Induction and Repression of l -Arabinose Isomerase in Salmonella typhimurium

Abstract

As with other inducible enzymes, the induced synthesis of l -arabinose isomerase ( l -arabinose ketol isomerase, EC 5.3.1.4) in Salmonella typhimurium is subject to catabolite repression. Of the three catabolite repressors tested, glucose produces maximum repression. Analogues of catabolite repressors like 2-deoxy- d -glucose and d -fucose also inhibit the synthesis of the enzyme. The catabolite repression is completely reversed in the presence of 1.5 × 10 −3 m cyclic 3′,5′-adenosine monophosphate (AMP). The maximum repression is produced in glucose-grown cells in glucose-containing induction medium. Cyclic 3′,5-AMP reverses this repression provided that the cells are treated with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). In normal cells, cyclic 3′,5′-AMP has no effect on the induction but in EDTA-treated cells the cyclic nucleotide enhances synthesis of the enzyme. The inhibition produced by d -fucose cannot be reversed by cyclic 3′,5′-AMP. d -Fucose competes with the inducer l -arabinose in some step(s) involved in the process of induction.