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An Assay for Measuring the Activity of Escherichia coli Inducible Lysine Decarboxyase
Published on: December 19, 2010
Do Thiol Amino Acids Inhibit Threonine Deaminase Activity in E. coli? (Letter to the Editor)
1Joint-Stock Company Ajinomoto-Genetika Research Institute (AGRI), 1st Dorozhny proezd, 1-1, Moscow, Russia, 117545. gusyatiner@mail.ru.
Abstract:
Cysteine and homocysteine suppress the growth of Escherichia coli. It was explained by the inhibition of threonine deaminase (TD) (Harris in J Bacteriol 145(2):1031-1035, 1981). TD inhibition was detected by a decline in its product, 2-ketobutyrate (2-KB). We propose that cysteine or homocysteine may not inhibit TD activity. Instead, 2-KB binds to them forming stable cyclic adducts. This binding possibly leads to isoleucine limitation and growth inhibition.
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