Superimposition of TyrR Protein-Mediated Regulation on Osmoresponsive Transcription of Escherichia coli proU In Vivo

Osmotic regulation of proU expression in the enterobacteria is achieved, at least in part, by a repression mechanism involving the histone-like nucleoid protein H-NS. By the creation of binding sites for the TyrR regulator protein in the vicinity of the ς(70)-controlled promoter of proU in Escherichia coli, we were able to demonstrate a superposed TyrR-mediated activation by l-phenylalanine (Phe), as well as repression by l-tyrosine, of proU expression in vivo. Based on the facts that pronounced activation in the presence of Phe was observed even at a low osmolarity and that the affinity of binding of TyrR to its cognate sites on DNA is not affected by Phe, we argue that H-NS-mediated repression of proU at a low osmolarity may not involve a classical silencing mechanism. Our data also suggest the involvement of recruited RNA polymerase in the mechanism of antirepression in E. coli.