Diversion of the metabolic flux from pyruvate dehydrogenase to pyruvate oxidase decreases oxidative stress during glucose metabolism in nongrowing Escherichia coli cells incubated under aerobic, phosphate starvation conditions.
Ongoing aerobic metabolism in nongrowing cells may generate oxidative stress. It is shown here that the levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARSs), which measure fragmentation products of oxidized molecules, increased strongly at the onset of starvation for phosphate (P(i)). This increase in TBARS levels required the activity of the histone-like nucleoid-structuring (H-NS) protein. TBARS levels weakly increased further in DeltaahpCF mutants deficient in alkyl hydroperoxide reductase (AHP) activity during prolonged metabolism of glucose to acetate. Inactivation of pyruvate oxidase (PoxB) activity decreased the production of acetate by half and significantly increased the production of TBARS. Overall, these data suggest that during incubation under aerobic, P(i) starvation conditions, metabolic flux is diverted from the pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex (NAD dependent) to PoxB (NAD independent). This shift may decrease the production of NADH and in turn the adventitious production of H(2)O(2) by NADH dehydrogenase in the respiratory chain. The residual low levels of H(2)O(2) produced during prolonged incubation can be scavenged efficiently by AHP. However, high levels of H(2)O(2) may be reached transiently at the onset of stationary phase, primarily because H-NS may delay the metabolic shift from PDH to PoxB.
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne, 31 Chemin J. Aiguier, 13009 Marseille, France. moreau@ibsm.cnrs-mrs.fr
Patrice L
PL
Moreau
D000332:Aerobiosis; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D003470:Culture Media; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010710:Phosphates / Q000378:metabolism*; D011768:Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex / Q000378:metabolism*; D011771:Pyruvate Oxidase / Q000378:metabolism*; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000378:metabolism
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003470:Culture Media; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C031908:H-NS protein, bacteria; D010710:Phosphates; D011768:Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; D011771:Pyruvate Oxidase; D005947:Glucose