Catabolite Repression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Amidase: Isolation of Promotor Mutants

Among mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from fluoroacetamide medium were some which synthesized amidase at about 5% of the rate of the parent constitutive strain, PAC101. Seven fluoroacetamide-resistant mutants with low amidase activity gave rise to secondary mutant strains on succinate+butyramide plates. One appeared to be an 'up-promotor' mutant and synthesized amidase at a high rate. This mutant, PAC433, was not stimulated by cyclic-AMP and was much less sensitive to catabolite repression by succinate. The mutation conferring resistance to catabolite repression was cotransduced at a frequency of 96% (26/27) with the amidase genes amiR, amiE. Five other revertants had catabolite repression-resistance mutations which were linked to the amidase genes and these also were probably promotor mutants. One strain had a mutation conferring resistance to catabolite repression which was unlinked to the amidase genes.