« Previous AbstractPressure and temperature predictions of Al(2)O(3)/water nanofluid flow in a porous pipe for different nanoparticles volume fractions: combination of CFD and ACOFIS    Next AbstractUnderground signals carried through common mycelial networks warn neighbouring plants of aphid attack »

J Bacteriol

Title:		"Synthesis of autoinducer 2 by the lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi"
Author(s):		Babb K; von Lackum K; Wattier RL; Riley SP; Stevenson B;
Address:		"Dept. of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY 40536-0298, USA"
Journal Title:		J Bacteriol
Year:		2005
Volume:		187
Issue:		9
Page Number:		3079 - 3087
DOI:		10.1128/JB.187.9.3079-3087.2005
ISSN/ISBN:		0021-9193 (Print) 1098-5530 (Electronic) 0021-9193 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Defining the metabolic capabilities and regulatory mechanisms controlling gene expression is a valuable step in understanding the pathogenic properties of infectious agents such as Borrelia burgdorferi. The present studies demonstrated that B. burgdorferi encodes functional Pfs and LuxS enzymes for the breakdown of toxic products of methylation reactions. Consistent with those observations, B. burgdorferi was shown to synthesize the end product 4,5-dihydroxy-2,3-pentanedione (DPD) during laboratory cultivation. DPD undergoes spontaneous rearrangements to produce a class of pheromones collectively named autoinducer 2 (AI-2). Addition of in vitro-synthesized DPD to cultured B. burgdorferi resulted in differential expression of a distinct subset of proteins, including the outer surface lipoprotein VlsE. Although many bacteria can utilize the other LuxS product, homocysteine, for regeneration of methionine, B. burgdorferi was found to lack such ability. It is hypothesized that B. burgdorferi produces LuxS for the express purpose of synthesizing DPD and utilizes a form of that molecule as an AI-2 pheromone to control gene expression"
Keywords:		"5-Methyltetrahydrofolate-Homocysteine S-Methyltransferase/metabolism Bacterial Proteins/analysis/biosynthesis/genetics/metabolism Blotting, Western Borrelia burgdorferi/enzymology/genetics/*metabolism Carbon-Sulfur Lyases Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensi;"
Notes:		"MedlineBabb, Kelly von Lackum, Kate Wattier, Rachel L Riley, Sean P Stevenson, Brian eng R01 AI053101/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/ T32 AI049795/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/ 5T32-AI49795/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/ R01-AI53101/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. 2005/04/20 J Bacteriol. 2005 May; 187(9):3079-87. doi: 10.1128/JB.187.9.3079-3087.2005"