Current Microbiology

, Volume 6, Issue 6, pp 367–372 | Cite as

Generation of glyoxylate in methylotrophic bacteria

  • Edward Bellion
  • John A. Bolbot
  • Timothy D. Lash
Article

Abstract

The mode of glyoxylate production from acetyl-CoA was investigated in three strains of methylotrophic bacteria,Pseudomonas MA,Pseudomonas AM1 and organism PAR. This investigation was prompted by the recently reported discovery of a homoisocitrate lyase in methylotrophic bacteria and the suggested involvement of this novel enzyme in assimilation of C1 and C2 compounds as part of a homoisocitrate-glyoxylate cycle. We were unable to detect cleavage of any of the four stereoisomers of homoisocitric acid by cell-free extracts of C1-or C2-grown bacteria. Extracts of C1-grown bacteria did not catalyze condensation of glyoxylate with glutarate or production of glyoxylate from acetyl-CoA and 2-ketoglutarate. Extracts of C1-grownPseudomonas MA catalyzed cleavage of isocitrate;threo-homoisocitrate was a potent competitive inhibitor of this reaction. These results indicate that homoisocitrate cleavage does not occur in any of the methylotrophs tested. The pathway for oxidation of acetyl-CoA to glyoxylate inPseudomonas AM1 and organism PAR therefore remains obscure.

Keywords

Oxidation Enzyme Assimilation Pseudomonas Lyase 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag New York Inc. 1981

Authors and Affiliations

  • Edward Bellion
    • 1
  • John A. Bolbot
    • 1
  • Timothy D. Lash
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of ChemistryThe University of Texas at ArlingtonArlingtonUSA

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