Control mechanism of the Escherichia coli K-12 cell cycle is triggered by the cyclic AMP-cyclic AMP receptor protein complex.

The role of cyclic AMP (cAMP) in the cell cycle of Escherichia coli K-12 was studied in three mutant strains. One was KI1812, in which the cya promoter is replaced by the lacUV5 promoter. In KI1812, isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside induced the synthesis of cya mRNA, and at the same time cell division was inhibited and short filaments containing multiple nuclei were formed. The other strains were constructed as double mutants (NC6707 cya sulB [ftsZ(Ts)] and TR3318 crp sulB [ftsZ(Ts)]). In both double mutants, filamentation was repressed at 42 degrees C, but it was induced again by addition of cAMP in strain NC6707 and introduction of pHA7 containing wild-type crp in TR3318. These results indicate that lateral wall synthesis in the E. coli cell cycle is triggered by the cAMP-cAMP receptor protein complex.