L-Galactose metabolism in Bacteroides vulgatus from the human gut microbiota.

ABSTRACT: A previously unknown metabolic pathway for the utilization of l-galactose was discovered in a prevalent gut bacterium, Bacteroides vulgatus. The new pathway consists of three previously uncharacterized enzymes that were found to be responsible for the conversion of l-galactose to d-tagaturonate. Bvu0219 (l-galactose dehydrogenase) was determined to oxidize l-galactose to l-galactono-1,5-lactone with kcat and kcat/Km values of 21 s(-1) and 2.0 × 10(5) M(-1) s(-1), respectively. The kinetic product of Bvu0219 is rapidly converted nonenzymatically to the thermodynamically more stable l-galactono-1,4-lactone. Bvu0220 (l-galactono-1,5-lactonase) hydrolyzes both the kinetic and thermodynamic products of Bvu0219 to l-galactonate. However, l-galactono-1,5-lactone is estimated to be hydrolyzed 300-

SUBMITTER: Hobbs ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4108180 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature