Methylation of inorganic and organic selenium by the bacterial thiopurine methyltransferase.
Escherichia coli cells expressing the tpm gene encoding the bacterial thiopurine methyltransferase (bTPMT) are shown to methylate selenite and (methyl)selenocysteine into dimethylselenide (DMSe) and dimethyldiselenide (DMDSe). E. coli cells expressing tpm from a gene library cosmid clone (harboring a Pseudomonas syringae insert of about 20 kb) also methylated selenate into DMSe and DMDSe. bTPMT is the first methyltransferase shown to be involved in the methylation of these selenium derivatives.
Ranjard
Lionel
L
UMR CNRS 5557-Ecologie Microbienne (Center for Microbial Ecology), Université Claude Bernard-Lyon I, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France.
Prigent-Combaret
Claire
C
Nazaret
Sylvie
S
Cournoyer
Benoit
B
D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D008745:Methylation; D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D012643:Selenium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D020628:Thauera / Q000201:enzymology*
D008780:Methyltransferases; C022745:thiopurine methyltransferase; D012643:Selenium