Catabolite inhibition and sequential metabolism of sugars by Streptococcus lactis

Growth of galactose-adapted cells of Streptococcus lactis ML(3) in a medium containing a mixture of glucose, galactose, and lactose was characterized initially by the simultaneous metabolism of glucose and lactose. Galactose was not significantly utilized until the latter sugars had been exhausted from the medium. The addition of glucose or lactose to a culture of S. lactis ML(3) growing exponentially on galactose caused immediate inhibition of galactose utilization and an increase in growth rate, concomitant with the preferential metabolism of the added sugar. Under nongrowing conditions, cells of S. lactis ML(3) grown previously on galactose metabolized the three separate sugars equally rapidly. However, cells suspended in buffer containing a mixture of glucose plus galactose or lactose plus galactose again consumed glucose or lactose preferentially. The rate of galactose metabolism was reduced by approximately 95% in the presence of the inhibitory sugar, but the maximum rate of metabolism was resumed upon exhaustion of glucose or lactose from the system. When presented with a mixture of glucose and lactose, the resting cells metabolized both sugars simultaneously. Lactose, glucose, and a non-metabolizable glucose analog (2-deoxy-d-glucose) prevented the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent uptake of thiomethyl-beta-d-galactopyranoside (TMG), but the accumulation of TMG, like galactose metabolism, commenced immediately upon exhaustion of the metabolizable sugars from the medium. Growth of galactose-adapted cells of the lactose-defective variant S. lactis 7962 in the triple-sugar medium was characterized by the sequential metabolism of glucose, galactose, and lactose. Growth of S. lactis ML(3) and 7962 in the triple-sugar medium occurred without apparent diauxie, and for each strain the patterns of sequential sugar metabolism under growing and nongrowing conditions were identical. Fine control of the activities of preexisting enzyme systems by catabolite inhibition may afford a satisfactory explanation for the observed sequential utilization of sugars by these two organisms.