title: Genome-wide analysis of the L-methionine biosynthetic pathway in Corynebacterium glutamicum by targeted gene deletion and homologous complementation.
abstract: The genome sequence of Corynebacterium glutamicum, a gram-positive soil bacterium widely used as an amino acid producer, was analyzed by a similarity-based approach to elucidate the pathway for the biosynthesis of L-methionine. The functions of candidate ORFs were derived by gene deletion and, if necessary, by homologous complementation of suitable mutants. Of nine candidate ORFs (four of which were known previously), seven ORFs (cg0754 (metX), cg0755 (metY), cg1290 (metE), cg1702 (metH), cg2383 (metF), cg2536 (aecD), and cg2687 (metB)) were demonstrated to be part of the pathway while two others (cg0961 and cg3086) could be excluded. C. glutamicum synthesizes methionine in three, respectively four steps, starting from homoserine. C. glutamicum possesses two genes with similarity to homoserine acetyltransferases but only MetX can act as such while Cg0961 catalyzes a different, unknown reaction. For the incorporation of the sulfur moiety, the known functions of MetY and MetB could be confirmed and AecD was proven to be the only functional cystathionine beta-lyase in C. glutamicum, while Cg3086 can act neither as cystathionine gamma-synthase nor as cystathionine beta-lyase. Finally, MetE and MetH, which catalyze the conversion of L-homocysteine to L-methionine, could be newly identified, together with MetF which provides the necessary N(5)-methyltetrahydrofolate.
authors.affiliation: International Graduate School in Bioinformatics and Genome Research, Universität Bielefeld, Universitätsstr. 25, D-33594 Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rückert
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pühler
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kalinowski
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020650:Combinatorial Chemistry Techniques; D003352:Corynebacterium / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D017353:Gene Deletion; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology; D018390:Gene Targeting / Q000379:methods*; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test / Q000379:methods*; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D008715:Methionine / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020539:Sequence Analysis, Protein; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D008715:Methionine