[en] Thiamine triphosphate (ThTP) is present in low amounts in most organisms from bacteria to humans, but its biological role remains unknown. Escherichia coli grown aerobically in LB medium contain no detectable amounts of ThTP, but when they are transferred to M9 minimal medium with a substrate such as glucose or pyruvate, there is a rapid but transient accumulation of relatively high amounts of ThTP (about 20% of total thiamine). If a mixture of amino acids is present in addition to glucose, ThTP accumulation is impaired, suggesting that the latter may occur in response to amino acid starvation. To test the importance of ThTP for bacterial growth, we used an E. coli strain overexpressing a specific human recombinant thiamine triphosphatase as a glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion protein (GST-ThTPase). Those bacteria were unable to accumulate measurable amounts of ThTP. On minimal medium supplemented with glucose, pyruvate, or acetate, they exhibited an intermediate plateau in cell growth compared with control bacteria expressing GST alone or a GST fusion protein unrelated to thiamine metabolism. These results suggest that the early accumulation of ThTP initiates a reaction cascade involved in the adaptation of bacteria to stringent conditions such as amino acid starvation. This is the first demonstration of a physiological role of this ubiquitous compound in any organism.
Disciplines :
Biochemistry, biophysics & molecular biology
Author, co-author :
Lakaye, Bernard ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques > Biochimie et physiologie humaine et pathologique
Wirtzfeld, Barbara
Wins, Pierre
Grisar, Thierry ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques > Biochimie et physiologie humaine et pathologique
Bettendorff, Lucien ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques > Biochimie et physiologie humaine et pathologique
Language :
English
Title :
Thiamine triphosphate, a new signal required for optimal growth of Escherichia coli during amino acid starvation
Publication date :
2004
Journal title :
Journal of Biological Chemistry
ISSN :
0021-9258
eISSN :
1083-351X
Publisher :
Amer Soc Biochemistry Molecular Biology Inc, Bethesda, United States - Maryland
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