title: Sialic acid utilization by the soil bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum.
abstract: The ability to use the sialic acid, N-acetylneuraminic acid, Neu5Ac, as a nutrient has been characterized in a number of bacteria, most of which are human pathogens that encounter this molecule because of its presence on mucosal surfaces. The soil bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum also has a full complement of genes for sialic acid catabolism, and we demonstrate that it can use Neu5Ac as a sole source of carbon and energy and isolate mutants with a much reduced growth lag on Neu5Ac. Disruption of the cg2937 gene, encoding a component of a predicted sialic acid-specific ABC transporter, results in a complete loss of growth of C. glutamicum on Neu5Ac and also a complete loss of [(14)C]-Neu5Ac uptake into cells. Uptake of [(14)C]-Neu5Ac is induced by pregrowth on Neu5Ac, but the additional presence of glucose prevents this induction. The demonstration that a member of the Actinobacteria can transport and catabolize Neu5Ac efficiently suggests that sialic acid metabolism has a physiological role in the soil environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology (Area 10), University of York, York, UK.
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gruteser
authors.forename: Kay
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Marin
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krämer
authors.forename: Gavin H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000235:genetics; D048230:Corynebacterium glutamicum / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D023061:Gene Order; D005810:Multigene Family; D009154:Mutation; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D012988:Soil Microbiology
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid