Faculty Opinions recommendation of Allosteric feedback inhibition enables robust amino acid biosynthesis in e. coli by enforcing enzyme overabundance.

Author(s):  
Shinya Kuroda ◽  
Satoshi Ohno
Cell Systems ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-75.e8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timur Sander ◽  
Niklas Farke ◽  
Christoph Diehl ◽  
Michelle Kuntz ◽  
Timo Glatter ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meijuan Xu ◽  
Mi Tang ◽  
Jiamin Chen ◽  
Taowei Yang ◽  
Xian Zhang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT PII signal transduction proteins are ubiquitous and highly conserved in bacteria, archaea, and plants and play key roles in controlling nitrogen metabolism. However, research on biological functions and regulatory targets of PII proteins remains limited. Here, we illustrated experimentally that the PII protein Corynebacterium glutamicum GlnK (CgGlnK) increased l-arginine yield when glnK was overexpressed in Corynebacterium glutamicum. Data showed that CgGlnK regulated l-arginine biosynthesis by upregulating the expression of genes of the l-arginine metabolic pathway and interacting with N-acetyl-l-glutamate kinase (CgNAGK), the rate-limiting enzyme in l-arginine biosynthesis. Further assays indicated that CgGlnK contributed to alleviation of the feedback inhibition of CgNAGK caused by l-arginine. In silico analysis of the binding interface of CgGlnK-CgNAGK suggested that the B and T loops of CgGlnK mainly interacted with C and N domains of CgNAGK. Moreover, F11, R47, and K85 of CgGlnK were identified as crucial binding sites that interact with CgNAGK via hydrophobic interaction and H bonds, and these interactions probably had a positive effect on maintaining the stability of the complex. Collectively, this study reveals PII-NAGK interaction in nonphotosynthetic microorganisms and further provides insights into the regulatory mechanism of PII on amino acid biosynthesis in corynebacteria. IMPORTANCE Corynebacteria are safe industrial producers of diverse amino acids, including l-glutamic acid and l-arginine. In this study, we showed that PII protein GlnK played an important role in l-glutamic acid and l-arginine biosynthesis in C. glutamicum. Through clarifying the molecular mechanism of CgGlnK in l-arginine biosynthesis, the novel interaction between CgGlnK and CgNAGK was revealed. The alleviation of l-arginine inhibition of CgNAGK reached approximately 48.21% by CgGlnK addition, and the semi-inhibition constant of CgNAGK increased 1.4-fold. Furthermore, overexpression of glnK in a high-yield l-arginine-producing strain and fermentation of the recombinant strain in a 5-liter bioreactor led to a remarkably increased production of l-arginine, 49.978 g/liter, which was about 22.61% higher than that of the initial strain. In conclusion, this study provides a new strategy for modifying amino acid biosynthesis in C. glutamicum.


2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (13) ◽  
pp. 4061-4070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillermo Gosset ◽  
Carol A. Bonner ◽  
Roy A. Jensen

ABSTRACT Enzymes performing the initial reaction of aromatic amino acid biosynthesis, 2-keto-3-deoxy-d-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate (DAHP) synthases, exist as two distinct homology classes. The three classic Escherichia coli paralogs are AroAI proteins, but many members of theBacteria possess the AroAII class of enzyme, sometimes in combination with AroAI proteins. AroAII DAHP synthases until now have been shown to be specifically dedicated to secondary metabolism (e.g., formation of ansamycin antibiotics or phenazine pigment). In contrast, here we show that the Xanthomonas campestris AroAII protein functions as the sole DAHP synthase supporting aromatic amino acid biosynthesis. X. campestris AroAII was cloned in E. coli by functional complementation, and genes corresponding to two possible translation starts were expressed. We developed a 1-day partial purification method (>99%) for the unstable protein. The recombinant AroAII protein was found to be subject to an allosteric pattern of sequential feedback inhibition in which chorismate is the prime allosteric effector.l-Tryptophan was found to be a minor feedback inhibitor. An N-terminal region of 111 amino acids may be located in the periplasm since a probable inner membrane-spanning region is predicted. Unlike chloroplast-localized AroAII of higher plants, X. campestris AroAII was not hysteretically activated by dithiols. Compared to plant AroAII proteins, differences in divalent metal activation were also observed. Phylogenetic tree analysis shows that AroAII originated within theBacteria domain, and it seems probable that higher-plant plastids acquired AroAII from a gram-negative bacterium via endosymbiosis. The X. campestris AroAII protein is suggested to exemplify a case of analog displacement whereby an ancestral aroA I species was discarded, with thearoA II replacement providing an alternative pattern of allosteric control. Three subgroups of AroAIIproteins can be recognized: a large, central group containing the plant enzymes and that from X. campestris, one defined by a three-residue deletion near the conserved KPRS motif, and one possessing a larger deletion further downstream.


2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (21) ◽  
pp. 6184-6196 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Tedin ◽  
F. Norel

ABSTRACT The growth recovery of Escherichia coli K-12 andSalmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium ΔrelAmutants were compared after nutritional downshifts requiring derepression of the branched-chain amino acid pathways. Because wild-type E. coli K-12 and S. enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2 strains are defective in the expression of the genes encoding the branch point acetohydroxy acid synthetase II (ilvGM) and III (ilvIH) isozymes, respectively, ΔrelA derivatives corrected for these mutations were also examined. Results indicate that reduced expression of the known global regulatory factors involved in branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis cannot completely explain the observed growth recovery defects of the ΔrelA strains. In the E. coli K-12 MG1655 ΔrelA background, correction of the preexisting rph-1 allele which causes pyrimidine limitations resulted in complete loss of growth recovery. S. enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2 ΔrelA strains were fully complemented by elevated basal ppGpp levels in an S. enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2 ΔrelA spoT1 mutant or in a strain harboring an RNA polymerase mutation conferring a reduced RNA chain elongation rate. The results are best explained by a dependence on the basal levels of ppGpp, which are determined byrelA-dependent changes in tRNA synthesis resulting from amino acid starvations. Expression of the branched-chain amino acid operons is suggested to require changes in the RNA chain elongation rate of the RNA polymerase, which can be achieved either by elevation of the basal ppGpp levels or, in the case of the E. coli K-12 MG1655 strain, through pyrimidine limitations which partially compensate for reduced ppGpp levels. Roles for ppGpp in branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis are discussed in terms of effects on the synthesis of known global regulatory proteins and current models for the control of global RNA synthesis by ppGpp.


2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (13) ◽  
pp. 4362-4371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina L. Tuite ◽  
Katy R. Fraser ◽  
Conor P. O'Byrne

ABSTRACT In Escherichia coli the sulfur-containing amino acid homocysteine (Hcy) is the last intermediate on the methionine biosynthetic pathway. Supplementation of a glucose-based minimal medium with Hcy at concentrations greater than 0.2 mM causes the growth of E. coli Frag1 to be inhibited. Supplementation of Hcy-treated cultures with combinations of branched-chain amino acids containing isoleucine or with isoleucine alone reversed the inhibitory effects of Hcy on growth. The last intermediate of the isoleucine biosynthetic pathway, α-keto-β-methylvalerate, could also alleviate the growth inhibition caused by Hcy. Analysis of amino acid pools in Hcy-treated cells revealed that alanine, valine, and glutamate levels are depleted. Isoleucine could reverse the effects of Hcy on the cytoplasmic pools of valine and alanine. Supplementation of the culture medium with alanine gave partial relief from the inhibitory effects of Hcy. Enzyme assays revealed that the first step of the isoleucine biosynthetic pathway, catalyzed by threonine deaminase, was sensitive to inhibition by Hcy. The gene encoding threonine deaminase, ilvA, was found to be transcribed at higher levels in the presence of Hcy. Overexpression of the ilvA gene from a plasmid could overcome Hcy-mediated growth inhibition. Together, these data indicate that in E. coli Hcy toxicity is caused by a perturbation of branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis that is caused, at least in part, by the inhibition of threonine deaminase.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahendra K. Prajapat ◽  
Kirti Jain ◽  
Debika Choudhury ◽  
Gauri S. Choudhary ◽  
Supreet Saini

Starting with Savageau's pioneering work from 1970s, here, we choose the simplest transcription network and ask: How does the cell choose a regulatory topology from the different available possibilities? We study the natural distribution of topologies at genome, systems, and micro-level in E. coli and perform stochastic simulations to help explain the differences in natural distributions. Analyzing regulation of amino acid biosynthesis and carbon utilization in E. coli and B. subtilis, we observe many deviations from the demand rules, and observe an alternate pattern emerging. Overall, our results indicate that choice of topology is drawn randomly from a pool of all networks which satisfy the kinetic requirements of the cell, as dictated by physiology. In short, simply, the cell picks "whatever works".


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