Journal
AMINO ACIDS
Volume 51, Issue 8, Pages 1103-1127Publisher
SPRINGER WIEN
DOI: 10.1007/s00726-019-02757-8
Keywords
Arginine; Lysine; Leucine; Transcriptional regulation; Protein-DNA interactions; Feedback inhibition
Categories
Funding
- Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek-Vlaanderen (Research Foundation-Flanders) [G.0056.03, G.0014.02N, G.0429.06, G.0321.13N]
- Research Council of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Already very early, the study of microbial arginine biosynthesis and its regulation contributed significantly to the development of new ideas and concepts. Hence, the term repression was proposed by Vogel (The chemical basis of heredity, The John Hopkins Press, Baltimore, 1957) (in opposition to induction) to describe the relative decrease in acetylornithinase production in Escherichia coli cells upon arginine supplementation, whereas the term regulon was coined by Maas and Clark (J Mol Biol 8:365-370, 1964) for the ensemble of arginine biosynthetic genes dispersed over the E. coli chromosome but all subjected to regulation by the trans-acting argR gene product. Since then, unraveling of the molecular mechanisms controlling arginine biosynthesis, catabolism, and transport in and out the cell, have revealed moonlighting activities of enzymes and transcriptional regulators that generate unexpected interconnections between at first sight totally unrelated cellular processes, and have continued to replenish scientific knowledge and stimulated creative thinking. Furthermore, arginine is much more than just a common amino acid for protein synthesis. It may also be used as sole source of nitrogen by E. coli and a source of nitrogen, carbon and energy by many other bacteria. It is a substrate for the synthesis of polyamines, and important for the extreme acid resistance of E. coli. Furthermore, the guanidino group of arginine is well suited to engage in multiple interactions involving hydrogen bonds and ionic interactions with proteins and nucleic acids. Here, we combine major historical discoveries with current state of the art knowledge on arginine biosynthesis, catabolism and transport, and especially the regulation of these processes in E. coli, with reference to other microorganisms.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available