Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1984 Oct;160(1):391–394. doi: 10.1128/jb.160.1.391-394.1984

ilvB-encoded acetolactate synthase is resistant to the herbicide sulfometuron methyl.

R A LaRossa, D R Smulski
PMCID: PMC214730  PMID: 6090425

Abstract

The herbicide sulfometuron methyl is a potent inhibitor of the branched-chain amino acid biosynthetic enzyme acetolactate synthase (ALS) isolated from bacteria, fungi, and plants. However, it did not prevent growth of wild-type Salmonella typhimurium LT2 or Escherichia coli K-12. These species each contain two acetolactate synthase isozymes. Growth of S. typhimurium and E. coli mutants lacking ALS I was prevented by the herbicide, suggesting that activity of the remaining ALS isoenzyme (II or III, respectively) was stopped by sulfometuron methyl. Synthesis of ALS I requires either an relA function or an elevated cyclic AMP level. A relA mutant of S. typhimurium was inhibited by sulfometuron methyl on rich carbon sources that display a basal cyclic AMP level but not on poor carbon sources where the cyclic AMP concentration is elevated. When L-valine, which allosterically inhibits ALS I activity, was added, growth retardation of the relA- strain by sulfometuron methyl was observed on both poor and rich carbon sources. Enzymological analyses indicated that ALS I activities derived from both species were resistant to the herbicide. In contrast, activities of S. typhimurium ALS II and E. coli ALS III were abolished by sulfometuron methyl.

Full text

PDF
392

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Alper M. D., Ames B. N. Transport of antibiotics and metabolite analogs by systems under cyclic AMP control: positive selection of Salmonella typhimurium cya and crp mutants. J Bacteriol. 1978 Jan;133(1):149–157. doi: 10.1128/jb.133.1.149-157.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BAUERLE R. H., FRUENDLICH M., STORMER F. C., UMBARGER H. E. CONTROL OF ISOLEUCINE, VALINE AND LEUCINE BIOSYNTHESIS. II. ENDPRODUCT INHIBITION BY VALINE OF ACETOHYDROXY ACID SYNTHETASE IN SALMONELLA TYPHIMURIUM. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1964 Oct 23;92:142–149. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bochner B. R., Huang H. C., Schieven G. L., Ames B. N. Positive selection for loss of tetracycline resistance. J Bacteriol. 1980 Aug;143(2):926–933. doi: 10.1128/jb.143.2.926-933.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Chaleff R. S., Mauvais C. J. Acetolactate synthase is the site of action of two sulfonylurea herbicides in higher plants. Science. 1984 Jun 29;224(4656):1443–1445. doi: 10.1126/science.224.4656.1443. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. De Felice M., Guardiola J., Esposito B., Iaccarino M. Structural genes for a newly recognized acetolactate synthase in Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol. 1974 Dec;120(3):1068–1077. doi: 10.1128/jb.120.3.1068-1077.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. De Felice M., Guardiola J., Schreil W., Levinthal M., Iaccarino M. Metabolic interlock between the acetolactate synthase isoenzymes and lysine biosynthesis in Escherichia coli K-12. Mol Gen Genet. 1977 Nov 4;156(1):9–16. doi: 10.1007/BF00272246. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Freundlich M. Cyclic AMP can replace the relA-dependent requirement for derepression of acetohydroxy acid synthase in E. coli K-12. Cell. 1977 Dec;12(4):1121–1126. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(77)90174-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Friden P., Newman T., Freundlich M. Nucleotide sequence of the ilvB promoter-regulatory region: a biosynthetic operon controlled by attenuation and cyclic AMP. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1982 Oct;79(20):6156–6160. doi: 10.1073/pnas.79.20.6156. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Grimminger H., Umbarger H. E. Acetohydroxy acid synthase I of Escherichia coli: purification and properties. J Bacteriol. 1979 Feb;137(2):846–853. doi: 10.1128/jb.137.2.846-853.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. LaRossa R. A., Schloss J. V. The sulfonylurea herbicide sulfometuron methyl is an extremely potent and selective inhibitor of acetolactate synthase in Salmonella typhimurium. J Biol Chem. 1984 Jul 25;259(14):8753–8757. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. McEwen J., Silverman P. Mutations in genes cpxA and cpxB of Escherichia coli K-12 cause a defect in isoleucine and valine syntheses. J Bacteriol. 1980 Oct;144(1):68–73. doi: 10.1128/jb.144.1.68-73.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Pastan I., Adhya S. Cyclic adenosine 5'-monophosphate in Escherichia coli. Bacteriol Rev. 1976 Sep;40(3):527–551. doi: 10.1128/br.40.3.527-551.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Primerano D. A., Burns R. O. Metabolic basis for the isoleucine, pantothenate or methionine requirement of ilvG strains of Salmonella typhimurium. J Bacteriol. 1982 Jun;150(3):1202–1211. doi: 10.1128/jb.150.3.1202-1211.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Ray T. B. Site of action of chlorsulfuron: inhibition of valine and isoleucine biosynthesis in plants. Plant Physiol. 1984 Jul;75(3):827–831. doi: 10.1104/pp.75.3.827. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Shaw K. J., Berg C. M., Sobol T. J. Salmonella typhimurium mutants defective in acetohydroxy acid synthases I and II. J Bacteriol. 1980 Mar;141(3):1258–1263. doi: 10.1128/jb.141.3.1258-1263.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Stephens J. C., Artz S. W., Ames B. N. Guanosine 5'-diphosphate 3'-diphosphate (ppGpp): positive effector for histidine operon transcription and general signal for amino-acid deficiency. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Nov;72(11):4389–4393. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.11.4389. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Stormer F. C. 2,3-Butanediol biosynthetic system in Aerobacter aerogenes. Methods Enzymol. 1975;41:518–532. doi: 10.1016/s0076-6879(75)41108-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Sutton A., Freundlich M. Regulation of cyclic AMP of the ilvB-encoded biosynthetic acetohydroxy acid synthase in Escherichia coli K-12. Mol Gen Genet. 1980 Apr;178(1):179–183. doi: 10.1007/BF00267227. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Umbarger H. E. Amino acid biosynthesis and its regulation. Annu Rev Biochem. 1978;47:532–606. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.47.070178.002533. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. de Felice M., Lago C. T., Squires C. H., Calvo J. M. Acetohydroxy acid synthase isoenzymes of Escherichia coli K12 and Salmonella typhimurium. Ann Microbiol (Paris) 1982 Mar-Apr;133(2):251–256. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES