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A Tandem Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry-based Approach for Metabolite Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus
Published on: March 28, 2017
Structure and biosynthesis of staphyloxanthin from Staphylococcus aureus
Alexandra Pelz1, Karsten-Peter Wieland, Karsten Putzbach
1Department of Microbial Genetics, University of Tuebingen, Germany.
The Journal of Biological Chemistry
|July 16, 2005
Summary
Staphylococcus aureus produces staphyloxanthin, an orange carotenoid. This study elucidates the specific enzymatic steps and gene functions involved in its biosynthesis pathway.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Staphylococcus aureus commonly produces the orange carotenoid pigment staphyloxanthin.
- The genes responsible for staphyloxanthin biosynthesis are organized in the crtOPQMN operon.
- Understanding the enzymatic functions within this pathway is crucial for comprehending pigment production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the precise functions of the five enzymes encoded by the crtOPQMN operon.
- To characterize the biochemical steps involved in staphyloxanthin biosynthesis.
- To identify the final structure of staphyloxanthin through detailed analysis.
Main Methods:
- Sequence similarity analysis of predicted enzyme functions.
- Analysis of products from gene deletion mutants.
- Overexpression of the crtOPQMN operon in Staphylococcus carnosus.
- Purification and structural analysis of staphyloxanthin using HPLC-MS and NMR spectroscopy.
Main Results:
- CrtM catalyzes the condensation of farnesyl diphosphate to dehydrosqualene.
- CrtN desaturates dehydrosqualene to 4,4'-diaponeurosporene.
- CrtP oxidizes 4,4'-diaponeurosporene to 4,4'-diaponeurosporenic acid.
- CrtQ glycosylates 4,4'-diaponeurosporenic acid, and CrtO esterifies it with 12-methyltetradecanoic acid to form staphyloxanthin.
- The final structure of staphyloxanthin was confirmed as beta-D-glucopyranosyl 1-O-(4,4'-diaponeurosporen-4-oate)-6-O-(12-methyltetradecanoate).
Conclusions:
- The study successfully identified and characterized the functions of the enzymes CrtM, CrtN, CrtP, CrtQ, and CrtO in staphyloxanthin biosynthesis.
- The sequential enzymatic reactions leading to the formation of staphyloxanthin have been detailed.
- The precise chemical structure of staphyloxanthin was confirmed, providing a comprehensive understanding of this carotenoid's production in S. aureus.
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