Anaerobically expressed Escherichia coli genes identified by operon fusion techniques

Genes that are expressed under anaerobic conditions were identified by operon fusion techniques with a hybrid bacteriophage of λ and Mu, λplacMu53, which creates transcriptional fusions to lacZY. Cells were screened for anaerobic expression on XG medium. Nine strains were selected, and the insertion point of the hybrid phage in each strain was mapped on the Escherichia coli chromosome linkage map. The anaerobic and aerobic expression levels of these genes were measured by β-galactosidase assays in different medium conditions and in the presence of three regulatory mutations (fnr, narL, and rpoN). The anaerobically expressed genes (aeg) located at minute 99 (aeg-99) and 75 (aeg-75) appeared to be partially regulated by fnr, and aeg-93 is tightly regulated by fnr. aeg-60 requires a functional rpoN gene for its anaerobic expression. aeg-46.5 is repressed by narL. aeg-65A and aeg-65C are partially controlled by fnr but only in media containing nitrate or fumarate. aeg-47.5 and aeg-48.5 were found to be anaerobically induced only in rich media. The effects of a narL mutation on aeg-46.5 expression were observed in all medium conditions regardless of the presence or absence of nitrate. This suggests that narL has a regulatory function in the absence of exogenously added nitrate.