Microbial metabolism of amino alcohols. Formation of coenzyme B₁₂-dependent ethanolamine ammonia-lyase and its concerted induction in Escherichia coli

1. Kinetic studies of ethanolamine ammonia-lyase formation by Escherichia coli suggested that coenzyme B12 (5′-deoxyadenosylcobalamin), with ethanolamine, is a co-inducer. 2. Enzymic and immunological tests failed to show the formation of complementary enzyme components induced separately by ethanolamine and cobalamin respectively. 3. Although specific for ethanolamine as the substrate, enzyme formation was induced by certain analogues, e.g. 2-aminopropan-1-ol. 4. Experiments with cyano[57Co]-cobalamin suggested that neither coenzyme B12 nor some more tightly bound coenzymically inactive cobamide was necessary for enzyme stability in vitro. 5. Mutants of E. coli were obtained which formed ethanolamine ammonia-lyase apoenzyme constitutively, showing that neither ethanolamine nor cobalamin was required for assembly or post-transcriptional stability of the enzyme in vivo. Constitutive enzyme formation was subject to catabolite repression, particularly by glucose. 6. It appears likely that ethanolamine and coenzyme B12, acting in concert, induce ethanolamine ammonia-lyase formation. The term ‘concerted’ induction is proposed for this phenomenon.