Involvement of cyclic AMP and its receptor protein in the sensitivity of Escherichia coli K 12 toward serine: excretion of 2-ketobutyrate, a precursor of isoleucine.

A relationship between serine-induced growth sensitivity and the cAMP-CAP complex is established. Mutants of Escherichia coli K 12 deficient either in the cya or crp gene function exhibit a resistant phenotype on serine media although they harbor a relA allele normally leading to sensitivity toward serine. The presence of a crp allele in a cya delta relA background restores the sensitivity phenotype, while the analysis of serine resistant mutants selected from a crp cya delta relA strain shows that the mutation leading to resistance is located at, or very near, the crp gene, giving a more or less Crp- phenotype. In addition crp cya delta relA strains excrete large quantities of 2-ketobutyrate when grown on glucose M63 medium. This excretion is unambiguously linked to the presence of the crp allele and is correlated with an enhanced threonine deaminase activity. Besides, the complex regulation exerted on the acetolactate synthase activities is discussed.