KINETICS OF THREONINE DEAMINASE OF ESCHERICHIA COLI K-12 AND A STREPTOMYCIN-DEPENDENT MUTANT

Abstract

The relation between threonine deaminase activity and threonine concentration in sonic extracts of wild-type and streptomycin-dependent Escherichia coli K-12 was found to follow a hyperbolic curve. A similar relationship was obtained between enzyme activity and pyridoxal concentration. However, when serine was used as substrate, the activity–concentration curve was sigmoid, suggesting that serine may be a weaker effector of allosteric transition than threonine. The kinetic properties of the (derepressed) threonine deaminase of streptomycin-dependent E. coli K-12 were found to be similar to those of the enzyme of the wild-type K-12.It is postulated that derepression of threonine deaminase in streptomycin-dependent E. coli K-12 provides a selective advantage which permits exponential growth of this mutant in the presence of L-valine, which is an excretory product of streptomycin-dependent microorganisms.