New pathway of amine oxidation respiratory chain of Paracoccus denitrificans IFO 12442.

The physiological electron acceptor of quinohemoprotein amine dehydrogenase (QH-AmDH) from Paracoccus denitrificans IFO 12442 was identified by biochemical and electrochemical methods. Of three types of heme c-containing proteins purified together with QH-AmDH from the periplasm of n-butylamine-grown cells, only constitutive cytochrome c-550 was reduced by the addition of QH-AmDH and n-butylamine. Reconstitution of the respiratory chain revealed that cytochrome c-550 mediates the electron transfer from QH-AmDH to the terminal oxidase. This is a new pathway of the amine oxidation respiratory chain of P. denitrificans.     

Nutritional requirements of Pochonia chlamydospora and ARF18, fungal parasites of nematode eggs

Twenty carbohydrates (C), 18 nitrogen compounds (N), and 9 vitamins were examined for their effects on the growth and conidiation of the nematode-egg-parasitic fungi Arkansas Fungus 18 (ARF18, isolate 908) and Pochonia chlamydospora var. chlamydospora in solid and liquid cultures. Glycogen was the best, and inulin, D-(+)-galactose, and soluble starch were good C sources for the growth of ARF18 in both solid and liquid cultures. ARF18 could not utilize alpha-cellulose in liquid; alpha-lactose and D-mannitol in solid; and D-(+)-xylose, L-(-)-sorbose, and D-(-)-ribose in both solid and liquid cultures. Casein was the best N source for ARF18 growth in both solid and liquid cultures and L-aspartic acid, DL-glutamic acid, peptone, and L-histidine were good in solid culture. ARF18 could not utilize L-cystine and L-tyrosine in solid culture, and L-cystine, DL-methionine, peptone, L-proline, and ammonium nitrate in liquid culture. Supplement of vitamins appeared to be unnecessary for ARF18 to grow. For P. chlamydospora var. chlamydospora growth, all test C sources, except L-(-)-sorbose, alpha-cellulose, citric acid, and D-(+)-glucose, were good in both solid and liquid cultures. Most N compounds were good for P. chlamydospora var. chlamydospora growth with casein and peptone the best. Vitamins had limited effect on P. chlamydospora var. chlamydospora growth. P. chlamydospora var. chlamydospora conidiation was well supported by D-(-)-ribose, D-(-)-fructose, melibiose, and D-(+)-galactose as C sources and by L-aspartic acid, DL-glutamic acid, and L-arginine as N sources. Excluding myo-inositol from the medium containing all other test vitamins increased P. chlamydospora var. chlamydospora conidiation, while excluding pyridoxine appeared to reduce its conidiation.     

Stable isotope evidence for the localisation of some metabolic pathways in the bacterium Paracoccus denitrificans

Paracoccus denitrificans was grown on [6-13C]-glucose as the sole carbon source for growth and the extracts were fractionated and analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The 13C-enrichments of some metabolites indicated that the "hydrolysate pools" of these metabolites were not in isotopic equilibrium with the water soluble "free pools". It was concluded that localisation of some metabolic pathways had occurred in Paracoccus during growth on [6-13C]-glucose.     

Serotonin and distribution of radiocarbon from D-[14C-U]-glucose in Schistosoma mansoni

Following a 60 min in vitro incubation of Schistosoma mansoni with D-[14C-U]-glucose 76% of the radiocarbon was incorporated into metabolic end products and excreted back into the medium. In the presence of 5-HT uptake of glucose increased 61%; excreted end products accounted for 87% of the radiocarbon, indicating increased levels of energy utilization. Substantial amounts of radiolabelled carbon from D-[14C-U-]-glucose were incorporated into glycogen, lipids, amino acids and proteins, suggesting the utilization of glucose carbon in the biosynthetic processes of the parasite. Incorporation of glucose carbon was diminished in the presence of 5-HT, indicating the priority of energy generation over biosynthesis to meet the demands of increased muscular activity.     

Stable isotope evidence for the localisation of phenylalanine biosynthesis in the bacterium Paracoccus denitrificans

Paracoccus denitrificans was grown on [6-13C]-glucose as the sole carbon source for growth and the extracts were fractionated and analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The 13C-labelling pattern observed in phenylalanine indicated that the biosynthetic sequences of enzymes for phenylalanine production were unequally distributed within the cell and that there are at least 2 separate loci of phenylalanine biosynthesis. The principal locus of phenylalanine production was associated with the Entner-Doudoroff and/or the pentose phosphate pathways and it was responsible for producing 3/4 of the bacterium's phenylalanine. A second locus was associated with the G6 oxidation pathway and was responsible for producing the remaining 1/4 of the cell's phenylalanine.     

Enhanced sporulation in Bacillus subtilis grown on medium containing glucose:ribose

Spore crops of Bacillus subtilis PS 346 were increased by the addition of a combination of glucose and ribose to the sporulating medium. The increase in spore yield was over 100% higher in glucose:ribose-containing cultures, compared with cells grown on glucose as a sole carbon and energy source. Spore crops obtained from cultures grown on glucose:ribose had similar thermal resistance and hydrodynamic mean radius to those obtained when cultivated solely on glucose- or ribose-containing media.
When other combinations of dual carbohydrates were tested it was apparent that those substrates primarily channelled through the pentose phosphate pathway gave enhanced sporulation. This effect was also observed by supplementing glucose-containing media with pyruvate but not citrate or malate. Those substrates that are channelled through the glycolytic pathway were also less effective in this respect. From the results obtained it appears that the enhancement of sporulation could be attributed to alteration in carbon and electron flow through metabolic pathways leading, directly or indirectly, to metabolites that play a role in sporogenesis regulation.     

Effect of different carbon sources on the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism inSaccharomyces cerevisiae

The carbohydrate metabolism ofSaccharomyces cerevisiae is strongly influenced by the concentration and the nature of the carbon source. As long as glucose is present in the growth medium, the cells possess a predominantly glycolytic pathway of degradation and low levels of α-glucosidase and of those enzymes of the citric-acid cycle, the respiratory chain, and the glyoxylate cycle, which are localized in the mitochondria. After the depletion of glucose the level of these enzymes rises considerably. As long as the carbon source can be demonstrated in the medium, maltose-grown cells have a greater oxidative activity and a higher level of these enzymes than glucose-grown cells, unlike glucose-grown cells they easily adapt to ethanol and acetate. Catabolite repression is suggested as an important factor in the regulation of synthesis of enzymes of the citric-acid cycle, the glyoxylate cycle and the respiratory chain. There is an obvious correlation between the regulation of α-glucosidase and of the enzymes of oxidative carbohydrate metabolism.     

透明颤菌vgb基因在脱氮假单胞菌中的表达及对维生素B12合成的碳中心代谢流分析

在为维生素B₁₂生产菌株脱氮假单胞菌确立合适的接合转移操作条件的基础上,通过单交换的方式,将vgb基因整合到脱氮假单胞菌染色体上,获得了vgb重组菌株Pvgb-16,并通过¹³C同位素标记实验,探索VHb蛋白对脱氮假单胞菌碳中心代谢流变化和维生素B₁₂合成的影响。研究结果表明,在相同的供氧条件下,vgb重组菌株Pvgb-16拥有更高的比生长速率和比产物合成速率,与出发菌株相比分别提升了22%和52%。碳代谢通量分布分析表明,vgb重组菌株Pvgb-16的PP途径改善,提升了NADPH合成通量;甘氨酸由甜菜碱合成的通量上升,促进了前体物质氨基乙酰丙酸的合成,进一步加速维生素B₁₂的合成。总体来看,含vgb基因的重组菌株与出发菌株相比在促进菌体的生长、维生素B₁₂的合成速率及得率上都有显著效果,对进一步的发酵生产应用研究具有重要意义。     

Studies of Respiratory Components and Oxidative Phosphorylation in Mitochondria of mi-1 Neurospora crassa

Oxidative phosphorylation has been demonstrated with mitochondria of the mi-1 respiratory mutant of Neurospora crassa. The P/O ratios observed with these mitochondria were approximately 0.8 with citrate and 0.4 with either externally added reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), succinate, or ascorbate-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TPD). These P/O ratios suggest that there are only two sites of phosphorylation in mitochondria isolated from young (20 to 24 h) cultures of the mi-1 mutant. The energy-dependent reduction of NAD(+) with succinate and the phosphorylation associated with ascorbate-TPD oxidation indicate that the first and the third sites of energy coupling are present in this mutant. Difference spectra of mitochondria from young cultures of the mi-1 mutant revealed the presence of cytochrome c. Cytochromes b and a + a(3) were not detected. However, in the presence of antimycin A, a small peak in the Soret region at 430 nm was observed. A carbon monoxide difference spectrum revealed the presence of a component of the respiratory chain with a spectrum similar to that of cytochrome o. It is of interest that respiratory inhibitors such as antimycin A, 2-n-nonylhydroxyquinoline N-oxide, and cyanide abolished phosphorylation but only partially inhibited oxidation. It is postulated that the mi-1 respiratory system contains two pathways of electron transport-the first is associated with a phosphorylating pathway, whereas the second is a non-phosphorylating electron transport pathway.     

Respiratory Rate as a Regulatory Factor in the Biosynthesis of the Denitrification Pathway of the Bacterium Paracoccus denitrificans

The decrease in the electron flow of the aerobic respiratory chain of the bacterium Paracoccus denitrificans, owing to either the drop in the saturation of terminal oxidases by oxygen or to the inhibition of the rate of respiration by azide or nitrite, resulted in the synthesis of dissimilatory nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase. The dependence of the resulting activities of the two enzymes (after a three-hour adaptation) on the initial value of the parameter V_max/k_La (oxidase activity of the volume unit of the culture divided by the volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient) or on the concentrations of the inhibitors had a similar form, characterized by the appearance of a maximum. The increasing parts of the obtained curves reflect the synthesis of enzymes, probably initiated by the increase in the intracellular degree of reduction, the subsequent drop being evidently in connection with the lack of metabolic energy for biosynthesis. The possible mechanisms of the effect of nitrogenous terminal acceptors (NO^-₃ and NO^-₂) on the formation of the denitrification pathway are discussed.     

Interaction between starch breakdown, acetate assimilation, and photosynthetic cyclic electron flow in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Spectroscopic studies on photosynthetic electron transfer generally are based upon the monitoring of dark to light changes in the electron transfer chain. These studies, which focus on the light reactions of photosynthesis, also indirectly provide information on the redox or metabolic state of the chloroplast in the dark. Here, using the unicellular microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, we study the impact of heterotrophic/mixotrophic acetate feeding on chloroplast carbon metabolism by using the spectrophotometric detection of P700(+), the photooxidized primary electron donor of photosystem I. We show that, when photosynthetic linear and cyclic electron flows are blocked (DCMU inhibiting PSII and methylviologen accepting electrons from PSI), the post-illumination reduction kinetics of P700(+) directly reflect the dark metabolic production of reductants (mainly NAD(P)H) in the stroma of chloroplasts. Such results can be correlated to other metabolic studies: in the absence of acetate, for example, the P700(+) reduction rate matches the rate of starch breakdown reported previously, confirming the chloroplast localization of the upstream steps of the glycolytic pathway in Chlamydomonas. Furthermore, the question of the interplay between photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic carbon metabolism can be addressed. We show that cyclic electron flow around photosystem I is twice as fast in a starchless mutant fed with acetate than it is in the WT, and we relate how changes in the flux of electrons from carbohydrate metabolism modulate the redox poise of the plastoquinone pool in the dark through chlororespiration.     

Chemostat culture of Bacillus caldotenax at 65°C: Activity and regulation of the main metabolic pathways

Bacillus caldotenax was cultivated in chemostat experiments at 65°C with a chemically defined minimal medium. Glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, pentose phosphate pathway and the respiratory chain were active as demonstrated by measuring the corresponding enzymes. No enzyme activity of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway could be detected. The specific activities of the citrate cycle enzymes were up to 10 times higher as compared to the enzymes of glycolysis. At dilution rates between 0.3 and 2.2 h^-1 none of the main metabolic pathways was regulated. In contrast the isocitrate lyase was regulated (drop of activity with increasing growth rates). As a result of a batch culture with glucose and acetate as carbon sources a regulation model was proposed: glucose, or a metabolite of glucose, represses the isocitrate lyase; in the absence of glucose acetate acts as an inducer.Abbreviations DCIP dichlorphenol indophenol - ED Entner-Doudoroff pathway - EMP Emden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway - ICL isocitrate lyase - PP pentose phosphate pathway - TCC tricarbonic acid cycle     

Inhibition of insulin receptor phosphorylation by indomethacin

Insulin stimulated phosphorylation of tyrosine residues by the insulin receptor kinase may be part of a signalling mechanism associated with insulin's action. We report that indomethacin inhibited the phosphorylation of the -subunit of the solubilized adipocyte insulin receptor. Indomethacin also inhibited several insulin-sensitive processes in intact rat adipocytes. Indomethacin (1 mM) inhibited basal phosphorylation of the -subunit of the solubilized insulin receptor by 6007o and insulin-stimulated phosphorylation by 30%. In adipocytes, indomethacin inhibited basal 3-0-[methyl-¹⁴C]-methyl-D glucose transport by 50070 (P < 0.01), D-[6-¹⁴C]-glucose oxidation by 5007o (P < 0.01), D-[6-¹⁴C]-glucose conversion to lipid by 30010 (P < 0.01), and D-[1-¹⁴C]-glucose conversion to lipid by 6007o (P<0.01). Similarly, indomethacin inhibited insulin-stimulated 3-0-[methyl-¹⁴C]-methyl-D-glucose transport by 75070 (P<0.01), D-[6-¹⁴C]-glucose oxidation by 20% (P<0.05), D-[1-¹⁴C]-glucose oxidation by 35070 (P<0.01), D-[6-¹⁴C] glucose conversion to lipid by 25010 (P<0.01), and D-[1-¹⁴C] glucose conversion to lipid by 4501o (P<0.01). In contrast, insulin binding to its receptor, basal D-[1-¹⁴C]-glucose oxidation and both basal and insulin-stimulated activation of glycogen synthase were unaffected by indomethacin. Thus, indomethacin partially inhibited autophosphorylation of the solubilized insulin receptor on tyrosine and partially inhibited some but not all of insulin's actions. This supports the hypothesis that insulin's metabolic effects are linked to activation of the insulin receptor protein kinase and indicates that there may be heterogeneity in the mechanisms of intracellular metabolic control by insulin.     

Enzymic analysis of NADPH metabolism in beta-lactam-producing Penicillium chrysogenum: presence of a mitochondrial NADPH dehydrogenase

Based on assumed reaction network structures, NADPH availability has been proposed to be a key constraint in beta-lactam production by Penicillium chrysogenum. In this study, NADPH metabolism was investigated in glucose-limited chemostat cultures of an industrial P. chrysogenum strain. Enzyme assays confirmed the NADP(+)-specificity of the dehydrogenases of the pentose-phosphate pathway and the presence of NADP(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase. Pyruvate decarboxylase/NADP(+)-linked acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and NADP(+)-linked glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase were not detected. Although the NADPH requirement of penicillin-G-producing chemostat cultures was calculated to be 1.4-1.6-fold higher than that of non-producing cultures, in vitro measured activities of the major NADPH-providing enzymes were the same. Isolated mitochondria showed high rates of antimycin A-sensitive respiration of NADPH, thus indicating the presence of a mitochondrial NADPH dehydrogenase that oxidises cytosolic NADPH. The presence of this enzyme in P. chrysogenum might have important implications for stoichiometric modelling of central carbon metabolism and beta-lactam production and may provide an interesting target for metabolic engineering.     

Formate as an auxiliary substrate for glucose-limited cultivation of Penicillium chrysogenum: impact on penicillin G production and biomass yield

Production of beta-lactams by the filamentous fungus Penicillium chrysogenum requires a substantial input of ATP. During glucose-limited growth, this ATP is derived from glucose dissimilation, which reduces the product yield on glucose. The present study has investigated whether penicillin G yields on glucose can be enhanced by cofeeding of an auxiliary substrate that acts as an energy source but not as a carbon substrate. As a model system, a high-producing industrial strain of P. chrysogenum was grown in chemostat cultures on mixed substrates containing different molar ratios of formate and glucose. Up to a formate-to-glucose ratio of 4.5 mol.mol(-1), an increasing rate of formate oxidation via a cytosolic NAD(+)-dependent formate dehydrogenase increasingly replaced the dissimilatory flow of glucose. This resulted in increased biomass yields on glucose. Since at these formate-to-glucose ratios the specific penicillin G production rate remained constant, the volumetric productivity increased. Metabolic modeling studies indicated that formate transport in P. chrysogenum does not require an input of free energy. At formate-to-glucose ratios above 4.5 mol.mol(-1), the residual formate concentrations in the cultures increased, probably due to kinetic constraints in the formate-oxidizing system. The accumulation of formate coincided with a loss of the coupling between formate oxidation and the production of biomass and penicillin G. These results demonstrate that, in principle, mixed-substrate feeding can be used to increase the yield on a carbon source of assimilatory products such as beta-lactams.     

Anaerobic growth of Paracoccus denitrificans requires cobalamin: characterization of cobK and cobJ genes

A pleiotropic mutant of Paracoccus denitrificans, which has a severe defect that affects its anaerobic growth when either nitrate, nitrite, or nitrous oxide is used as the terminal electron acceptor and which is also unable to use ethanolamine as a carbon and energy source for aerobic growth, was isolated. This phenotype of the mutant is expressed only during growth on minimal media and can be reversed by addition of cobalamin (vitamin B(12)) or cobinamide to the media or by growth on rich media. Sequence analysis revealed the mutation causing this phenotype to be in a gene homologous to cobK of Pseudomonas denitrificans, which encodes precorrin-6x reductase of the cobalamin biosynthesis pathway. Convergently transcribed with cobK is a gene homologous to cobJ of Pseudomonas denitrificans, which encodes precorrin-3b methyltransferase. The inability of the cobalamin auxotroph to grow aerobically on ethanolamine implies that wild-type P. denitrificans (which can grow on ethanolamine) expresses a cobalamin-dependent ethanolamine ammonia lyase and that this organism synthesizes cobalamin under both aerobic and anaerobic growth conditions. Comparison of the cobK and cobJ genes with their orthologues suggests that P. denitrificans uses the aerobic pathway for cobalamin synthesis. It is paradoxical that under anaerobic growth conditions, P. denitrificans appears to use the aerobic (oxygen-requiring) pathway for cobalamin synthesis. Anaerobic growth of the cobalamin auxotroph could be restored by the addition of deoxyribonucleosides to minimal media. These observations provide evidence that P. denitrificans expresses a cobalamin-dependent ribonucleotide reductase, which is essential for growth only under anaerobic conditions.     

An inducible periplasmic blue copper protein from Paracoccus denitrificans. Purification, properties, and physiological role

When grown on methylamine as a sole carbon source, Paracoccus denitrificans synthesizes a Type I blue copper protein which mediates electron transfer between methylamine dehydrogenase and cytochrome c. This blue copper protein does not serve as an electron acceptor for methanol dehydrogenase and is not synthesized by cells grown on methanol or succinate. The blue copper protein and methylamine dehydrogenase were localized in the periplasm of P. denitrificans, whereas formate dehydrogenase was cytoplasmic. The copper protein can be purified to high yield in a single step from the periplasmic subcellular fraction prepared from P. denitrificans. The purified protein contains a single 15,000-Da polypeptide chain and one copper atom/molecule and exhibits a pI of 4.8. The oxidized form of the protein absorbs strongly at 595 nm and weakly at 464 nm. The physical and physiological properties of this protein indicate that it is not an azurin, but representative of another class of blue copper proteins.     

FesM, a membrane iron-sulfur protein, is required for cyclic electron flow around photosystem I and photoheterotrophic growth of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002

While it is known that cyclic electron flow around photosystem I is an important pathway of photosynthetic electron transfer for converting light energy to chemical energy, some components of cyclic electron flow remain to be revealed. Here, we show that fesM, encoding a novel membrane iron-sulfur protein, is essential to cyclic electron flow in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002. The FesM protein is predicted to have a cAMP-binding domain, an NtrC-like domain, a redox sensor motif, and an iron-sulfur (4Fe-4S) motif. Deletion of fesM (fesM-D) led to an inability for Synechococcus cells to grow in the presences of glycerol and 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea. Photoheterotrophic growth was restored by a complete fesM gene present on a replicable plasmid. A mutant fesM gene encoding a truncated FesM protein lacking the cAMP domain failed to restore the phenotype, suggesting this domain is important to the function of FesM. Measurements of reduction of P700(+) and the redox state of interphotosystem electron carriers showed that cells had a slower rate of respiratory electron donation to the interphotosystem electron transport chain, and cyclic electron flow around photosystem I in fesM-D was impaired, suggesting that FesM is a critical protein for respiratory and cyclic electron flow. Phosphatase fusion analysis showed that FesM contains nine membrane-spanning helices, and all functional domains of FesM are located on the cytoplasmic face of the thylakoid membranes.     

Novel Pathway for Alcoholic Fermentation of δ-Gluconolactone in the Yeast Saccharomyces bulderi

Under anaerobic conditions, the yeast Saccharomyces bulderi rapidly ferments delta-gluconolactone to ethanol and carbon dioxide. We propose that a novel pathway for delta-gluconolactone fermentation operates in this yeast. In this pathway, delta-gluconolactone is first reduced to glucose via an NADPH-dependent glucose dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.47). After phosphorylation, half of the glucose is metabolized via the pentose phosphate pathway, yielding the NADPH required for the glucose-dehydrogenase reaction. The remaining half of the glucose is dissimilated via glycolysis. Involvement of this novel pathway in delta-gluconolactone fermentation in S. bulderi is supported by several experimental observations. (i) Fermentation of delta-gluconolactone and gluconate occurred only at low pH values, at which a substantial fraction of the substrate is present as delta-gluconolactone. Unlike gluconate, the latter compound is a substrate for glucose dehydrogenase. (ii) High activities of an NADP(+)-dependent glucose dehydrogenase were detected in cell extracts of anaerobic, delta-gluconolactone-grown cultures, but activity of this enzyme was not detected in glucose-grown cells. Gluconate kinase activity in cell extracts was negligible. (iii) During anaerobic growth on delta-gluconolactone, CO(2) production exceeded ethanol production by 35%, indicating that pyruvate decarboxylation was not the sole source of CO(2). (iv) Levels of the pentose phosphate pathway enzymes were 10-fold higher in delta-gluconolactone-grown anaerobic cultures than in glucose-grown cultures, consistent with the proposed involvement of this pathway as a primary dissimilatory route in delta-gluconolactone metabolism.