TOL plasmid pWW0 of Pseudomonas putida contains two operons that specify a pathway for the degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons. The upper pathway operon encodes the enzymes for the oxidation of toluene/xylenes to benzoate/toluates, and the metacleavage pathway operon encodes the enzymes for the further oxidation of these compounds to Krebs cycle intermediates. Their expression is controlled by the gene products of two divergently transcribed regulatory genes, xyIR and xyIS. The XyIR protein, which belongs to the NtrC family of regulators, is expressed from two tandem promoters and autoregulates its synthesis. XyIR stimulates transcription from the xyIS gene promoter (Ps) and the upper pathway operon promoter (Pu) in the presence of pathway substrates. Both promoters are sigma 54 dependent, and Pu also requires the presence of integration host factor (IHF) for activation of transcription. Binding sites for XyIR and IHF in the Pu promoter and for XyIR in the Ps promoters have been defined. The XyIS protein, which belongs to the AraC family of regulators, stimulates transcription from the meta-cleavage pathway operon promoter (Pm) in the presence of benzoates. The effector binding pocket and DNA-binding region of XyIS have been defined through the isolation of mutants that exhibit altered effector specificity and modified transcriptional patterns, respectively. Expression of the meta-cleavage pathway operon is also induced by xylene-activated XyIR protein via a cascade regulatory system in which this protein, in combination with sigma 54, stimulates the expression from the xyIS promoter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)