The loss of the phoS periplasmic protein leads to a change in the specificity of a constitutive inorganic phosphate transport system in Escherichia coli

The phoS periplasmic protein, implicated in alkaline phosphatase regulation, is shown to be involved in inorganic phosphate (Pi) transport in E. coli. Although phoS^- cells dependent upon the PST system for Pi transport can grow in minimal medium with 1 mM Pi as source of phosphorus, the affinity of these cells for Pi is greatly reduced; Km = 18 μM compared with Km = 0.4 μM for phoS⁺ cells. phoS^- cells dependent upon the PST Pi transport system acquire the ability to accumulate Asi from the medium in contrast to phoS⁺ cells which exclude this toxic anion. It would appear that the periplasmic phoS protein is not essential for Pi accumulation but is involved in maintaining the specificity of the PST Pi transport system.