In vitro repression of the transcription of gas operon by purified gal repressor.

We have studied the in vitro repression of gal mRNA synthesis by the gal repressor from Escherichia coli. By use of a four-step purification procedure involving chromatography on phosphocellulose, DEAE-cellulose, and an affinity resin, the gal repressor has been purified about 1600-fold from a crude cell extract. The purification was aided by use of a cell extract made after prophage induction of cells lysogenic for bacteriophage lambda that carries the gal repressor gene (galR). The highly purified gal repressor is an effective and specific repressor of in vitro synthesis of gal mRNA with lambda gal DNA as template. Both D-fucose and D-galactose overcome the action of gal repressor; the half-maximal concentrations of D-fucose and D-galactose for overcoming the action of repressor are 1 mM and 0.5 mM, respectively. The repressor fails to repress gal-specific transcription when the gal DNA contains a cis-dominant operator constitutive (O(c)) mutation. We conclude that the gal repressor recognizes the gal operator site and acts by preventing gal transcription.