Threonine Deaminase Activity Research Articles

The σB-dependent regulatory sRNA Rli47 represses isoleucine biosynthesis in Listeria monocytogenes through a direct interaction with the ilvA transcript

ABSTRACT The facultative intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes can persist and grow in a diverse range of environmental conditions, both outside and within its mammalian host. The alternative sigma factor Sigma B (σB) plays an important role in this adaptability and is critical for the transition into the host. While some of the functions of the σB regulon in facilitating this transition are understood the role of σB-dependent small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) remain poorly characterized. In this study, we focused on elucidating the function of Rli47, a σB-dependent sRNA that is highly induced in the intestine and in macrophages. Using a combination of in silico and in vivo approaches, a binding interaction was predicted with the Shine-Dalgarno region of the ilvA mRNA, which encodes threonine deaminase, an enzyme required for branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis. Both ilvA transcript levels and threonine deaminase activity were increased in a deletion mutant lacking the rli47 gene. The Δrli47 mutant displayed a shorter growth lag in isoleucine-depleted growth media relative to the wild-type, and a similar phenotype was also observed in a mutant lacking σB. The impact of the Δrli47 on the global transcription profile of the cell was investigated using RNA-seq, and a significant role for Rli47 in modulating amino acid metabolism was uncovered. Taken together, the data point to a model where Rli47 is responsible for specifically repressing isoleucine biosynthesis as a way to restrict growth under harsh conditions, potentially contributing to the survival of L. monocytogenes in niches both outside and within the mammalian host.

Role of D-cysteine desulfhydrase in the adaptation of Escherichia coli to D-cysteine.

D-cysteine, a powerful inhibitor of Escherichia coli growth, is decomposed in vitro into pyruvate, H2S, and NH3 by D-cysteine desulfhydrase. To assess the role of this reaction in the adaptation of the bacterium to growth on D-cysteine, the gene of the desulfhydrase was cloned. It corresponds to the open reading frame yedO at 43.03 min on the genetic map of E. coli. The amino acid sequence deduced from this gene is homologous to those of several 1-aminocyclopropane-carboxylate deaminases. However, the E. coli desulfhydrase does not use 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate as substrate. Various mutants in which the yedO gene was inactivated or overexpressed were constructed. They exhibited hypersensitivity or resistance, respectively, to the presence of d-cysteine in the culture medium. Growth protection against D-cysteine in minimal medium was conferred by the simultaneous addition of isoleucine, leucine, and valine. In agreement with this behavior, D-cysteine inhibited the activity of threonine deaminase, a key enzyme of the isoleucine, leucine, and valine pathway. Finally, in the presence of the intact yedO gene, E. coli growth was improved by addition of D-cysteine as the sole sulfur source. In agreement with a role of the desulfhydrase in sulfur metabolism, yedO expression was induced under conditions of sulfate limitation.

Regulation of aspartate-derived amino-acid metabolism in Zygosaccharomyces rouxii compared to Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

To elucidate the growth inhibitory effect of threonine, the regulation of the aspartate-derived amino-acid metabolism in Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, an important yeast for the flavor development in soy sauce, was investigated. It was shown that threonine inhibited the growth of Z. rouxii by blocking the methionine synthesis. It seemed that threonine blocked this synthesis by inhibiting the conversion of aspartate. In addition, it was shown that the growth of Z. rouxii, unlike that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was not inhibited by the herbicide sulfometuron methyl (SMM). From enzyme assays, it was concluded that the acetohydroxy acid synthase in Z. rouxii, unlike that in S. cerevisiae, was not sensitive to SMM. Furthermore, the enzyme assays demonstrated that the activity of threonine deaminase in Z. rouxii, like in S. cerevisiae, was strongly inhibited by isoleucine and stimulated by valine. From this work, it is clear that the aspartate-derived amino-acid metabolism in Z. rouxii only partly resembles that in S. cerevisiae.

Branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis in Salmonella typhimurium: a quantitative analysis.

We report here the first quantitative study of the branched-chain amino acid biosynthetic pathway in Salmonella typhimurium LT2. The intracellular levels of the enzymes of the pathway and of the 2-keto acid intermediates were determined under various physiological conditions and used for estimation of several of the fluxes in the cells. The results led to a revision of previous ideas concerning the way in which multiple acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS) isozymes contribute to the fitness of enterobacteria. In wild-type LT2, AHAS isozyme I provides most of the flux to valine, leucine, and pantothenate, while isozyme II provides most of the flux to isoleucine. With acetate as a carbon source, a strain expressing AHAS II only is limited in growth because of the low enzyme activity in the presence of elevated levels of the inhibitor glyoxylate. A strain with AHAS I only is limited during growth on glucose by the low tendency of this enzyme to utilize 2-ketobutyrate as a substrate; isoleucine limitation then leads to elevated threonine deaminase activity and an increased 2-ketobutyrate/2-ketoisovalerate ratio, which in turn interferes with the synthesis of coenzyme A and methionine. The regulation of threonine deaminase is also crucial in this regard. It is conceivable that, because of fundamental limitations on the specificity of enzymes, no single AHAS could possibly be adequate for the varied conditions that enterobacteria successfully encounter.

An efficient approach to identify ilvA mutations reveals an amino-terminal catalytic domain in biosynthetic threonine deaminase from Escherichia coli.

High-level expression of the regulatory enzyme threonine deaminase in Escherichia coli strains grown on minimal medium that are deficient in the activities of enzymes needed for branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis result in growth inhibition, possibly because of the accumulation of toxic levels of alpha-ketobutyrate, the product of the committed step in isoleucine biosynthesis. This condition affords a means for selecting genetic variants of threonine deaminase that are deficient in catalysis by suppression of growth inhibition. Strains harboring mutations in ilvA that decreased the catalytic activity of threonine deaminase were found to grow more rapidly than isogenic strains containing wild-type ilvA. Modification of the ilvA gene to introduce additional unique, evenly spaced restriction enzyme sites facilitated the identification of suppressor mutations by enabling small DNA fragments to be subcloned for sequencing. The 10 mutations identified in ilvA code for enzymes with significantly reduced activity relative to that of wild-type threonine deaminase. Values for their specific activities range from 40% of that displayed by wild-type enzyme to complete inactivation as evidenced by failure to complement an ilvA deletion strain to isoleucine prototrophy. Moreover, some mutant enzymes showed altered allosteric properties with respect to valine activation and isoleucine inhibition. The location of the 10 mutations in the 5' two-thirds of the ilvA gene is consistent with suggestions that threonine deaminase is organized functionally with an amino-terminal domain that is involved in catalysis and a carboxy-terminal domain that is important for regulation.

Cloning, expression, purification, and characterization of biosynthetic threonine deaminase from Escherichia coli.

Feedback inhibition of the regulatory enzyme threonine deaminase by isoleucine provides an important level of enzymic control over branched chain amino acid biosynthesis in Escherichia coli. Cloning ilvA, the structural gene for threonine deaminase, under control of the trc promoter results in expression of active enzyme upon induction by isopropyl 1-thio-beta-D-galactoside to levels of approximately 20% of the soluble protein in cell extracts. High level expression of threonine deaminase has facilitated the development of a rapid and efficient protocol for the purification of gram quantities of enzyme with a specific activity 3-fold greater than previous preparations. The catalytic activity of threonine deaminase is absolutely dependent on the presence of pyridoxal phosphate, and the tetrameric molecule is isolated containing 1 mol of cofactor/56,000-Da chain. Wild-type threonine deaminase demonstrates a sigmoidal dependence of initial velocity on threonine concentration in the absence of isoleucine, consistent with a substrate-promoted conversion of the enzyme from a low activity to a high activity conformation. The enzymic dehydration of threonine to alpha-ketobutyrate measured by steady-state kinetics, performed at 20 degrees C in 0.05 M potassium phosphate, pH 7.5, is described by a Hill coefficient, nH, of 2.3 and a K0.5 of 8.0 mM. The negative allosteric effector L-isoleucine strongly inhibits the enzyme, yielding a value for nH of 3.9 and K0.5 of 74 mM whereas enzyme activity is greatly increased by L-valine, which yields nearly hyperbolic kinetics characterized by a value for nH of 1.0 and a K0.5 of 5.7 mM. Thus, these effectors promote dramatic and opposing effects on the transition from the low activity to the high activity conformation of the tetrameric enzyme.

Regulation of cell proliferation and morphogenesis by amino acids inBrassica tissue cultures and its correlation with threonine deaminase

The effect of amino acids has been investigated with respect to the capacity ofBrassica cultures to undergo proliferation and differentiation. Hormone medium without any amino acid resulted in 6% shoot formation. Addition of optimal concentrations of L-leucine and L-isoleucine enhanced shoot formation upto 30% and 60%, respectively. L-methionine, L-threonine and pyruvic acid supported only proliferation but no differentiation. Amino acids had a marked effect on the activity of enzyme threonine deaminase (TD), bothin vivo andin vitro. TD in proliferating callus cultures was 3-fold higher than in differentiating cultures. Amino acids which induced cell proliferation increased TD while those which supported differentiation repressed it. Amino acids which did not alter TD activity had no effect on morphogenesis. The results suggest that amino acids play a regulatory role inBrassica morphogenesis which can be correlated with the activity of threonine deaminase.

Translational coupling between the ilvD and ilvA genes of Escherichia coli.

The hypothesis that translation of the ilvD and ilvA genes of Escherichia coli may be linked has been examined in strains in which lacZ-ilvD protein fusions are translated in all three reading frames with respect to ilvD. In these strains, the nucleotide sequence was altered to obtain premature termination of ilvD translation, and in one strain translation termination of ilvD DNA occurred two bases downstream of the ilvA initiation codon. In the wild-type strain, the ilvD translation termination site was located two bases upstream of the ilvA start codon. In each of the mutant strains, expression of ilvA, as determined by the level of threonine deaminase activity, was strikingly lower than in the wild-type strain. The data suggest that expression of ilvD and ilvA is translationally coupled. By inserting a promoterless cat gene downstream of ilvA, it was shown that the differences in enzyme activity were not the result of differences in the amount of ilvA mRNA produced.

Regulation of isoleucine-valine biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The threonine deaminase gene (ILV1) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been designated "multifunctional" since Bollon (1974) indicated its involvement both in the catalysis of the first step in isoleucine biosynthesis and in the regulation of the isoleucine-valine pathway. Its role in regulation is characterized by a decrease in the activity of the five isoleucine-valine enzymes when cells are grown in the presence of the three branched-chain amino acids, isoleucine, valine and leucine (multivalent repression). We have demonstrated that the regulation of AHA reductoisomerase (encoded by ILV5) and branched-chain amino acid transaminase is unaffected by the deletion of ILV1, subsequently revealing that the two enzymes can be regulated in the absence of threonine deaminase. Both threonine deaminase activity and ILV1 mRNA levels increase in mutants (gcd2 and gcd3) having constitutively depressed levels of enzymes under the general control of amino acid biosynthesis, as well as in response to starvation for tryptophan and branched-chain amino acid imbalance. Thus, the ILV1 gene is under general amino acid control, as is the case for both the ILV5 and the transaminase gene. Multivalent repression of reductoisomerase and transaminase can be observed in mutants defective in general control (gcn and gcd), whereas this is not the case for threonine deaminase. Our analysis suggests that repression effected by general control is not complete in minimal medium. Amino acid dependent regulation of threonine deaminase is only through general control, while the branched-chain amino acid repression of AHA reducto isomerase and the transaminase is caused both by general control and an amino acid-specific regulation.

Caractérisation de l'activité [formula omitted] désaminasique du foie de cobaye induite par un régime hyperprotidique.

In a foregoing paper, we demonstrated that under equilibrated diet conditions, guinea pig liver l- threonine deaminase activity should be allocated to twodistinct enzymes: a specific l- threonine deaminase without activity toward l- serine and a l- serine deaminase having a secondary activity toward l- threonine . In the present work, we observed that a high protidic diet caused an elevation of total threonine deaminase activity. Thus purification of guinea pig liver l- threonine deaminase was attempted, using ultracentrifugation, salt precipitation, heat treatment, ion exchange chromatography on DEAE Sephacel, Sephadex G 200 molecular sieve, 2 amino-2 methyl-1 propanol linked CH 4B Sepharose chromatography. The weak variations of the ratios of specific activities respectively toward l- threonine and l- serine observed at each stage of the purification procedure indicated that both activities are very likely supported by a single enzyme preexisting in the liver of guinea pigs fed an equilibrated diet. No isoenzyme was evidenced by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis or DEAE Sephacel chromatography. Moreover, our purification procedure demonstrated that not only inducible l- threonine deaminase guinea pig liver activity was due to l -serine deaminase, but also that an initially existing specific l- threonine deaminase activity paradoxically disappeared with a protein rich diet.

Metabolic basis for the isoleucine, pantothenate or methionine requirement of ilvG strains of Salmonella typhimurium.

Salmonella typhimurium strain DU501, which was found to be deficient in acetohydroxy acid synthase II (AHAS II) and to possess elevated levels of transaminase B and biosynthetic threonine deaminase, required isoleucine, methionine, or pantothenate for growth. This strain accumulated alpha-ketobutyrate and, to a lesser extent, alpha-aminobutyrate. We found that alpha-ketobutyrate was a competitive substrate for ketopantoate hydroxymethyltransferase, the first enzyme in pantothenate biosynthesis. This competition with the normal substrate, alpha-ketoisovalerate, limited the supply of pantothenate, which resulted in a requirement for methionine. Evidence is presented to support the conclusion that the ambivalent requirement for either pantothenate or methionine is related to a decrease in succinyl coenzyme A, which is produced from pantothenate and which is an obligatory precursor of methionine biosynthesis. The autointoxification by endogenously produced alpha-ketobutyrate could be mimicked in wild-type S. typhimurium by exogenously supplied alpha-ketobutyrate or salicylate, a known inhibitor of pantothenate biosynthesis. The accumulation of alpha-ketobutyrate was initiated by the inability of the residual AHAS activity provided by AHAS I to efficiently remove the alpha-ketobutyrate produced by biosynthetic threonine deaminase. The accumulation of alpha-ketobutyrate was amplified by the action of transaminase B, which decreased the isoleucine pool by catalyzing the formation of alpha-keto-beta-methylvalerate and aminobutyrate from isoleucine and alpha-ketobutyrate; this resulted in release of threonine deaminase from end product inhibition and unbridled production of alpha-ketobutyrate. Isoleucine satisfied the auxotrophic requirement of the AHAS II-deficient strain by curtailing the activity of threonine deaminase. Additional lines of evidence based on genetic and physiological experiments are presented to support the basis for the autointoxification of strain DU501 as well as other nonpolarigenic ilvG mutant strains.

Trypanosomatidae: Isoleucine requirement and threonine deaminase in species with and without endosymbionts

Among the trypanosomatid protozoa ( Crithidia fasciculata, Crithidia oncopelti, C. oncopelti aposymbiotic, Crithidia acanthocephali, Crithidia deanei, C. deanei aposymbiotic, Blastocrithidia culicis, B. culicis aposymbiotic, Leptomonas seymouri, Leptomonas collosoma, Herpetomonas samuelpessoai, Herpetomonas megaseliae, Herpetomonas muscarum muscarum, Herpetomonas mariadeanei, Phytomonas davidi, Endotrypanum schaudinni, Leishmania mexicana amazonensis, and Trypanosoma cruzi), biosynthetic threonine deaminase ( l-threonine hydro-lyase (deaminating) EC 4.2.1.16) was found exclusively in species harboring symbionts: C. oncopelti, C. deanei, and B. culicis but not in other species examined nor in symbiont-free strains of symbiont-harboring species. By cell fractionation of C. deanei, a symbiont-rich subcellular fraction was isolated in which the specific activity of threonine deaminase was 10 times higher than that of crude homogenates. These results indicate that, in trypanosomatids, only species harboring a symbiont are capable of isoleucine synthesis and that threonine deaminase, the first enzyme of the isoleucine biosynthetic pathway, actually belongs to the symbiont. Species with symbionts do not require for growth either isoleucine or the metabolically related valine and leucine.

Involvement of cyclic AMP and its receptor protein in the sensitivity of Escherichia coli K 12 toward serine

A relationship between serine-induced growth sensitivity and the cAMP-CAP complex is established. Mutants of Escherichia coli K 12 deficient either in the cya or crp gene function exhibit a resistant phenotype on serine media although they harbor a relA allele normally leading to sensitivity toward serine. The presence of a crp allele in a cya delta relA background restores the sensitivity phenotype, while the analysis of serine resistant mutants selected from a crp cya delta relA strain shows that the mutation leading to resistance is located at, or very near, the crp gene, giving a more or less Crp- phenotype. In addition crp cya delta relA strains excrete large quantities of 2-ketobutyrate when grown on glucose M63 medium. This excretion is unambiguously linked to the presence of the crp allele and is correlated with an enhanced threonine deaminase activity. Besides, the complex regulation exerted on the acetolactate synthase activities is discussed.

Mutants in the biosynthesis of isoleucine in a non-mating, non-sporulating brewing strain of Saccharomyces carlsbergensis

Mutants resistant to 2-amino-3-(methylthio)butanoic acid (thiaisoleucine) were selected from a non-mating, nonsporulating brewing strain of Saccharomyces carlsbergensis after treatment with N-methyl-N'-nitro-Nnitrosoguanidine. One closer studied mutant, C77-T70 had a threonine deaminase activity which was less sensitive to L-isoleucine than that of the parent strain. The inhibition with varying concentrations of L-isoleucine showed that part of the activity was as sensitive as that of the parent strain, suggesting that the mutant is heterozygous for a dominant change in the structural gene for threonine deaminase. Of twelve mutants selected on 25 mM-thiaisoleucine all are believed to have undergone a change similar to that of C77-T70, since their threonine deaminase activity was partly resistant to 1 mM-L-isoleucine like that of C77-T70. Four such mutants were compared to the parent strain for the production of fusel alcohols during aerobic growth in minimal medium. The synthesis of 2-methyl- 1 -butanol (D-amyl alcohol) was 2-5 times higher in the mutants than in the parent strain, while the syntheses in the mutants of 3-methyl-l-butanol (isoamyl alcohol) and 2-methyl-lpropanol (isobutanol) were similar or slightly reduced compared to the level found in the parent strain.

Inhibition of Bacillus subtilis growth and sporulation by threonine.

A 1-mg/ml amount of threonine (8.4 mM) inhibited growth and sporulation of Bacillus subtilis 168. Inhibition of sporulation was efficiently reversed by valine and less efficiently by pyruvate, arginine, glutamine, and isoleucine. Inhibition of vegetative growth was reversed by asparate and glutamate as well as by valine, arginine, or glutamine. Cells in minimal growth medium were inhibited only transiently by very high concentrations of threonine, whereas inhibition of sporulation was permanent. Addition of threonine prevented the normal increase in alkaline phosphatase and reduced the production of extracellular protease by about 50%, suggesting that threonine blocked the sporulation process relatively early. 2-Ketobutyrate was able to mimic the effect of threonine on sporulation. Sporulation in a strain selected for resistance to azaleucine was partially resistant. Seventy-five percent of the mutants selected for the ability to grow vegetatively in the presence of high threonine concentrations were found to be simultaneously isoleucine auxotrophs. In at least one of these mutants, the threonine resistance phenotpye could not be dissociated from the isoleucine requirement by transformation. This mutation was closely linked to a known ilvA mutation (recombination index, 0.16). This strain also had reduced intracellular threonine deaminase activity. These results suggest that threonine inhibits B. subtilis by causing valine starvation.

Dual autogenous regulatory role of threonine deaminase in Escherichia coli K-12

We describe the regulatory properties of two strains carrying either the ilvA624 or the ilvA625 mutations, located in the structural gene for threonine deaminase. Crude extracts of both these strains possess a threonine deaminase activity migrating on polyacrylamide gels, differently from the wild type enzyme. Growth studies demonstrate that these mutations do not cause a limitation of isoleucine biosynthesis, suggesting normal catalytic activity of deaminase. A regulatory consequence of the ilvA624 allele is a derepression of the isoleucine-valine biosynthetic enzymes, which is recessive to an ilvA+ allele. The ilvA625 mutation causes a derepression which is dominant in an ilvA625/ILVA+ diploid. We interpret these data assuming that threonine deaminase, previously shown to be an autogenous regulator of the ilv genes, lacks a repressor function in the ilvA624 mutant, while in the ilvA625 mutant it is a better activator than wild type threonine deaminase. The data are discussed in terms of a model requiring that threonine deaminase, or a precursor of it, is in equilibrium between two forms, one being an activator of gene expression and the other being a repressor.

The effect of epsilon-aminocaproic acid on biochemical changes in the development of the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum.

epsilon-Aminocaproic acid (EACA) inhibited the development of Dictyostelium discoideum strain AX2 after the aggregation stage. Biochemical changes that occurred early in development (loss of cellular protein, RNA and carbohydrate; increase in the specific activity of N-acetylglucosaminidase, alpha-mannosidase, threonine deaminase and leucine aminopeptidase) were not affected by concentrations of EACA which blocked development; but biochemical changes that occurred later (synthesis of carbohydrate, increase in the specific activity of UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase) were inhibited. Spores from fruiting bodies formed in the presence of low concentrations of EACA were larger, more spherical and less able to survive heat treatment than spores from fruiting bodies of control (no EACA) cells.

Threonine deaminase from a nonsense mutant of Escherichia coli requiring isoleucine or pyridoxine: evidence for half-of-the-sites reactivity.

The mutant IP7 of Escherichia coli B requires isoleucine or pyridoxine for growth as a consequence of a mutation in the gene coding for biosynthetic threonine deaminase. The mutation of IP7 was shown to be of the nonsense type by the following data: (1) reversion to isoleucine prototrophy involves the formation of external suppression at a high frequency, as shown by transduction experiments; and (ii) the isoleucine requirement is suppressed by lysogenization with a phage carrying the amber suppressor su-3. Cell extracts of the mutant strain contain a low activity of threonine deaminase. The possibility that this activity is biodegradative was ruled out by kinetic experiments. The mutant threonine deaminase was purified to homogeneity by conventional procedures. The enzyme is a dimer of identical subunits of an approximate molecular weight of 43,000 (Grimminger and Feldner, 1974), whereas the wild-type enzyme is a tetramer of 50,000-dalton subunits (Calhoun et al., 1973; Grimminger et al., 1973). The mutant enzyme is not inhibited by isoleucine and does not bind isoleucine, as shown by equilibrium dialysis experiments. Pyridoxal phosphate enhances the maximum catalytic activity of the mutant enzyme by a factor of five, whereas the wild-type enzyme is not affected. In wild-type and mutant threonine deaminase the ratio of protein subunits and bound pyridoxal phosphate is 2:1. The activation of threonine deaminase from strain IP7 is due to a second coenzyme binding site, as shown by (i) spectrophotometric titration of the enzyme with pyridoxal phosphate and by (ii) measurement the pyridoxal phosphate content of the enzyme after sodium borohydride reduction of the protein. The observation of one pyridoxal phosphate binding site per peptide dimer in the wild-type enzyme and of two binding sites per dimer in the mutant strongly suggests that one of the potential sites in the wild-type enzyme is masked by allosteric effects. The factors responsible for the half-of-the-sites reactivity of the coenzyme sites appear to be nonoperative in the mutant protein.

Threonine deaminase from Salmonella typhimurium. Relationship between regulatory sites.

Kinetic analysis of the biosynthetic threonine deaminase, EC 4.2.1.16, from Samonella typhimurium yields hyperbolic substrate saturation curves in the absence of, and higher order substrate saturation curves in the presence of, L-isoleucine. L-Valine reverses this effect of L-isoleucine by restoring the hyperbolic substrate saturation curves. The inhibition of enzyme activity and the reversal of valine stimulation is a function of a second order concentration of L-isoleucine, whereas antagonism of inhibition is a function of first order concentration of valine. The antagonistic effects on enzyme activity of L-isoleucine and of L-valine appear as competitive in diagnostic plots. Threonine deaminase possesses two L-isoleucine binding sites (Kd equals 3.6 muM) and one L-valine binding site (Kd equals 26 muM); the binding of these ligands appear competitive. Exclusion of L-valine requires the binding of 2 molecules of L-isoleucine whereas binding of a single L-valine molecule prevents the binding of 2 L-isoleucine molecules. Cooperative binding of L-isoleucine is not observed under any of the conditions tested. Two cases, expressed in terms of modified Adair equations and based upon the assumption that L-threonine also serves as an activator ligand which binds to the L-valine site, are presented. Case I states that liganding of the activator sites must percede substrate-binding at the active site, and Case II states that the activator site liganding is required solely for reactivation of the L-isoleucine-inhibited enzyme. Analysis of kinetic data by a curve-fitting process suggests that Case II described the relationship between the activator site and the L-isoleucine sites. An enzymatically inactive derivative of threonine deaminase, prepared by reduction with borohydride, binds isoleucine and valine in a manner similar to native holoenzyme. Binding of L-threonine and L-valine to the derivatized enzyme is competitive. The Kd for threonine binding is 3 mM, which is in excellent agreement with the Kd determined by the curve fitting process. It is concluded that the modulation of threonine deaminase activity is wrought by interaction between inhibitor sites and an activator site rather than inhibitor and active sites and that induced transitions rather than concerted transitions more adequately describe the underlying regulatory principle.

Complementation between different mutations in the ilvA gene of Escherichia coli K-12.

An ilvA mutation carried by a ø80i(lambda)dilv transducing phage complemented some ilvA mutations and did not complement others. Complementation was accompanied by appearance of threonine deaminase activity in vivo. These results divided the ilvA mutations into two sets which formerly appeared to define two cistrons.