Regulation of lactate dehydrogenase synthesis in Bacillus subtilis

The regulation of lactate dehydrogenase in Bacillus subtilis was determined under a variety of growth conditions and in mutants blocked in the citric acid cycle. The synthesis of lactate dehydrogenase increased sharply concomitantly upon the exhaustion of glucose from the medium and the onset of the stationary phase. The synthesis of lactate dehydrogenase may be under catabolite repression control. Studies with mutants blocked in the citric acid cycle showed that lactate dehydrogenase is regulated independently of either the oxidative or reductase branches of the cycle. Certain citric acid cycle mutants, e.g., aconitase or succinate dehydrogenase, exhibited very low levels of lactate dehydrogenase while others, e.g., malate dehydrogenase or isocitrate dehydrogenase, showed normal levels. A stage O sporulation mutant expressed levels of lactate dehydrogenase more than one thousand-fold higher than the low group of citric acid cycle mutants. The induction of lactate dehydrogenase was shown to be independent of the accumulation of its substrate, pyruvate.