STUDIES ON REPRESSION OF THE HISTIDINE OPERON, II. THE ROLE OF THE FIRST ENZYME IN CONTROL OF THE HISTIDINE SYSTEM

Recent studies on repression of the enzymes for histidine bio-synthesis in Salmonella typhimurium demonstrated that the kinetic pattern in which the enzymes become repressed is influenced by the state of the feedback-sensitive site of the first enzyme of the pathway (Kovach et al., J. Bacteriol., 97, 1283 (1969)). In the present study we demonstrate that under certain conditions alteration of the feedback-sensitive site of the first enzyme prevents repression of the histidine operon. We conclude that the first enzyme plays a previously unrecognized role in regulation of the histidine system.