An unusual glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius elucidates the diversity of glycerol metabolism across Archaea.

ABSTRACT: Glycerol is highly abundant in natural ecosystems and serves as both an important carbon source for microorganisms as well as a promising feedstock for industrial applications. However, the pathways involved in glycerol degradation in Archaea remain unclear. Here, we show that the thermoacidophilic Crenarchaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius can grow with glycerol as its sole carbon source and characterize the mechanisms involved in glycerol utilization. We show that after uptake involving facilitated diffusion, glycerol is phosphorylated to glycerol-3-phosphate by glycerol kinase (GK), followed by oxidation to dihydroxyacetone phosphate catalyzed by an unusual glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH) with a previously undescribed type of membrane anchoring via a CoxG-like protein. Furthermor

SUBMITTER: Schmerling C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11962113 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature