New pleiotropic alkaline phosphatase-negative mutants of Escherichia coli K-12.

Escherichia coli K-12 mutants showing reduced alkaline phosphatase activity were isolated as 5-fluorouracil-plus-adenosine-resistant derivatives of a upp pho (either phoS or phoT) strain. One class of these mutants displayed a temperature-sensitive alkaline phosphatase-negative phenotype, a pleiotropic defect for growth on some substrates, an increased sensitivity to toxic compounds (e.g., EDTA, mitomycin, and chloramphenicol), and alterations in the expression of some membrane proteins. It phenotypically differed from previously described mutants. The mutation was located at min 8.5 close to the phoA gene and defines a new genetic locus we called napA (for negative alkaline phosphatase pleiotropic phenotype). As these mutants have lost the ability to grow on lactose and galactose, Lac+ and Gal+ revertants were isolated that simultaneously recovered the parental phenotype.