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Culture Methods to Determine the Limit of Detection and Survival in Transport Media of Campylobacter Jejuni in Human Fecal Specimens
Published on: March 10, 2020
Pyruvate metabolism in Campylobacter spp
G L Mendz1, G E Ball, D J Meek
1School of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. g.mendz@unsw.edu.au
Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta
|March 15, 1997
Summary
Campylobacter utilizes pyruvate for energy and biosynthesis, producing various metabolites like acetate and alanine. Pyruvate metabolism is crucial for Campylobacter
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Biochemistry
- Metabolic pathways
Background:
- Campylobacter species are important bacterial pathogens.
- Understanding their metabolic capabilities is crucial for developing control strategies.
- Pyruvate serves as a central metabolite in many organisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the metabolic fate of pyruvate in Campylobacter species.
- To identify the enzymes and pathways involved in pyruvate metabolism.
- To elucidate the role of pyruvate in Campylobacter energy production and biosynthesis.
Main Methods:
- Utilized one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy (1H, 13C, 31P).
- Analyzed metabolites produced by metabolically competent cells incubated with pyruvate.
- Assayed enzyme activities in bacterial lysates and intact cells.
Main Results:
- Identified acetate, acetolactate, alanine, formate, lactate, and succinate as pyruvate metabolites.
- Demonstrated the presence of acetohydroxy acid synthase, alanine transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, pyruvate dehydrogenase, serine dehydratase, phosphoenol pyruvate carboxykinase, and malic enzyme activities.
- Observed inhibition of bacterial growth by pyruvate, linked to acetate and formate accumulation.
- Confirmed pyruvate generation from L-serine and phosphoenol pyruvate.
Conclusions:
- Pyruvate plays a significant role in the energy and biosynthesis metabolism of Campylobacter.
- Campylobacter possesses diverse pathways for pyruvate transformation, including mixed acid fermentation and connections to the Kreb's cycle.
- Anaplerotic sequences and anabolic pathways involving pyruvate are active in these bacteria.
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