Interactions in vivo between IIIGlc of the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system and the glycerol and maltose uptake systems of Salmonella typhimurium.

Abstract

Our previous studies indicated that the ability of phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS) substrates to inhibit the uptake of glycerol or maltose in Salmonella typhimurium is dependent on the relative cellular content of the PTS-sensitive uptake system and of the PTS protein IIIGlc. Our present study confirms and extends those observations. The maltose and glycerol uptake systems are rendered (wholly or partially) insensitive to PTS inhibition by the presence of a second PTS-sensitive uptake system (respectively that for glycerol or maltose) and its substrate. Both the second PTS-sensitive uptake system and its substrate were needed for this protective effect. Galactose and the galactose permease (a PTS-insensitive transport system) did not have any effect on PTS-mediated inhibition of the maltose uptake system. The protective effect of the second PTS-sensitive uptake system and its substrate is counteracted by increasing the cellular levels of IIIGlc. Overproduction of IIIGlc in crr-plasmid-containing strains renders the glycerol and maltose uptake systems hypersensitive to inhibition by PTS substrates. We interpret our results on the basis of a stoichiometric interaction between IIIGlc and a PTS-sensitive uptake system, in which the IIIGlc--transport-system complex is inactive. Competition between two PTS-sensitive transport systems for formation of inactive complex with IIIGlc lowers the free intracellular concentration of IIIGlc resulting in a mutual protective effect against inhibition by IIIGlc.