimulated by other carbohydrates. The enzyme is subject to carbon source control by easily metabolizable sugars. Wheat bran and cellulose were the most effective promoters of b-cellobiohydrolase and filter paperase (FPase) activities respectively, followed by rice bran. Exogenously supplied glucose inhibited the synthesis of the enzyme in cultures of A. niger growing on wheat bran. In defined medium with cellobiose, the cellobiohydrolase titres were 2-to 110-fold higher with cells growing on monomeric sugars and 1.5 times higher than cells growing on other disaccharides. It appeared that synthesis of b-cellobiohydrolase varied under an induction mechanism, and a repression mechanism which changed the rate of synthesis of b-cellobiohydrolase and FPase in induced over non-induced cultures. In this organism, substantial synthesis of b-cellobiohydrolase can be induced by cellobiose, cellodextrin, cellulose or cellulose and hemi-cellulose containing substrates which showed low volumetric substrate uptake rate. The organism required limiting concentration of carbon, nitrogen or phosphorous for production of b-cellobiohydrolase and FPase. During growth of A. niger on wheat bran, maximum volumetric productivities (Q p) of b-cellobiohydrolase and FPase were 39.6 and 32.5 IU/l h and were significantly higher than the values reported for some other potent fungi and bacteria. The addition of actinomycin D (a repressor of transcription) and cycloheximide, (a repressor of translation) completely repressed CBH/FPase biosynthesis, suggested that the regulation of CBH synthesis in this organism occurs at both transcriptional and translational level. Thermodynamic studies revealed that the culture exerted protection against thermal inactivation when exposed to different fermentation temperatures.

The effect of glucose and other soluble sugars (xylose, fructose, maltose, cellobiose and lactose) in the production of amylases by Aspergillus tamarii was studied in solid state fermentation (SSF). Wheat bran solid state cultures were resistant to catabolite repression even at high concentration of glucose (10%). Results show the potential of solid state systems to overcome the adverse effects of high sugar concentrations in the media. The ability to prevent catabolite repression appear to be related with the content moisture of solid state systems: less content moisture of cultures means less catabolite repression caused by glucose.

Penicillin-G fermentation with industrial media in 1 m3 stirred tank bioreactors was studied. A model based on the Bajpai-Reuss model structure was developed. Under typical production conditions catabolite repression is nonidentifiable and extensive mycelium differentiation occurs. Thus, the original model was reformulated, neglecting glucose repression of penicillin production and including biomass autolysis. The multi-substrate nature of industrial media was critically analysed. By combining the two most important carbon substrates present, a simple and applicable model was obtained. Model predictions agreed well with experimental data and reproduced the general characteristics observed in the fermentations. The predictive power of the model was tested for fermentations with different sugar feed rate profiles and raw materials (corn-steep liquor and sugar syrup). Several aspects of parameter estimation and model development are discussed on the basis of direct experimental data inspection and a sensitivity analysis of model parameters.

This study reveals by in vivo deuterium labeling that in higher plants chlorophyll (Chl) b is converted to Chl a before degradation. For this purpose, de-greening of excised green primary leaves of barley (Hordeum vulgare) was induced by permanent darkness in the presence of heavy water (80 atom % 2 H). The resulting Chl a catabolite in the plant extract was subjected to chemical degradation by chromic acid. 3-(2-Hydroxyethyl)-4-methylmaleimide, the key fragment that originates from the Chl catabolite, was isolated. High resolution 1 H-, 2 H-NMR and mass spectroscopy unequivocally demonstrates that a fraction of this maleimide fragment consists of a mono-deuterated methyl group. These results suggest that Chl b is converted into Chl a before degradation. Quantification proves that the initial ratio of Chl a:Chl b in the green plant is preserved to about 60-70% in the catabolite composition isolated from yellowing leaves. The incorporation of only one deuterium atom indicates the involvement of two distinguishable redox enzymes during the conversion.

Optically pure D-amino acids, like D-hydroxyphenylglycine, are used in the semi-synthetic production of pharmaceuticals. They are synthesized industrially via the biocatalytic hydrolysis of p-hydroxyphenylhydantoin using enzymes derived from Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains. The reaction proceeds via a three-step pathway: (a) the ring-opening cleavage of the hydantoin ring by a Dhydantoinase (encoded by hyuH), (b) conversion of the resultant D-N-carbamylamino acid to the corresponding amino acid by a D-N-carbamoylase (encoded by hyuC), and (c) chemical or enzymatic racemization of the unreacted hydantoin substrate. While the structure and biochemical properties of these enzymes are well understood, little is known about their origin, their function, and their regulation in the native host. We investigated the mechanisms involved in the regulation of expression of the hydantoinase and N-carbamoylase enzyme activity in A. tumefaciens strain RU-AE01. We present evidence for a complex regulatory network that responds to the growth status of the cells, the presence of inducer, and nitrogen catabolite repression. Deletion analysis and site-directed mutagenesis were used to identify regulatory elements involved in transcriptional regulation of hyuH and hyuC expression. Finally, a comparison between the hyu gene clusters in several Agrobacterium strains provides insight into the function of D-selective hydantoin-hydrolyzing enzyme systems in Agrobacterium species.

A thermophilic Streptomyces sp. capable of degrading various aliphatic polyesters was isolated from a landfill site. The isolate, Streptomyces sp. BCC23167, demonstrated rapid aerobic degradation of several polyesters, including polyhydroxyalkanoate copolymers, poly(ε-caprolactone) and polybutylene succinate at 50 • C and neutral pH. The degrading activity was repressed by glucose and cellobiose, but tolerant to repression by other carbon substrates. Degradation of a commercial poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate] (PHBHx) by Streptomyces sp. BCC23167 progressed from surface to bulk as suggested by the slight decrease in polymer molecular weight. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis of PHBHx film degradation by Streptomyces sp. BCC23167 showed that relative crystallinity of the film increased slightly in the early stage of degradation, followed by a marked decrease later on. The surface morphology of degraded films was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, which showed altered surface structure consistent with the changes in crystallinity. The isolate is thus of potential for application in composting technology for bio-plastic degradation.

Culture medium and conditions were optimized to improve neo-fructooilgosaccharide (neo-FOS) production by Penicillium citrinum using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The central composite designs using RSM were employed in this investigation. The quadratic models for neo-FOS production were obtained. Among culture media, optimal concentration of sucrose and yeast extract were found to be 12.65% and 2.90%, respectively, and predicted maximum value of neo-FOS production was 39.3 g/l. For culture conditions, optimal points of inoculum age (78.5 h), initial pH (7.34) and inoculum size (11.36% (v/v)) were determined and predicted maximum value of neo-FOS production was 40.6 g/l. By performing the culture under optimal culture media and conditions, actual neo-FOS production increased to 107%. It was also suggested that RSM can be used as a potential tool for optimization of factors in fermentation and food industry.

The structural gene for copper- and topa quinone-containing monoamine oxidase (maoA) and an unknown amine oxidase gene have been located at 30.9 min on the Escherichia coli chromosome. Deletion analysis showed that the unknown gene was located within a 1.1-kb cloned fragment adjacent to the maoA gene. The nucleotide sequence of this fragment was determined, and a single open reading frame (maoB) consisting of 903 bp was found. The gene encoded a polypeptide with a predicted molecular mass of 34,619 Da which was correlated with the migration on a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel. The predicted amino acid sequence of the MaoB protein was identical to the NH2-terminal amino acid sequence derived by Edman degradation of the protein synthesized under the self-promoter. No homology of the nucleotide sequence of maoB to the sequences of any reported genes was found. However, the amino acid sequence of MaoB showed a high level of homology with respect to the helix-turn-helix motif ...

Sugars are excellent carbon sources for all yeasts. Since a vast amount of information is available on the components of the pathways of sugar utilization in Saccharomyces cerevisiae it has been tacitly assumed that other yeasts use sugars in the same way. However, although the pathways of sugar utilization follow the same theme in all yeasts, important biochemical and genetic variations on it exist. Basically, in most non-conventional yeasts, in contrast to S. cerevisiae, respiration in the presence of oxygen is prominent for the use of sugars. This review provides comparative information on the different steps of the fundamental pathways of sugar utilization in non-conventional yeasts: glycolysis, fermentation, tricarboxylic acid cycle, pentose phosphate pathway and respiration. We consider also gluconeogenesis and, briefly, catabolite repression. We have centered our attention in the genera Kluyveromyces, Candida, Pichia, Yarrowia and Schizosaccharomyces, although occasional reference to other genera is made. The review shows that basic knowledge is missing on many components of these pathways and also that studies on regulation of critical steps are scarce. Information on these points would be important to generate genetically engineered yeast strains for certain industrial uses.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is able to use a wide variety of nitrogen sources for growth. Not all nitrogen sources support growth equally well. In order to select the best out of a large diversity of available nitrogen sources, the yeast has developed molecular mechanisms. These mechanisms consist of a sensing mechanism and a regulatory mechanism which includes induction of needed systems, and repression of systems that are not beneficial. The first step in use of most nitrogen sources is its uptake via more or less specific permeases. Hence the first level of regulation is encountered at this level. The next step is the degradation of the nitrogen source to useful building blocks via the nitrogen metabolic pathways. These pathways can be divided into routes that lead to the degradation of the nitrogen source to ammonia and glutamate, and routes that lead to the synthesis of nitrogen containing compounds in which glutamate and glutamine are used as nitrogen donor. Glutamine is synthesized out of ammonia and glutamate. The expression of the specific degradation routes is also regulated depending on the availability of a particular nitrogen source. Ammonia plays a central role as intermediate between degradative and biosynthetic pathways. It not only functions as a metabolite in metabolic reactions but is also involved in regulation of metabolic pathways at several levels. This review describes the central role of ammonia in nitrogen metabolism. This role is illustrated at the level of enzyme activity, translation and transcription. ß

The catabolite gene activator protein (CAP) and the fumurate nitrate reductase (FNR) are two founder members of the growing CRP-FNR protein superfamily. The consensus FNR binding site (TTGAT-N4-ATCAA) closely resembles that of CRP to the extent that both contain a common core motif (NTGAN-N4-NTCAN). The transcription factor FNR plays a role in altering gene expression between aerobic and anaerobic conditions but CRP regulators control the response to glucose starvation. Protein DNA interactions occur between the regulatory protein and DNA at the corresponding promoter using the consensus either CRP or FNR binding sites. Successful transcriptional activation generally requires contact between a DNA-bound activator and RNA polymerase in order to generate on effective complex. CRP promoters are grouped into two classes depending on the location of DNA binding site. Class I promoters contains transcription activator binding sites centered near position-61.5,-71,-82 or-92. Class II promoters the regulator proteins bind to a site centered at or near-41.5 so three possible contacts, αCTD-AR1, αNTD-AR2 and δ 70-AR3, occur between regulator and RNA polymerase. FNR and FLP act as a class II activator.

A mathematical model of the lactose (lac) operon was developed to study diauxic growth on glucose and lactose. The model includes catabolite repression, inducer exclusion, lactose hydrolysis to glucose and galactose, and synthesis and degradation of allolactose. Two models for catabolite repression were tested: (i) cyclic AMP (cAMP) synthesis inversely correlated with the external glucose concentration and (ii) synthesis inversely correlated with the glucose transport rate. No significant differences in the two models were observed. In addition to synthesis, degradation and secretion of cAMP were also included in the model. Two models for the phosphorylation of the glucose produced from lactose hydrolysis were also tested: (i) phosphorylation by intracellular hexokinase and (ii) secretion of glucose and subsequent phosphorylation upon transport back into the cell. The latter model resulted in weak catabolite repression when the glucose produced from lactose was transported out of the cell, whereas the former model showed no catabolite repression during growth on lactose. Parameter sensitivity analysis indicates the importance of key parameters to lac operon expression and cell growth: the lactose and allolactose transformation rates by -galactosidase and the glucose concentrations that affect catabolite repression and inducer exclusion. Large values of the allolactose hydrolysis rate resulted in low concentrations of allolactose, low-level expression of the lac operon, and slow growth due to limited import and metabolism of lactose; small values resulted in a high concentration of allolactose, high-level expression of the lac operon, and slow growth due to a limiting concentration of glucose 6-phosphate formed from allolactose. Changes in the rates of all -galactosidase-catalyzed reactions showed similar behavior, but had more drastic effects on the growth rate. Changes in the glucose concentration that inhibited lactose transport could extend or contract the diauxic growth period during growth in the presence of glucose and lactose. Moreover, changes in the glucose concentration that affected catabolite repression affected the cAMP levels and lac operon expression, but had a lesser effect on the growth rate.

Acrylamide, a neurotoxic monomer with extensive industrial applications was found to be degraded by the microorganisms present in a tropical garden soil. A bacterium capable of degrading acrylamide was isolated from this soil by enrichment. It was found to be aerobic, gram-negative, motile, short rod and identified as Pseudomonas sp. The bacterium degraded high concentrations of acrylamide (4 g/l) to acrylic acid and ammonia which were utilized as sole carbon and nitrogen source for growth. An amidase was involved in the hydrolysis of acrylamide, which could act on other short chain amides like formamide and acetamide but not on acrylamide analogues: methacrylamide and N,N-methylene bisacrylamide. The enzyme was sensitive to catabolite repression by succinate both in presence as well as absence of nitrogen source.

In view of rising prices of crude oil due to increasing fuel demands, the need for alternative sources of bioenergy is expected to increase sharply in the coming years. Among potential alternative bioenergy resources, lignocellulosics have been identiWed as the prime source of biofuels and other value-added products. Lignocelluloses as agricultural, industrial and forest residuals account for the majority of the total biomass present in the world. To initiate the production of industrially important products from cellulosic biomass, bioconversion of the cellulosic components into fermentable sugars is necessary. A variety of microorganisms including bacteria and fungi may have the ability to degrade the cellulosic biomass to glucose monomers. Bacterial cellulases exist as discrete multi-enzyme complexes, called cellulosomes that consist of multiple subunits. Cellulolytic enzyme systems from the Wlamentous fungi, especially Trichoderma reesei, contain two exoglucanases or cellobiohydrolases (CBH1 and CBH2), at least four endoglucanases (EG1, EG2, EG3, EG5), and one-glucosidase. These enzymes act synergistically to catalyse the hydrolysis of cellulose. DiVerent physical parameters such as pH, temperature, adsorption, chemical factors like nitrogen, phosphorus, presence of phenolic compounds and other inhibitors can critically inXuence the bioconversion of lignocellulose. The production of cellulases by microbial cells is governed by genetic and biochemical controls including induction, catabolite repression, or end product inhibition. Several eVorts have been made to increase the production of cellulases through strain improvement by mutagenesis. Various physical and chemical methods have been used to develop bacterial and fungal strains producing higher amounts of cellulase, all with limited success. Cellulosic bioconversion is a complex process and requires the synergistic action of the three enzymatic components consisting of endoglucanases, exoglucanases and-glucosidases. The co-cultivation of microbes in fermentation can increase the quantity of the desirable components of the cellulase complex. An understanding of the molecular mechanism leading to biodegradation of lignocelluloses and the development of the bioprocessing potential of cellulolytic microorganisms might eVectively be accomplished with recombinant DNA technology. For instance, cloning and sequencing of the various cellulolytic genes could economize the cellulase production process. Apart from that, metabolic engineering and genomics approaches have great potential for enhancing our understanding of the molecular mechanism of bioconversion of lignocelluloses to value added economically signiWcant products in the future.

Citric acid production from sugar cane molasses byAspergillus niger NIAB 280 was studied in a batch cultivation process. A maximum of 90 g/L total sugar was utilized in citric acid production medium. From the parental strainA. niger, mutant strains showing resistance to 2-deoxyglucose in Vogal's medium containing molasses as a carbon source were induced by γ-irradiation. Among the new series of mutant strains, strain RP7 produced 120 g/L while the parental strain produced 80 g/L citric acid (1.5-fold improvement) from 150 g/L of molasses sugars. The period of citric acid production was shortened from 10 d for the wild-type strain to 6–7 d for the mutant strain. The efficiency of substrate uptake rate with respect to total volume substrate consumption rate,Q s (g per L per h) and specific substrate consumption rate,q s (g substrate per g cells per h) revealed that the mutant grew faster than its parent. This indicated that the selected mutant is insensitive to catabolite repression by higher concentrations of sugars for citric acid production. With respect to the product yield coefficient (Y p/x), volume productivity (Q p) and specific product yields (q p), the mutant strain is significantly (p≤0.05) improved over the parental strain.

The effects of different carbon sources on expression of the styrene catabolism genes in Pseudomonas fluorescens ST were analyzed by using a promoter probe vector, pPR9TT, which contains transcription terminators upstream and downstream of the β-galactosidase reporter system. Expression of the promoter of the stySR operon, which codes for the styrene two-component regulatory system, was found to be constitutive and not subject to catabolite repression. This was confirmed by the results of an analysis of the stySR transcript in P. fluorescens ST cells grown on different carbon sources. The promoter of the operon of the upper pathway, designated P styA , was induced by styrene and repressed to different extents by organic acids or carbohydrates. In particular, cells grown on succinate or lactate in the presence of styrene started to exhibit β-galactosidase activity during the mid-exponential growth phase, before the preferred carbon sources were depleted, indicating that there is a th...

Carbon catabolite repression (CCR) of several Bacillus subtilis catabolic genes is mediated by ATP-dependent phosphorylation of histidine-containing protein (HPr), a phosphocarrier protein of the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP): sugar phosphotransferase system. In this study, we ...

Background: Escherichia coli strains lacking the phosphoenolpyruvate: carbohydrate phosphotransferase system (PTS) are capable of coutilizing glucose and other carbon sources due to the absence of catabolite repression by glucose. In these strains, the lack of this important regulatory and transport system allows the coexistence of glycolytic and gluconeogenic pathways. Strains lacking PTS have been constructed with the goal of canalizing part of the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) not consumed in glucose transport to the aromatic pathway. The deletion of the ptsHIcrr operon inactivates PTS causing poor growth on this sugar; nonetheless, fast growing mutants on glucose have been isolated (PB12 strain). However, there are no reported studies concerning the growth potential of a PTSstrain in mixtures of different carbon sources to enhance the production of aromatics compounds.

In Streptomyces coelicolor, the sco2127 gene is located upstream of the gene encoding for glucose kinase. This region restores sensitivity to carbon catabolite repression (CCR) of Streptomyces peucetius var. caesius mutants, resistant to 2-deoxyglucose (DogR). In order to search for the possible mechanisms behind this effect, sco2127 was overexpressed and purified for protein–protein interaction studies. SCO2127 was detected during the late growth phase of S. coelicolor grown in a complex media supplemented with 100 mM glucose. Pull-down assays using crude extracts from S. coelicolor grown in the same media, followed by far-western blotting, allowed detection of two proteins bound to SCO2127. The proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry as SCO5113 and SCO2582. SCO5113 (BldKB) is a lipoprotein ABC-type permease (∼66 kDa) involved in mycelium differentiation by allowing the transport of the morphogenic oligopeptide Bld261. SCO2582, is a putative membrane metalloendopeptidase (∼44 kDa) of unknown function. In agreement with the possible role of SCO2127 in mycelium differentiation, delayed aerial mycelium septation and sporulation was observed when S. coelicolor A3(2) was grown in the presence of elevated glucose concentrations (100 mM), an effect not seen in a Δ-sco2127 mutant derived from it. We speculate that SCO2127 might represent a key factor in CCR of mycelium differentiation by interacting with BldKB.

The proline utilisation gene cluster of Aspergillus nidulans can be repressed efficiently only when both repressing nitrogen and repressing carbon sources are present. We show that two cis-acting mutations in this cluster permit the efficient transcription of the prnB gene under repressing conditions, resulting in direct or indirect derepression of two other transcripts of the pathway. These mutations are transitions that define a 5'GAGACCCC3' sequence. Similar sequences are found upstream of other genes subject to carbon catabolite repression. We propose that this sequence defines the binding site for the negatively-acting CreA protein, which mediates carbon catabolite repression in this fungus.