Possible involvement of lipoic acid in binding protein-dependent transport systems in Escherichia coli

We describe the properties of the binding protein dependent-transport of ribose, galactose, and maltose and of the lactose permease, and the phosphoenolpyruvate-glucose phosphotransferase transport systems in a strain of Escherichia coli which is deficient in the synthesis of lipoic acid, a cofactor involved in alpha-keto acid dehydrogenation. Such a strain can grow in the absence of lipoic acid in minimal medium supplemented with acetate and succinate. Although the lactose permease and the phosphoenolypyruvate-glucose phosphotransferase are not affected by lipoic acid deprivation, the binding protein-dependent transports are reduced by 70% in conditions of lipoic acid deprivation when compared with their activity in conditions of lipoic acid supply. The remaining transport is not affected by arsenate but is inhibited by the uncoupler carbonylcyanide-m-chlorophenylhydrazone; however the lipoic acid-dependent transport is completely inhibited by arsenate and only weakly inhibited by carbonylcyanide-m-chlorophenylhydrazone. The known inhibitor of alpha-keto acid dehydrogenases, 5-methoxyindole-2-carboxylic acid, completely inhibits all binding protein-dependent transports whether in conditions of lipoic supply or deprivation; the results suggest a possible relation between binding protein-dependent transport and alpha-keto acid dehydrogenases and shed light on the inhibition of these transports by arsenicals and uncouplers.