scholarly journals Interrelations between Glycine Betaine Catabolism and Methionine Biosynthesis in Sinorhizobium meliloti Strain 102F34

2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (20) ◽  
pp. 7195-7204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lise Barra ◽  
Catherine Fontenelle ◽  
Gwennola Ermel ◽  
Annie Trautwetter ◽  
Graham C. Walker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Glycine Betaine ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Methionine Synthase ◽  
Vitamin B ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Methionine Biosynthesis ◽  
Catabolic Pathway ◽  
Methyl Transferase ◽  
Meliloti Strain

ABSTRACT Methionine is produced by methylation of homocysteine. Sinorhizobium meliloti 102F34 possesses only one methionine synthase, which catalyzes the transfer of a methyl group from methyl tetrahydrofolate to homocysteine. This vitamin B12-dependent enzyme is encoded by the metH gene. Glycine betaine can also serve as an alternative methyl donor for homocysteine. This reaction is catalyzed by betaine-homocysteine methyl transferase (BHMT), an enzyme that has been characterized in humans and rats. An S. meliloti gene whose product is related to the human BHMT enzyme has been identified and named bmt. This enzyme is closely related to mammalian BHMTs but has no homology with previously described bacterial betaine methyl transferases. Glycine betaine inhibits the growth of an S. meliloti bmt mutant in low- and high-osmotic strength media, an effect that correlates with a decrease in the catabolism of glycine betaine. This inhibition was not observed with other betaines, like homobetaine, dimethylsulfoniopropionate, and trigonelline. The addition of methionine to the growth medium allowed a bmt mutant to recover growth despite the presence of glycine betaine. Methionine also stimulated glycine betaine catabolism in a bmt strain, suggesting the existence of another catabolic pathway. Inactivation of metH or bmt did not affect the nodulation efficiency of the mutants in the 102F34 strain background. Nevertheless, a metH strain was severely defective in competing with the wild-type strain in a coinoculation experiment.

scholarly journals Degradation of Anthracene by Mycobacterium sp. Strain LB501T Proceeds via a Novel Pathway, through o-Phthalic Acid

2003 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 186-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
René van Herwijnen ◽  
Dirk Springael ◽  
Pieter Slot ◽  
Harrie A. J. Govers ◽  
John R. Parsons
Keyword(s):  
Energy Source ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Phthalic Acid ◽  
Protocatechuic Acid ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Degradation Pathway ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Catabolic Pathway ◽  
Naphthalene Degradation

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium sp. strain LB501T utilizes anthracene as a sole carbon and energy source. We analyzed cultures of the wild-type strain and of UV-generated mutants impaired in anthracene utilization for metabolites to determine the anthracene degradation pathway. Identification of metabolites by comparison with authentic standards and transient accumulation of o-phthalic acid by the wild-type strain during growth on anthracene suggest a pathway through o-phthalic acid and protocatechuic acid. As the only productive degradation pathway known so far for anthracene proceeds through 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene and the naphthalene degradation pathway to form salicylate, this indicates the existence of a novel anthracene catabolic pathway in Mycobacterium sp. LB501T.

scholarly journals Inositol Catabolism, a Key Pathway in Sinorhizobium meliloti for Competitive Host Nodulation

2010 ◽  
Vol 76 (24) ◽  
pp. 7972-7980 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra R. A. Kohler ◽  
Jasmine Y. Zheng ◽  
Elke Schoffers ◽  
Silvia Rossbach
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Carbon Source ◽  
Sole Carbon Source ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Mutational Analysis ◽  
Nodule Occupancy ◽  
Nitrogen Fixing ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Catabolic Pathway ◽  
Inositol Dehydrogenase

ABSTRACT The nitrogen-fixing symbiont of alfalfa, Sinorhizobium meliloti, is able to use myo-inositol as the sole carbon source. Putative inositol catabolism genes (iolA and iolRCDEB) have been identified in the S. meliloti genome based on their similarities with the Bacillus subtilis iol genes. In this study, functional mutational analysis revealed that the iolA and iolCDEB genes are required for growth not only with the myo-isomer but also for growth with scyllo- and d-chiro-inositol as the sole carbon source. An additional, hypothetical dehydrogenase of the IdhA/MocA/GFO family encoded by the smc01163 gene was found to be essential for growth with scyllo-inositol, whereas the idhA-encoded myo-inositol dehydrogenase was responsible for the oxidation of d-chiro-inositol. The putative regulatory iolR gene, located upstream of iolCDEB, encodes a repressor of the iol genes, negatively regulating the activity of the myo- and the scyllo-inositol dehydrogenases. Mutants with insertions in the iolA, smc01163, and individual iolRCDE genes could not compete against the wild type in a nodule occupancy assay on alfalfa plants. Thus, a functional inositol catabolic pathway and its proper regulation are important nutritional or signaling factors in the S. meliloti-alfalfa symbiosis.

scholarly journals Sinorhizobium meliloti Cells Require Biotin and either Cobalt or Methionine for Growth

2001 ◽  
Vol 67 (8) ◽  
pp. 3767-3770 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Watson ◽  
Roselyn Heys ◽  
Teresa Martin ◽  
Marc Savard
Keyword(s):  
Growth Factors ◽  
Yeast Extract ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Minimal Medium ◽  
Vitamin B ◽  
Methionine Biosynthesis ◽  
Rich Media ◽  
Homocysteine Methyltransferase

ABSTRACT Sinorhizobium meliloti is usually cultured in rich media containing yeast extract. It has been suggested that some components of yeast extract are also required for growth in minimal medium. We tested 27 strains of this bacterium and found that none were able to grow in minimal medium when methods to limit carryover of yeast extract were used during inoculation. By fractionation of yeast extract, two required growth factors were identified. Biotin was found to be absolutely required for growth, whereas previously the need for this vitamin was considered to be strain specific. All strains also required supplementation with cobalt or methionine, consistent with the requirement for a vitamin B12-dependent homocysteine methyltransferase for methionine biosynthesis.

scholarly journals De novo cobalamin biosynthesis, transport and assimilation and cobalamin-mediated regulation of methionine biosynthesis in Mycobacterium smegmatis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry Kipkorir ◽  
Gabriel T. Mashabela ◽  
Timothy J. De Wet ◽  
Anastasia Koch ◽  
Lubbe Wiesner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Smegmatis ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Methionine Synthase ◽  
Vitamin B ◽  
Human Pathogen ◽  
Methionine Biosynthesis ◽  
Gene And Protein Expression ◽  
Cobalamin Biosynthesis

ABSTRACTCobalamin is an essential co-factor in all domains of life, yet its biosynthesis is restricted to some bacteria and archaea. Mycobacterium smegmatis, an environmental saprophyte frequently used as surrogate for the obligate human pathogen, M. tuberculosis, carries approximately 30 genes predicted to be involved in de novo cobalamin biosynthesis. M. smegmatis also encodes multiple cobalamin-dependent enzymes, including MetH, a methionine synthase which catalyses the final reaction in methionine biosynthesis. In addition to metH, M. smegmatis possesses a cobalamin-independent methionine synthase, metE, suggesting that enzyme selection – MetH or MetE – is regulated by cobalamin availability. Consistent with this notion, we previously described a cobalamin-sensing riboswitch controlling metE expression in M. tuberculosis. Here, we apply a targeted mass spectrometry-based approach to confirm de novo cobalamin biosynthesis in M. smegmatis during aerobic growth in vitro. We also demonstrate that M. smegmatis transports and assimilates exogenous cyanocobalamin (CNCbl; a.k.a. vitamin B12) and its precursor, dicyanocobinamide ((CN)2Cbi). Interestingly, the uptake of CNCbl and (CN)2Cbi appears restricted in M. smegmatis and dependent on the conditional essentiality of the cobalamin-dependent methionine synthase. Using gene and protein expression analyses combined with single-cell growth kinetics and live-cell time-lapse microscopy, we show that transcription and translation of metE are strongly attenuated by endogenous cobalamin. These results support the inference that metH essentiality in M. smegmatis results from riboswitch-mediated repression of MetE expression. Moreover, differences observed in cobalamin-dependent metabolism between M. smegmatis and M. tuberculosis provide some insight into the selective pressures which might have shaped mycobacterial metabolism for pathogenicity.IMPORTANCEAccumulating evidence suggests that alterations in cobalamin-dependent metabolism marked the evolution of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from an environmental ancestor to an obligate human pathogen. However, the roles of cobalamin in mycobacterial physiology and pathogenicity remain poorly understood. We used the non-pathogenic saprophyte, M. smegmatis, to investigate the production of cobalamin, transport and assimilation of cobalamin precursors, and the potential role of cobalamin in regulating methionine biosynthesis. We provide biochemical and genetic evidence confirming constitutive de novo cobalamin biosynthesis in M. smegmatis under standard laboratory conditions, in contrast with M. tuberculosis, which appears to lack de novo cobalamin biosynthetic capacity. We also demonstrate that the uptake of cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) and its precursors is restricted in M. smegmatis, apparently depending on the need to service the co-factor requirements of the cobalamin-dependent methionine synthase. These observations support the utility of M. smegmatis as a model to elucidate key metabolic adaptations enabling mycobacterial pathogenicity.

scholarly journals Activation and Inactivation of Pseudomonas stutzeriMethylbenzene Catabolism Pathways Mediated by a Transposable Element

1999 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 1876-1882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrizio Bolognese ◽  
Cinzia di Lecce ◽  
Enrica Galli ◽  
Paola Barbieri
Keyword(s):  
Transposable Element ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Insertion Sequence ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Pseudomonas Stutzeri ◽  
Inverted Repeats ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Catabolic Pathway ◽  
Catabolic Genes ◽  
Target Dna

ABSTRACT The arrangement of the genes involved in o-xylene,m-xylene, and p-xylene catabolism was investigated in three Pseudomonas stutzeri strains: the wild-type strain OX1, which is able to grow on o-xylene but not on the meta and para isomers; the mutant M1, which grows on m-xylene and p-xylene but is unable to utilize the ortho isomer; and the revertant R1, which can utilize all the three isomers of xylene. A 3-kb insertion sequence (IS) termed ISPs1, which inactivates them-xylene and p-xylene catabolic pathway inP. stutzeri OX1 and the o-xylene catabolic genes in P. stutzeri M1, was detected. No IS was detected in the corresponding catabolic regions of the P. stutzeri R1 genome. ISPs1 is present in several copies in the genomes of the three strains. It is flanked by 24-bp imperfect inverted repeats, causes the direct duplication of 8 bp in the target DNA, and seems to be related to the ISL3 family.

scholarly journals Improvement of Phosphate Solubilization and Medicago Plant Yield by an Indole-3-Acetic Acid-Overproducing Strain of Sinorhizobium meliloti

2010 ◽  
Vol 76 (14) ◽  
pp. 4626-4632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Bianco ◽  
Roberto Defez
Keyword(s):  
Acetic Acid ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
System A ◽  
Indole 3 Acetic Acid

ABSTRACT Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are the most limiting factors for plant growth. Some microorganisms improve the uptake and availability of N and P, minimizing chemical fertilizer dependence. It has been published that the RD64 strain, a Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021 strain engineered to overproduce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), showed improved nitrogen fixation ability compared to the wild-type 1021 strain. Here, we present data showing that RD64 is also highly effective in mobilizing P from insoluble sources, such as phosphate rock (PR). Under P-limiting conditions, the higher level of P-mobilizing activity of RD64 than of the 1021 wild-type strain is connected with the upregulation of genes coding for the high-affinity P transport system, the induction of acid phosphatase activity, and the increased secretion into the growth medium of malic, succinic, and fumaric acids. Medicago truncatula plants nodulated by RD64 (Mt-RD64), when grown under P-deficient conditions, released larger amounts of another P-solubilizing organic acid, 2-hydroxyglutaric acid, than plants nodulated by the wild-type strain (Mt-1021). It has already been shown that Mt-RD64 plants exhibited higher levels of dry-weight production than Mt-1021 plants. Here, we also report that P-starved Mt-RD64 plants show significant increases in both shoot and root fresh weights when compared to P-starved Mt-1021 plants. We discuss how, in a Rhizobium-legume model system, a balanced interplay of different factors linked to bacterial IAA overproduction rather than IAA production per se stimulates plant growth under stressful environmental conditions and, in particular, under P starvation.

scholarly journals Environmental Regulation of Exopolysaccharide Production in Sinorhizobium meliloti

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (3) ◽  
pp. 599-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiprian E. Mendrygal ◽  
Juan E. González
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Root Nodules ◽  
Weight Fraction ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Exopolysaccharide Production ◽  
Successful Establishment ◽  
High Phosphate

ABSTRACT Exopolysaccharide production by Sinorhizobium melilotiis required for invasion of root nodules on alfalfa and successful establishment of a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis between the two partners.S. meliloti wild-type strain Rm1021 requires production of either succinoglycan, a polymer of repeating octasaccharide subunits, or EPS II, an exopolysaccharide of repeating dimer subunits. The reason for the production of two functional exopolysaccharides is not clear. Earlier reports suggested that low-phosphate conditions stimulate the production of EPS II in Rm1021. We found that phosphate concentrations determine which exopolysaccharide is produced by S. meliloti. The low-phosphate conditions normally found in the soil (1 to 10 μM) stimulate EPS II production, while the high-phosphate conditions inside the nodule (20 to 100 mM) block EPS II synthesis and induce the production of succinoglycan. Interestingly, the EPS II produced by S. meliloti in low-phosphate conditions does not allow the invasion of alfalfa nodules. We propose that this invasion phenotype is due to the lack of the active molecular weight fraction of EPS II required for nodule invasion. An analysis of the function of PhoB in this differential exopolysaccharide production is presented.

scholarly journals Megaplasmid pRme2011a of Sinorhizobium meliloti Is Not Required for Viability

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (12) ◽  
pp. 3582-3586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan J. Oresnik ◽  
Shu-Lin Liu ◽  
Christopher K. Yost ◽  
Michael F. Hynes
Keyword(s):  
Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Sole Source ◽  
Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Selection Strategy ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Defined Media

ABSTRACT We report the curing of the 1,360-kb megaplasmid pRme2011a fromSinorhizobium meliloti strain Rm2011. With a positive selection strategy that utilized Tn5B12-S containing thesacB gene, we were able to cure this replicon by successive rounds of selecting for deletion formation in vivo. Subsequent Southern blot, Eckhardt gel, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analyses were consistent with the hypothesis that the resultant strain was indeed missing pRme2011a. The cured derivative grew as well as the wild-type strain in both complex and defined media but was unable to use a number of substrates as a sole source of carbon on defined media.

scholarly journals Targeted Disruption of the Methionine Synthase Gene in Mice

2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1058-1065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah A. Swanson ◽  
Mei-Lan Liu ◽  
Priscilla J. Baker ◽  
Lisa Garrett ◽  
Michael Stitzel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Megaloblastic Anemia ◽  
Plasma Homocysteine ◽  
Methionine Synthase ◽  
Vitamin B ◽  
Compensatory Mechanism ◽  
Elevated Plasma ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Targeted Disruption ◽  
Methyl Group

ABSTRACT Alterations in homocysteine, methionine, folate, and/or B12 homeostasis have been associated with neural tube defects, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Methionine synthase, one of only two mammalian enzymes known to require vitamin B12 as a cofactor, lies at the intersection of these metabolic pathways. This enzyme catalyzes the transfer of a methyl group from 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate to homocysteine, generating tetrahydrofolate and methionine. Human patients with methionine synthase deficiency exhibit homocysteinemia, homocysteinuria, and hypomethioninemia. They suffer from megaloblastic anemia with or without some degree of neural dysfunction and mental retardation. To better study the pathophysiology of methionine synthase deficiency, we utilized gene-targeting technology to inactivate the methionine synthase gene in mice. On average, heterozygous knockout mice from an outbred background have slightly elevated plasma homocysteine and methionine compared to wild-type mice but seem to be otherwise indistinguishable. Homozygous knockout embryos survive through implantation but die soon thereafter. Nutritional supplementation during pregnancy was unable to rescue embryos that were completely deficient in methionine synthase. Whether any human patients with methionine synthase deficiency have a complete absence of enzyme activity is unclear. These results demonstrate the importance of this enzyme for early development in mice and suggest either that methionine synthase-deficient patients have residual methionine synthase activity or that humans have a compensatory mechanism that is absent in mice.

scholarly journals The Sinorhizobium meliloti Lon Protease Is Involved in Regulating Exopolysaccharide Synthesis and Is Required for Nodulation of Alfalfa

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (9) ◽  
pp. 2551-2558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L. Summers ◽  
Lina M. Botero ◽  
Scott C. Busse ◽  
Timothy R. McDermott
Keyword(s):  
Mutant Strain ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Sinorhizobium Meliloti ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Insertion Site ◽  
Normal Growth ◽  
Phosphate Limitation ◽  
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Analysis ◽  
Lon Protease ◽  
Wild Type

ABSTRACT While screening for Sinorhizobium meliloti Pho regulatory mutants, a transposon mutant was isolated that constitutively expressed higher levels of acid and alkaline phosphatase enzymes. This mutant was also found to form pseudonodules on alfalfa that were delayed in appearance relative to those formed by the wild-type strain, it contained few bacteroids, and it did not fix nitrogen. Sequence analysis of the transposon insertion site revealed the affected gene to have high homology to Lon proteases from a number of organisms. In minimal succinate medium, the mutant strain was found to grow more slowly, reach lower maximal optical density, and produce more extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) than the wild-type strain. The mutant fluoresced brightly on minimal succinate agar containing calcofluor (which binds to EPSI, a constitutively expressed succinoglycan), and gas chromotographic analysis of purified total EPS showed that the glucose-to-galactose ratio in the lonmutant total EPS was 5.0 ± 0.2 (mean ± standard error), whereas the glucose-to-galactose ratio in the wild-type strain was 7.1 ± 0.5. These data suggested that in addition to EPSI, thelon mutant also constitutively synthesized EPSII, a galactoglucan which is the second major EPS known to be produced byS. meliloti, but typically is expressed only under conditions of phosphate limitation. 13C nuclear magnetic resonance analysis showed no major differences between EPS purified from the mutant and wild-type strains. Normal growth, EPS production, and the symbiotic phenotype were restored in the mutant strain when the wild-type lon gene was present intrans. The results of this study suggest that the S. meliloti Lon protease is important for controlling turnover of a constitutively expressed protein(s) that, when unregulated, disrupts normal nodule formation and normal growth.

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