Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Pathways”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,405 records · Page 78Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Preexcitation secondary to fasciculoventricular pathways in children: a report of three cases.

INTRODUCTION: Fasciculoventricular connections are the rarest form of accessory pathways leading to preexcitation. Electrophysiologic characteristics of these pathways include ventricular preexcitation with normal PR and AH intervals and short HV intervals during sinus rhythm. In addition, atrial overdrive pacing prolongs the PR interval without affecting the HV interval or the degree of preexcitation. METHODS AND RESULTS: From March 1994 through February 1997, 3 of 59 pediatric patients referred for electrophysiologic study for preexcitation on surface ECGs were found to have fasciculoventricular pathways. Two patients had no inducible supraventricular tachycardia. One patient had successful ablation of both a left lateral pathway and a concealed anterolateral pathway that had facilitated antidromic and orthodromic supraventricular tachycardias, respectively. CONCLUSION: Children often manifest minimal preexcitation via accessory AV pathways due to rapid AV conduction and/or left lateral pathway location. Fasciculoventricular pathways may masquerade as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Separation of the two diagnoses depends on the demonstration of specific electrophysiologic criteria.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

7-Ketocholesterol-induced apoptosis. Involvement of several pro-apoptotic but also anti-apoptotic calcium-dependent transduction pathways.

Oxysterols, and particularly 7-ketocholesterol, appear to be strongly involved in the physiopathology of atherosclerosis. These molecules are suspected to be cytotoxic to the cells of the vascular wall and monocytes/macrophages, particularly by inducing apoptosis. Previous studies have demonstrated that 7-ketocholesterol-induced apoptosis is triggered by a sustained increase of cytosolic-free Ca2+, which elicits the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis by activation of the calcium-dependent phosphatase calcineurin, leading to dephosphorylation of the 'BH3 only' protein BAD. However, thorough study of the results suggests that other pathways are implicated in 7-ketocholesterol-induced cytotoxicity. In this study, we demonstrate the involvement of two other calcium-dependent pathways during 7-ketocholesterol-induced apoptosis. The activation of the MEK-->ERK pathway by the calcium-dependent tyrosine kinase PYK 2, a survival pathway which delays apoptosis as shown by the use of the MEK inhibitor U0126, and a pathway involving another pro-apoptotic BH3 only protein, Bim. Indeed, 7-ketocholesterol treatment of human monocytic THP-1 cells induces the release of Bim-LC8 from the microtubule-associated dynein motor complex, and its association with Bcl-2. Therefore, it appears that 7-ketocholesterol-induced apoptosis is a complex phenomenon resulting from calcium-dependent activation of several pro-apoptotic pathways and also one survival pathway.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed2005

Adenine and adenosine salvage pathways in erythrocytes and the role of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase. A theoretical study using elementary flux modes.

This article is devoted to the study of redundancy and yield of salvage pathways in human erythrocytes. These cells are not able to synthesize ATP de novo. However, the salvage (recycling) of certain nucleosides or bases to give nucleotide triphosphates is operative. As the salvage pathways use enzymes consuming ATP as well as enzymes producing ATP, it is not easy to see whether a net synthesis of ATP is possible. As for pathways using adenosine, a straightforward assumption is that these pathways start with adenosine kinase. However, a pathway bypassing this enzyme and using S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase instead was reported. So far, this route has not been analysed in detail. Using the concept of elementary flux modes, we investigate theoretically which salvage pathways exist in erythrocytes, which enzymes belong to each of these and what relative fluxes these enzymes carry. Here, we compute the net overall stoichiometry of ATP build-up from the recycled substrates and show that the network has considerable redundancy. For example, four different pathways of adenine salvage and 12 different pathways of adenosine salvage are obtained. They give different ATP/glucose yields, the highest being 3:10 for adenine salvage and 2:3 for adenosine salvage provided that adenosine is not used as an energy source. Implications for enzyme deficiencies are discussed.

ADP Ribose Transferases↗
PubMed1998

Protein secretion by rat parotid acinar cells. Pathways and regulation.

Protein secretion from rat parotid acinar cells occurs in both the absence and presence of secretory agonists. Release takes place by four pathways that are distinguished by combined examination of their timing following biosynthetic labeling, their relative composition of salivary proteins, and their sensitivity to secretagogue stimulation. Following pulse-labeling with a radioactive amino acid, two unstimulated export pathways are detected--a constitutive-like pathway that is coupled to maturation of secretory granules and the later unstimulated exocytosis of secretory granules. In both cases, protein release is insensitive to secretory antagonists. Two regulated secretory pathways are also detected. The major regulated pathway comprises stimulated exocytosis of secretory granules and requires application of beta-adrenergic agonists (> or = 1 microM). A newly discovered minor regulated pathway resembles the constitutive-like pathway in secretory composition but requires low-dose stimulation by either beta-adrenergic or cholinergic agonists. The latter pathway may provide a significant component of basal secretion by the parotid gland during periods between meals.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Regulation of lipopolysaccharide-induced inducible nitric-oxide synthase expression through the nuclear factor-kappaB pathway and interferon-beta/tyrosine kinase 2/Janus tyrosine kinase 2-signal transducer and activator of transcription-1 signaling cascades by 2-naphthylethyl-6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (THI 53), a new synthetic isoquinoline alkaloid.

The effects of 2-naphthylethyl-6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (THI 53), on nitric oxide (NO) production and inducible nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS) protein induction by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were investigated in RAW 264.7 cells and mice. In cells, THI 53 concentration dependently reduced NO production and iNOS protein induction by LPS. In addition, THI 53 inhibited NO production and iNOS protein induction in LPS-treated mice. LPS-mediated iNOS protein induction was inhibited significantly by the specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor alpha-cyano-(3-hydroxy-4-nitro)cinnamonitrile (AG126) as well as by THI 53. In addition, a c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor anthra[1,9-cd]pyrazole-6 (2H)-one) (SP600125) but not an extracellular regulated kinase inhibitor [2-(2-amino-3-methoxyphenyl)-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one (PD98029)] or a p38 inhibitor [4-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-(4-methylsulfinylphenyl)-5-(4-pyridyl)1H-imidazole (SB230580)] reduced the iNOS protein level induced by LPS. Moreover, a Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) inhibitor alpha-cyano-(3,4-dihydroxy)-N-benzylcinnamide (AG490) dose-dependently prevented LPS-mediated iNOS protein induction. LPS activated phosphorylations of tyrosine kinases, especially tyrosine kinase 2 (Tyk2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription-1 (STAT-1); these were reduced by THI 53. LPS also phosphorylated the JNK pathway; however, this phosphorylation was unaffected by THI 53. Interestingly, a JNK inhibitor (SP600125) and another tyrosine kinase inhibitor (genistein) significantly inhibited STAT-1 phosphorylation, suggesting that the LPS-activated JNK pathway and a tyrosine kinase pathway (especially Tyk2) may link to the STAT-1 pathway, which is involved in iNOS induction. However, THI 53 regulates LPS-mediated iNOS protein induction by affecting the Tyk2/JAK2-STAT-1 pathway, not the JNK pathway. The inhibition by THI 53 of LPS-induced NO production was recovered by a tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor (Na(3)VO(4)), which supports the possibility that THI 53 inhibits the LPS-induced inflammatory response through regulation of tyrosine kinase pathways. THI 53 also inhibited LPS-mediated interferon (IFN)-beta production and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation. Thus, THI 53 may regulate LPS-mediated inflammatory response through both the NF-kappaB and IFN-beta/Tyk2/JAK2-STAT-1 pathways.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Activation of endothelial nitric-oxide synthase by tumor necrosis factor-alpha: a novel pathway involving sequential activation of neutral sphingomyelinase, phosphatidylinositol-3' kinase, and Akt.

Activation of endothelial nitric-oxide synthase (eNOS) has been shown to occur through various pathways involving increases in the cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration, activation of the phosphatidylinositol-3' kinase/Akt pathway, as well as regulation by other kinases and by protein-protein interactions. We have recently reported that eNOS, expressed in an inducible HeLa Tet-off cell line, is activated by tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in a previously undescribed pathway that involves the lipid messenger ceramide. We have now characterized this pathway. We report here that eNOS activation in response to TNF-alpha correlated with phosphorylation of Akt at Ser 473 and of eNOS itself at Ser 1179. Akt and eNOS phosphorylation, as well as eNOS activation, were blocked by inhibitors of both phosphatidylinositol-3' kinase and neutral sphingomyelinase. In contrast, although acid sphingomyelinase was also stimulated by TNF-alpha, its inhibition was without effect. The activation of neutral sphingomyelinase triggered by TNF-alpha was insensitive to phosphatidylinositol-3' kinase inhibitors. Taken together, these results indicate that eNOS activation by TNF-alpha occurs through sequential activation of neutral sphingomyelinase and of the phosphatidylinositol-3' kinase/Akt pathway. The time course of eNOS activation induced through this pathway was markedly different from that triggered by ATP and epidermal growth factor, which activate eNOS through an increase in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration and through a sphingomyelinase-independent stimulation of the phosphatidylinositol-3' kinase/Akt pathway, respectively. The novel pathway of activation of eNOS described here may have broad biological relevance because neutral sphingomyelinase is activated not only by TNF-alpha but also by a variety of other physiological and pathological stimuli.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed2004

DNA damage-processing pathways involved in the eukaryotic cellular response to anticancer DNA cross-linking drugs.

We used a panel of isogenic Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains compromised in several different DNA damage-processing pathways to assess in vivo processing of DNA adducts induced by four cross-linking anticancer drugs. By examining cytotoxicity profiles, cell cycle arrest patterns, and determining recombination and mutation frequencies, we found that cisplatin-, nitrogen mustard-, mitomycin-, and carmustine-induced DNA adducts in S. cerevisiae are processed by components of the nucleotide excision repair (NER), recombination repair (RR), and translesion synthesis (TLS) pathways, with substantially different contributions of each pathway for the drugs studied here. In contrast to previous studies that used single pathway-compromised strains to identify genes that mediate sensitivity to DNA cross-linking drugs, we used strains that were compromised in multiple pathways. By doing so, we were able to establish several functions that were previously unknown and interconnections between different DNA damage-processing pathways. To our surprise, we found that for cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity, TLS and RR contribute to survival to a significant extent. In the case of nitrogen mustard DNA adduct processing, equal involvement of two major pathways was established: one that requires functional RR and NER components and one that requires functional TLS and NER components. These data reveal the complexity of DNA cross-link processing that, in many cases, requires interactions of components from several different DNA damage-processing systems. We demonstrate the usefulness of yeast strains with multiple simultaneous defects in DNA damage-processing pathways for studying the modes of action of anticancer drugs.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1987

Redesigning metabolic routes: manipulation of TOL plasmid pathway for catabolism of alkylbenzoates.

Increasing quantities of man-made organic chemicals are released each year into the biosphere. Some of these compounds are both toxic and relatively resistant to physical, chemical, or biological degradation, and they thus constitute an environmental burden of considerable magnitude. Genetic manipulation of microbial catabolic pathways offers a powerful means by which to accelerate evolution of biodegradative routes through which such compounds might be eliminated from the environment. In the experiments described here, a catabolic pathway for alkylbenzoates specified by the TOL plasmid of Pseudomonas was restructured to produce a pathway capable of processing a new substrate, 4-ethylbenzoate. Analysis of critical steps in the TOL pathway that prevent metabolism of 4-ethylbenzoate revealed that this compound fails to induce synthesis of the catabolic enzymes and that one of its metabolic intermediates inactivates catechol 2,3-dioxygenase (C23O), the enzyme that cleaves the aromatic ring. Consequently, the pathway was sequentially modified by recruitment of genes from mutant bacteria selected for their production of either an altered pathway operon regulator that is activated by 4-ethylbenzoate or an altered C23O that is less sensitive to metabolite inactivation. The redesigned pathway was stably expressed and enabled host bacteria to degrade 4-ethylbenzoate in addition to the normal substrates of the TOL pathway.

Benzoates↗
PubMed2005

Wnt/beta-catenin pathway.

Wnts are secreted glycoproteins that act as ligands to stimulate receptor-mediated signal transduction pathways in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Activation of Wnt pathways can modulate cell proliferation, survival, cell behavior, and cell fate in both embryos and adults. The Wnt/beta-catenin pathway is the best understood Wnt signaling pathway, and its core components are highly conserved during evolution, although tissue-specific or species-specific modifiers of the pathway are likely. In the absence of a Wnt signal, cytoplasmic beta-catenin is phosphorylated and degraded in a complex of proteins. Wnt signaling through the Frizzled serpentine receptor and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-5 or -6 (LRP5 or 6) coreceptors activates the cytoplasmic phosphoprotein Dishevelled, which blocks the degradation of beta-catenin. As the amount of beta-catenin rises, it accumulates in the nucleus, where it interacts with specific transcription factors, leading to regulation of target genes. Inappropriate activation of the pathway in response to mutations is linked to a wide range of cancers, including colorectal cancer and melanoma. The pathway is linked to bone density syndromes and to neurodegenerative diseases, and the pathway may also be involved in the retinal disease familial exudative vitreoretinopathy.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗
PubMed2006

Role of insulin, adipocyte hormones, and nutrient-sensing pathways in regulating fuel metabolism and energy homeostasis: a nutritional perspective of diabetes, obesity, and cancer.

Traditionally, nutrients such as glucose and amino acids have been viewed as substrates for the generation of high-energy molecules and as precursors for the biosynthesis of macromolecules. However, it is now apparent that nutrients also function as signaling molecules in functionally diverse signal transduction pathways. Glucose and amino acids trigger signaling cascades that regulate various aspects of fuel and energy metabolism and control the growth, proliferation, and survival of cells. Here, we provide a functional and regulatory overview of three well-established nutrient signaling pathways-the hexosamine signaling pathway, the mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) signaling pathway, and the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway. Nutrient signaling pathways are interconnected, coupled to insulin signaling, and linked to the release of metabolic hormones from adipose tissue. Thus, nutrient signaling pathways do not function in isolation. Rather, they appear to serve as components of a larger "metabolic regulatory network" that controls fuel and energy metabolism (at the cell, tissue, and whole-body levels) and links nutrient availability with cell growth and proliferation. Understanding the diverse roles of nutrients and delineating nutrient signaling pathways should facilitate drug discovery research and the search for novel therapeutic compounds to prevent and treat various human diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and cancer.

AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases↗
PubMed2003

A type II pathway for fatty acid biosynthesis presents drug targets in Plasmodium falciparum.

It has long been held that the malaria parasite, Plasmodium sp., is incapable of de novo fatty acid synthesis. This view has recently been overturned with the emergence of data for the presence of a fatty acid biosynthetic pathway in the relict plastid of P. falciparum (known as the apicoplast). This pathway represents the type II pathway common to plant chloroplasts and bacteria but distinct from the type I pathway of animals including humans. Specific inhibitors of the type II pathway, thiolactomycin and triclosan, have been reported to target this Plasmodium pathway. Here we report further inhibitors of the plastid-based pathway that inhibit Plasmodium parasites. These include several analogues of thiolactomycin, two with sixfold-greater efficacy than thiolactomycin. We also report that parasites respond very rapidly to such inhibitors and that the greatest sensitivity is seen in ring-stage parasites. This study substantiates the importance of fatty acid synthesis for blood-stage parasite survival and shows that this pathway provides scope for the development of novel antimalarial drugs.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Pathways of acetate, propionate, and butyrate formation by the human fecal microbial flora.

The pathways of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA; acetate, propionate, and butyrate) formation from glucose were determined for the human fecal microbial communities of two subjects. The pathways were identified by radioisotope analysis of the SCFA and CO2 obtained after incubation of fecal suspensions with glucose under 20% CO2 with [1-14C]glucose, [3,4-14C]glucose, or 14CO2. Acetate was chemically degraded to learn the labeling of the methyl and carboxyl carbons. The labeling of CO2 and acetate showed that the major route of glucose catabolism was the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway, with production of CO2 from pyruvate carboxyl carbon. Labeling of the methyl and carboxyl carbons of acetate by 14CO2 or [3,4-14C]glucose proved that acetate was formed from CO2 by the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway. CO2 reduction accounted for about one-third of the acetate formed by suspensions from subject 1 and about one-fourth of the acetate formed by suspensions from subject 2. Propionate was formed by a CO2 fixation pathway, and butyrate was formed by classical routes of acetyl-S coenzyme A condensation. The amount of CO2 formed from [1-14C] glucose and acetate labeling patterns obtained with the other 14C precursors indicated that the Entner-Doudoroff, transketolase-transaldolase, and heterolactic pathways were not significant. Fermentation of cabbage cellulose by subject 1 followed the same pathways as were used for glucose. The results with suspensions from subject 2 suggested that some radioactive acetate was formed from the C-3 of glucose by the Bifidobacterium pathway.

Acetates↗
PubMed2003

Mercury methylation independent of the acetyl-coenzyme A pathway in sulfate-reducing bacteria.

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in anoxic waters and sediments are the major producers of methylmercury in aquatic systems. Although a considerable amount of work has addressed the environmental factors that control methylmercury formation and the conditions that control bioavailability of inorganic mercury to SRB, little work has been undertaken analyzing the biochemical mechanism of methylmercury production. The acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) pathway has been implicated as being key to mercury methylation in one SRB strain, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans LS, but this result has not been extended to other SRB species. To probe whether the acetyl-CoA pathway is the controlling biochemical process for methylmercury production in SRB, five incomplete-oxidizing SRB strains and two Desulfobacter strains that do not use the acetyl-CoA pathway for major carbon metabolism were assayed for methylmercury formation and acetyl-CoA pathway enzyme activities. Three of the SRB strains were also incubated with chloroform to inhibit the acetyl-CoA pathway. So far, all species that have been found to have acetyl-CoA activity are complete oxidizers that require the acetyl-CoA pathway for basic metabolism, as well as methylate mercury. Chloroform inhibits Hg methylation in these species either by blocking the methylating enzyme or by indirect effects on metabolism and growth. However, we have identified four incomplete-oxidizing strains that clearly do not utilize the acetyl-CoA pathway either for metabolism or mercury methylation (as confirmed by the absence of chloroform inhibition). Hg methylation is thus independent of the acetyl-CoA pathway and may not require vitamin B(12) in some and perhaps many incomplete-oxidizing SRB strains.

Acetyl Coenzyme A↗
PubMed2006

Evolutionary origins of the eukaryotic shikimate pathway: gene fusions, horizontal gene transfer, and endosymbiotic replacements.

Currently the shikimate pathway is reported as a metabolic feature of prokaryotes, ascomycete fungi, apicomplexans, and plants. The plant shikimate pathway enzymes have similarities to prokaryote homologues and are largely active in chloroplasts, suggesting ancestry from the plastid progenitor genome. Toxoplasma gondii, which also possesses an alga-derived plastid organelle, encodes a shikimate pathway with similarities to ascomycete genes, including a five-enzyme pentafunctional arom. These data suggests that the shikimate pathway and the pentafunctional arom either had an ancient origin in the eukaryotes or was conveyed by eukaryote-to-eukaryote horizontal gene transfer (HGT). We expand sampling and analyses of the shikimate pathway genes to include the oomycetes, ciliates, diatoms, basidiomycetes, zygomycetes, and the green and red algae. Sequencing of cDNA from Tetrahymena thermophila confirmed the presence of a pentafused arom, as in fungi and T. gondii. Phylogenies and taxon distribution suggest that the arom gene fusion event may be an ancient eukaryotic innovation. Conversely, the Plantae lineage (represented here by both Viridaeplantae and the red algae) acquired different prokaryotic genes for all seven steps of the shikimate pathway. Two of the phylogenies suggest a derivation of the Plantae genes from the cyanobacterial plastid progenitor genome, but if the full Plantae pathway was originally of cyanobacterial origin, then the five other shikimate pathway genes were obtained from a minimum of two other eubacterial genomes. Thus, the phylogenies demonstrate both separate HGTs and shared derived HGTs within the Plantae clade either by primary HGT transfer or secondarily via the plastid progenitor genome. The shared derived characters support the holophyly of the Plantae lineage and a single ancestral primary plastid endosymbiosis. Our analyses also pinpoints a minimum of 50 gene/domain loss events, demonstrating that loss and replacement events have been an important process in eukaryote genome evolution.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed2005

The Rgd1p Rho GTPase-activating protein and the Mid2p cell wall sensor are required at low pH for protein kinase C pathway activation and cell survival in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The protein kinase C (PKC) pathway is involved in the maintenance of cell shape and cell integrity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, we show that this pathway mediates tolerance to low pH and that the Bck1 and Slt2 proteins belonging to the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade are essential for cell survival at low pH. The PKC pathway is activated during acidification of the extracellular environment, and this activation depends mainly on the Mid2p cell wall sensor. Rgd1p, which encodes a Rho GTPase-activating protein for the small G proteins Rho3p and Rho4p, also plays a role in low-pH response. The rgd1Delta strain is sensitive to low pH, and Rgd1p activates the PKC pathway in an acidic environment. Inactivation of both genes in the double mutant rgd1Delta mid2Delta strain renders yeast cells unable to survive at low pH as in bck1Delta and slt2Delta strains. Our data provide evidence for the existence of two distinct ways, one involving Mid2p and the other involving Rgd1p, with both converging to the cell integrity pathway to mediate low-pH tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Nevertheless, even if Rgd1p acts on the PKC pathway, it seems that its mediating action on low-pH tolerance is not limited to this pathway. As the Mid2p amount plays a role in rgd1Delta sensitivity to low pH, Mid2p seems to act more like a molecular rheostat, controlling the level of PKC pathway activity and thus allowing phenotypical expression of RGD1 inactivation.

Calcium-Binding Proteins↗
PubMed2006

Retention and loss of amino acid biosynthetic pathways based on analysis of whole-genome sequences.

Plants and fungi can synthesize each of the 20 amino acids by using biosynthetic pathways inherited from their bacterial ancestors. However, the ability to synthesize nine amino acids (Phe, Trp, Ile, Leu, Val, Lys, His, Thr, and Met) was lost in a wide variety of eukaryotes that evolved the ability to feed on other organisms. Since the biosynthetic pathways and their respective enzymes are well characterized, orthologs can be recognized in whole genomes to understand when in evolution pathways were lost. The pattern of pathway loss and retention was analyzed in the complete genomes of three early-diverging protist parasites, the amoeba Dictyostelium, and six animals. The nine pathways were lost independently in animals, Dictyostelium, Leishmania, Plasmodium, and Cryptosporidium. Seven additional pathways appear to have been lost in one or another parasite, demonstrating that they are dispensable in a nutrition-rich environment. Our predictions of pathways retained and pathways lost based on computational analyses of whole genomes are validated by minimal-medium studies with mammals, fish, worms, and Dictyostelium. The apparent selective advantages of retaining biosynthetic capabilities for amino acids available in the diet are considered.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1982

13N isotope studies on the pathway of ammonia assimilation in Bacillus megaterium and Escherichia coli.

The pathway of ammonia incorporation into amino acids was studied by use of 13N-ammonium ions in Bacillus megaterium and Escherichia coli that had been grown aerobically on a minimal salts medium containing NH4Cl as the source of nitrogen. Anion- and cation-exchange high-pressure-liquid chromatography was used to separate amino acids relevant to the several possible pathways for ammonia assimilation in bacteria. At an initial concentration of added NH4+ of 1 microM, the glutamine synthetase-glutamate synthase pathway represented the major pathway in both bacteria on the basis of the effects of inhibitors of that pathway (L-methionine-DL-sulfoximine and azaserine) and of transamination (aminooxy-acetate) and the observation that the specific activity of glutamine was greater initially than that of any other amino acid likely to be the first product of an assimilation pathway. The study provides (i) a new analytical method for 13N-tracer investigation of amino acids, (ii) confirmation of conclusions from enzymological studies on the pathway of ammonia assimilation in B. megaterium and E. coli, and (iii) proof that alanine dehydrogenase and aspartate ammonia lyase (aspartase) are not important pathways in B. megaterium at low NH4+ concentrations.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1991

A functionally split pathway for lysine synthesis in Corynebacterium glutamicium.

Three different pathways of D,L-diaminopimelate and L-lysine synthesis are known in procaryotes. Determinations of the corresponding enzyme activities in Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Bacillus sphaericus verified the fact that in each of these bacteria only one of the possible pathways operates. However, in Corynebacterium glutamicum activities are present which allow in principle the use of the dehydrogenase variant and succinylase variant of lysine synthesis together. Applying gene-directed mutagenesis, various C. glutamicum strains were constructed with interrupted ddh gene. These mutants have an inactive dehydrogenase pathway but are still prototrophic, which is proof that the succinylase pathway of D,L-diaminopimelate synthesis can be utilized. In strains with an increased flow of precursors to D,L-diaminopimelate, however, the inactivation of the dehydrogenase pathway resulted in a reduced formation of lysine, with concomitant accumulation of N-succinyl-diaminopimelate in the cytosol up to a concentration of 25 mM. These data show (i) that both pathways can operate in C. glutamicum for D,L-diaminopimelate and L-lysine synthesis, (ii) that the dehydrogenase pathway is not essential, and (iii) that the dehydrogenase pathway is a prerequisite for handling an increased flow of metabolites to D,L-diaminopimelate.

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗