title: carP, a novel gene regulating the transcription of the carbamoylphosphate synthetase operon of Escherichia coli.
abstract: The carAB operon, encoding carbamoylphosphate synthetase (CPSase; EC 6.3.5.5) is transcribed from two tandem promoters. The upstream promoter (P1) is controlled by pyrimidines and the downstream promoter (P2) is controlled by arginine. We have isolated a new type of constitutive mutation (carP) that specifically affects the control of the pyrimidine-sensitive promoter but does not appear to influence other genes of the pyrimidine pathway. The carP mutation acts in trans and is dominant, which suggests that the carP product is an activator of car transcription. The downstream promoter P2, which is repressed by arginine, overlaps two operator modules characteristic of the arginine regulon. We have isolated two operator-constitutive mutations that specifically affect P2; both map in the upstream ARG box at a strongly conserved position.
authors.affiliation: Erfelijkheidsleer en Microbiologie, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roovers
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Charlier
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Feller
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gigot
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Holemans
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lissens
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piérard
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Glansdorff
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002223:Carbamoyl-Phosphate Synthase (Glutamine-Hydrolyzing) / Q000235:genetics*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009875:Operator Regions, Genetic; D009876:Operon; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011743:Pyrimidines; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D011743:Pyrimidines; D002223:Carbamoyl-Phosphate Synthase (Glutamine-Hydrolyzing); C030986:pyrimidine