Determination of soluble and granular inorganic polyphosphate in Corynebacterium glutamicum

Corynebacterium glutamicum forms inorganic polyphosphate (poly P) that may occur as soluble (cytosolic) poly P and/or as volutin granules. A suitable method for monitoring soluble and granular poly P in C. glutamicum was developed and applied to C. glutamicum cells cultivated under different growth conditions. Under phosphate-limiting conditions, C. glutamicum did not accumulate poly P, but it rebuilt its poly P storages when phosphate became available. The poly P content of C. glutamicum growing on glucose minimal medium with sufficient phosphate varied considerably during growth. While the poly P content was minimal in the midexponential growth phase, two maxima were observed in the early exponential growth phase and at entry into the stationary growth phase. Cells in the early exponential growth phase primarily contained granular poly P, while cells entering the stationary growth phase contained soluble, cytosolic poly P. These results and those obtained for C. glutamicum cells cultivated under hypo- or hyperosmotic conditions or during glutamate production revealed that the poly P content of C. glutamicum and the partitioning between cytosolic and granular forms of poly P are dynamics and depend on the growth conditions.     

Phosphate Starvation-Inducible Gene ushA Encodes a 5′ Nucleotidase Required for Growth of Corynebacterium glutamicum on Media with Nucleotides as the Phosphorus Source

Phosphorus is an essential component of macromolecules, like DNA, and central metabolic intermediates, such as sugar phosphates, and bacteria possess enzymes and control mechanisms that provide an optimal supply of phosphorus from the environment. UDP-sugar hydrolases and 5′ nucleotidases may play roles in signal transduction, as they do in mammals, in nucleotide salvage, as demonstrated for UshA of Escherichia coli, or in phosphorus metabolism. The Corynebacterium glutamicum gene ushA was found to encode a secreted enzyme which is active as a 5′ nucleotidase and a UDP-sugar hydrolase. This enzyme was synthesized and secreted into the medium when C. glutamicum was starved for inorganic phosphate. UshA was required for growth of C. glutamicum on AMP and UDP-glucose as sole sources of phosphorus. Thus, in contrast to UshA from E. coli, C. glutamicum UshA is an important component of the phosphate starvation response of this species and is necessary to access nucleotides and related compounds as sources of phosphorus.     

Development of novel cell surface display in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Corynebacterium glutamicum</Emphasis> using porin

We have developed a novel cell surface display in Corynebacterium glutamicum using porin proteins as anchor proteins. Porins are localized at C. glutamicum mycolic acid layer and exist as a hexamer. We used α-amylase from Streptococcus bovis 148 (AmyA) as a model protein to be displayed on the C. glutamicum cell surface. AmyA was fused to the C terminus of the porins PorB, PorC, or PorH. Expression vectors using fused proteins under the control of the cspB promoter were constructed and introduced into the C. glutamicum Cm strain. Immunostaining microscopy and flow cytometric analysis revealed that PorB-AmyA, PorC-AmyA, and PorH-AmyA were displayed on the C. glutamicum cell surface. AmyA activity was only detected in the cell fraction of C. glutamicum cells that displayed AmyA fused to PorB, PorC or PorH and AmyA activity was not detected in the supernatants of C. glutamicum culture broths after 72 h cultivation. Thus, we have demonstrated that C. glutamicum porins are very efficient anchor proteins for protein display in C. glutamicum.     

Regulation of phosphate uptake kinetics inOscillatoria agardhii

In order to study phosphate uptake kinetics the cyanobacteriumOscillatoria agardhii was grown in continuous culture under a phosphorus limitation. The affinity of the uptake system reflected in the initial slope of the uptake rate versus external substrate concentration curve (dV/ds) was found to be unaffected by the growth wate.The maximum phosphate uptake rate (V _m ) decreased as the growth rate was increased. Attempts were made to relate the decrease ofV _m to the increase in phosphorus content of the cells that occurred a higher growth rates. Accumulation of phosphate during pulse experiments indeed resulted in a decrease ofV _m . However feedback regulation ofV _m by accumulated phosphorus was found to occur only to a small extent in steady state growing cells. The main part of the regulation of the activity of the phosphate uptake system seemingly is determined by a long term process that is, at least longer than 2 h. The presence of short term feedback inhibition by accumulated phosphorus on the activity of the uptake system provides an explanation of the phenomenon thatOscillatoria agardhii is not able to grow at near _max growth rates under a phosphorus limitation.     

Nodulation and growth response ofAllocasuarina andCasuarina species to phosphorus fertilization

To examine how soil phosphorus status affects nitrogen fixation by the Casuarinaceae —Frankia symbiosis,Casuarina equisetifolia and two species ofAllocasuarina (A. torulosa andA. littoralis) inoculated or fertilized with KNO₃ were grown in pots in an acid soil at 4 soil phosphate levels. InoculatedC. equisetifolia nodulated well by 12 weeks after planting and the numbers and weight of nodules increased markedly with phosphorus addition. Growth ofC. equisetifolia dependent on symbiotically fixed nitrogen was more sensitive to low levels of phosphorus (30 mg kg^–1 soil) than was growth of seedings supplied with combined nitrogen; at higher levels of phosphorus, the growth response curves were similar for both nitrogen fertilized and inoculated plants. The interaction between phosphorus and nitrogen treatments (inoculated and nitrogen fertilized) demonstrated that there was a greater requirement of phosphorus for symbiotic nitrogen fixation than for plant growth when soil phosphorus was low.WithAllocasuarina species, large plant to plant variation in nodulation occurred both within pots and between replicates. This result suggests genetic variation in nodulation withinAllocasuarina species. Nodulation ofAllocasuarina species did not start until 16 weeks after planting and no growth response due toFrankia inoculation was obtained at the time of harvest. Addition of nitrogen starter is suggested to boost plant growth before the establishment of the symbiosis. Growth ofAllocasuarina species fertilized with nitrogen responded to increasing levels of phosphorus up to 90 mg P/kg soil after which it declined by 69% forA. littoralis. The decrease in shoot weight ofA. littoralis, A. torulosa, C. equisetifolia andC. cunninghamiana at high phosphorus was confirmed in a sand culture experiment, and may be atributable to phosphorus toxicity.     

Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase from<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Corynebacterium glutamicum</Emphasis>: expression and deletion of the<Emphasis Type="Italic"> fbp</Emphasis> gene and biochemical characterization of the enzyme

The class II fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase gene of Corynebacterium glutamicum, fbp, was cloned and expressed with a N-terminal His-tag in Escherichia coli. Purified, His-tagged fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase from C. glutamicum was shown to be tetrameric, with a molecular mass of about 140 kDa for the homotetramer. The enzyme displayed Michaelis-Menten kinetics for the substrate fructose 1,6-bisphosphate with a K_m value of about 14 µM and a V_max of about 5.4 µmol min^–1 mg^–1 and k_cat of about 3.2 s^–1. Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase activity was dependent on the divalent cations Mg²⁺ or Mn²⁺ and was inhibited by the monovalent cation Li⁺ with an inhibition constant of 140 µM. Fructose 6-phosphate, glycerol 3-phosphate, ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate and myo-inositol-monophosphate were not significant substrates of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase from C. glutamicum. The enzymatic activity was inhibited by AMP and phosphoenolpyruvate and to a lesser extent by phosphate, fructose 6-phosphate, fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, and UDP. Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase activities and protein levels varied little with respect to the carbon source. Deletion of the chromosomal fbp gene led to the absence of any detectable fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase activity in crude extracts of C. glutamicum WTfbp and to an inability of this strain to grow on the carbon sources acetate, citrate, glutamate, and lactate. Thus, fbp is essential for growth on gluconeogenic carbon sources and likely codes for the only fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase in C. glutamicum.     

Some properties of thePseudomonas fluorescens adhesin and antiadhesin

Some properties of the adhesion-modifying factors ofPseudomonas fluorescens are described. Adhesin, which promotes the adhesion ofP. fluorescens cells, is a hydrophobic compound of a protein nature with a molecular mass of more than 10 kDa located either at the cell surface or in the medium. Antiadhesin, which suppresses the adhesion ofP. fluorescens cells, is a thermolabile hydrophobic compound of a nonprotein nature with a molecular mass of less than 3 kDa. Heating makes antiadhesin hydrophilic. The role of adhesin and antiadhesin in the adhesion and adaptation ofP. fluorescens cells is discussed.     

TheamrG1 gene is involved in the activation of acetate inCorynebacterium glutamicum

During growth ofCorynebacterium glutamicum on acetate as its carbon and energy source, the expression of theptaack operon is induced, coding for the acetate-activating enzymes, which are phosphotransacetylase (PTA) and acetate kinase (AK). By transposon rescue, we identified the two genesamrG1 andamrG2 found in the deregulated transposon mutant C.glutamicum G25. TheamrG1 gene (NCBI-accession: AF532964) has a size of 732 bp, encoding a polypeptide of 243 amino acids and apparently is partially responsible for the regulation of acetate metabolism in C.glutamicum. We constructed an in-frame deletion mutant and an overexpressing strain ofamrG1 in the C.glutamicum ATCC13032 wildtype. The strains were then analyzed with respect to their enzyme activities of PTA and AK during growth on glucose, acetate and glucose or acetate alone as carbon sources. Compared to the parental strain, theamrG1 deletion mutant showed higher specific AK and PTA activities during growth on glucose but showed the same high specific activities of AK and PTA on medium containing acetate plus glucose and on medium containing acetate. In contrast to the gene deletion, overexpression of theamrG1 gene in C.glutamicum 13032 had the adverse regulatory effect. These results indicate that theamrG1 gene encodes a repressor or co-repressor of theptaack operon.     

TheamrG1 gene is involved in the activation of acetate inCorynebacterium glutamicum

During growth ofCorynebacterium glutamicum on acetate as its carbon and energy source, the expression of theptaack operon is induced, coding for the acetate-activating enzymes, which are phosphotransacetylase (PTA) and acetate kinase (AK). By transposon rescue, we identified the two genesamrG1 andamrG2 found in the deregulated transposon mutant C.glutamicum G25. TheamrG1 gene (NCBI-accession: AF532964) has a size of 732 bp, encoding a polypeptide of 243 amino acids and apparently is partially responsible for the regulation of acetate metabolism in C.glutamicum. We constructed an in-frame deletion mutant and an overexpressing strain ofamrG1 in the C.glutamicum ATCC13032 wildtype. The strains were then analyzed with respect to their enzyme activities of PTA and AK during growth on glucose, acetate and glucose or acetate alone as carbon sources. Compared to the parental strain, theamrG1 deletion mutant showed higher specific AK and PTA activities during growth on glucose but showed the same high specific activities of AK and PTA on medium containing acetate plus glucose and on medium containing acetate. In contrast to the gene deletion, overexpression of theamrG1 gene in C.glutamicum 13032 had the adverse regulatory effect. These results indicate that theamrG1 gene encodes a repressor or co-repressor of theptaack operon.     

Phosphate-limited ocean regions select for bacterial populations enriched in the carbon–phosphorus lyase pathway for phosphonate degradation

In tropical and subtropical oceanic surface waters phosphate scarcity can limit microbial productivity. However, these environments also have bioavailable forms of phosphorus incorporated into dissolved organic matter (DOM) that microbes with the necessary transport and hydrolysis metabolic pathways can access to supplement their phosphorus requirements. In this study we evaluated how the environment shapes the abundance and taxonomic distribution of the bacterial carbon–phosphorus (C–P) lyase pathway, an enzyme complex evolved to extract phosphate from phosphonates. Phosphonates are organophosphorus compounds characterized by a highly stable C–P bond and are enriched in marine DOM. Similar to other known bacterial adaptions to low phosphate environments, C–P lyase was found to become more prevalent as phosphate concentrations decreased. C–P lyase was particularly enriched in the Mediterranean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, two regions that feature sustained periods of phosphate depletion. In these regions, C–P lyase was prevalent in several lineages of Alphaproteobacteria (Pelagibacter, SAR116, Roseobacter and Rhodospirillales), Gammaproteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. The global scope of this analysis supports previous studies that infer phosphonate catabolism via C–P lyase is an important adaptive strategy implemented by bacteria to alleviate phosphate limitation and expands the known geographic extent and taxonomic affiliation of this metabolic pathway in the ocean.     

Effect of phosphate on bacterioferritin-catalysed iron(II) oxidation

The iron(III) mineral cores of bacterioferritins (BFRs), as isolated, contain a significant component of phosphate, with an iron-to-phosphate ratio approaching 1:1 in some cases. In order to better understand the in vivo core-formation process, the effect of phosphate on in vitro core formation in Escherichia coli BFR was investigated. Iron cores reconstituted in the presence of phosphate were found to have iron-to-phosphate ratios similar to those of native cores, and possessed electron paramagnetic resonance properties characteristic of the phosphate-rich core. Phosphate did not affect the stoichiometry of the initial iron(II) oxidation reaction that takes place at the intrasubunit dinuclear iron-binding sites (phase 2 of core formation), but did increase the rate of oxidation. Phosphate had a more significant effect on subsequent core formation (the phase 3 reaction), increasing the rate up to five-fold at pH 6.5 and 25 °C. The dependence of the phase 3 rate on phosphate was complex, being greatest at low phosphate and gradually decreasing until the point of saturation at ~2 mM phosphate (for iron(II) concentrations <200 M). Phosphate caused a significant decrease in the absorption properties of both phase 2 and phase 3 products, and the phosphate dependence of the latter mirrored the observed rate dependence, suggesting that distinct iron(III)-phosphate species are formed at different phosphate concentrations. The effect of phosphate on absorption properties enabled the observation of previously undetected events in the phase 2 to phase 3 transition period.Abbreviations BFR Bacterioferritin - EcBFR Escherichia coli BFR - PaBFR Pseudomonas aeruginosa BFR - AvBFR Azotobacter vinelandii BFR - ITPG Isopropyl -d-thiogalactopyranoside - MES 2-(N-morpholino)-ethanesulfonic acid     

Identification of a sheath-associated protein involved in phosphate transport in Sphaerotilus natans

Summary Sphaerotilus natans was shown to have a fourfold lower K _mof phosphate transport when grown in medium containing 0.1 mm phosphate, compared to cells grown in 10.0 mm phosphate. Analysis of sheath proteins from cells grown at these two phosphate levels revealed a protein of 53 kDa present in the sheath of cells grown at a phosphate concentration of 0.1 mm. This sheath-associated, phosphate-regulated protein, designated SapP, was gel purified and used to raise a polyclonal antibody. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to localize this protein to the surface of the sheathed cells. Phosphate uptake assays done in the presence of the antibody also showed a rise in the K _mof phosphate transport in cells grown in 0.1 mm phosphate, indicating that this protein is involved in high-affinity phosphate transport.Offprint requests to: C. F. Kulpa Jr     

Variable rates of phosphate uptake by shallow marine carbonate sediments: Mechanisms and ecological significance

We determined phosphate uptake by calcareous sediments at two locations within a shallow lagoon in Bermuda that varied in trophic status, with one site being mesotrophic and the other being more eutrophic. Phosphate adsorption over a six hour period was significantly faster in sediments from the mesotrophic site. Uptake at both sites was significantly less than that reported for a similar experiment on calcareous sediments in an oligotrophic lagoon in the Bahamas. The difference in phosphorus adsorption between our sites did not appear to be related to sediment characteristics often cited as important, such as differences in surface area (as inferred from grain size distributions), total organic matter content, or iron content. However, the sediment total phosphorus contents were inversely related to phosphorus uptake at our sites in Bermuda, and at the previously studied Bahamas site.We hypothesize that phosphate uptake in these calcareous sediments is a multi-step process, as previously described for fluvial sediments or pure calcium carbonate solids, with rapid initial surface chemisorption followed by a slower incorporation into the carbonate solid-phase matrix. Accordingly, sediments already richer in solid phase phosphorus take up additional phosphate more slowly since the slower incorporation of surface-adsorbed phosphate into the carbonate matrix limits the rate of renewal of surface-reactive adsorption sites.Although carbonate sediments are a sink for phosphate, and thereby reduce the availability of phosphorus for benthic macrophytes and phytoplankton in the shallow overlying water, phosphate uptake by these sediments appears to decrease along a gradient from oligotrophic to eutrophic sites. If our result is general, it implies a positive feedback in phosphorus availability, with a proportionately greater percentage of phosphorus loading being biologically available longer as phosphorus loading increases. This pattern is supported by the significantly higher tissue phosphorus content of the seagrass,Thalassia testudinum, collected from the eutrophic inner bay site. Over time, this effect may tend to cause a shift from phosphorus to nitrogen limitation in some calcareous marine environments.     

Isolation of d-Pimaric and Dehydroabietic Acids from Pine Oleoresin as Antinicotinic Substances

Corynebacterium glutamicum belongs to the mycolic acid-containing actinomycetes, which also include Mycobacterium, Nocardia, and Rhodococcus. The cells of this group possess a cell wall with a thick outer layer composed primarily of mycolic acid, which functions as a permeability barrier. To investigate the mechanism of mycolic acid-containing layer (mycolate layer) formation, we have developed a fluorescence microscopic technique detecting the mycolate layer in situ. The staining specificity of fluorescence-labeled phospholipid analogs was determined by simultaneous staining with the hydrophobic fluorescent dye Nile Red and peptidoglycan-staining fluorescence-conjugated vancomycin. We found that fluorescence-labeled phospholipid analogs preferentially stain the mycolate layer. Using this technique, we observed the effect of the anti-mycobacterial drug ethambutol on C. glutamicum mycolate-layer formation. Ethambutol interfered specifically with mycolate-layer formation on the division planes and cell poles, while the side-wall mycolate layer was not severely affected. This indicates that mycolate-layer formation occurs mainly on division planes and cell poles in C. glutamicum, where the peptidoglycan layer is actively synthesized.     

Un vivo depletion of murine CD8 positive T cells impairs survival during infection with a highly virulent strain ofCryptococcus neoformans

Cell-mediated immunity plays an important but incompletely understood role in host defense againstCryptococcus neoformans. Because of their multiple capacities as cytokine-secreting cells, cytotoxic cells, and antigen-specific suppressor cells, CD8 positive T lymphocytes could potentially either enhance or impair host defense againstC. neoformans. To determine whether CD8 T cells enhance or inhibit host defence during an infection with a highly virulent strain ofC. neoformans, we examined the effect of in vivo CD8 cell depletion on suNival and on the number of organisms in mice infected by either the intratracheal or intravenous routes. Adequacy of depletion was confirmed both phenotypically and functionally. Regardless of the route of infection, we found that survival of mice depleted of CD8 T cells was significantly reduced compared to undepleted mice. Surprisingly, however, CD8 depletion did not alter organism burden measured by quantitative CFU assay in mice infected by either route. These data demonstrate that CD8 positive T cells participate in the immune response to a highly virulent strain ofC. neoformans. By contrast to minimally virulent isolates that do not cause a life threatening infection, the immune response to a highly virulent isolate does not alter the burden of organisms, but does enhance host defense as it is necessary for the optimal survival of infected mice.Abbreviations ³H-TdR ³H-thmidine - CFU colony forming units - FITC Fluorescein isothiocyanate - MLR mixed lymphocyte reaction - PBS phosphate buffered saline     

An examination of some possible sources of soil inositol phosphates

Summary Examination of extracts prepared from soil fungi and yeast cells (S. cavlsbergensis) showed that phytate phosphorus was not present. Phytin was successfully extracted from the acorns ofQuercus robur andQ. hodgkinsonii but was apparently absent from acorns ofQ. ilex. Acorn phytin was shown to consist only of phosphate esters ofmyo-inositol although freescyllo-inositol is present in this plant tissue. Small amounts of phytate phosphorus were isolated from sand/clay cultures, after a period of incubation, but onlymyo-inositol derivatives appeared to be present.     

New ubiquitous translocators: amino acid export by<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Corynebacterium glutamicum</Emphasis> and<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Escherichia coli</Emphasis>

Molecular access to amino acid excretion by Corynebacterium glutamicum and Escherichia coli led to the identification of structurally novel carriers and novel carrier functions. The exporters LysE, RhtB, ThrE and BrnFE each represent the protoype of new transporter families, which are in part distributed throughout all of the kingdoms of life. LysE of C. glutamicum catalytes the export of basic amino acids. The expression of the carrier gene is regulated by the cell-internal concentration of basic amino acids. This serves, for example, to maintain homoeostasis if an excess of l-lysine or l-arginine inside the cell should arise during growth on complex media. RhtB is one of five paralogous systems in E. coli, of which at least two are relevant for l-threonine production. A third system is relevant for l-cysteine production. It is speculated that the physiological function of these paralogues is related to quorum sensing. ThrE of C. glutamicum exports l-threonine and l-serine. However, a ThrE domain with a putative hydrolytic function points to an as yet unknown role of this exporter. BrnFE in C. glutamicum is a two-component permease exporting branched-chained amino acids from the cell, and an orthologue in B. subtilis exports 4-azaleucine.     

Biology of L-lysine overproduction byCorynebacterium glutamicum

Summary The Gram positive bacteriumCorynebacterium glutamicum is used for the production of L-lysine. This review focuses on the progress achieved in the past five years for a deeper understanding of lysine overproduction. This period also coincides with decisive progress in the use of genetic engineering techniques for analysing and increasing the metabolite flux inC. glutamicum. It was thus demonstrated that thein vivo activity of the allosterically controlled aspartate kinase is important for flux control, but in addition also the amount of the dihydrodipicolinate synthase. An outstanding feature ofC. glutamicum is the split lysine biosynthesis pathway. NMR investigations have clearly shown that both pathways are simultaneously usedin vivo and that the flux ratio depends on nitrogen availability. The cellular synthesized lysine is eventually exported into the external medium through a specific carrier. Interestingly lysine producers have other export characteristics so that the carrier properties also seem to be important for increased metabolite flux.     

Biochemical and structural characterization of the cyanophage-encoded phosphate-binding protein: implications for enhanced phosphate uptake of infected cyanobacteria

To acquire phosphorus, cyanobacteria use the typical bacterial ABC-type phosphate transporter, which is composed of a periplasmic high-affinity phosphate-binding protein PstS and a channel formed by two transmembrane proteins PstC and PstA. A putative pstS gene was identified in the genomes of cyanophages that infect the unicellular marine cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus. However, it has not been determined whether the cyanophage PstS protein is functional during infection to enhance the phosphate uptake rate of host cells. Here we showed that the cyanophage P-SSM2 PstS protein was abundant in the infected Prochlorococcus NATL2A cells and the host phosphate uptake rate was enhanced after infection. This is consistent with our biochemical and structural analyses showing that the phage PstS protein is indeed a high-affinity phosphate-binding protein. We further modelled the complex structure of phage PstS with host PstCA and revealed three putative interfaces that may facilitate the formation of a chimeric ABC transporter. Our results provide insights into the molecular mechanism by which cyanophages enhance the phosphate uptake rate of cyanobacteria. Phosphate acquisition by infected bacteria can increase the phosphorus contents of released cellular debris and virus particles, which together constitute a significant proportion of the marine dissolved organic phosphorus pool.     

Production of L-lysine by free and PVA-cryogel immobilizedCorynebacterium glutamicum cells

Summary Free and immobilized cells ofC. glutamicum were analyzed for production of L-lysine. Non-growing free cells as well as immobilized ones produced higher levels of lysine than growing free cells, when cultured for 24 h in a medium containing 80 g/L glucose as a carbon source. The effect of initial biomass and yeast extract concentrations was investigated in order to improve lysine production.