Regulation of aromatic amino acid biosynthesis in gamma-proteobacteria

Computational comparative techniques were applied to analysis of the aromatic amino acid regulons in gamma-proteobacteria. This resulted in characterization of the TrpR and TyrR regulons in the genomes of Yersinia pestis, Haemophilus influenzae, Vibrio cholerae and other bacteria and identification of new members of the PhhR regulon in the genome of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Candidate attenuators were constructed for all studied genomes, including the trpBA operon of the very distantly related bacterium Chlamidia trachomatis. The pheA attenuator of Y. pestis is an integration site for the insertion element IS-200. It was shown that the triplication of the DAHP-synthase genes occurred prior to the divergence of families Enterobacteriaceae, Vibrionaceae and Alteromonadaceae. The candidate allosteric control site of the DAHP-syntheases was identified. This site is deteriorated in AroH of Buchnera sp. APS. The known DAHP-synthase of Bordetella pertussis is likely to be feedback-inhibited by phenylalanine, and the DAHP-synthase of Corynebacterium glutamicum could be inhibited by tyrosine. Overall, the most extensive regulation was observed in Escherichia coli, whereas the regulation in other genomes seems to be less developed. At the extreme, the tryptophan production in the aphid endosymbiont Buchnera sp. APS is free from transcriptional, attenuation, and allosteric control.