scholarly journals N-acetyl-d-neuraminic acid synthesis in Escherichia coli K1 occurs through condensation of N-acetyl-d-mannosamine and pyruvate

1995 ◽  
Vol 308 (2) ◽  
pp. 501-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
L B Rodríguez-Aparicio ◽  
M A Ferrero ◽  
A Reglero

Two enzymes have been found to be involved in bacterial N-acetyl-D-neuraminic acid (NeuAc) synthesis: NeuAc synthase, which condenses N-acetyl-L,D-mannosamine and phosphoenolpyruvate, and NeuAc lyase or NeuAc aldolase, which condenses N-acetyl-D-mannosamine and pyruvate. When we used Escherichia coli K1 crude extracts, we observed the generation of NeuAc in the presence of N-acetylmannosamine and both phosphoenolpyruvate (NeuAc synthase activity) or pyruvate (NeuAc lyase activity). However, when crude extracts were fractionated by Sephacryl S-200 chromatography, NeuAc synthase activity disappeared. A chromatographic peak of NeuAc synthase activity was detected when column fractions were re-tested in the presence of the active NeuAc lyase peak. Furthermore, crude extracts converted phosphoenolpyruvate into pyruvate. Pyruvate depletion, due to the addition of pyruvate decarboxylase to the NeuAc synthase reaction mixture, blocked NeuAc formation. Moreover, after NeuAc lyase immunoprecipitation no NeuAc synthase was detected. These findings suggest that NeuAc synthase is not present in E. coli K1 and therefore that NeuAc lyase is the only enzyme responsible for NeuAc synthesis in this bacterium.

2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (19) ◽  
pp. 5940-5950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadja Saile ◽  
Anja Voigt ◽  
Sarah Kessler ◽  
Timo Stressler ◽  
Jochen Klumpp ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTEnterohemorrhagicEscherichia coli(EHEC) O157:H7 strain EDL933 harbors multiple prophage-associated open reading frames (ORFs) in its genome which are highly homologous to the chromosomalnanSgene. The latter is part of thenanCMSoperon, which is present in mostE. colistrains and encodes an esterase which is responsible for the monodeacetylation of 5-N-acetyl-9-O-acetyl neuraminic acid (Neu5,9Ac2). Whereas one prophage-borne ORF (z1466) has been characterized in previous studies, the functions of the othernanS-homologous ORFs are unknown. In the current study, thenanS-homologous ORFs of EDL933 were initially studiedin silico. Due to their homology to the chromosomalnanSgene and their location in prophage genomes, we designated themnanS-p and numbered the differentnanS-p alleles consecutively from 1 to 10. The two allelesnanS-p2 andnanS-p4 were selected for production of recombinant proteins, their enzymatic activities were investigated, and differences in their temperature optima were found. Furthermore, a function of these enzymes in substrate utilization could be demonstrated using anE. coliC600ΔnanSmutant in a growth medium with Neu5,9Ac2as the carbon source and supplementation with the different recombinant NanS-p proteins. Moreover, generation of sequential deletions of allnanS-p alleles in strain EDL933 and subsequent growth experiments demonstrated a gene dose effect on the utilization of Neu5,9Ac2. Since Neu5,9Ac2is an important component of human and animal gut mucus and since the nutrient availability in the large intestine is limited, we hypothesize that the presence of multiple Neu5,9Ac2esterases provides them a nutrient supply under certain conditions in the large intestine, even if particular prophages are lost.IMPORTANCEIn this study, a group of homologous prophage-bornenanS-p alleles and two of the corresponding enzymes of enterohemorrhagicE. coli(EHEC) O157:H7 strain EDL933 that may be important to provide alternative genes for substrate utilization were characterized.


1982 ◽  
Vol 152 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-34
Author(s):  
M Leduc ◽  
R Kasra ◽  
J van Heijenoort

Various methods of inducing autolysis of Escherichia coli cells were investigated, some being described here for the first time. For the autolysis of growing cells only induction methods interfering with the biosynthesis of peptidoglycan were taken into consideration, whereas with harvested cells autolysis was induced by rapid osmotic or EDTA shock treatments. The highest rates of autolysis were observed after induction by moenomycin, EDTA, or cephaloridine. The different autolyses examined shared certain common properties. In particular, regardless of the induction method used, more or less extensive peptidoglycan degradation was observed, and 10(-2) M Mg2+ efficiently inhibited the autolytic process. However, for other properties a distinction was made between methods used for growing cells and those used for harvested cells. Autolysis of growing cells required RNA, protein, and fatty acid synthesis. No such requirements were observed with shock-induced autolysis performed with harvested cells. Thus, the effects of Mg2+, rifampicin, chloramphenicol, and cerulenin clearly suggest that distinct factors are involved in the control of the autolytic system of E. Coli. Uncoupling agents such as sodium azide, 2,4-dinitrophenol, and carbonyl-cyanide-m-chlorophenyl hydrazone used at their usual inhibiting concentration had no effect on the cephaloridine or shock-induced autolysis.


2017 ◽  
Vol 199 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Loddeke ◽  
Barbara Schneider ◽  
Tamiko Oguri ◽  
Iti Mehta ◽  
Zhenyu Xuan ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Salmonella enterica has two CyuR-activated enzymes that degrade cysteine, i.e., the aerobic CdsH and an unidentified anaerobic enzyme; Escherichia coli has only the latter. To identify the anaerobic enzyme, transcript profiling was performed for E. coli without cyuR and with overexpressed cyuR. Thirty-seven genes showed at least 5-fold changes in expression, and the cyuPA (formerly yhaOM) operon showed the greatest difference. Homology suggested that CyuP and CyuA represent a cysteine transporter and an iron-sulfur-containing cysteine desulfidase, respectively. E. coli and S. enterica ΔcyuA mutants grown with cysteine generated substantially less sulfide and had lower growth yields. Oxygen affected the CyuR-dependent genes reciprocally; cyuP-lacZ expression was greater anaerobically, whereas cdsH-lacZ expression was greater aerobically. In E. coli and S. enterica, anaerobic cyuP expression required cyuR and cysteine and was induced by l-cysteine, d-cysteine, and a few sulfur-containing compounds. Loss of either CyuA or RidA, both of which contribute to cysteine degradation to pyruvate, increased cyuP-lacZ expression, which suggests that CyuA modulates intracellular cysteine concentrations. Phylogenetic analysis showed that CyuA homologs are present in obligate and facultative anaerobes, confirming an anaerobic function, and in archaeal methanogens and bacterial acetogens, suggesting an ancient origin. Our results show that CyuA is the major anaerobic cysteine-catabolizing enzyme in both E. coli and S. enterica, and it is proposed that anaerobic cysteine catabolism can contribute to coordination of sulfur assimilation and amino acid synthesis. IMPORTANCE Sulfur-containing compounds such as cysteine and sulfide are essential and reactive metabolites. Exogenous sulfur-containing compounds can alter the thiol landscape and intracellular redox reactions and are known to affect several cellular processes, including swarming motility, antibiotic sensitivity, and biofilm formation. Cysteine inhibits several enzymes of amino acid synthesis; therefore, increasing cysteine concentrations could increase the levels of the inhibited enzymes. This inhibition implies that control of intracellular cysteine levels, which is the immediate product of sulfide assimilation, can affect several pathways and coordinate metabolism. For these and other reasons, cysteine and sulfide concentrations must be controlled, and this work shows that cysteine catabolism contributes to this control.


2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (8) ◽  
pp. 4872-4874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean Scholl ◽  
Sankar Adhya ◽  
Carl Merril

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli strains that produce the K1 polysaccharide capsule have long been associated with pathogenesis. This capsule is believed to increase the cell's invasiveness, allowing the bacteria to avoid phagocytosis and inactivation by complement. It is also recognized as a receptor by some phages, such as K1F and K1-5, which have virion-associated enzymes that degrade the polysaccharide. In this report we show that expression of the K1 capsule in E. coli physically blocks infection by T7, a phage that recognizes lipopolysaccharide as the primary receptor. Enzymatic removal of the K1 antigen from the cell allows T7 to adsorb and replicate. This observation suggests that the capsule plays an important role as a defense against some phages that recognize structures beneath it and that the K1-specific phages evolved to counter this physical barrier.


1955 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 262-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Baxter ◽  
N. E. Gibbons

Antisera against the glycerol dehydrogenases of Escherichia coli and Vibrio costicolus, prepared by injecting the enzymes into rabbits, precipitated the homologous but not the heterologous enzymes. When the enzyme from E. coli was completely precipitated from the supernatant by a minimal quantity of antiserum, about half the activity could be demonstrated in the precipitate. The activity of the precipitate was progressively reduced by increasing amounts of antiserum. Crude extracts of V. costicolus oxidized butanediol as well as glycerol. The antiserum reduced the oxidation of glycerol to a greater extent than the oxidation of butanediol indicating the presence of two enzymes in the original preparation. Antisera against the E. coli and V. costicolus enzymes were inactive against the P. salinaria enzyme. An attempt to prepare antibodies against the enzyme from Pseudomonas salinaria was not successful.


2002 ◽  
Vol 364 (3) ◽  
pp. 795-805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian P. BROWN ◽  
Simon CARNABY ◽  
Clare BROUGH ◽  
Melissa BRAZIER ◽  
Antoni R. SLABAS

Antibodies were raised against the two membrane-bound lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAAT) enzymes from Limnanthes douglasii (meadowfoam), LAT1 and LAT2, using the predicted soluble portion of each protein as recombinant protein antigens. The antibodies can distinguish between the two acyltransferase proteins and demonstrate that both migrate in an anomalous fashion on SDS/PAGE gels. The antibodies were used to determine that LAT1 is present in both leaf and developing seeds, whereas LAT2 is only detectable in developing seeds later than 22daf (days after flowering). Both proteins were found exclusively in microsomal fractions and their amount was determined using the recombinant antigens as quantification standards. LAT1 is present at a level of 27pg/μg of membrane protein in leaf tissue and ≤ 12.5pg/μg of membrane protein in developing embryos. The amount of LAT2 reaches a peak at 305pg/μg of membrane protein 25daf and is not expressed 20daf or before. This is the first study to quantify these membrane-bound proteins in a plant tissue. The maximal level of LAT2 protein coincides with the maximal level of erucic acid synthesis in the seeds. Both full-length proteins were expressed in the Escherichia coli LPAAT mutant JC201, and membranes from these strains were used to investigate the substrate selectivity of these two enzymes, demonstrating that they are different. Finally, we report that LAT2 and a maize LPAAT enzyme (MAT1) can functionally replace the E. coli plsC gene after its deletion in the chromosome, whereas LAT1 and a coconut LPAAT (Coco1) cannot. This is probably due to differences in substrate utilization.


1986 ◽  
Vol 164 (2) ◽  
pp. 642-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
E A Kabat ◽  
K G Nickerson ◽  
J Liao ◽  
L Grossbard ◽  
E F Osserman ◽  
...  

We have described an IgM antibody from a patient with macroglobulinemia specifically reacting with poly-alpha(2----8)N-acetyl neuraminic acid (NeuNAc) the capsular polysaccharide of two important human pathogens, group B meningococcus and E. coli K1. This antibody has a narrowly defined specificity in its interactions with polysaccharides, being unable to bind poly-alpha(2----9)NeuNAc or alternating poly-alpha(2----8)alpha(2----9)NeuNAc. However, it shows interesting crossreactivity with seemingly unrelated polynucleotides and denatured DNA, supporting the hypothesis that charged groups with a given spacing may determine the specificity of antigen-antibody interactions on otherwise dissimilar molecular structures. Despite the crossreactivity with denatured DNA and polynucleotides, the antibody does not appear to have adverse effects in the patient. The antibody protects newborn rats against E. coli K1 infection, as well as the standard horse antiserum H46, and one would expect it to prove useful in humans as an adjunct to antibiotic therapy in infections with group B meningococcus and E. coli K1. We have attempted to clone the antibody-producing cells from peripheral blood, and have shown that the relevant cells are present and can be cultured.


2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 394-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor L. Fischer ◽  
Robert J. White ◽  
Katherine F.K. Mares ◽  
Devin E. Molnau ◽  
Justin J. Donato

<b><i>Background/Aims:</i></b> We previously identified the Triclo1 fosmid in a functional metagenomic selection for clones that increased triclosan tolerance in <i>Escherichia coli</i>. The active enzyme encoded by Triclo1 is ucFabV. Although ucFabV is homologous to FabV from other organisms, ucFabV contains substitutions at key positions that would predict differences in substrate binding. Therefore, a detailed characterization of ucFabV was conducted to link its biochemical activity to its ability to confer reduced triclosan sensitivity. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> ucFabV and a catalytic mutant were purified and used to reduce crotonoyl-CoA in vitro. The mutant and wild-type enzymes were introduced into <i>E. coli</i>, and their ability to confer triclosan tolerance as well as suppress a temperature-sensitive mutant of FabI were measured. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Purified ucFabV, but not the mutant, reduced crotonoyl-CoA in vitro. The wild-type enzyme confers increased triclosan tolerance when introduced into <i>E. coli</i>, whereas the mutant remained susceptible to triclosan<i>. </i>Additionally, wild-type ucFabV, but not the mutant, functionally replaced FabI within living cells. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> ucFabV confers increased tolerance through its function as an enoyl-ACP reductase. Furthermore, ucFabV is capable of restoring viability in the presence of compromised FabI, suggesting ucFabV is likely facilitating an alternate step within fatty acid synthesis, bypassing FabI inhibition.


2007 ◽  
Vol 409 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Dafydd Jones ◽  
Richard N. Perham

The lipoyl domain of the dihydrolipoyl succinyltransferase (E2o) component of the 2OGDH (2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase) multienzyme complex houses the lipoic acid cofactor through covalent attachment to a specific lysine side chain residing at the tip of a β-turn. Residues within the lipoyl-lysine β-turn and a nearby prominent loop have been implicated as determinants of lipoyl domain structure and function. Protein engineering of the Escherichia coli E2o lipoyl domain (E2olip) revealed that removal of residues from the loop caused a major structural change in the protein, which rendered the domain incapable of reductive succinylation by 2-oxoglutarate decarboxylase (E1o) and reduced the lipoylation efficiency. Insertion of a new loop corresponding to that of the E. coli pyruvate dehydrogenase lipoyl domain (E2plip) restored lipoylation efficiency and the capacity to undergo reductive succinylation returned, albeit at a lower rate. Exchange of the E2olip loop sequence significantly improved the ability of the domain to be reductively acetylated by pyruvate decarboxylase (E1p), retaining approx. 10-fold more acetyl groups after 25 min than wild-type E2olip. Exchange of the β-turn residue on the N-terminal side of the E2o lipoyl-lysine DKA/V motif to the equivalent residue in E2plip (T42G), both singly and in conjunction with the loop exchange, reduced the ability of the domain to be reductively succinylated, but led to an increased capacity to be reductively acetylated by the non-cognate E1p. The T42G mutation also slightly enhanced the lipoylation rate of the domain. The surface loop is important to the structural integrity of the protein and together with Thr42 plays an important role in specifying the interaction of the lipoyl domain with its partner E1o in the E. coli 2OGDH complex.


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