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A transferable plasticity region in C ampylobacter coli allows isolates of an otherwise non‐glycolytic food‐borne pathogen to catabolize glucose
Author(s) -
Vorwerk Hanne,
Huber Claudia,
Mohr Juliane,
Bunk Boyke,
Bhuju Sabin,
Wensel Olga,
Spröer Cathrin,
Fruth Angelika,
Flieger Antje,
SchmidtHohagen Kerstin,
Schomburg Dietmar,
Eisenreich Wolfgang,
Hofreuter Dirk
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1111/mmi.13159
Subject(s) - biology , campylobacter , campylobacter jejuni , biochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , glycolysis , permease , escherichia coli , metabolic pathway , genetics , bacteria , enzyme
Summary Thermophilic C ampylobacter species colonize the intestine of agricultural and domestic animals commensally but cause severe gastroenteritis in humans. In contrast to other enteropathogenic bacteria, Campylobacter has been considered to be non‐glycolytic, a metabolic property originally used for their taxonomic classification. Contrary to this dogma, we demonstrate that several C ampylobacter coli strains are able to utilize glucose as a growth substrate. Isotopologue profiling experiments with 13 C ‐labeled glucose suggested that these strains catabolize glucose via the pentose phosphate and Entner‐Doudoroff ( ED ) pathways and use glucose efficiently for de novo synthesis of amino acids and cell surface carbohydrates. Whole genome sequencing of glycolytic C . coli isolates identified a genomic island located within a ribosomal RNA gene cluster that encodes for all ED pathway enzymes and a glucose permease. We could show in vitro that a non‐glycolytic C . coli strain could acquire glycolytic activity through natural transformation with chromosomal DNA of C . coli and C . jejuni subsp. doylei strains possessing the ED pathway encoding plasticity region. These results reveal for the first time the ability of a Campylobacter species to catabolize glucose and provide new insights into how genetic macrodiversity through intra‐ and interspecies gene transfer expand the metabolic capacity of this food‐borne pathogen.