Carbon metabolism regulates expression of the pfl (pyruvate formate-lyase) gene in Escherichia coli

Abstract

The anaerobic expression of pfl is reduced both in a strain mutated in the pgi gene and in a pfkA pfkB double mutant strain when cells are grown in medium supplemented with glucose. When cells are grown in medium supplemented with either fructose or pyruvate, no reduction is observed in these strains. The amount of pyruvate in the cells may be responsible for the reduced expression of pfl in the strains mutated in the genes encoding the glycolytic enzymes. Because of the lowered oxygen concentration in the medium, the expression of pfl is induced when an exponentially growing culture enters the stationary phase. This induction is increased when the Casamino Acid concentration is raised 10-fold or when the medium is supplemented with NaCl. Superhelicity of DNA is decreased in a pgi mutant strain grown in medium supplemented with glucose. The superhelicity is also changed, but the opposite way, in a wild-type strain grown in medium supplemented with Casamino Acids at a high concentration or 0.3 M sodium chloride. Our data show that changes in superhelicity do not affect the aerobic expression of pfl but might be important for the anaerobic induction of pfl.