A temperature-sensitive Mycobacterium smegmatis glgE mutation leads to a loss of GlgE enzyme activity and thermostability and the accumulation of α-maltose-1-phosphate.
Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj
; 1865(2): 129783, 2021 02.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33166604
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The bacterial GlgE pathway is the third known route to glycogen and is the only one present in mycobacteria. It contributes to the virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The involvement of GlgE in glycogen biosynthesis was discovered twenty years ago when the phenotype of a temperature-sensitive Mycobacterium smegmatis mutation was rescued by the glgE gene. The evidence at the time suggested glgE coded for a glucanase responsible for the hydrolysis of glycogen, in stark contrast with recent evidence showing GlgE to be a polymerase responsible for its biosynthesis.METHODS:
We reconstructed and examined the temperature-sensitive mutant and characterised the mutated GlgE enzyme.RESULTS:
The mutant strain accumulated the substrate for GlgE, α-maltose-1-phosphate, at the non-permissive temperature. The glycogen assay used in the original study was shown to give a false positive result with α-maltose-1-phosphate. The accumulation of α-maltose-1-phosphate was due to the lowering of the kcat of GlgE as well as a loss of stability 42 °C. The reported rescue of the phenotype by GarA could potentially involve an interaction with GlgE, but none was detected.CONCLUSIONS:
We have been able to reconcile apparently contradictory observations and shed light on the basis for the phenotype of the temperature-sensitive mutation. GENERALSIGNIFICANCE:
This study highlights how the lowering of flux through the GlgE pathway can slow the growth mycobacteria.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Fosfatos de Azúcar
/
Proteínas Bacterianas
/
Mycobacterium smegmatis
Tipo de estudio:
Diagnostic_studies
Límite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj
Año:
2021
Tipo del documento:
Article