[Study of the pathways regulating the biosynthesis of Gluconobacter oxydans levansucrase]

The synthesis of levansucrase is derepressed during the growth of Gluconobacter oxydans L-1 in media with mannitol, sorbitol or fructose. The level of levansucrase activity under these conditions is 20-30 times higher than in cultures growing in the presence of xylite, galactose or glucose. Addition of mannitol or sucrose to the culture grown in a medium with xylite increases the differential rate of levansucrase synthesis. Addition of glucose at a concentration of 1% to the culture growing in a medium with mannitol at constant pH represses the synthesis of levansucrase only for a short period of time (15-20 min). The mechanism regulating the activity of levansucrase in the bacterial culture is susceptible to changes in the pH of the medium: the differential rate of levansucrase synthesis is three-fold higher when the culture is grown at pH 5.7 cf. pH 4.7.