Genetics of L-proline utilization in Escherichia coli

L-Azetidine-2-carboxylate (AC) and 3,4-dehydro-D,L-proline (DHP) are toxic L-proline analogs that can be used to select bacterial mutants defective for L-proline transport. Mutants resistant to AC and DHP are defective for proline transport alone (putP mutants), and mutants resistant to AC but not to DHP are defective both in putP and in the closely linked proline dehydrogenase gene putA. Proline dehydrogenase oxidizes DHP but not AC, probably detoxifying the former compound. These observations were exploited in preparing an otherwise isogenic set of Escherichia coli K-12 strains with well-defined defects in the putP and putA genes. The results of this study suggest that the genetic and biochemical characteristics of proline utilization in E. coli K-12 are closely analogous to those of Salmonella typhimurium.