Activation of pur Gene Expression by a Homologue of the Bacillus subtilis PurR repressor:: Isolation of a purR:iss Mutant and cloning of the wild type purR gene from Lactococcus lactis

A purR::pGh9:Iss1 mutant was obtained in Lactococcus lactis following transposon mutagenesis of strain MG1363 and selection for purine auxotrophs. After determination of the nucleotide sequence and deduction of the purR reading frame, the PurR product was found to be highly similar to the purR encoded repressor from Bacillus subtilis.

The wildtype purR gene complements the purine auxotrophy of a purR::Iss1mutant, and it was shown that the purR::Iss1 mutation lowers transcription from the purine regulated L. lactis purD promoter. In a parallel study on the regulation of purC and purD expression in L. lactis (Accompanying report) we identified regions (PurBox sequences: AwwwCCGAACwwT) upstream of the promoters, with the central G-residue at exactly position –76 relative to the transcriptional start site.

The PurBox’es were found to be required for high promoter activity and purine regulation. We have identified a PurBox sequence overlapping the -35 region of the L. lactis purR promoter and found, by studies of a purR-lacLM fusion plasmid, that purR is autoregulated. Because of the high similarity of the PurR proteins from B. subtilis and L. lactis, we looked for PurBox sequences in the promoter regions of the PurR regulated genes in B. subtilis, and identified a perfectly matching PurBox in the purA promoter region, and slightly degenerate PurBox like sequences in the promoter regions for the pur operon and the purR gene.