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Maltose utilization in Enterococcus faecalis
Author(s) -
Le Breton Y.,
Pichereau V.,
Sauvageot N.,
Auffray Y.,
Rincé A.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2672
pISSN - 1364-5072
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2004.02468.x
Subject(s) - maltose , operon , enterococcus faecalis , biochemistry , biology , mutant , permease , pep group translocation , phosphoglucomutase , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , escherichia coli , enzyme
Aims: The aim of this research was to characterize the metabolic pathway for maltose utilization in Enterococcus faecalis. Methods and Results: Screening a library of Enterococcus faecalis insertional mutants allowed the isolation of mutants affected in maltose utilization. Genetic analysis of the insertion loci revealed insertions in neighbour genes encoding an EII component of a phosphotransferase system (PTS) transporter ( mal T) and a maltose phosphorylase homologue ( mal P). The mal P gene forms part of an operon which also includes genes encoding a phosphoglucomutase ( mal B), a mutarotase (aldose 1‐epimerase) ( mal M) and a transcriptional regulator ( mal R). Analysis of 14 C‐labelled carbohydrates uptake revealed that more than 97% of maltose enters the cells by the PTS transporter MalT. Conclusions: Both experimental data and genetic organization of the mal PBMR operon strongly suggest that in Enterococcus faecalis , maltose enters using a PTS, leaving maltose‐6‐phosphate inside the cells which is hydrolysed by a maltose phosphate phosphorylase (MalP). Significance and Impact of the Study: This study describes a new pathway for maltose utilization in lactic acid bacteria.