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PubMed2004

Biofilms, homoserine lactones and biocide susceptibility.

AIMS: To investigate the susceptibility, to a range of different biocides, of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains variously deficient in N-acyl homoserine lactone systems, grown either as planktonic or biofilm populations. METHODS AND RESULTS: Biocide susceptibility data were generated for strains of P. aeruginosa deficient in N-acyl homoserine lactone production, grown planktonically or as biofilm populations using a poloxamer hydrogel construct. Component cells from the biofilm constructs were also tested for their susceptibility. Significant differences in susceptibility were noted between the wild-type strain, a mutant defective in the long chain (C-12) homoserine lactone and a mutant defective in the short chain (C-4) homoserine lactone which could not be related to the biofilm mode of growth. Moreover, differences in susceptibility appeared to be dependent upon the nature of the homoserine lactone deletion and type of biocide rather than the mode of growth. CONCLUSIONS: No general trend exists between homoserine lactone deficiency and biocide susceptibility regardless of mode of growth.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1987

Partial purification and some properties of homoserine O-acetyltransferase of a methionine auxotroph of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

A wild-type strain and six methionine auxotrophs of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were cultured in a synthetic medium supplemented with 0.1 mM L-cysteine or L-methionine and analyzed for the synthesis of homoserine O-acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.31). Among them, four mutant strains exhibited enzyme activity in cell extracts. Methionine added to the synthetic medium at concentrations higher than 0.1 mM repressed enzyme synthesis in two of these strains. The enzyme was partially purified (3,500-fold) from an extract of a mutant strain through ammonium sulfate fractionation and chromatography on columns of DEAE-cellulose, Phenyl-Sepharose C1-4B, and Sephadex G-150. The enzyme exhibited optimal pH at 7.5 for activity and at 7.8 for stability. The reaction product was ascertained to be O-acetyl-L-homoserine by confirming that it produced L-homocysteine in an O-acetyl-L-homoserine sulfhydrylase reaction. The Km for L-homoserine was 1.0 mM, and for acetyl coenzyme A it was 0.027 mM. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be approximately 104,000 by Sephadex G-150 column chromatography and 101,000 by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The isoelectric point was at pH 4.0. Of the hydroxy amino acids examined, the enzyme showed reactivity only to L-homoserine. Succinyl coenzyme A was not an acyl donor. In the absence of L-homoserine, acetyl coenzyme A was deacylated by the enzyme, with a Km of 0.012 mM. S-Adenosylmethionine and S-adenosylhomocysteine slightly inhibited the enzyme, but methionine had no effect.

Acetyltransferases↗
PubMed1975

Purification and properties of homoserine transacetylase from Bacillus polymyxa.

Homoserine transacetylase (EC 2.3.1.31), the first enzyme of methionine biosynthesis, has been purified to near homogeneity from extracts of a methionine auxotroph of Bacillus polymyxa. The enzyme is subject to rapid irreversible inactivation. Its half-life at 0 degrees is 15 min and much less at higher temperatures, but ethylene glycol affords some protection. In addition, Zn2+ reversibly inhibits the enzyme with a K-I of 3 muM. The enzyme has a molecular weight of about 40,000 and consists of a single polypeptide chain. Besides catalyzing the acetyl transfer from acetyl-CoA to L-homoserine, homoserine transacetylase promotes a homoserine-O-acetylhomoserine exchange reaction in the absence of CoA, suggesting the formation of an acetyl-enzyme intermediate. The results of kinetic studies are consistent with a ping-pong mechanism. Homoserine transacetylase is subject to multivalent feedback inhibition by L-methionine and S-adenosylmethionine. Analysis of the inhibition data and specificity studies suggest that the inhibitors bind to separate sites on the enzyme which are distinct from the active site. Inhibition is competitive with respect to both substrates, and the saturation curves for the inhibitors, as well as substrate saturation curves in the absence or presence of the inhibitors, are hyperbolic. The absence of cooperativity is, in fact, a property which would be expected in a monomeric allosteric enzyme such as homoserine transacetylase.

Acetyl Coenzyme A↗
PubMed1975

Aspartokinase I-homoserine dehydrogenase I of Escherichia coli K12 (lambda). Activation by monovalent cations and an analysis of the effect of the adenosine triphosphate-magnesium ion complex on this activation process.

The dehydrogenase activity of the aspartokinase I-homoserine dehydrogenase I complex isolated from Escherichia coli K12 is subject to a cooperative activation by K+ or Rb+, which is characterized by a Hill coefficient of approximately 2. Ionic strength has little effect on the Hill coefficient for this activation process; however, high ionic strength appears to increase the enzyme's affinity for K+ and decrease its affinity for Rb+. The Vmax of the K+-activated dehydrogenase is greater than that of the Rb+-activated dehydrogenase. The results of a study of the competition between K+ and Rb+ in the activation process suggest the presence of an activated species containing both K+ and Rb+. The cooperative activation by K+ is antagonized by Na+ via a process that is noncooperative with respect to Na+. The MgATP-2- complex, a substrate for the kinase activity of aspartokinase I-homoserine dehydrogenase I, has a marked effect on the K+ activation of the dehydrogenase activity. Kinetic studies of this effect of MgATP-2- on the K+ requirement of the dehydrogenase at pH 8.9 indicate that: (a) activation by a monovalent cation is essential in the presence as well as in the absence of MgATP-2-; (b) the concentration of K+ required to activate fully the dehydrogenase is reduced in the presence of MgATP-2-; (c) activation of the dehydrogenase by K+ is noncooperative in the presence of MgATP-2-; and (d) the maximum velocity for the dehydrogenase catalyzed oxidation of homoserine is greater in the presence of MgATP-2- than in its absence. Based on these results, a simple model consistent with these data is proposed. Destruction of the kinase activity and the threonine sensitivity of the aspartokinase-homoserine dehydrogenase complex by treatment with 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) or by incubation at pH 9 also converts the K+ activation of the dehydrogenase from a cooperative to a noncooperative process. Marked protection of the enzyme against loss of threonine sensitivity at pH 9 is afforded by MgATP-2- plus K+ and homoserine. The apparent molecular radius of the enzyme complex as determined by gel filtration at pH 8.85 in the presence of threonine or MgATP-2- plus K+ and homoserine is dependent on the enzyme concentration. The observed apparent molecular radii of 70 A at high enzyme concentrations and 61 A at low enzyme concentrations are consistent with the enzyme's undergoing a concentration-dependent dissociation from a tetrameric to a dimeri

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Effect of the carbon source and aeration conditions on homoserine lysine biosynthesis in the threonine-dependent mutant Brevibacterium flavum 2T].

The effect of two carbon sources (sucrose and acetate), aeration conditions and threonine concentration on the homoserine and lysine biosynthesis by the threonine-dependent mutant Brevibacterium flavum 2T was examined. It was demonstrated that acetate provided the predominant synthesis of homoserine to a far greater extent than sucrose (with the weight/weight ratio of homoserine : lysine being 2.5-5.0 and 0.8-1,2, respectively). The maximal level of homoserine and lysine was 18-21 and 3-7 g/l on the acetate containing medium and 18-22 and 12-16 g/l on the sucrose containing medium, respectively. On sucrose the total amount of amino acids and the total yield of products as related to the consumed substrate were greater than on acetate. Using the sucrose medium, the effect of aeration conditions and threonine concentration on the biosynthesis of both compounds was investigated. With an aeration increase from 1.3 to 4.6 g O2/l.hr the optimal concentration of threonine in the medium grow. The biosynthesis of homoserine was less sensitive to the inhibitory effect of excessive threonine than that of lysine. With an increase of the threonine concentration in the medium from 0.25 to 3.0 g/l the ratio homoserine : lysine grew from 1.03 to 5.20 (with the sulphite number being 4.6 g O2/l.hr). This effect was independent of the aeration conditions.

Aerobiosis↗
PubMed1998

In vitro biosynthesis of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum-sensing signal molecule N-butanoyl-L-homoserine lactone.

In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, synthesis of the quorum-sensing signal molecules N-butanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (BHL) and N-hexanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (HHL) requires the Luxl homologue Rhll(Vsml). By using thin-layer chromatography in conjunction with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry, we show that purified Rhll can catalyse the biosynthesis of BHL and HHL using either S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) or homoserine lactone (HSL) but not homoserine as the source of the homoserine lactone moiety. As we were unable to detect homoserine lactone in cytoplasmic extracts of Escherichia coli, we conclude that SAM is the natural substrate for Rhll-directed N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) biosynthesis. The N-acyl chain of BHL and HHL can be supplied by the appropriately charged coenzyme A derivative (either n-butanoyl-CoA or n-hexanoyl-CoA). The specificity of Rhll for charged CoA derivatives is demonstrated as Rhll was unable to generate AHLs detectable in our bioassays from acetyl-CoA, malonyl-CoA, n-octanoyl-CoA, n-decanoyl-CoA, DL-beta-hydroxybutanoyl-CoA or crotonoyl-CoA. Rhll was also unable to use N-acetyl-S-3-oxobutanoylcysteamine, a chemical mimic for 3-oxobutanoyl-CoA. Furthermore, the Rhll-catalysed synthesis of BHL and HHL was most efficiently driven when NADPH was included in the reaction mixture.

4-Butyrolactone↗
PubMed1997

Detecting and characterizing N-acyl-homoserine lactone signal molecules by thin-layer chromatography.

Many Gram-negative bacteria regulate gene expression in response to their population size by sensing the level of acyl-homoserine lactone signal molecules which they produce and liberate to the environment. We have developed an assay for these signals that couples separation by thin-layer chromatography with detection using Agrobacterium tumefaciens harboring lacZ fused to a gene that is regulated by autoinduction. With the exception of N-butanoyl-L-homoserine lactone, the reporter detected acyl-homoserine lactones with 3-oxo-, 3-hydroxy-, and 3-unsubstituted side chains of all lengths tested. The intensity of the response was proportional to the amount of the signal molecule chromatographed. Each of the 3-oxo- and the 3-unsubstituted derivatives migrated with a unique mobility. Using the assay, we showed that some bacteria produce as many as five detectable signal molecules. Structures could be assigned tentatively on the basis of mobility and spot shape. The dominant species produced by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci chromatographed with the properties of N-(3-oxohexanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone, a structure that was confirmed by mass spectrometry. An isolate of Pseudomonas fluorescens produced five detectable species, three of which had novel chromatographic properties. These were identified as the 3-hydroxy- forms of N-hexanoyl-, N-octanoyl-, and N-decanoyl-L-homoserine lactone. The assay can be used to screen cultures of bacteria for acyl-homoserine lactones, for quantifying the amounts of these molecules produced, and as an analytical and preparative aid in determining the structures of these signal molecules.

4-Butyrolactone↗
PubMed1974

Homoserine esterification in green plants.

EXTRACTS OF PHYLOGENETICALLY DIVERSE PLANS WERE SURVEYED FOR THEIR ABILITY TO SYNTHESIZE THE FOLLOWING HOMOSERINE ESTERS WHICH ARE POTENTIAL PRECURSORS FOR METHIONINE AND THREONINE SYNTHESIS IN GREEN PLANTS: O-acetyl-, O-oxalyl-, O-succinyl-, O-malonyl-, and O-phosphohomoserine. Synthesis of O-acylhomoserine esters was detected only in Pisum sativum L. and Lathyrus sativus L. Extracts of P. sativum, a plant known to accumulate O-acetylhomoserine, catalyzed the specific synthesis of this ester from homoserine and acetyl-CoA. Extracts of L. sativus, a plant known to accumulate O-oxalylhomoserine, catalyzed the specific synthesis of this ester from homoserine and oxalyl-CoA. None of the other plants surveyed, including representatives of the green algae, horsetails, gymnosperms, and angiosperms, catalyzed the synthesis of any of the O-acylhomoserine esters studied. In contrast, synthesis of O-phosphohomoserine by the reaction catalyzed by homoserine kinase was demonstrated in extracts of all plants examined, including the two exceptional legumes.These results suggest that, among the five homoserine esters studied, O-phosphohomoserine is the major activated homoserine derivative in plants. Direct confirmation of the dominant physiological role of O-phosphohomoserine in the synthesis of cystathionine in the transsulfuration pathway of methionine biosynthesis in plants has recently been provided (Datko, A. H., Giovanelli, J., and Mudd, S. H. 1974. J. Biol. Chem. 249: 1139-1155).

Journal Article↗
PubMed1975

Changes in Enzyme Regulation during Growth of Maize: I. Progressive Desensitization of Homoserine Dehydrogenase during Seedling Growth.

The sensitivity of homoserine dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.3) to inhibition by the feed-back modifier, l-threonine, was examined in preparations derived from etiolated shoots, roots, and lightgrown tissues of Zea mays L. var. earliking. A progressive decrease in enzyme sensitivity was observed during seedling growth. Enzyme derived from internode tissue retained a greater sensitivity to the effector than enzyme derived from apical portions of etiolated shoots, whereas enzyme from root tips was characteristically more sensitive than that prepared from mature cells of the root. Enzyme desensitization occurred rapidly during culture of excised shoots and the activities of both homoserine dehydrogenase and aspartokinase (EC 2.7.2.4) declined during shoot culture under a variety of conditions. The initial enzyme levels and the characteristic sensitivity of homoserine dehydrogenase were preserved during culture at 5 to 7 C, but desensitization was not prevented by inclusion of cycloheximide in the culture medium.Results of control experiments provide evidence that desensitization occurs in vivo. No alteration of the enzyme properties was detected during extraction or concentration of sensitive or insensitive enzyme or during coextraction of enzyme from mixed populations of different age shoots; nor was a differential distribution of inhibitors or activators indicated during assay of mixed preparations. The change in enzyme sensitivity was apparent under a variety of assay conditions and was not accompanied by changes in the apparent affinity of the enzyme for the substrate, homoserine. It is suggested that systematic changes in the regulatory characteristics of certain enzymes could be an important level of metabolic regulation during cellular differentiation.Three forms of maize homoserine dehydrogenaase were detected after acrylamide gel electrophoresis of samples derived from 72-hr shoots. Similar analysis of samples from older shoots revealed a broad asymmetric band of enzyme activity, suggesting that changes in the relative distribution of specific forms of the enzyme could be related to the growth-dependent changes in the sensitivity of maize homoserine dehydrogenase.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Quorum sensing signal molecules (acylated homoserine lactones) in gram-negative fish pathogenic bacteria.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the production of quorum sensing signals (specifically acylated homoserine lactones, AHLs) among a selection of strains of Gram-negative fish bacterial pathogens. These signals are involved in the regulation of virulence factors in some human and plant-pathogenic bacteria. A total of 59 strains, representing 9 different fish pathogenic species, were tested against 2 AHL monitor bacteria (Agrobacterium tumefaciens NT1 [pZLR4] and Chromobacterium violaceum CV026) in a well diffusion assay and by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Representative samples were further characterized by high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC-HR-MS). AHLs were produced by all strains of Aeromonas salmonicida, Aeromonas hydrophila, Yersinia ruckeri, Vibrio salmonicida, and Vibrio vulnificus. Some strains of atypical Aeromonas salmonicida and Vibrio splendidus were also positive. Aeromonas species produced N-butanoyl homoserine lactone (BHL) and N-hexanoyl homoserine lactone (HHL) and 1 additional product, whereas N-3-oxo-hexanoyl homoserine lactone (OHHL) and HHL were detected in Vibrio salmonicida. N-3-oxo-octanoyl homoserine lactone (OOHL) and N-3-octanoyl homoserine lactone (OHL) were detected in Y. ruckeri. AHLs were not detected from strains of Photobacterium damselae, Flavobacterium psychrophilum or Moritella viscosa. AHLs were extracted from fish infected with Y. ruckeri but not from fish infected with A. salmonicida. In conclusion, the production of quorum sensing signals, AHLs, is common among the strains that we examined. If the AHL molecules regulate the expression of the virulence phenotype in these bacteria, as shown to occur in some bacterial pathogens, novel disease control measures may be developed by blocking AHL-mediated communication and suppressing virulence.

4-Butyrolactone↗
PubMed1993

Identification and expression of a cDNA from Daucus carota encoding a bifunctional aspartokinase-homoserine dehydrogenase.

Aspartokinase (EC 2.7.2.4) and homoserine dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.3) catalyze steps in the pathway for the synthesis of lysine, threonine, and methionine from aspartate. Homoserine dehydrogenase was purified from carrot (Daucus carota L.) cell cultures and portions of it were subjected to amino acid sequencing. Oligonucleotides deduced from the amino acid sequences were used as primers in a polymerase chain reaction to amplify a DNA fragment using DNA derived from carrot cell culture mRNA as template. The amplification product was radiolabelled and used as a probe to identify cDNA clones from libraries derived from carrot cell culture and root RNA. Two overlapping clones were isolated. Together the cDNA clones delineate a 3089 bp long sequence encompassing an open reading frame encoding 921 amino acids, including the mature protein and a long chloroplast transit peptide. The deduced amino acid sequence has high homology with the Escherichia coli proteins aspartokinase I-homoserine dehydrogenase I and aspartokinase II-homoserine dehydrogenase II. Like the E. coli genes the isolated carrot cDNA appears to encode a bifunctional aspartokinase-homoserine dehydrogenase enzyme.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2004

Role of homoserine and threonine pathway intermediates as precursors for the biosynthesis of aminoethoxyvinylglycine in Streptomyces sp. NRRL 5331.

The genes hom, thrB and thrC, encoding homoserine dehydrogenase, homoserine kinase (HK) and threonine synthase, respectively, involved in the last steps of threonine biosynthesis, have been studied in Streptomyces sp. NRRL 5331, the producer of the ethylene synthetase inhibitor aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG), in order to determine their role in the biosynthesis of AVG. Different null mutants were obtained by plasmid-mediated disruption of each of the three genes. thrC gene disruption had no effect on AVG production, while the disruption of thrB blocked HK activity and substantially reduced the yield of this metabolite, probably due to the accumulation of homoserine and/or methionine which have a negative effect on AVG biosynthesis. Disruption of hom (thrA) completely blocked AVG biosynthesis, indicating that homoserine lies at the branching point of the aspartic-acid-derived biosynthetic route that leads to AVG. The four carbon atoms of the vinylglycine moiety of AVG derive, therefore, from homoserine.

Carbon-Oxygen Lyases↗
PubMed1975

Cobalt(III) labeled aspartokinase-homoserine dehydrogenase of Escherichia coli.

The kinase activity of the threonine-sensitive aspartokinase-homoserine dehydrogenase enzyme complex of Escherichia coli was selectively inactivated by Co(III) incorporation. Incubation of the enzyme with Co(II) in the presence of oxygen or H2O2 resulted in incorporation of one Co(III) per subunit. The cobalt(III) bound to the enzyme was not removable by dialysis and presumably results from formation of "inert" coordination complexes with ligands contributed by the enzyme. Cobalt was released from the enzyme by incubation with dithiothreitol but not by metal chelating agents. The Co(III)-labeled enzyme was aspartokinase inactive but still retained 60% of its original homoserine dehydrogenase activity. Studies of the time course of inactivation showed aspartokinase inactivation paralleled Co(III) incorporation. The residual dehydrogenase activity of aspartokinase inactive enzyme was still inhibited by threonine Thus, Co(III) incorporation seems to result in a specific inactivation of kinase activity which permits enumeration of the number of aspartokinase sites. Limited alpha-chymotrypsin digestion of Co(III)-enzyme produced homoserine dehydrogenase-active fragments devoid of Co(III), further confirming the specificity of the labeling procedure. Aspartokinase inactivation obtained without concomitant desensitization of homoserine dehydrogenase to threonine inhibition suggests that kinase active site integrity is not required for threonine binding and inhibition of homoserine dehydrogenase.

Aspartokinase Homoserine Dehydrogenase↗
PubMed2000

A novel and sensitive method for the quantification of N-3-oxoacyl homoserine lactones using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry: application to a model bacterial biofilm.

A method is reported for the quantification of 3-oxoacyl homoserine lactones (3-oxo AHLs), a major class of quorum-sensing signals found in Gram-negative bacteria. It is based on the conversion of 3-oxo AHLs to their pentafluorobenzyloxime derivatives followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (electron capture-negative ion). The method used [13C16]-N-3-oxo-dodecanoyl homoserine lactone ([13C16]-OdDHL) as the internal standard, and its validity was tested by spiking the supernatant and cell fractions with three levels of 3-oxo AHLs, i.e. 1, 10 and 100 ng per sample. These showed the method to be both sensitive (S/N ratio >10:1 for 1 ng) and accurate. The assay was applied to the biofilm and effluent of a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6294) culture grown in flow cells. Biofilm volume was determined for three replicate flow cells by confocal scanning laser microscopy. OdDHL was detected in the biofilm at 632 +/- 381 microM and the effluent at 14 +/- 3 nM. The biofilm concentration is the highest level so far reported for an AHL in a wild-type bacterial system. The next most abundant 3-oxo AHL in the biofilm and effluent was N-3-oxo-tetradecanoyl homoserine lactone (OtDHL) at 40 +/- 15 microM and 1.5 +/- 0.7 nM respectively. OtDHL is unreported for P. aeruginosa and has an activity equivalent to OdDHL in a lasR bioassay. Two other 3-oxo AHLs were detected at lower concentrations: N3-oxo-decanoyl homoserine lactone (ODHL) in the biofilm (3 +/- 2 microM) and effluent (1 +/- 0.1 nM); and N-3-oxo-octanoyl homoserine lactone (OOHL) in the effluent (0.1 +/- 0.1 nM).

Biofilms↗
PubMed1973

Metabolic regulation by homoserine in Escherichia coli B-r.

A mathematical analysis of branched pathway regulation has led to the prediction of a novel homoserine control in Escherichia coli B. Experimental support for such control is presented in this paper. Homoserine, the precursor of both threonine and methionine, inhibits nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP(+))-specific glutamate dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.4), the enzyme catalyzing the first reaction in ammonia assimilation. Physiological and biochemical evidence for this effect are offered. Homoserine depresses the growth rate of the organism, and glutamate, the product of the inhibited reaction, reverses this effect. The NADP(+)-specific glutamate dehydrogenase activity in cell-free extracts is inhibited by homoserine, and this inhibition parallels the restriction of growth rate. These effects are found in other enteric bacteria which share a similar overall pattern of control for the amino acids derived from aspartate. On the other hand, a sampling of more distantly related species which have different pathways and/or regulatory patterns provides no evidence for homoserine inhibition of the glutamate dehydrogenase reaction.

Aspartate Aminotransferases↗
PubMed1975

Regulation of homoserine transacetylase in whole cells of Bacillus polymyxa.

The levels of homoserine transacetylase (EC 2.3.1.31) in Bacillus polymyxa grown in minimal medium can vary over a 40-fold range, depending on whether methionine limits growth or is present in excess. This suggests that the synthesis of the enzyme is under control by methionine or one of its metabolites. The stability of homoserine transacetylase in growing cells was measured after repression of further synthesis by the addition of methionine. At 30 degrees, the enzyme was stable for 2 hours, whereas at 37 degrees it decayed with a half-life of 40 min. This contrasts with the striking instability in cell-free extracts described in the preceding paper (Wyman, A., and Paulus, H. (1975) J. Biol. Chem. 250, 3897-3903). The properties of homoserine transacetylase were also studied in cells of B. polymyxa that had been made permeable to small molecules by treatment with toluene. They differed in two important respects from those of the enzyme in cell-free extracts described in the preceding paper: the enzyme was relatively stable, with a half-life of 15 min at 37 degrees, and responded in a sigmoid manner to increasing concentrations of the inhibitors L-methionine and S-adenosylmethionine. These observations suggest that homoserine transacetylase is an oligomeric protein within the bacterial cell but dissociates into monomers in cell-free extracts. When B. polymyxa was transferred at 39 degrees from a rich medium to one without amino acids, growth resumed only very slowly. The growth lag after shift-down was not observed at 37 degrees or in the presence of methionine or cystathionine. This phenomenon appears to be due to a need for derepression of homoserine transacetylase upon shift-down which is thwarted at 39 degrees by the rapid thermal inactivation of the enzyme. A possible physiological function of the striking thermolability of the first enzyme in methionine biosynthesis is discussed.

Acetyltransferases↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Effect of technical threonine sources on homoserine biosynthesis by mutant Brevibacteruim flavum 2T].

The effect of threonine technical sources on the homoserine biosynthesis by the threonine auxotroph Brevibacterium flavum 2T when cultivated on sucrose and acetic acid containing media was investigated. Various threonine sources (corn extract and fodder yeast, microbial biomass and soybean meal hydrolyzates) prepared by means of different hydrolyzing agents (acids, enzymes, autolysis) were used. The most effective substrate was protein--vitamin concentrate hydrolyzate, particularly combined with corn extract in the ratio 1: 0,25-0.5 (with respect to the dry weight of the initial material). The homoserine yield was 16.2 g/l on the sucrose containing medium and 18.4 g/l on the acetic acid containing medium which was in agreement with controls. The medium containing pure threonine was used as a control. With other threonine sources (corn extract, protein-vitamin concentrate autolyzate and enzymolyzate, fodder yeast and soybean meal hydrolyzates), the homoserine production was significantly lower, i.e. 40-70% of the control. The content of amino acids (threonine, isoleucine, methionine) in the initial material and their suitability for the homoserine biosynthesis were found to be correlated. The substrates with a high content of threonine (over 3.5%) and a low content of methionine (below 0.5%) proved most effective. The use of the material in which the ratio threonine: methionine was less than 6.0 caused the homoserine biosynthesis to be partially replaced with that of lysine.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1996

Functional group characterization of homoserine kinase from Escherichia coli.

Homoserine kinase (EC 2.7.1.39), a key enzyme in the aspartate pathway of amino acid biosynthesis in Escherichia coli, catalyzes the phosphorylation of L-homoserine to form L-homoserine phosphate. The ThrB gene coding for this enzyme has been cloned, and the enzyme has been overexpressed and purified to homogeneity with a simplified purification scheme. An examination of the pH dependence of the V/K profile for L-homoserine shows that the enzyme loses activity upon protonation of a single functional group and upon de-protonation of a second functional group, with both groups appearing to be of the cationic acid type. Incubation of the enzyme with diethylpyrocarbonate leads to the complete loss of enzyme activity. Spectral and chemical characterization of the derivatized enzyme has shown that this activity loss is caused by the modification of a histidine residue. Treatment of the enzyme with pyridoxal-5'-phosphate also results in enzyme inactivation. The spectra evidence for the formation of a Schiff base, and the complete protection afforded by substrates and inhibitors, indicate that homoserine kinase also contains a lysine that is essential for catalytic activity.

Binding Sites↗