REGULATION OF THE GLUCOSE-H+ SYMPORTER BY METABOLITE-ACTIVATED ATP-DEPENDENT PHOSPHORYLATION OF HPR IN LACTOBACILLUS-BREVIS

Lactobacillus brevis takes up glucose and the nonmetabolizable glucose analog 2-deoxyglucose (2DG), as well as lactose and the nonmetabolizable lactose analoge thiomethyl beta-galactoside (TMG), via proton symport. Our earlier studies showed that TMG, previously accumulated in L. brevis cells via the lactose:H+ symporter, rapidly effluxes from L. brevis cells or vesicles upon addition of glucose and that glucose inhibits further accumulation of TMG. This regulation was shown to be mediated by a metabolite-activated protein kinase that phosphorylates serine 46 in the HPr protein. We have now analyzed the regulation of 2DG uptake and efflux and compared it with that of TMG. Uptake of 2DG was dependent on an energy source, effectively provided by intravesicular ATP or by extravesicular arginine which provides ATP via an ATP-generating system involving the arginine deiminase pathway. 2DG uptake into these vesicles was not inhibited, and preaccumulated 2DG did not efflux from them upon electroporation of fructose 1,6-diphosphate or gluconate 6-phosphate into the vesicles. Intravesicular but not extravesicular wild-type or H15A mutant HPr of Bacillus subtilis promoted inhibition (53 and 46%, respectively) of the permease in the presence of these metabolites. Counterflow experiments indicated that inhibition of 2DG uptake is due to the partial uncoupling of proton symport from sugar transport. Intravesicular S46A mutant HPr could not promote regulation of glucose permease activity when electroporated into the vesicles with or without the phosphorylated metabolites, but the S46D mutant protein promoted regulation, even in the absence of a metabolite. The V-max but not the K-m values for both TMG and 2DG uptake were affected. Uptake of the natural, metabolizable substrates of the lactose, glucose, mannose, and ribose permeases was inhibited by wild type HPr in the presence of fructose 1,6-diphosphate or by S46D mutant HPr. These results establish that HPr serine phosphorylation by the ATP-dependent, metabolite-activated HPr kinase regulates glucose and lactose permease activities in L. brevis and suggest that other permeases may also be subject to this mode of regulation.