Genetic analysis of the glutamate permease in Escherichia coli K-12.

The glutamate permeation system in Escherichia coli K-12 consists of three genes: gltC, gltS, and gltR. The genes gltC and gltS are very closely linked, and are located between the pyrE and tna loci, in the following order: tna, gltC, gltS, pyrE; gltR is located near the metA gene. The three glt genes constitute a regulatory system in which gltR is the regulator gene responsible for the formation of repressor, gltS is the structural gene of the glutamate permease, and gltC is most probably the operator locus. The synthesis of glutamate permease is partially repressed in wild-type K-12 strains, resulting in the inability of these strains to utilize glutamate as the sole source of carbon. Derepression due to mutation at the gltC locus enables growth on glutamate as a carbon source both at 30 C and at 42 C. Temperature-sensitive gltR mutants capable of utilizing glutamate for growth at 42 C but not at 30 C were found to be derepressed for glutamate permease when grown at 42 C and partially repressed (wild-type phenotype) upon growth at 30 C. These mutants produce an altered thermolabile repressor which can be inactivated by mild heat treatment (10 min at 44 C) in the absence of growth.