Horizontal transfer of a pathway for coumarate catabolism unexpectedly inhibits purine nucleotide biosynthesis.

ABSTRACT: A microbe's ecological niche and biotechnological utility are determined by its specific set of co-evolved metabolic pathways. The acquisition of new pathways, through horizontal gene transfer or genetic engineering, can have unpredictable consequences. Here we show that two different pathways for coumarate catabolism failed to function when initially transferred into Escherichia coli. Using laboratory evolution, we elucidated the factors limiting activity of the newly acquired pathways and the modifications required to overcome these limitations. Both pathways required host mutations to enable effective growth with coumarate, but the necessary mutations differed. In one case, a pathway intermediate inhibited purine nucleotide biosynthesis, and this inhibition was relieved by single amino

SUBMITTER: Close DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6904512 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature