Regulation of glycolysis and sugar phosphotransferase activities in Streptococcus lactis: growth in the presence of 2-deoxy-D-glucose.

Streptococcus lactis K1 has the capacity to grow on many sugars, including sucrose and lactose, in the presence of high levels (greater than 500 mM) of 2-deoxy-D-glucose. Initially, growth of the organism was transiently halted by the addition of comparatively low concentrations (less than 0.5 mM) of the glucose analog to the culture. Inhibition was coincident with (i) rapid accumulation of 2-deoxy-D-glucose 6-phosphate (ca. 120 mM) and preferential utilization of phosphoenolpyruvate via the mannose:phosphotransferase system, (ii) depletion of phosphorylated glycolytic intermediates, and (iii) a 60% reduction in intracellular ATP concentration. During the 5- to 10-min period of bacteriostasis the intracellular concentration of 2-deoxy-D-glucose 6-phosphate rapidly declined, and the concentrations of glycolytic intermediates were restored to near-normal levels. When growth resumed, the cell doubling time (Td) and the steady-state levels of 2-deoxy-D-glucose 6-phosphate maintained by the cells were dependent upon the medium concentration of 2-deoxy-D-glucose. Resistance of S. lactis K1 to the potentially toxic analog was a consequence of negative regulation of the mannose:phosphotransferase system by two independent mechanisms. The first, short-term response occurred immediately after the initial "overshoot" accumulation of 2-deoxy-D-glucose 6-phosphate, and this mechanism reduced the activity (fine control) of the mannose:phosphotransferase system. The second, long-term mechanism resulted in repression of synthesis (coarse control) of enzyme IImannose. The two regulatory mechanisms reduced the rate of 2-deoxy-D-glucose translocation via the mannose:phosphotransferase system and minimized the activity of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent futile cycle of the glucose analog (J. Thompson and B. M. Chassy, J. Bacteriol. 151:1454-1465, 1982). Phosphoenolpyruvate was thus conserved for transport of the growth sugar and for generation of ATP required for biosynthetic and work functions of the growing cell.