Uptake of galactose into Escherichia coli by facilitated diffusion

Strains of Escherichia coli devoid of systems for the active transport of galactose (galP mgl) still grow on galactose but at rates that are a function of the galactose concentration of the medium: half-maximal growth rates require more than 2 mM-galactose to be present. Evidence is presented that galactose is taken up by such strains by facilitated diffusion on a carrier specified by the umg gene (or by a gene highly co-transducible with it) which is thus a part of, or closely associated with, an enzyme II for glucose of the phosphoenolpyruvate-phosphotransferase system. However, the entry of galactose does not require phosphotransferase activity, and the sugar taken up appears in the cells as free galactose.