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A five-gene cluster involved in utilization of taurine-nitrogen and excretion of sulfoacetaldehyde by Acinetobacter radioresistens SH164

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Abstract

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus SW1, under nitrogen limitation, assimilates the nitrogen moiety of taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonate) inducibly and excretes sulfoacetaldehyde, a product of taurine dehydrogenase (TauXY). BLAST searches of newly available genome sequences using the TauXY sequences revealed a 5-gene cluster, tauRXYPI, in Acinetobacter radioresistens SH164. We hypothesized that tauXYPI (HMPREF0018_00717–HMPREF0018_00720) encodes proteins that are orthologs of the undefined pathway from strain SW1, and that tauR (HMPREF0018_00716) encodes the relevant transcriptional regulator. Strain SH164 excreted sulfoacetaldehyde from taurine during growth. TauXY activity was expressed inducibly. Reverse transcription PCR showed that the tauRXYPI genes were transcribed inducibly. This allowed the conclusions that (i) TauP (currently annotated as permease GabP [TC 2.A.3]) is a taurine permease, and (ii) TauI (currently annotated as DUF6 drug/metabolite exporter [TC 2.A.7]) is a sulfoacetaldehyde exporter. The presumably equifunctional cluster tauRXYPI was then found in strain SW1. TauP is the third recognized taurine uptake system, and TauI is the third postulated class of sulfonate exporters, in bacteria.

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Abbreviations

RT-PCR:

Reverse transcription PCR

TauABC:

ABC transporter for taurine

tauI :

Encodes sulfoacetaldehyde exporter

tauP :

Encodes taurine permease

tauR :

Encodes transcriptional regulator of taurine genes

tauXY :

Encode taurine dehydrogenase

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Acknowledgments

The project was funded by the University of Konstanz and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Co 206/6-1). The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. We are grateful to Bodo Philipp for permission to use his ‘L2’ laboratory.

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Author notes

  1. Zdenĕk Krejčík

    Present address: Department of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, 12820, Prague 2, Czech Republic

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78457, Constance, Germany

    Zdenĕk Krejčík, David Schleheck & Alasdair M. Cook

  2. Institute of Biochemical Engineering, University of the Saarland, 66041, Saarbrücken, Germany

    Klaus Hollemeyer

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  1. Zdenĕk Krejčík
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  2. David Schleheck
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  4. Alasdair M. Cook
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Correspondence to Alasdair M. Cook.

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Communicated by Ursula Priefer.

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Krejčík, Z., Schleheck, D., Hollemeyer, K. et al. A five-gene cluster involved in utilization of taurine-nitrogen and excretion of sulfoacetaldehyde by Acinetobacter radioresistens SH164. Arch Microbiol 194, 857–863 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-012-0806-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-012-0806-1

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