Differential expression in Escherichia coli of the Vibrio sp. strain ABE-1 icdI and icdII genes encoding structurally different isocitrate dehydrogenase isozymes.

The expression of two structurally different isocitrate dehydrogenase isozymes of Vibrio sp. strain ABE-1 in Escherichia coli was examined. At a low temperature (15 degrees C), a thermolabile and monomeric type isozyme (IDH-II), which is quite different in amino acid sequence from the E. coli isocitrate dehydrogenase, was expressed and conferred glutamate prototrophic ability on an E. coli mutant defective in isocitrate dehydrogenase. The ability of IDH-II to confer restoration of the E. coli mutant to glutamate prototrophy was similar to that of IDH-I, which is a dimeric enzyme homologous to the E. coli isocitrate dehydrogenase. At a high temperature (37 degrees C), no functional IDH-II was expressed. Transcription of icdI and icdII genes, which encode IDH-I and IDH-II, respectively, was regulated differently by different environmental conditions. The level of icdII mRNA was increased by lowering the growth temperature for E. coli transformants, while the level of icdI mRNA was increased when E. coli transformants were cultured in acetate minimal medium. Similar patterns of transcriptional regulation of the two icd gene were observed also in Vibrio sp. strain ABE-1. However, activity of isocitrate dehydrogenase kinase, which can phosphorylate IDH-I and consequently inactivate the enzymatic activity, was detected in cell lysates of E. coli but not of Vibrio sp. strain ABE-1.