Mutants of Escherichia coli deficient in fumarate reductase activity and therefore unable to grow anaerobically with fumarate as an electron acceptor have been isolated. By F+-mediated conjugation and complementation with the mutant host, two E. coli: Col E1 recombinant DNA plasmids have been identified from the Clarke and Carbon Colony Bank which carry the structural genes for fumarate reductase. Bacteria harboring either of these plasmids express about ten times the normal level of fumarate reductase. Enzyme purified from the two sources, plasmid-carrying and plasmidless E. coli, have identical physical and kinetic properties indicating that both the 69 000 and 25 000 dalton polypeptides are amplified. Regulation of plasmid-encoded enzyme, like the chromosomally encoded enzyme, is dependent upon the presence of fumarate and anaerobiosis.

Clarke and Carbon have prepared a colony bank of 2000 Escherichia coli strains each containing a random segment of the Escherichia coli chromosome inserted into the EcoR1 restriction site of the plasmid ColE1. We have screened the colony bank by conjugation and have identified three strains bearing hybrid plasmids that complement a defective putP gene. Each of these strains shows increased L-proline uptake activity in comparison with the unmodified host or with the host bearing noncomplementing hybrid plasmids. However, CS520, the DNA source strain employed in constructing the hybrid plasmids, is a putP mutant. Since Escherichia coli possesses two L-proline porters, a variety of possible complementation mechanisms are discussed.

A simple purification for the membrane-associated, flavin-linked, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase of Escherichia coli has been developed which yields homogeneous enzyme in a detergent-solubilized state. 1. The dissociated form of the enzyme has a molecular weight of 58,000 and contains 0.5 mol of FAD/mol of protein monomer. 2. The solubilized enzyme-catalyzed reaction has a pH profile and temperature dependence similar to that observed for the membrane-bound enzyme. 3. The most efficient electron acceptor is potassium ferricyanide but phenazine methosulfate, methylene blue, menadione, and dichlorophenolindophenol can also be utilized. 4. The reaction is competitively inhibited by dihydroxyacetone phosphate, phosphoenolpyruvate, phosphoglycolic acid, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, and D-2- and D-3-phosphoglyceric acid. 5. The activity of the enzyme is regulated in a complex manner by ATP and GTP. 6. Detergent-depleted enzyme can be functionally reconstituted with Escherichia coli membrane vesicles to support glycerol-3-phosphate-dependent active transport of L-proline. 7. Detergent-depleted enzyme requires exogenous phospholipid or nondenaturing detergent for electron transfer activity.

The two thousand Escherichia coli: Col E1 hybrid plasmid strains of the Clarke and Carbon colony bank (Clarke, L. &Carbon, J. (1976) Cell 9, 91–96) were screened by conjugation for those that correct the deficiency of a mutant unable to transport glycerol-3-phosphate. Six strains harbouring recombinant plasmids carrying the glpT region were identified and characterized with respect to plasmid size and transport properties. The initial rate of glycerol-3-phosphate transport in both whole cells and membrane vesicles prepared from such strains was elevated 3- to 10-fold over strains carrying random DNA inserts, whereas the K m of glycerol-3-phosphate transport was near 12 μM in both experimental and control strains. Four of the six glpT carrying plasmid strains demonstrated elevated levels of the anaerobic glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase coded for by the neighbouring glpA gene.We have transferred the glpT hybrid plasmids into a minicell-producing strain of E. coli X1197 and have used the minicells for specific in vitro synthesis of plasmid-coded proteins. The glpT plasmids code for a 40 000 polypeptide which is localized in the periplasmic space. In addition, they code for a membrane-associated protein of 26 000 which may be the carrier polypeptide.