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Escherichia coli cis- and trans-acting mutations that increaseglyA gene expression

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Abstract

We used anEscherichia coli strain blocked in serine biosynthesis and carrying a partialglyA deletion to isolate strains with altered regulation of theglyA gene. TheglyA deletion results in 25% of the normal serine hydroxymethyltransferase activity. Three classes of mutants with increasedglyA expression were isolated on glycine supplemented plates. One class of mutations increasedglyA expression 10-fold by directly altering the – 35 consensus sequence of theglyA promoter. The two other classes increasedglyA expression about 2- and 6-fold, respectively. The latter two classes of mutations also affected regulation of themetE gene of the folate branch of the methionine pathway, but notmetA in the nonfolate branch of the methionine pathway, or thegcv operon, encoding the glycine cleavage enzyme system. The mutations were mapped to about minute 85.5 on theE. coli chromosome.

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Author notes

  1. Michael D. Plamann

    Present address: Department. of Biology, Texas A and M University, 77802, College Station, TX, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, University of Iowa, 52242, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

    Eva Lorenz, Michael D. Plamann & George V. Stauffer

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  1. Eva Lorenz
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  2. Michael D. Plamann
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  3. George V. Stauffer
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Communicated by J. W. Lengeler

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Lorenz, E., Plamann, M.D. & Stauffer, G.V. Escherichia coli cis- and trans-acting mutations that increaseglyA gene expression. Molec. Gen. Genet. 250, 81–88 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02191827

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02191827

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