Open AccessInduction of Staphylococcus aureus Lactose Permease in the Absence of Glycerolipid Synthesis
Author(s) -
Leonard Mindich
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.68.2.420
Subject(s) - permease , glycerol , biochemistry , lactose permease , glycerol kinase , staphylococcus aureus , phospholipid , chemistry , chloramphenicol , lactose , auxotrophy , membrane , mutant , biology , bacteria , antibiotics , genetics , gene
Glycerol auxotrophs ofS. aureus were isolated and shown to cease phospholipid synthesis immediately when deprived of glycerol. Second-step mutants with temperature-sensitive inducibility of thelac system were also isolated. When cells were induced by temperature shift to produce the products of thelac system in the absence of glycerol, the permease activity, relative to 6-phospho-β-galactosidase activity, was between 30 and 50% that of glycerol-supplemented cultures. However, the phosphotransferase activity for β-galactosides in isolated membranes was found to be normal when compared to the level of β-galactosidase. This indicated that the permeation system was induced and integrated into the membrane, but did not function efficiently for transport. Readdition of glycerol in the presence of chloramphenicol resulted in a slow increase in efficiency of the transport activity. Glycerol deprivation after induction led to a small loss of permease efficiency.