Instability of ackA (acetate kinase) mutations and their effects on acetyl phosphate and ATP amounts in Streptococcus pneumoniae D39.

ABSTRACT: Acetyl phosphate (AcP) is a small-molecule metabolite that can act as a phosphoryl group donor for response regulators of two-component systems (TCSs). The serious human respiratory pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) synthesizes AcP by the conventional pathway involving phosphotransacetylase and acetate kinase, encoded by pta and ackA, respectively. In addition, pneumococcus synthesizes copious amounts of AcP and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) by pyruvate oxidase, which is encoded by spxB. To assess possible roles of AcP in pneumococcal TCS regulation and metabolism, we constructed strains with combinations of spxB, pta, and ackA mutations and determined their effects on ATP, AcP, and H(2)O(2) production. Unexpectedly, ΔackA mutants were unstable and readily accumulated primary

SUBMITTER: Ramos-Montanez S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3008541 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature