THE CAMP-CRP CYTR NUCLEOPROTEIN COMPLEX IN ESCHERICHIA-COLI - 2 PAIRS OF CLOSELY LINKED BINDING-SITES FOR THE CAMP CRP ACTIVATOR COMPLEX ARE INVOLVED IN COMBINATORIAL REGULATION OF THE CDD PROMOTER

Transcription initiation at CytR regulated promoters in Escherichia coli is controlled by a combinatorial regulatory system in which the cAMP receptor protein (CRP) functions as both an activator and a co-repressor. By combining genetic studies and footprinting analyses, we demonstrate that regulated expression of the CytR controlled cdd promoter requires three CRP-binding sites: a high affinity site (CRP-1) and two overlapping low affinity sites (CRP-2 and CRP-3) centred at positions -41, -91 and -93, respectively. In the absence of CytR, cAMP-CRP interacts at one set of sites (CRP-1 and CRP-2) and both of these binding sites are required for full promoter activation. In the presence of CytR, however, the two regulators bind cooperatively to cddP forming a nucleoprotein complex in which cAMP-CRP binds to CRP-1 and CRP-3 and CytR occupies the sequence between these sites. Thus, association of the two regulators involves a repositioning of the cAMP-CRP complex. Moreover, mutant cdd promoters in which CRP-2 and CRP-3 have been deleted are partially regulated by CytR, and cAMP-CRP and CytR still bind cooperatively to these promoters. These findings provide clues to an understanding of how cAMP-CRP and CytR interact at a structurally diverse set of promoters.