On the regulation of adenosine 3', 5'-monophosphate synthesis in bacteria. I. Effect of carbon source variation on cyclic AMP synthesis in Escherichia coli B/r.

1. The effect of carbon source variation in bacterial growth media on their growth rate, inducible enzyme and cyclic AMP synthesis was examined: an inverse relationship between the culture's growth rate and its differential rate of inducible enzyme (tryptophanase and beta-galactosidase), and cyclic AMP synthesis was found. 2. The effect of the culture's growth phase on its sensitivity or resistance to glucose catabolite repression was determined in the wild type and a catabolite insensitive mutant (ABDROI): the wild type's sensitivity to glucose repression was not affected, whereas the insensitivity of the mutant was found to be limited to its early logarithmic phase of growth. At late log, or stationary phase, the mutant was found to be sensitive to glucose repression. 3. Examination of the kinetics of glucose uptake by the mutant, using alpha-[1 4-C] methyl-glucoside showed evidence for two transport systems each with a different affinity to glucose. A low affinity transport system (apparent Km of 3.4-10-minus 5 M) which appears mostly at the early logarithmic phase of growth. A high affinity transport system (apparent Km of 1.2-10-minus 5 M) which appears mostly at the late log and stationary phases of growth. 4. The effect of the culture density variation on its sensitivity to glucose repression showed that sensitivity to glucose catabolic repression is primarily a reflection of the formation of an allosteric effector molecule between glucose and its specific transport molecule which in turn regulates the activity of the adenylate cyclase.