title: Relationship between pseudo-HPr and the PEP: fructose phosphotransferase system in Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli.
abstract: We have studied in Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli the properties of pseudo-HPr suppressor mutations. These mutations suppressed the defects in a ptsH mutant which lacks HPr, one of the enzymes of the phosphoenolpyruvate: carbohydrate phosphotransferase system. The suppressor mutation was mapped in S. typhimurium at 3 min, closely linked to leu. The corresponding chromosomal fragment of 1.7 kb from S. typhimurium and E. coli (extending clockwise from ilvH) was cloned. In a maxicell system a protein with an approximate molecular weight of 36,000 was synthesized. Pseudo-HPr suppressor mutations (fruR) and a deletion extending clockwise from leu resulted in the constitutive expression of the fru operon containing the genes for IIFru (fruA), IIIFru (fruB), fructose 1-phosphate kinase (fruK) and pseudo-HPr (fruF). fruR probably codes for a repressor of the fru operon. Tn10 mutagenesis revealed the following order of genes in the fru operon: fruB-(fruK, fruF)-fruA. Pseudo-HPr activity could replace HPr in PEP-dependent phosphorylation of PTS carbohydrates. IIIFru could be phosphorylated both via HPr and pseudo-HPr, since mutants lacking pseudo-HPr activity were still able to phosphorylate fructose in the presence of added HPr. Both the pseudo-HPr suppressor mutations at 3 min and the deletion extending from leu had an additional phenotype. Introduction of these mutations or deletions was always accompanied by disappearance of PEP synthase activity. Complementation of such a mutant with the cloned fragments reversed both phenotypes at the same time. Possibly, the fruR gene product acts as an activator of the gene coding for PEP synthase.
mesh_terms: D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D005632:Fructose / Q000378:metabolism; D005796:Genes; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005838:Genotype; D009154:Mutation; D010731:Phosphoenolpyruvate Sugar Phosphotransferase System / Q000235:genetics*; D010957:Plasmids; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D013489:Suppression, Genetic
chemical_list: D005632:Fructose; D010731:Phosphoenolpyruvate Sugar Phosphotransferase System