Regulation and localization of amylolytic enzymes in Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824

Abstract

Amylolytic activity was primarily cell associated when Clostridium acetobutylicum was grown on glucose or maltose and primarily extracellular when grown on dextrin or starch. Total amylolytic activity decreased with increasing glucose concentration. When this microorganism was grown in P2 medium containing starch, the intracellular amylolytic activity was 90% membrane bound and 10% cytoplasmic in nature. The addition of 1% glucose to 2% starch-based P2 medium at different stages of growth indicated that this carbohydrate repressed the synthesis of C. acetobutylicum amylolytic enzymes at the level of transcription.