Multivalent induction of biodegradative threonine deaminase.

To determine the inducer(s) of the biodegradative threonine deaminase in Escherichia coli, the effects of various amino acids on the synthesis of this enzyme were investigated. The complex medium used hitherto for the enzyme induction can be completely replaced by a synthetic medium composed of 18 natural amino acids. In this synthetic medium, the omission of each of the seven amino acids threonine, serine, aspartic acid, methionine, valine, leucine, and arginine resulted in the greatest loss of enzyme formation. These seven amino acids did not significantly influence the uptake of other amino acids into the cells. Furthermore, they did not stimulate the conversion of inactive enzyme into an active form, since they did not affect the enzyme level in cells in which protein synthesis was inhibited by chloramphenicol. Threonine, serine, aspartic acid, and methionine failed to stimulate enzyme production in cells in which messenger ribonucleic acid synthesis was arrested by rifampin, whereas valine, leucine, and arginine stimulated enzyme synthesis under the same conditions. Therefore, the first four amino acids appear to act as inducers of the biodegradative threonine deaminase in E. coli and the last three amino acids appear to be amplifiers of enzyme production. The term "multivalent induction" has been proposed for this type of induction, i.e., enzyme induction only by the simultaneous presence of several amino acids.