Regulation of Extracellular Collagenase Production in Achromobacter iophagus

SUMMARY: Achromobacter iophagus synthesized extracellular collagenase in a highly aerated peptone medium at the late-exponential and early-stationary phases of growth. Collagenase synthesis was subject to end-product repression and was repressed by various amino acids and ammonium ions. Glutamine caused severe repression of collagenase production. Collagenase synthesis was sensitive to catabolite repression by glucose and a number of carbon sources. Cyclic AMP, dibutyryl cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP did not relieve catabolite repression. Glucose and 2-deoxyglucose caused a severe transient repression. Although rifampicin and chloramphenicol immediately inhibited RNA and protein synthesis, respectively, they failed to inhibit collagenase production completely. No intracellular preformed collagenase was detected and collagenase production ceased when induced cells were washed and resuspended in buffer.