Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Differential roles for menaquinone and demethylmenaquinone in anaerobic electron transport of E. coli and their fnr-independent expression

  • Original Papers
  • Published:
Archives of Microbiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Escherichia coli grown with glucose in the absence of added electron acceptors contained 3–4 times more naphthoquinones (menaquinone plus demethylmenaquinone) than in the presence of O2. Presence of electron acceptors resulted in a slight additional increase of the naphthoquinone content. A strain defective in the fnr gene, which encodes the transcriptional activator of anaerobic respiration, showed the same response. With fumarate or dimethyl sulfoxide present, 94% of the naphthoquinones consisted of menaquinone, while with nitrate up to 78% was demethylmenaquinone. With trimethylamine N-oxid as the acceptor the proportion was intermediate. From the donor substrates of anaerobic respiration only glycerol had a significant influence on the ratio of the contents of the 2 quinones. It is concluded that FNR, the gene product of the fnr gene, is not required for anaerobic derepression of naphthoquinone viosynthesis. Menaquinone appears to be involved specifically in the respiration with fumarate or dimethyl sulfoxide, and demethylmenaquinone in nitrate respiration. Both naphthoquinones appear to serve in trimethylamine N-oxide respiration.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

DMK:

demethylmenaquinone

MK:

menaquinone

Q:

ubiquinone

DMSO:

dimethyl sulfoxide

TMAO:

trimethylamine N-oxide

HPLC:

high performance liquid chromatography

References

  • Bode CH, Goebell H, Stähler E (1968) Zur Eliminierung von Trübungsfehlern bei der Eiweißbestimmung mit der Biuretmethode. Z Klin Chem Klin Biochem 5:419–422

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronder M, Mell H, Stupperich E, Kröger A (1982) Biosynthetic pathways of Vibrio succinogenes growing with fumarate as terminal electron acceptor and sole carbon source. Arch Microbiol 131:216–223

    Google Scholar 

  • Castell CH (1950) The influence of trimethylamine oxide on the bacterial reduction of redox indicators. J Fish Res Bd Can 7:567–575

    Google Scholar 

  • Chippaux, M, Giudici D, Abou-Jaoude A, Casse F, Pascal MC (1978) A mutation leading to the total lack of nitrite reductase activity in Escherichia coli K12. Mol Gen Genet 160:225–229

    Google Scholar 

  • Collins MD, Jones D (1981) Distribution of isoprenoid quinone structural types in bacteria and their taxonomic implications. Microbiol Rev 45:316–354

    Google Scholar 

  • Collins MD, Fernandez F (1984) Menaquinone-6 and thermoplasmaquinone-6 in Wolinella succinogenes. FEMS Microbiol Lett 22:273–276

    Google Scholar 

  • Guest JR (1977) Menaquinone biosynthesis: Mutants of Escherichia coli K-12 requiring 2-succinylbenzoate. J Bacteriol 130:1038–1046

    Google Scholar 

  • Guest JR (1979) Anaerobic growth of Escherichia coli K12 with fumarate as terminal electron acceptor. Genetic studies with menaquinone and fluoro-acetate-resistent mutants. J Gen Microbiol 115:259–271

    Google Scholar 

  • Holländer R (1976) Correlation of the function of demethylmenaquinone in bacterial electron transport with its redox potential. FEBS Lett 72:98–100

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingledew WJ, Poole RK (1984) The respiratory chains of Escherichia coli. Microbiol Rev 48:222–271

    Google Scholar 

  • Kröger A, Dadák V (1969) On the role of quinones in bacterial electron transport. The respiratory system of Bacillus megaterium. Eur J Biochem 11:328–340

    Google Scholar 

  • Kröger A (1978) Fumarate as terminal acceptor of phosphorylative electron transport. Biochim Biophys Acta 505:129–145

    Google Scholar 

  • Kröger A, Unden G (1985) The function of menaquinone in bacterial electron transport. In: Lenaz G (ed) Coenzyme Q. John Wiley, Chichester, pp 285–300

    Google Scholar 

  • Kroppenstedt RM (1985) Fatty acid and menaquinone analysis of Actinomycetes and related organisms. In: Goodfellow M, Minnikin E (eds) Chemical methods in bacterial systematics. Academic Press, London, pp 173–199

    Google Scholar 

  • Lambden PR, Guest JR (1976) Mutants of Escherichia coli K12 unable to use fumarate as an anaerobic electron acceptor. J Gen Microbiol 97:145–160

    Google Scholar 

  • Meganathan JR (1984) Inability of men mutants of Escherichia coli to use trimethylamine-N-oxide as an electron acceptor. FEMS Microbiol Lett 24:57–62

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller JH (1972) Experiments in molecular genetics. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Newman BM, Cole JA (1978) The chromosomal location and pleiotropic effects of mutations of the nir A + gene of Escherichia coli K12: The essential role of nirA + in nitrite reduction and in other anaerobic redox reactions. J Gen Microbiol 106:1–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Newton NA, Cox GB, Gibson F (1971) The function of menaquinone (vitamin K2) in Escherichia coli K-12. Biochim Biophys Acta 244:155–166

    Google Scholar 

  • Patric JM, Dobrogosz WJ (1973) The effect of cyclic AMP on anaerobic growth in Escherichia coli. Biochim Biophys Res Commun 54:555–561

    Google Scholar 

  • Polglase WJ, Pun WT, Withaar J (1966) Lipoquinones of Escherichia coli. Biochim Biophys Acta 118:425–426

    Google Scholar 

  • Rickenberg, HV (1974) Cyclic AMP in prokaryotes. Ann Rev Microbiol 28:353–369

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaw DJ, Guest JR (1982) Nucleotide sequence of the fnr gene and primary structure of the Fnr protein of Escherichia coli. Nucl Acid Res 10:6119–6130

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaw DJ, Rice DW, Guest JR (1983) Homology between CAP and Fnr, a regulator of anaerobic respiration in Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol 166:241–247

    Google Scholar 

  • Thauer RK, Jungermann K, Decker K (1977) Energy conservation in chemotrophic anaerobic bacteria. Bacteriol Rev 41:100–180

    Google Scholar 

  • Unden G, Kröger A (1982) Reconstitution in liposomes of the electron transport chain catalyzing fumarate reduction by formate. Biochim Biophys Acta 682:258–263

    Google Scholar 

  • Unden G, Guest JR (1984) Cyclic AMP and anaerobic gene expression in E. coli. FEBS Lett 170:321–325

    Google Scholar 

  • Unden G, Guest JR (1985) Isolation and characterization of the Fnr protein, the transcriptional regulator of anaerobic electron transport in Escherichia coli. Eur J Biochem 146:193–199

    Google Scholar 

  • Unden G, Duchene A (1987) On the role of cyclic AMP and the Fnr protein in Escherichia coli growing anaerobically. Arch Microbiol 147:195–200

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallace BJ, Young IG (1977) Role of quinones in electron transport to oxygen and nitrate in Escherichia coli. Biochim Biophys Acta 461:84–100

    Google Scholar 

  • Whistance GR, Threlfall DR (1968) Effect of anaerobiosis on the concentrations of demethylmenaquinone, menaquinone and ubiquinone in Escherichia freundii, Proteus mirabilis and Aeromonas punctata. Biochem J 108:505–507

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood PM (1981) The redox potential for dimethyl sulphoxide reduction to dimethyl sulphide. FEBS Lett 124:11–14

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Mikrobiologie, J. W. Goethe-Universität, D-6000, Frankfurt am Main, Federal Republic of Germany

    Gottfried Unden

Authors
  1. Gottfried Unden
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Unden, G. Differential roles for menaquinone and demethylmenaquinone in anaerobic electron transport of E. coli and their fnr-independent expression. Arch. Microbiol. 150, 499–503 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00422294

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00422294

Key words

Search

Navigation