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Genetics and Physiology of Acetate Metabolism by the Pta-Ack Pathway of Streptococcus mutans.

Abstract
In the dental caries pathogen Streptococcus mutans, phosphotransacetylase (Pta) catalyzes the conversion of acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) to acetyl phosphate (AcP), which can be converted to acetate by acetate kinase (Ack), with the concomitant generation of ATP. A ΔackA mutant displayed enhanced accumulation of AcP under aerobic conditions, whereas little or no AcP was observed in the Δpta or Δpta ΔackA mutant. The Δpta and Δpta ΔackA mutants also had diminished ATP pools compared to the size of the ATP pool for the parental or ΔackA strain. Surprisingly, when exposed to oxidative stress, the Δpta ΔackA strain appeared to regain the capacity to produce AcP, with a concurrent increase in the size of the ATP pool compared to that for the parental strain. The ΔackA and Δpta ΔackA mutants exhibited enhanced (p)ppGpp accumulation, whereas the strain lacking Pta produced less (p)ppGpp than the wild-type strain. The ΔackA and Δpta ΔackA mutants displayed global changes in gene expression, as assessed by microarrays. All strains lacking Pta, which had defects in AcP production under aerobic conditions, were impaired in their abilities to form biofilms when glucose was the growth carbohydrate. Collectively, these data demonstrate the complex regulation of the Pta-Ack pathway and critical roles for these enzymes in processes that appear to be essential for the persistence and pathogenesis of S. mutans.
AuthorsJeong Nam Kim, Sang-Joon Ahn, Robert A Burne
JournalApplied and environmental microbiology (Appl Environ Microbiol) Vol. 81 Issue 15 Pg. 5015-25 (Aug 2015) ISSN: 1098-5336 [Electronic] United States
PMID25979891 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)
CopyrightCopyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Chemical References
  • Acetates
  • Organophosphates
  • acetyl phosphate
  • Acetyl Coenzyme A
  • Adenosine Triphosphate
  • Phosphate Acetyltransferase
  • Acetate Kinase
  • Glucose
Topics
  • Acetate Kinase (genetics, metabolism)
  • Acetates (metabolism)
  • Acetyl Coenzyme A (metabolism)
  • Adenosine Triphosphate (metabolism)
  • Aerobiosis
  • Biofilms (growth & development)
  • Gene Deletion
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
  • Glucose (metabolism)
  • Metabolic Networks and Pathways (genetics)
  • Microarray Analysis
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Organophosphates
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Phosphate Acetyltransferase (genetics, metabolism)
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Streptococcus mutans (drug effects, genetics, metabolism, physiology)

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