Differential expression of the OmpF and OmpC porin proteins in Escherichia coli K-12 depends upon the level of active OmpR.

We have generated a mutant form of the OmpR regulatory protein, OmpRD55E, that is active independent of the EnvZ kinase. Notably, the pattern of OmpF and OmpC expression can be altered simply by changing the level of this mutant protein in the cell. This result supports a key prediction of the current model of porin regulation, which states that the differential regulation of OmpF and OmpC is a direct consequence of the cellular level of the active form of OmpR.