Negative control of ornithine decarboxylase and arginine decarboxylase by adenosine-3':5'-cyclic monophosphate in Escherichia coli.

The polyamine biosynthetic enzymes, ornithine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.17) (ODC) and arginine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.19) (ADC), are negatively controlled by cAMP in Escherichia coli. The specific activities of ODC and ADC were determined in crude extracts prepared from E. coli strains carrying a mutation in the adenylate cyclase (EC 4.6.1.1) structural gene (cya) and wildtype strains. These strains were cultured on various carbon sources in the presence and absence of cAMP. In wild-type strains, ODC and ADC activities were diminished in cells grown on glycerol compared to these strains cultured on glucose. When cya strains were grown on glucose or glycerol, ODC and ADC activities were the same. Addition of 1 mM cAMP to glucose-based medium repressed ODC and ADC activities in both the wild-type and cya strains. Furthermore, cAMP exerts its negative control through the cAMP receptor protein, since strains carrying a mutation in the crp structural gene fail to repress ODC and ADC activities in response to increased cAMP obtained by carbon source manipulation or cAMP supplementation of the growth medium. This evidence suggests that negative control of ODC and ADC by cAMP occurs at the level of transcription.