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J Bacteriol. 1968 August; 96(2): 322-329
Copyright © 1968 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Regulation of Arginine and Proline Catabolism in Bacillus licheniformis

^a Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455

ABSTRACT

The enzymes in the arginine breakdown pathway (arginase, ornithine--transaminase, and '-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase) were found to be present in Bacillus licheniformis cells during exponential growth on glutamate. These enzymes could be coincidentally induced by arginine or ornithine to a very high level and their synthesis could be repressed by the addition of glucose, clearly demonstrating catabolite repression control of the arginine degradative pathway. The strongest catabolite repression control of arginase occurred when cells were grown on glucose and this control decreased when cells were grown on glycerol, acetate, pyruvate, or glutamate. The proline catabolite pathway was present in B. licheniformis during exponential growth on glutamate. The proline oxidation and the '-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase in this breakdown pathway were induced by L-proline to a high level. The '-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase was found to be under catabolite repression control. Arginase could be induced by proline and arginine addition induced proline oxidation, suggesting a common in vivo inducer for these convergent pathways.

¹ Present address: Department of Biochemistry, University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.