title: A blueprint of ectoine metabolism from the genome of the industrial producer Halomonas elongata DSM 2581 T.
abstract: The halophilic γ-proteobacterium Halomonas elongata DSM 2581(T) thrives at high salinity by synthesizing and accumulating the compatible solute ectoine. Ectoine levels are highly regulated according to external salt levels but the overall picture of its metabolism and control is not well understood. Apart from its critical role in cell adaptation to halophilic environments, ectoine can be used as a stabilizer for enzymes and as a cell protectant in skin and health care applications and is thus produced annually on a scale of tons in an industrial process using H. elongata as producer strain. This paper presents the complete genome sequence of H. elongata (4,061,296 bp) and includes experiments and analysis identifying and characterizing the entire ectoine metabolism, including a newly discovered pathway for ectoine degradation and its cyclic connection to ectoine synthesis. The degradation of ectoine (doe) proceeds via hydrolysis of ectoine (DoeA) to Nα-acetyl-L-2,4-diaminobutyric acid, followed by deacetylation to diaminobutyric acid (DoeB). In H. elongata, diaminobutyric acid can either flow off to aspartate or re-enter the ectoine synthesis pathway, forming a cycle of ectoine synthesis and degradation. Genome comparison revealed that the ectoine degradation pathway exists predominantly in non-halophilic bacteria unable to synthesize ectoine. Based on the resulting genetic and biochemical data, a metabolic flux model of ectoine metabolism was derived that can be used to understand the way H. elongata survives under varying salt stresses and that provides a basis for a model-driven improvement of industrial ectoine production.
authors.affiliation: Materials and Environment Division, Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schwibbert
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marin-Sanguino
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bagyan
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Heidrich
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lentzen
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Seitz
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rampp
authors.forename: Stephan C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Schuster
authors.forename: Hans-Peter
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Klenk
authors.forename: Friedhelm
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pfeiffer
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Oesterhelt
authors.forename: Hans Jörg
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kunte
mesh_terms: D000599:Amino Acids, Diamino / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D023061:Gene Order; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D016680:Genome, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D020632:Halomonas / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D007218:Industrial Microbiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D055049:Salt Tolerance / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000599:Amino Acids, Diamino; C045628:ectoine