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J. Bacteriol., Jul 1997, 4138-4142, Vol 179, No. 13
SJ Park, G Chao and RP Gunsalus
The sucABCD genes of Escherichia coli encode subunits for two enzymes of
the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase
(sucAB) and succinyl coenzyme A synthetase (sucCD). To examine how these
genes are expressed in response to changes in oxygen and carbon
availability, a set of sucA-lacZ, sucC-lacZ, sdhCDAB-sucA- lacZ, and
sdhC-lacZ fusions were constructed and analyzed in vivo. While the
expression of a sucA-lacZ fusion was low under all cell growth conditions
tested, the expression of the sucA gene from the upstream sdhC promoter was
considerably higher and varied by up to 14- fold depending on the carbon
substrate used. Expression of the sdhCDAB- sucA-lacZ fusion varied by
fourfold in response to oxygen. In contrast, no expression was seen from a
sucC-lacZ reporter fusion, indicating that no promoter immediately precedes
the sucCD genes. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that the oxygen
and carbon control of sucABCD gene expression occurs by transcriptional
regulation of the upstream sdhC promoter. The weaker sucA promoter provides
an additional low constitutive level of sucABCD gene expression to
supplement transcription from the sdhC promoter. The negative control of
sucABCD gene expression seen under anaerobic conditions, like that for the
sdhCDAB genes, is provided by the arcA and fnr gene products. These
findings establish that the differential expression of eight genes for
three of the TCA cycle enzymes in E. coli is controlled from one regulatory
element.
Copyright © 1997, American Society for Microbiology
Aerobic regulation of the sucABCD genes of Escherichia coli, which encode alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase and succinyl coenzyme A synthetase: roles of ArcA, Fnr, and the upstream sdhCDAB promoter
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and the Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles 90095, USA.
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