Conversion of D-mannitol to D-ribose: a newly discovered pathway in Escherichia coli.

A mutant (mtlD) strain of Escherichia coli unable to oxidize mannitol-1-phosphate to fructose-6-phosphate was used to study the fate of mannitol-1-phosphate. D-[1-14C]mannitol entered the cells via the phosphotransferase system and was phosphorylated equally at carbon 1 or 6. The label disappeared gradually from the mannitol-1-phosphate pool, and some 60% of the 14C was recovered in nucleic acids. Ribose was isolated from the purified RNA. The 14C label distribution in the isolated ribose precluded a simple hexose-to-pentose conversion by elimination of one terminal carbon from mannitol-1-phosphate. The 14C from mannitol-1-phosphate that did not enter macromolecules was found in CO2 and in some organic, non-phosphorylated compounds that were not identified. We suggest that the de novo synthesis of mannitol-1-phosphate in E. coli may be a reaction specifically dedicated to the biosynthesis of ribose.     

Evidence for two distinct conformations of the Escherichia coli mannitol permease that are important for its transport and phosphorylation functions

Column chromatography of the Escherichia coli mannitol permease (mannitol-specific enzyme II of the phosphotransferase system) in the presence of deoxycholate has revealed that the active permease can exist in at least two association states with apparent molecular weights consistent with a monomer and a dimer. The monomeric conformation is favored by the presence of mannitol and by the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP)-dependent phosphorylation of the protein. The dimer is stabilized by inorganic phosphate (Pi), which also stimulates phospho-exchange between mannitol and mannitol 1-phosphate (a partial reaction in the overall PEP-dependent phosphorylation of mannitol). Kinetic analysis of the phospho-exchange reaction revealed that Pi stimulates phospho-exchange by increasing the Vmax of the reaction. A kinetic model for mannitol permease function is presented involving both conformations of the permease. The monomer (or a less-stable conformation of the dimer) is hypothesized to be involved in the initial mannitol-binding and PEP-dependent phosphorylation steps, while the stably associated dimer is suggested to participate in later steps involving direct phosphotransfer between the permease, mannitol and mannitol 1-phosphate.     

Mannitol production in fungi during glucose catabolism.

The levels of phosphofructokinase (EC 2.7.1.11) and mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.17) have been determined in a number of Mucor and Penicillium species. Mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase was found in only one species of mucor, Mucor rouxii, and this with a specific activity much lower than that found in Penicillium species. All of the fungi tested in the Ascomycetes class exhibited mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. Interference from both mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase and NADH oxidase (EC 1.6.99.5) caused some difficulty initially in detecting phosphofructokinase in Penicillium species; the Penicillium phosphofructokinase is very unstable. Penicillium notatum accumulates mannitol intracellularly; detection of mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase and mannitol-1-phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.22) activity in cell-free extracts indicates that the mannitol is formed from glucose via fructose-6-phosphate and mannitol-1-phosphate; no direct reduction of fructose to mannitol could be detected. The mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase was specific for mannitol-1-phosphate and fructose-6-phosphate; NADP+(H) could not replace NAD+(H). The phosphatase (EC3.1.3.22) exhibited a distinct preference for mannitol-1-phosphate as substrate; all other substrates tested exhibited less than 25% of the activity observed with mannitol-1-phosphate.     

Turnover of the phosphomonoester groups of polyphosphoinositol lipids in unstimulated human platelets

The metabolic activity of the polyphosphoinositol lipids in unstimulated human platelets was studied by short-term labelling with [32P]Pi, by replacement of [32P]Pi from pre-labelled platelets with unlabelled phosphate, and by depriving the cells of metabolic ATP. Under short-term labelling conditions, the 4- and 5-phosphate groups of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns4P) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2] had the same specific 32P radioactivity as the gamma-phosphate of metabolic ATP. The specific 32P radioactivity of the 1-phosphates of phosphatidylinositol, PtdIns4P and PtdIns(4,5)P2 was similar, but only 4-13% compared to that of the ATP-gamma-phosphate. When [32P]Pi pre-labelled platelets were incubated with up to 25 mM of unlabelled phosphate, the displacement of the 32P label from PtdIns4P, PtdIns(4,5)P2 and metabolic ATP followed similar kinetics. Inhibition of ATP regeneration in platelets pre-labelled with [32P]Pi resulted in a rapid fall in metabolic ATP with a much slower fall in [32P]PtdIns(4,5)P2, whereas [32P]PtdIns4P increased initially. However, ATP turnover was not abolished, as indicated by the marked (25% of the control) incorporation of extracellular [32P]Pi into PtdIns4P and PtdIns(4,5)P2 in metabolically inhibited platelets. This low phosphate turnover may explain the relative resistance of PtdIns4P and PtdIns(4,5)P2 to metabolic inhibition. We conclude that PtdIns4P and PtdIns(4,5)P2 are present as a single metabolic pool in human platelets. Turnover of the 4- and 5-phosphates of PtdIns4P and PtdIns(4,5)P2 in unstimulated platelets is as rapid as that of the gamma-phosphate of metabolic ATP, and accounts for about 7% of basal ATP consumption.     

Production of NADPH in the mannitol cycle and its relation to polyketide formation in Alternaria alternata.

The enzymes mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase, mannitol-1-phosphatase, mannitol dehydrogenase and hexokinase participate in an enzymatic cycle in the fungus Alternaria alternata. One turn of the cycle gives the net result: NADH + NADP+ + ATP leads to NAD+ + NADPH + ADP + Pi. The cycle alone can meet the total need of NADPH formation for fat synthesis in the organism. A polyketide producing strain of A. alternata shows a lower mannitol oxidation as well as a lower fat synthesis than a nonproducing mutant, supporting the hypothesis that polyketide formation is favoured at limiting NADPH production. It is further suggested that the mannitol cycle is regulating the glycolytic flux by substrate withdrawal from phosphofructokinase.     

Mannitol-specific phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system of Enterococcus faecalis: molecular cloning and nucleotide sequences of the enzyme IIIMtl gene and the mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase gene, expression in Escherichia coli, and comparison of the gene products with similar enzymes.

Enzyme IIIMtl is part of the mannitol phosphotransferase system of Enterococcus faecalis. It is phosphorylated in a reaction sequence requiring enzyme I and heat-stable phosphocarrier protein (HPr). The phospho group is transferred from enzyme IIIMtl to enzyme IIMtl, which then catalyzes the uptake and concomitant phosphorylation of mannitol. The internalized mannitol-1-phosphate is oxidized to fructose-6-phosphate by mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase. In this report we describe the cloning of the mtlF and mtlD genes, encoding enzyme IIIMtl and mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase of E. faecalis, by a complementation system designed for cloning of gram-positive phosphotransferase system genes. The complete nucleotide sequences of mtlF, mtlD, and flanking regions were determined. From the gene sequences, the primary translation products are deduced to consist of 145 amino acids (enzyme IIIMtl) and 374 amino acids (mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase). Amino acid sequence comparison confirmed a 41% similarity of E. faecalis enzyme IIIMtl to the hydrophilic enzyme IIIMtl-like portion of enzyme IIMtl of Escherichia coli and 45% similarity to enzyme IIIMtl of Staphylococcus carnosus. The putative N-terminal NAD+ binding domain of mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase of E. faecalis shows a high degree of similarity with the N terminus of E. coli mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase (T. Davis, M. Yamada, M. Elgort, and M. H. Saier, Jr., Mol. Microbiol. 2:405-412, 1988) and the N-terminal part of the translation product of S. carnosus mtlD, which was also determined in this study. There is 40% similarity between the dehydrogenases of E. faecalis and E. coli over the whole length of the enzymes. The organization of mannitol-specific genes in E. faecalis seems to be similar to the organization in S. carnosus. The open reading frame for enzyme IIIMtl E. faecalis is followed by a stem-loop structure, analogous to a typical Rho-independent terminator. We conclude that the mannitol-specific genes are organized in an operon and that the gene order is mtlA orfX mtlF mtlD.     

Mannitol oxidation in two Micromonospora isolates and in representative species of other actinomycetes.

Mannitol kinase and mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase activities were detected in two Micromonospora isolates. The presence of these enzyme activities indicates that mannitol is catabolized first to mannitol-1-phosphate and then to fructose-6-phosphate. Mannitol-oxidizing enzymes were also surveyed in representative species of four other genera of actinomycetes. Mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase was detected in cell-free extracts of Streptomyces lactamdurans. In contrast, cell-free extracts of Mycobacterium smegmatis, Nocardia erythrophila, Streptomyces lavendulae, and Actinoplanes missouriensis contained mannitol dehydrogenase activity but no detectable mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. The mannitol dehydrogenase activities in the latter species support the operation of a pathway for catabolism of mannitol that involves the oxidation of mannitol to fructose, followed by phosphorylation to fructose-6-phosphate.     

Mannitol oxidation in two Micromonospora isolates and in representative species of other actinomycetes.

Mannitol kinase and mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase activities were detected in two Micromonospora isolates. The presence of these enzyme activities indicates that mannitol is catabolized first to mannitol-1-phosphate and then to fructose-6-phosphate. Mannitol-oxidizing enzymes were also surveyed in representative species of four other genera of actinomycetes. Mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase was detected in cell-free extracts of Streptomyces lactamdurans. In contrast, cell-free extracts of Mycobacterium smegmatis, Nocardia erythrophila, Streptomyces lavendulae, and Actinoplanes missouriensis contained mannitol dehydrogenase activity but no detectable mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. The mannitol dehydrogenase activities in the latter species support the operation of a pathway for catabolism of mannitol that involves the oxidation of mannitol to fructose, followed by phosphorylation to fructose-6-phosphate.     

Chloroform-soluble nucleotides in Escherichia coli. Role of CDP-diglyceride in the enzymatic cytidylylation of phosphomonoester acceptors

CDP-diglyceride, the precursor of all the phospholipids in Escherichia coli, is cleaved in vitro to phosphatidic acid and CMP by a membrane-bound hydrolase. Since the physiological function of CDP-diglyceride hydrolase is unknown, we have explored the possibility that this enzyme acts in vivo as either a phosphatidyl- or cytidylyltransferase. To distinguish between these two alternatives, partially purified hydrolase was incubated with CDP-diglyceride in the presence of 50% H218O. Analysis of the reaction products by 31P NMR showed that 18O is incorporated exclusively into CMP, suggesting that the enzyme is a cytidylyltransferase. This conclusion is further supported by the following experimental results: (i) the hydrolase catalyzes the transfer of CMP from CDP-diglyceride to Pi; (ii) numerous phosphomonoesters, such as glycerol 3-phosphate, phosphoserine, and glucose 1-phosphate also function as CMP acceptors, but the corresponding compounds lacking the phosphate residues are not substrates for the enzyme; and (iii) CDP-diglyceride hydrolase exchanges [32P]phosphatidic acid for the phosphatidyl moiety of CDP-diglyceride and 32Pi for the beta-phosphate residue of CDP, indicating the involvement of a novel CMP-enzyme complex. These data suggest a biosynthetic role for CDP-diglyceride hydrolase, and extend the possible functions of CDP-diglyceride in the E. coli envelope.     

Characterization of mannitol metabolism in the mangrove red algaCaloglossa leprieurii (Montagne) J.Agardh

A metabolic pathway, known as the mannitol cycle in fungi, has been identified as a new entity in the eulittoral mangrove red algaCaloglossa leprieurii (Montagne) J. Agardh. Three specific enzymes, mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase (Mt1PDH; EC 1.1.1.17), mannitol-1-phosphatase (MtlPase; EC 3.1.3.22), mannitol dehydrogenase (MtDH; EC 1.1.1.67) and one nonspecific hexokinase (HK; EC 2.7.1.1) were determined and biochemically characterized in cell-free extracts. Mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase showed activity maxima at pH 7.0 [fructose-6-phosphate (F6P) reduction] and pH 8.5 [oxidation of mannitol-1-phosphate (Mt1P)], and a very high specificity for both carbohydrate substrates. TheK _m values were 1.4 mM for F6P, 0.09 mM for MOP, 0.020 mM for NADH and 0.023 mM for NAD⁺. For the dephosphorylation of MOP, MtlPase exhibited a pH optimum at 7.2, aK _m value of 1.2 mM and a high requirement of Mg²⁺ for activation. Mannitol dehydrogenase had activity maxima at pH 7.0 (fructose reduction) and pH 9.8 (mannitol oxidation), and was less substrate-specific than Mt1PDH and MtlPase, i.e. it also catalyzed reactions in the oxidative direction with arabitol (64.9%), sorbitol (31%) and xylitol (24.8%). This enzyme showedK _m values of 39 mM for fructose, 7.9 mM for mannitol, 0.14 mM for NADH and 0.075 mM for NAD⁺. For the non-specific HK, only theK _m values for fructose (0.19 mM) and glucose (7.5 mM) were determined. The activities of the anabolic enzymes Mt1PDH and MtlPase were always at least two orders of magnitude higher than those of the degradative enzymes, indicating a net carbon flow towards a high intracellular mannitol pool. The function of mannitol metabolism inC. leprieurii as a biochemical adaptation to the environmental extremes in the mangrove habitat is discussed.Abbreviations F6P fructose-6-phosphate - HK hexokinase - Mt1P mannitol-1-phosphate - Mt1PDH mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase - Mt1Pase mannitol-1-phosphatase - MtDH mannitol dehydrogenase     

D-Mannitol utilization in Salmonella typhimurium

A biochemical and genetic analysis of d-mannitol metabolism in Salmonella typhimurium indicates that d-mannitol is phosphorylated by the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system. d-Mannitol-1-phosphate is converted to d-fructose-6-phosphate by mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase. Two classes of mannitol mutants are described. Both map at about 115 min on the Salmonella chromosome. Mutants missing mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase activity are mannitol sensitive; i.e., either growth is inhibited or the cells are lysed in the presence of mannitol. In a strain missing adenyl cyclase activity, the mannitol genes require exogenous cyclic adenosine-3',5'-monophosphate for expression.     

Biochemical characterization of mannitol metabolism in the unicellular red alga Dixoniella grisea (Rhodellophyceae)

The mannitol cycle has been verified in a unicellular red alga (Rhodellophyceae) for the first time. All four enzymes involved in the cycle (mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase, Mt1PDH: EC 1.1.1.17; mannitol-1-phosphatase, Mt1Pase: EC 3.1.3.22; mannitol dehydrogenase, MtDH: 1.1.1.67; hexokinase, HK: 2.7.1.1.) were detected and characterized in crude algal extracts from Dixoniella grisea. These enzymes, with the exception of Mt1Pase, were specific to their corresponding substrates and nucleotides. The activities of enzymes in the anabolic pathway (fructose-6-P reduction by Mt1PDH and mannitol-6-P reduction by Mt1Pase) were at least 2- to 4-fold greater than those of the catabolic pathway (mannitol oxidation by MtDH and fructose oxidation by HK). There appears to be, therefore, a net carbon flow in D. grisea towards a high intracellular mannitol pool. The mannitol cycle guarantees a rapid accumulation or degradation of mannitol within algal cells in response to changing salinity in natural habitats. Moreover, the demonstration of the mannitol cycle within the Rhodellophyceae provides evidence that this metabolic pathway is of ancient origin in the red algal lineage.     

Mannitol Metabolism in Lentinus edodes, the Shiitake Mushroom

Mannitol metabolism was evaluated in fruiting bodies of Lentinus edodes. Cell extracts were prepared from fruiting bodies, and key enzymes involved in mannitol metabolism were assayed, including hexokinase, mannitol dehydrogenase, mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase, mannitol-1-phosphatase, and fructose-6-phosphatase. Mannitol dehydrogenase, fructose-6-phosphatase, mannitol-1-phosphatase, and hexokinase activities were found in extracts of fruiting bodies. However, mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase activity was not detected. Mycelial cultures were grown in an enriched liquid medium, and enzymes of the mannitol cycle were assayed in cell extracts of rapidly growing cells. Mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase activity was also not found in mycelial extracts. Hence, evidence for a complete mannitol cycle both in vegetative mycelia and during mushroom development was lacking. The pathway of mannitol synthesis in L. edodes appears to utilize fructose as an intermediate.     

D-mannitol metabolism by Aspergillus candidus

Pathways of mannitol biosynthesis and utilization in Aspergillus candidus NRRL 305 were studied in cell-free extracts of washed mycelia prepared by sonic and French pressure cell treatments. A nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-linked mannitol-1-phosphate (M1P) dehydrogenase was found in French pressure cell extracts of d-glucose-grown cells, whereas a specific mannitol-1-phosphatase was present in extracts prepared by both methods. The existence of these two enzymes indicated that mannitol may be synthesized in this organism by the reduction of fructose-6-phosphate. A specific nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-linked mannitol dehydrogenase was also identified in both extracts. This enzyme may have been involved in mannitol utilization. However, the level of the mannitol dehydrogenase appeared to be substantially reduced in extracts from mannitol-grown cells, whereas the level of M1P dehydrogenase was increased. A hexokinase has been identified in this organism. Fructose-6-phosphatase, glucose isomerase, and mannitol kinase could not be demonstrated.     

31P and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance studies of metabolic pathways in Pasteurella multocida characterization of a new mannitol-producing metabolic pathway.

Glucose metabolism of Pasteurella multocida was examined in resting cells in vivo using 13C NMR spectroscopy, in cell-free extracts in vitro using 31P NMR spectroscopy and using enzyme assays. The NMR data indicate that glucose is converted by the Embden-Meyerhof and pentose phosphate pathways. The P. multocida fructose 6-phosphate phosphotransferase activity (the key enzyme of the Embden-Meyerhof pathway) was similar to that of Escherichia coli. Nevertheless, and in contrast to that of E. coli, its activity was inhibited by alpha glycerophosphate. This inhibition is consistent with the very low fructose 6-phosphate phosphotransferase activity found in cell-free extracts of P. multocida using a spectrophotometric method. The dominant end products of glucose metabolism were mannitol, acetate and succinate. Under anaerobic conditions, P. multocida was able to constitutively produce mannitol from glucose, mannose, fructose, sucrose, glucose 6-phosphate and fructose 6-phosphate. We propose a new metabolic pathway in P. multocida where fructose 6-phosphate is reduced to mannitol 1-phosphate by fructose 6-phosphate reductase. Mannitol 1-phosphate produced is then converted to mannitol by mannitol 1-phosphatase.     

Metabolic regulation during early frog development: flow of glycolytic carbon into phospholipids in Xenopus oocytes and fertilized eggs

32P-labeled glucose 6-phosphate, [32P]phosphoenolpyruvate, and [gamma-32P]ATP were injected into oocytes and fertilized eggs of Xenopus laevis, and the incorporation of the 32P label was followed into phospholipids. Several classes of phospholipids incorporated 32P label from the injected glycolytic intermediates, including lysophosphatidic acid, phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylinositol phosphates, inferring de novo synthesis of these lipids from dihydroxyacetone phosphate or glycerol 3-phosphate. Injection of [gamma-32P]ATP into oocytes and fertilized eggs led to labeling of phosphatidylinositol phosphate and phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate, indicating an active phosphatidylinositol cycle in resting oocytes and fertilized eggs. Maturation and fertilization of the oocyte led to a qualitative change in phosphatidylinositol metabolism, increased labeling of phosphatidylinositol phosphate compared to phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate (either from glycerol 3-phosphate or from ATP). This change occurs late in the maturation process, and the new pattern of phosphatidylinositol metabolism is maintained during the rapid cleavage stages of early embryogenesis.     

Regulation of C4 photosynthesis: inactivation of pyruvate, Pi dikinase by ADP-dependent phosphorylation and activation by phosphorolysis

These studies provide information about the mechanism of the light/dark-mediated regulation of pyruvate, Pi dikinase (EC 2.7.9.1) in leaves. It is shown that inactivation is due to a phosphorylation of the enzyme from the beta-phosphate of ADP, and that activation occurs by phosphorolysis to remove the enzyme phosphate group. During ADP plus ATP-dependent inactivation of pyruvate, Pi dikinase in chloroplast extracts, 32P was incorporated into the enzyme from [beta-32P]ADP. Approximately 1 mol of phosphate was incorporated per mol of monomeric enzyme subunit inactivated. There was very little incorporation of label from ADP or ATP labeled variously in other positions with 32P or from the nucleotides labeled with 3H in the purine ring. Purified pyruvate, Pi dikinase was also labeled from [beta-32P]ADP during inactivation. In this system, phosphorylation of the enzyme required the addition of the "regulatory protein" shown previously to be essential for catalyzing inactivation and activation. During orthophosphate-dependent reactivation of pyruvate, Pi dikinase, it was shown that the enzyme loses 32P label and that pyrophosphate is produced. The significance of these findings in relation to regulation of the enzyme in vivo is discussed.     

Mutations Affecting the Dissimilation of Mannitol by Escherichia coli K-12

Mutants of Escherichia coli K-12 defective in the mannitol-specific enzyme II complex of the phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system (PTS) or lacking mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase have been isolated. These mutants fail only to grow on mannitol. Growth of the dehydrogenase-negative mutant on casein hydrolysate can be abruptly inhibited by exposure to mannitol. A mutant with constitutive expression of both of these enzymes has also been isolated. All three mutations are clustered in a region represented at min 71 of the Taylor map. In a mutant with less than 5% of the activity of enzyme I of the PTS, both the enzyme II complex and the dehydrogenase remain inducible by mannitol. In the mutant defective in the enzyme II complex, mannitol is able to induce the dehydrogenase. Thus, mannitol, rather than its phosphorylated product, seems to be the inducer.     

Pi exchange mediated by the GlpT-dependent sn-glycerol-3-phosphate transport system in Escherichia coli.

The GlpT system for sn-glycerol-3-phosphate transport in Escherichia coli is shown to catalyze a rapid efflux of Pi from the internal phosphate pools in response to externally added Pi or glycerol-3-phosphate. A glpR mutation, which results in constitutive expression of the GlpT system, is responsible for this rapid Pi efflux and the arsenate sensitivity of several laboratory strains, including the popular strain C600. Glucose and other phosphotransferase system sugars inhibit Pi efflux by repressing glpT expression.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase from Vibrio cholerae

Vibrio cholerae utilizes mannitol through an operon of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase (PTS) type. A gene, mtlD, encoding mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase was identified within the 3.9 kb mannitol operon of V. cholerae. The mtlD gene was cloned from V. cholerae O395, and the recombinant enzyme was functionally expressed in E. coli as a 6×His-tagged protein and purified to homogeneity. The recombinant protein is a monomer with a molecular mass of 42.35 kDa. The purified recombinant MtlD reduced fructose 6-phosphate (F6P) using NADH as a cofactor with a K(m) of 1.54 +/- 0.1 mM and V(max) of 320.8 +/- 7.81 micronmol/min/mg protein. The pH and temperature optima for F6P reduction were determined to be 7.5 and 37°C, respectively. Using quantitative real-time PCR analysis, mtlD was found to be constitutively expressed in V. cholerae, but the expression was up-regulated when grown in the presence of mannitol. The MtlD expression levels were not significantly different between V. cholerae O1 and non-O1 strains.