Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1983 May;154(2):676–685. doi: 10.1128/jb.154.2.676-685.1983

Localization and functional analysis of transposon mutations in regulatory genes of the TOL catabolic pathway.

F C Franklin, P R Lehrbach, R Lurz, B Rueckert, M Bagdasarian, K N Timmis
PMCID: PMC217516  PMID: 6188746

Abstract

Mutant derivatives of the TOL plasmid pWW0-161, containing Tn5 insertions in the xylS and xylR regulatory genes of the catabolic pathway, have been identified and characterized. The two genes are located together on a 1.5- to 3.0-kilobase segment of TOL, just downstream of genes of the enzymes of the meta-cleavage pathway. As predicted by a current model for regulation of the TOL catabolic pathway, benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase, a representative enzyme of the upper (hydrocarbon leads to carboxylic acid) pathway, was induced by m-methylbenzyl alcohol in xylS mutant bacteria but not in a xylR mutant, whereas catechol 2,3-oxygenase, a representative enzyme of the lower (meta-cleavage) pathway, was induced by m-toluate in a xylR mutant but not in the xylS mutants. Unexpectedly, however, catechol 2,3-oxygenase was not induced by m-methylbenzyl alcohol in xylS mutants but was induced by benzyl alcohol and benzoate. These results indicate that expression of the TOL plasmid-encoded catabolic pathway is regulated by at least three control elements, two of which (the products of the xylS and xylR genes) interact in the induction of the lower pathway by methylated hydrocarbons and alcohols and one of which responds only to nonmethylated substrates.

Full text

PDF
679

Images in this article

682Image
on p.682

Selected References

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

  1. Andrés I., Slocombe P. M., Cabello F., Timmis J. K., Lurz R., Burkardt H. J., Timmis K. N. Plasmid replication functions. II. Cloning analysis of the repA replication region of antibiotic resistance plasmid R6-5. Mol Gen Genet. 1979 Jan 5;168(1):1–25. doi: 10.1007/BF00267929. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bagdasarian M., Lurz R., Rückert B., Franklin F. C., Bagdasarian M. M., Frey J., Timmis K. N. Specific-purpose plasmid cloning vectors. II. Broad host range, high copy number, RSF1010-derived vectors, and a host-vector system for gene cloning in Pseudomonas. Gene. 1981 Dec;16(1-3):237–247. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(81)90080-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bagdasarian M., Timmis K. N. Host: vector systems for gene cloning in Pseudomonas. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 1982;96:47–67. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-68315-2_4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Borck K., Beggs J. D., Brammar W. J., Hopkins A. S., Murray N. E. The construction in vitro of transducing derivatives of phage lambda. Mol Gen Genet. 1976 Jul 23;146(2):199–207. doi: 10.1007/BF00268089. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Downing R., Broda P. A cleavage map of the TOL plasmid of Pseudomonas putida mt-2. Mol Gen Genet. 1979;177(1):189–191. doi: 10.1007/BF00267270. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Franklin F. C., Bagdasarian M., Bagdasarian M. M., Timmis K. N. Molecular and functional analysis of the TOL plasmid pWWO from Pseudomonas putida and cloning of genes for the entire regulated aromatic ring meta cleavage pathway. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Dec;78(12):7458–7462. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.12.7458. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Franklin F. C., Williams P. A. Construction of a partial diploid for the degradative pathway encoded by the TOL plasmid (pWWO) from Pseudomonas putida mt-2: evidence for the positive nature of the regulation by the xyIR gene. Mol Gen Genet. 1980 Jan;177(2):321–328. doi: 10.1007/BF00267445. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hansen J. B., Olsen R. H. Isolation of large bacterial plasmids and characterization of the P2 incompatibility group plasmids pMG1 and pMG5. J Bacteriol. 1978 Jul;135(1):227–238. doi: 10.1128/jb.135.1.227-238.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Inouye S., Nakazawa A., Nakazawa T. Molecular cloning of TOL genes xylB and xylE in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1981 Mar;145(3):1137–1143. doi: 10.1128/jb.145.3.1137-1143.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Inouye S., Nakazawa A., Nakazawa T. Molecular cloning of gene xylS of the TOL plasmid: evidence for positive regulation of the xylDEGF operon by xylS. J Bacteriol. 1981 Nov;148(2):413–418. doi: 10.1128/jb.148.2.413-418.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Jeenes D. J., Reineke W., Knackmuss H. J., Williams P. A. TOL plasmid pWW0 in constructed halobenzoate-degrading Pseudomonas strains: enzyme regulation and DNA structure. J Bacteriol. 1982 Apr;150(1):180–187. doi: 10.1128/jb.150.1.180-187.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kunz D. A., Chapman P. J. Catabolism of pseudocumene and 3-ethyltoluene by Pseudomonas putida (arvilla) mt-2: evidence for new functions of the TOL (pWWO) plasmid. J Bacteriol. 1981 Apr;146(1):179–191. doi: 10.1128/jb.146.1.179-191.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kunz D. A., Chapman P. J. Isolation and characterization of spontaneously occurring TOL plasmid mutants of Pseudomonas putida HS1. J Bacteriol. 1981 Jun;146(3):952–964. doi: 10.1128/jb.146.3.952-964.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Lurz R., Danbara H., Rückert B., Timmis K. N. Plasmid replication functions. VII. Electron microscopic localization of RNA polymerase binding sites in the replication control region of plasmid R6-5. Mol Gen Genet. 1981;183(3):490–496. doi: 10.1007/BF00268770. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Murray K., Duggleby C. J., Sala-Trepat J. M., Williams P. A. The metabolism of benzoate and methylbenzoates via the meta-cleavage pathway by Pseudomonas arvilla mt-2. Eur J Biochem. 1972 Jul 24;28(3):301–310. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1972.tb01914.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Nakazawa T., Inouye S., Nakazawa A. Physical and functional mapping of RP4-TOL plasmid recombinants: analysis of insertion and deletion mutants. J Bacteriol. 1980 Oct;144(1):222–231. doi: 10.1128/jb.144.1.222-231.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Timmis K. N., Cabello F., Cohen S. N. Cloning and characterization of EcoRI and HindIII restriction endonuclease-generated fragments of antibiotic resistance plasmids R6-5 and R6. Mol Gen Genet. 1978 Jun 14;162(2):121–137. doi: 10.1007/BF00267869. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Williams P. A., Murray K. Metabolism of benzoate and the methylbenzoates by Pseudomonas putida (arvilla) mt-2: evidence for the existence of a TOL plasmid. J Bacteriol. 1974 Oct;120(1):416–423. doi: 10.1128/jb.120.1.416-423.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Worsey M. J., Franklin F. C., Williams P. A. Regulation of the degradative pathway enzymes coded for by the TOL plasmid (pWWO) from Pseudomonas putida mt-2. J Bacteriol. 1978 Jun;134(3):757–764. doi: 10.1128/jb.134.3.757-764.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Worsey M. J., Williams P. A. Metabolism of toluene and xylenes by Pseudomonas (putida (arvilla) mt-2: evidence for a new function of the TOL plasmid. J Bacteriol. 1975 Oct;124(1):7–13. doi: 10.1128/jb.124.1.7-13.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES