title: Metabolic flux analyses of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cystic fibrosis isolates.
abstract: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a metabolically versatile wide-ranging opportunistic pathogen. In humans P. aeruginosa causes infections of the skin, urinary tract, blood, and the lungs of Cystic Fibrosis patients. In addition, P. aeruginosa's broad environmental distribution, relatedness to biotechnologically useful species, and ability to form biofilms have made it the focus of considerable interest. We used13C metabolic flux analysis (MFA) and flux balance analysis to understand energy and redox production and consumption and to explore the metabolic phenotypes of one reference strain and five strains isolated from the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. Our results highlight the importance of the oxidative pentose phosphate and Entner-Doudoroff pathways in P. aeruginosa growth. Among clinical strains we report two divergent metabolic strategies and identify changes between genetically related strains that have emerged during a chronic infection of the same patient. MFA revealed that the magnitude of fluxes through the glyoxylate cycle correlates with growth rates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, 612 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Michigan State University, 2240A Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building, East Lansing 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Opperman
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, 612 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. Electronic address: yairhill@msu.edu.
authors.forename: Yair
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shachar-Hill
mesh_terms: D066241:Carbon-13 Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology*; D064688:Metabolic Flux Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000378:metabolism*
keywords: Cystic Fibrosis; Entner-Doudoroff; Flux balance analysis; Glyoxylate cycle; Metabolic flux analysis; Pseudomonas aeruginosa