[Funtional study of gene relA in the expression of amino acid operons. III. The effect of the allelic state of gene relA on the derepression of the threonine and isoleucine-valine operons of Escherichia coli K-12].

During the derepression of threonine and isoleucine-valine operons the increase of activity of homoserine dehydrogenase and threonine deaminase respectively occurs only in relA+ strains of Escherichia coli K-12, while the activity of these enzymes in relA mutants does not change. The increase of the activity of homoserine dehydrogenase in relA+ strains corresponds to the increase of the fraction of the thr-mRNA, i.e. the expression of threonine operon is regulated at the level of transcription. After isoleucine is exhausted, only relA+ cells of threonine producer MG442 increase homoserine dehydrogenase activity and production of threonine. Thus, the regulation of transcription and translation of threonine and isoleucine-valine operons depends upon the allelic state of the relA gene.