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Promiscuous activity of (S,S)-butanediol dehydrogenase is responsible for glycerol production from 1,3-dihydroxyacetone in Corynebacterium glutamicum under oxygen-deprived conditions

  • Applied microbial and cell physiology
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Abstract

Corynebacterium glutamicum can consume glucose to excrete glycerol under oxygen deprivation. Although glycerol synthesis from 1,3-dihydroxyacetone (DHA) has been speculated, no direct evidence has yet been provided in C. glutamicum. Enzymatic and genetic investigations here indicate that the glycerol is largely produced from DHA and, unexpectedly, the reaction is catalyzed by (S,S)-butanediol dehydrogenase (ButA) that inherently catalyzes the interconversion between S-acetoin and (S,S)-2,3-butanediol. Consequently, the following pathway for glycerol biosynthesis in the bacterium emerges: dihydroxyacetone phosphate is dephosphorylated by HdpA to DHA, which is subsequently reduced to glycerol by ButA. This study emphasizes the importance of promiscuous activity of the enzyme in vivo.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Crispinus A. Omumasaba (RITE) for critical reading of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth, 9-2, Kizugawadai, Kizugawa, Kyoto, 619-0292, Japan

    Toru Jojima, Takafumi Igari, Yasuhiro Moteki, Masako Suda, Hideaki Yukawa & Masayuki Inui

  2. Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5, Takayama, Ikoma, Nara, 630-0101, Japan

    Masayuki Inui

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  1. Toru Jojima
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  2. Takafumi Igari
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  3. Yasuhiro Moteki
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  4. Masako Suda
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  5. Hideaki Yukawa
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  6. Masayuki Inui
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Correspondence to Masayuki Inui.

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Jojima, T., Igari, T., Moteki, Y. et al. Promiscuous activity of (S,S)-butanediol dehydrogenase is responsible for glycerol production from 1,3-dihydroxyacetone in Corynebacterium glutamicum under oxygen-deprived conditions. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 99, 1427–1433 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-6170-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-6170-0

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