The catabolism of arginine by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Mutants isolated from Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1632 (Hut-Ami) were unable to utilize L-arginine or L-ornithine as the carbon source for growth. Arginine deiminase (AD), catabolic ornithine carbamoyltransferase (cOTC) and N2-acetylornithine 5-aminotransferase (ACOAT) were present in the mutants but these enzymes were not induced to higher levels by exogenous L-arginine. One group of mutants could utilize L-ornithine but not L-arginine and in these strains L-arginine induced the synthesis of ACOAT but not AD or cOTC. The mutations of the arginine utilization-negative mutants were all in genes of the same transductional linkage group and mapped in the 45 to 50 min region of the chromosome. Revertants isolated on L-arginine or L-ornithine plates were derepressed for the synthesis of ACOAT. It is suggested that L-arginine is normally catabolized by the wild-type strain via the arginine deiminase pathway and requires a threshold level of ACOAT. The regulatory factors controlling the functioning of the divergent arginine deiminase and arginine carboxylase pathways are discussed.
D001120:Arginine / Q000378:metabolism*; D006867:Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D009952:Ornithine / Q000378:metabolism; D009954:Ornithine Carbamoyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D009953:Ornithine-Oxo-Acid Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D014161:Transduction, Genetic
D001120:Arginine; D009952:Ornithine; D009954:Ornithine Carbamoyltransferase; D009953:Ornithine-Oxo-Acid Transaminase; D006867:Hydrolases; C019723:arginine deiminase