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. 1970 Mar;101(3):731–737. doi: 10.1128/jb.101.3.731-737.1970

Isolation of Conditionally Putrescine-Deficient Mutants of Escherichia coli

David R Morris 1, Caroline M Jorstad 1
PMCID: PMC250385  PMID: 4908781

Abstract

Mutants defective in the conversion of arginine to putrescine were found by screening clones from mutagenized cultures for inability to produce urea during growth in arginine-supplemented media. Two partially blocked mutants were isolated; one was deficient in arginine decarboxylase and the other was deficient in agmatine ureohydrolase. As predicted from the pattern of putrescine synthesis in Escherichia coli, these mutants were conditionally putrescine-deficient. When grown in either minimal or ornithine-supplemented media, conditions which lead to preferential utilization of the ornithine to putrescine pathway, the mutants had normal intracellular polyamine levels. However, when the mutants were placed in arginine-supplemented media, the level of intracellular putrescine was lowered markedly. Under conditions where intracellular putrescine was 1% of normal, the doubling time of the mutants was increased approximately 10%. The putrescine-deficient mutants had wild-type morphology, normal levels of protein and ribonucleic acid (RNA), and stringent amino acid control of RNA synthesis.

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Selected References

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

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