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. 1988 Nov;170(11):5330–5336. doi: 10.1128/jb.170.11.5330-5336.1988

Anaerobic regulation of pyruvate formate-lyase from Escherichia coli K-12.

G Sawers 1, A Böck 1
PMCID: PMC211609  PMID: 3053657

Abstract

The anaerobic regulation of the gene encoding pyruvate formate-lyase from Escherichia coli was investigated. Expression of a pfl'-'lacZ protein fusion demonstrated that the gene is subject to a 12-fold anaerobic induction which can be stimulated a further 2-fold by the addition of pyruvate to the growth medium. Construction of a strain deleted for pfl verified that either pyruvate or a metabolite of glycolysis functions as an inducer of pfl gene expression. Complete anaerobic induction required the presence of a functional fnr gene product. However, the dependence was not absolute since a two- to threefold anaerobic induction could still be observed in an fnr mutant. These results could be confirmed immunologically by analyzing the levels of pyruvate formate-lyase protein present in cells grown under various conditions. It was also shown that pfl'-'lacZ expression was partially repressed by nitrate and that this repression was mediated by the narL gene product.

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Selected References

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