Cytoplasmic Escherichia coli ADP sugar pyrophosphatase binds to cell membranes in response to extracellular signals as the cell population density increases

FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2008 Nov;288(1):25-32. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2008.01319.x.

Abstract

ADP sugar pyrophosphatase (AspP) is a member of the 'Nudix' (Nucleoside diphosphate linked to some other moiety X) hydrolase family of enzymes that catalyzes the hydrolytic breakdown of ADP-glucose (ADPG) linked to glycogen biosynthesis. In a previous work, we showed that AspP activity is strongly enhanced by both glucose-1,6-bisphosphate and nucleotide-sugars, and by macromolecular crowding. In this work, we show that AspP binds to cell membranes as the bacterial population density increases, c. 30% of the total enzyme remaining membrane associated as glycogen depletes during the stationary phase. This process is not dependent on the stationary transcription factor RpoS, the producer of the bacterial quorum-sensing autoinducer 2 (LuxS), the presence of glycogen granules or glucose availability, but is stimulated by small soluble heat-labile molecule(s) occurring in cell-free spent supernatants of stationary cultures that are acid stabile and base labile. These data further point to AspP as a highly regulated enzyme, and provide a first set of evidences indicating that glycogen metabolism is subjected to regulation by intercellular communication in Escherichia coli.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenosine Diphosphate Sugars / metabolism
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cell Membrane / enzymology
  • Cell Membrane / genetics
  • Cytoplasm / enzymology
  • Cytoplasm / genetics
  • Escherichia coli / cytology
  • Escherichia coli / enzymology*
  • Escherichia coli / genetics
  • Escherichia coli / growth & development*
  • Extracellular Space / genetics
  • Extracellular Space / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Transport
  • Pyrophosphatases / genetics
  • Pyrophosphatases / metabolism*

Substances

  • Adenosine Diphosphate Sugars
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Pyrophosphatases
  • ADPribose pyrophosphatase