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Related Experiment Videos

Evidence for two phosphonate degradative pathways in Enterobacter aerogenes.

K S Lee1, W W Metcalf, B L Wanner

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907.

Journal of Bacteriology
|April 1, 1992
PubMed
Summary

Researchers identified two distinct plasmid types from Enterobacter aerogenes that enable Escherichia coli to metabolize phosphonates (Pn), a phosphorus source. These plasmids encode either a phosphonatase or a C-P lyase pathway, crucial for bacterial phosphorus assimilation.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Phosphonates (Pn) are vital phosphorus sources for bacteria, but their assimilation pathways are not fully understood.
  • Escherichia coli mutants lacking phosphonate utilization genes provide a model for studying these pathways.
  • Enterobacter aerogenes harbors genetic elements that can complement these deficiencies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and characterize plasmids from Enterobacter aerogenes that enable phosphonate utilization in Escherichia coli.
  • To elucidate the specific metabolic pathways encoded by these plasmids.
  • To investigate the genetic organization and regulation of these phosphonate assimilation pathways.

Main Methods:

  • Screening of mini-Mu plasmid libraries from Enterobacter aerogenes in phosphonate-utilization deficient E. coli mutants.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Characterization of plasmid-encoded phosphonate degradation capabilities and substrate specificities.
  • DNA hybridization studies to assess homology with known E. coli phosphonate utilization gene clusters.
  • Investigation of phosphate-dependent gene regulation.

    • Main Results:

    • Two distinct plasmid types were isolated, each encoding a different phosphonate metabolic pathway.
    • One plasmid type conferred a phosphonatase pathway, degrading specific substituted phosphonates.
    • The other plasmid type conferred a broad-specificity C-P lyase pathway, degrading both substituted and unsubstituted phosphonates.
    • These pathways showed no DNA homology and distinct substrate specificities, differentiating them from E. coli's native pathways.
    • The phosphonatase pathway genes are under phosphate regulon control in E. coli.

    Conclusions:

    • Enterobacter aerogenes possesses distinct phosphonate assimilation pathways, including a phosphonatase pathway absent in E. coli.
    • These findings reveal novel mechanisms for phosphonate utilization in bacteria.
    • The identified pathways are important for bacterial phosphorus assimilation in natural environments.
    • Understanding these pathways can inform strategies for managing phosphorus in microbial ecosystems.