Aspartate transport in Rhizobium meliloti

Summary: Aspartate transport in Rhizobium meliloti was found to be mediated by at least two transport systems. High rates of aspartate uptake, necessary for growth on aspartate as a carbon source, required the dicarboxylate transport (Dct) system, which also transports succinate, fumarate and malate. The apparent K m for aspartate transport by this system was about 10 mm, compared to 15 μm for succinate. This difference in affinity was also apparent in competitive inhibition studies, which showed that succinate effectively inhibits aspartate transport. Although aspartate was not a preferred substrate, it was a very efficient inducer of the Dct system. Both the Dct system and a second aspartate transport system were capable of supplying aspartate for use as a nitrogen source. The second system had a lower apparent K m for aspartate transport (1.5 mm), and was competitively inhibited by glutamate. This aspartate-glutamate system was regulated independently from the Dct system, since it functioned in mutants lacking the Dct system regulatory genes dctB and dctD, and its induction did not coactivate the Dct system. Uptake kinetics in cultures growing on aspartate as nitrogen source showed rapid substrate exchange between extracellular and internal aspartate. R. meliloti was shown to be able to selectively activate the two uptake systems, and also regulated its metabolism as required to utilize aspartate as either carbon or nitrogen source.