scholarly journals Pyruvate Formate Lyase and Acetate Kinase Are Essential for Anaerobic Growth of Escherichia coli on Xylose

2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (22) ◽  
pp. 7593-7600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adnan Hasona ◽  
Youngnyun Kim ◽  
F. G. Healy ◽  
L. O. Ingram ◽  
K. T. Shanmugam

ABSTRACT During anaerobic growth of bacteria, organic intermediates of metabolism, such as pyruvate or its derivatives, serve as electron acceptors to maintain the overall redox balance. Under these conditions, the ATP needed for cell growth is derived from substrate-level phosphorylation. In Escherichia coli, conversion of glucose to pyruvate yields 2 net ATPs, while metabolism of a pentose, such as xylose, to pyruvate only yields 0.67 net ATP per xylose due to the need for one (each) ATP for xylose transport and xylulose phosphorylation. During fermentative growth, E. coli produces equimolar amounts of acetate and ethanol from two pyruvates, and these reactions generate one additional ATP from two pyruvates (one hexose equivalent) while still maintaining the overall redox balance. Conversion of xylose to acetate and ethanol increases the net ATP yield from 0.67 to 1.5 per xylose. An E. coli pfl mutant lacking pyruvate formate lyase cannot convert pyruvate to acetyl coenzyme A, the required precursor for acetate and ethanol production, and could not produce this additional ATP. E. coli pfl mutants failed to grow under anaerobic conditions in xylose minimal medium without any negative effect on their survival or aerobic growth. An ackA mutant, lacking the ability to generate ATP from acetyl phosphate, also failed to grow in xylose minimal medium under anaerobic conditions, confirming the need for the ATP produced by acetate kinase for anaerobic growth on xylose. Since arabinose transport by AraE, the low-affinity, high-capacity, arabinose/H+ symport, conserves the ATP expended in pentose transport by the ABC transporter, both pfl and ackA mutants grew anaerobically with arabinose. AraE-based xylose transport, achieved after constitutively expressing araE, also supported the growth of the pfl mutant in xylose minimal medium. These results suggest that a net ATP yield of 0.67 per pentose is only enough to provide for maintenance energy but not enough to support growth of E. coli in minimal medium. Thus, pyruvate formate lyase and acetate kinase are essential for anaerobic growth of E. coli on xylose due to energetic constraints.

2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (14) ◽  
pp. 4894-4904 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cong T. Trinh ◽  
Johnny Li ◽  
Harvey W. Blanch ◽  
Douglas S. Clark

ABSTRACTFermentation enables the production of reduced metabolites, such as the biofuels ethanol and butanol, from fermentable sugars. This work demonstrates a general approach for designing and constructing a production host that uses a heterologous pathway as an obligately fermentative pathway to produce reduced metabolites, specifically, the biofuel isobutanol. Elementary mode analysis was applied to design anEscherichia colistrain optimized for isobutanol production under strictly anaerobic conditions. The central metabolism ofE. coliwas decomposed into 38,219 functional, unique, and elementary modes (EMs). The model predictions revealed that during anaerobic growthE. colicannot produce isobutanol as the sole fermentative product. By deleting 7 chromosomal genes, the total 38,219 EMs were constrained to 12 EMs, 6 of which can produce high yields of isobutanol in a range from 0.29 to 0.41 g isobutanol/g glucose under anaerobic conditions. The remaining 6 EMs rely primarily on the pyruvate dehydrogenase enzyme complex (PDHC) and are typically inhibited under anaerobic conditions. The redesignedE. colistrain was constrained to employ the anaerobic isobutanol pathways through deletion of 7 chromosomal genes, addition of 2 heterologous genes, and overexpression of 5 genes. Here we present the design, construction, and characterization of an isobutanol-producingE. colistrain to illustrate the approach. The model predictions are evaluated in relation to experimental data and strategies proposed to improve anaerobic isobutanol production. We also show that the endogenous alcohol/aldehyde dehydrogenase AdhE is the key enzyme responsible for the production of isobutanol and ethanol under anaerobic conditions. The glycolytic flux can be controlled to regulate the ratio of isobutanol to ethanol production.


2017 ◽  
Vol 199 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian M. Meehan ◽  
Cristina Landeta ◽  
Dana Boyd ◽  
Jonathan Beckwith

ABSTRACT Disulfide bonds are critical to the stability and function of many bacterial proteins. In the periplasm of Escherichia coli, intramolecular disulfide bond formation is catalyzed by the two-component disulfide bond forming (DSB) system. Inactivation of the DSB pathway has been shown to lead to a number of pleotropic effects, although cells remain viable under standard laboratory conditions. However, we show here that dsb strains of E. coli reversibly filament under aerobic conditions and fail to grow anaerobically unless a strong oxidant is provided in the growth medium. These findings demonstrate that the background disulfide bond formation necessary to maintain the viability of dsb strains is oxygen dependent. LptD, a key component of the lipopolysaccharide transport system, fails to fold properly in dsb strains exposed to anaerobic conditions, suggesting that these mutants may have defects in outer membrane assembly. We also show that anaerobic growth of dsb mutants can be restored by suppressor mutations in the disulfide bond isomerization system. Overall, our results underscore the importance of proper disulfide bond formation to pathways critical to E. coli viability under conditions where oxygen is limited. IMPORTANCE While the disulfide bond formation (DSB) system of E. coli has been studied for decades and has been shown to play an important role in the proper folding of many proteins, including some associated with virulence, it was considered dispensable for growth under most laboratory conditions. This work represents the first attempt to study the effects of the DSB system under strictly anaerobic conditions, simulating the environment encountered by pathogenic E. coli strains in the human intestinal tract. By demonstrating that the DSB system is essential for growth under such conditions, this work suggests that compounds inhibiting Dsb enzymes might act not only as antivirulents but also as true antibiotics.


2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (20) ◽  
pp. 7165-7175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnim Weber ◽  
Stephanie A. Kögl ◽  
Kirsten Jung

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli lives in the mammalian gastrointestinal tract anaerobically at high osmolarity as well as in the soil aerobically at varying osmolarities. Adaptation to these varying environmental conditions is crucial for growth and survival of E. coli. Two-dimensional protein gels were used to visualize global time-dependent changes (10 to 60 min) in the proteome of cells responding to osmotic stress (0.4 M NaCl or 0.7 M sorbitol) under aerobic or anaerobic conditions. The protein profiles revealed an induction of 12 proteins (Dps, HchA, HdhA, InfB, OsmC, OsmY, ProX, KatE, PspA, TalA, TktB, and TreF) under osmotic stress in an aerobic milieu. Eleven additional proteins (OtsB, YceI, YciE, YciF, YgaU, YjbJ, AcnA, MetL, PoxB, Ssb, and YhbO) were induced by osmotic stress imposed by NaCl. Most of the accumulated proteins were cross-protecting proteins (e.g., OsmY, OsmC, Dps, and KatE) which are regulated at the transcriptional level predominantly by RpoS and other regulators (e.g., integration host factor, OxyR, H-NS, LRP, and FIS). Comparative analysis of the proteome of E. coli grown under aerobic or anaerobic conditions under osmotic stress (NaCl) revealed an overlap of the up-regulated proteins of more than 50%. Ten proteins (PoxB, AcnA, TalA, TktB, KatE, PspA, Ssb, TreF, MetL, and YhbO) were detectable only under aerobic, high-osmolality conditions. Time-dependent alterations of the proteome were monitored, allowing classification of the up-regulated proteins into early, middle, and long-term phases of adaptation. Only a few proteins were found to be down-regulated upon osmotic stress.


2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (10) ◽  
pp. 4707-4716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Liu ◽  
Shi Lei Dong ◽  
Fei Xu ◽  
Xue Qin Wang ◽  
T. Ryan Withers ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTAntimicrobial peptides (AMPs) can cause lysis of target bacteria by directly inserting themselves into the lipid bilayer. This killing mechanism confounds the identification of the intracellular targets of AMPs. To circumvent this, we used a shuttle vector containing the inducible expression of a human cathelicidin-related AMP, LL-37, to examine its effect onEscherichia coliTOP10 under aerobic and anaerobic growth conditions. Induction of LL-37 caused growth inhibition and alteration in cell morphology to a filamentous phenotype. Further examination of theE. colicell division protein FtsZ revealed that LL-37 did not interact with FtsZ. Moreover, intracellular expression of LL-37 results in the enhanced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), causing lethal membrane depolarization under aerobic conditions. Additionally, the membrane permeability was increased after intracellular expression of LL37 under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that intracellular LL-37 mainly affected the expression of genes related to energy production and carbohydrate metabolism. More specifically, genes related to oxidative phosphorylation under both aerobic and anaerobic growth conditions were affected. Collectively, our current study demonstrates that intracellular expression of LL-37 inE. colican inhibit growth under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. While we confirmed that the generation of ROS is a bactericidal mechanism for LL-37 under aerobic growth conditions, we also found that the intracellular accumulation of cationic LL-37 influences the redox and ion status of the cells under both growth conditions. These data suggest that there is a new AMP-mediated bacterial killing mechanism that targets energy metabolism.


2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (10) ◽  
pp. 6352-6360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kumiko Kurabayashi ◽  
Koichi Tanimoto ◽  
Shinobu Fueki ◽  
Haruyoshi Tomita ◽  
Hidetada Hirakawa

ABSTRACTBecause a shortage of new antimicrobial agents is a critical issue at present, and with the spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens, the use of fosfomycin to treat infections is being revisited as a “last-resort option.” This drug offers a particular benefit in that it is more effective against bacteria growing under oxygen-limited conditions, unlike other commonly used antimicrobials, such as fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides. In this study, we showed thatEscherichia colistrains, including enterohemorrhagicE. coli(EHEC), were more susceptible to fosfomycin when grown anaerobically than when grown aerobically, and we investigated how the activity of this drug was enhanced during anaerobic growth ofE. coli. Our quantitative PCR analysis and a transport assay showed thatE. colicells grown under anaerobic conditions had higher levels of expression ofglpTanduhpT, encoding proteins that transport fosfomycin into cells with their native substrates, i.e., glycerol-3-phosphate and glucose-6-phosphate, and led to increased intracellular accumulation of the drug. Elevation of expression of these genes during anaerobic growth requires FNR, a global transcriptional regulator that is activated under anaerobic conditions. Purified FNR bound to DNA fragments from regions upstream ofglpTanduhpT, suggesting that it is an activator of expression ofglpTanduhpTduring anaerobic growth. We concluded that the increased antibacterial activity of fosfomycin towardE. coliunder anaerobic conditions can be attributed to elevated expression of GlpT and UhpT following activation of FNR, leading to increased uptake of the drug.


1982 ◽  
Vol 152 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-88
Author(s):  
E H Berglin ◽  
M B Edlund ◽  
G K Nyberg ◽  
J Carlsson

Under anaerobic conditions an exponentially growing culture of Escherichia coli K-12 was exposed to hydrogen peroxide in the presence of various compounds. Hydrogen peroxide (0.1 mM) together with 0.1 mM L-cysteine or L-cystine killed the organisms more rapidly than 10 mM hydrogen peroxide alone. The exposure of E. coli to hydrogen peroxide in the presence of L-cysteine inhibited some of the catalase. This inhibition, however, could not fully explain the 100-fold increase in hydrogen peroxide sensitivity of the organism in the presence of L-cysteine. Of other compounds tested only some thiols potentiated the bactericidal effect of hydrogen peroxide. These thiols were effective, however, only at concentrations significantly higher than 0.1 mM. The effect of L-cysteine and L-cystine could be annihilated by the metal ion chelating agent 2,2'-bipyridyl. DNA breakage in E. coli K-12 was demonstrated under conditions where the organisms were killed by hydrogen peroxide.


2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (1) ◽  
pp. 192-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Yohannes ◽  
D. Michael Barnhart ◽  
Joan L. Slonczewski

ABSTRACT During aerobic growth of Escherichia coli, expression of catabolic enzymes and envelope and periplasmic proteins is regulated by pH. Additional modes of pH regulation were revealed under anaerobiosis. E. coli K-12 strain W3110 was cultured anaerobically in broth medium buffered at pH 5.5 or 8.5 for protein identification on proteomic two-dimensional gels. A total of 32 proteins from anaerobic cultures show pH-dependent expression, and only four of these proteins (DsbA, TnaA, GatY, and HdeA) showed pH regulation in aerated cultures. The levels of 19 proteins were elevated at the high pH; these proteins included metabolic enzymes (DhaKLM, GapA, TnaA, HisC, and HisD), periplasmic proteins (ProX, OppA, DegQ, MalB, and MglB), and stress proteins (DsbA, Tig, and UspA). High-pH induction of the glycolytic enzymes DhaKLM and GapA suggested that there was increased fermentation to acids, which helped neutralize alkalinity. Reporter lac fusion constructs showed base induction of sdaA encoding serine deaminase under anaerobiosis; in addition, the glutamate decarboxylase genes gadA and gadB were induced at the high pH anaerobically but not with aeration. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that there is a connection between the gad system and GabT metabolism of 4-aminobutanoate. On the other hand, 13 other proteins were induced by acid; these proteins included metabolic enzymes (GatY and AckA), periplasmic proteins (TolC, HdeA, and OmpA), and redox enzymes (GuaB, HmpA, and Lpd). The acid induction of NikA (nickel transporter) is of interest because E. coli requires nickel for anaerobic fermentation. The position of the NikA spot coincided with the position of a small unidentified spot whose induction in aerobic cultures was reported previously; thus, NikA appeared to be induced slightly by acid during aeration but showed stronger induction under anaerobic conditions. Overall, anaerobic growth revealed several more pH-regulated proteins; in particular, anaerobiosis enabled induction of several additional catabolic enzymes and sugar transporters at the high pH, at which production of fermentation acids may be advantageous for the cell.


1968 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Molina ◽  
L. Calegari ◽  
G. Conte

When an R determinant for streptomycin is transferred into a conditionally streptomycin-dependent E. coli B mutant—which requires in minimal medium either histidine or streptomycin—the latter behaves like a histidineless strain. This phenotype modification shows that the repairing action of streptomycin is prevented. The specific requirement of the strain is not now replaced even by streptomycin concentrations up to 10000 µg/ml at which the conditionally streptomycin-dependent mutant could originally grow, and which are well beyond the resistance level characteristic of the R determinant itself. These data seem to suggest that a reduction in permeability of the cell membrane cannot be held responsible for the phenomenon observed.


1988 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 822-824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly E. Richter ◽  
Jacek Switala ◽  
Peter C. Loewen

The addition of ascorbate to aerobically growing cultures of Escherichia coli B caused only a short pause in growth and no subsequent change in the rate or extent of growth. The effect of ascorbate on oxygen uptake varied from inhibition in minimal medium to stimulation in rich medium. Cyanide-resistant growth and oxygen uptake were stimulated by ascorbate. Both the rate and extent of anaerobic growth were stimulated in proportion to the amount of ascorbate added when fumarate was the terminal electron acceptor. Ascorbate had no effect on any aspect of anaerobic growth in the absence of a terminal electron acceptor or in the presence of nitrate.


2010 ◽  
Vol 76 (16) ◽  
pp. 5463-5470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amarjeet Singh ◽  
Anis Karimpour-Fard ◽  
Ryan T. Gill

ABSTRACT Balancing of reducing equivalents is a fundamental issue in bacterial metabolism and metabolic engineering. Mutations in the key metabolic genes ldhA and pflB of Escherichia coli are known to stall anaerobic growth and fermentation due to a buildup of intracellular NADH. We observed that the rate of spontaneous mutation in E. coli BW25113 (ΔldhA ΔpflB) was an order of magnitude higher than that in wild-type (WT) E. coli BW25113. We hypothesized that the increased mutation frequency was due to an increased NADH/NAD+ ratio in this strain. Using several redox-impaired strains of E. coli and different redox conditions, we confirmed a significant correlation (P < 0.01) between intracellular-NADH/NAD+ ratio and mutation frequency. To identify the genetic basis for this relationship, whole-genome transcriptional profiles were compared between BW25113 WT and BW25113 (ΔldhA ΔpflB). This analysis revealed that the genes involved in DNA repair were expressed at significantly lower levels in BW25113 (ΔldhA ΔpflB). Direct measurements of the extent of DNA repair in BW25113 (ΔldhA ΔpflB) subjected to UV exposure confirmed that DNA repair was inhibited. To identify a direct link between DNA repair and intracellular-redox ratio, the stringent-response-regulatory gene relA and the global-stress-response-regulatory gene rpoS were deleted. In both cases, the mutation frequencies were restored to BW25113 WT levels.


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