Regulation of histidinol phosphate aminotransferase synthesis by tryptophan in Bacillus subtilis

The effect of tryptophan on the synthesis of histidinol phosphate aminotransferase and prephenate dehydrogenase has been examined. The genes specifying two enzymes for tryptophan biosynthesis (anthranilate synthase and tryptophan synthase-B) were found to be derepressed in a temporal sequence according to their chromosomal location. The genes for histidinol phosphate aminotransferase and prephenate dehydrogenase were derepressed simultaneously approximately 8 min after tryptophan synthase-B. When excess tryptophan was added to a derepressed culture, the pattern of repression of trpE (anthranilate synthase), trpB (tryptophan synthase-B), hisH (histidinol phosphate aminotransferase), and tyrA (prephenate dehydrogenase) was found to be simultaneous. Methyl tryptophan-resistant mutants, which synthesize elevated levels of the tryptophan enzymes, also synthesized elevated levels of histidinol phosphate aminotransferase. Qualitatively similar data were obtained in a temperature-sensitive tryptophanyl-transferase ribonucleic acid synthetase mutant grown at elevated temperatures. The time at which messenger ribonucleic acid was synthesized for anthranilate synthase, tryptophan synthase-B, histidinol phosphate aminotransferase, and prephenate dehydrogenase in the presence of actinomycin D indicated that ordered enzyme synthesis was a result of ordered transcription of the corresponding portion of the genome. The effect of the drug rifampin on enzyme synthesis was also examined. The addition of this drug halted the transcription of anthranilate synthase very rapidly, but later regions of the tryptophan region continued to be transcribed. The transcription of the hisH and tyrA genes was also shut off rapidly after rifampin was added. The significance of these observations to the control of transcription of the hisH gene by tryptophan is discussed.