Abstract
The ability to use the sialic acid, N-acetylneuraminic acid, Neu5Ac, as a nutrient has been characterized in a number of bacteria, most of which are human pathogens that encounter this molecule because of its presence on mucosal surfaces. The soil bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum also has a full complement of genes for sialic acid catabolism, and we demonstrate that it can use Neu5Ac as a sole source of carbon and energy and isolate mutants with a much reduced growth lag on Neu5Ac. Disruption of the cg2937 gene, encoding a component of a predicted sialic acid-specific ABC transporter, results in a complete loss of growth of C. glutamicum on Neu5Ac and also a complete loss of [(14)C]-Neu5Ac uptake into cells. Uptake of [(14)C]-Neu5Ac is induced by pregrowth on Neu5Ac, but the additional presence of glucose prevents this induction. The demonstration that a member of the Actinobacteria can transport and catabolize Neu5Ac efficiently suggests that sialic acid metabolism has a physiological role in the soil environment.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 131-138 |
| Journal | FEMS microbiology letters |
| Volume | 336 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2012 |
Bibliographical note
© 2012 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Keywords
- Corynebacterium glutamicum
- Soil Microbiology
- Bacterial Proteins
- Multigene Family
- Biological Transport
- N-Acetylneuraminic Acid
- Mutation
- Gene Order