Regulation of expression of the uxu operon and of the uxuR regulatory gene in Escherichia coli K12.

Gene fusions between the lac structural genes and various genes of the hexuronate system of Escherichia coli K12 were isolated by the technique of Casadaban. Mud(Aprlac) and lambda plac-Mu insertion mutants were constructed in which the lac genes were fused to the regulatory region of the uxu operon. In all the uxu-lac fusion strains, beta-galactosidase expression was shown to be inducible by the natural inducers of the uxu operon (glucuronate and fructuronate) and sensitive to catabolite repression by glucose. In addition we isolated a Mud(Aprlac) fusion where the lac genes were fused to the uxuR regulatory gene. In this fusion the synthesis of beta-galactosidase reflects the regulation of the uxuR gene. In the presence of a wild-type uxuR allele, partial repression of beta-galactosidase expression was found; the repression was removed when inducer was added. This result indicates that while the uxuR gene is subject to autogenous control, the uxuR repressor may have only a low affinity for its own operator.