Corynebacterium glutamicum was engineered for the production of L-valine from glucose by deletion of the aceE gene encoding the E1p enzyme of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and additional overexpression of the ilvBNCE genes encoding the L-valine biosynthetic enzymes acetohydroxyacid synthase, isomeroreductase, and transaminase B. In the absence of cellular growth, C. glutamicum ⌬aceE showed a relatively high intracellular concentration of pyruvate (25.9 mM) and produced significant amounts of pyruvate, L-alanine, and L-valine from glucose as the sole carbon source. Lactate or acetate was not formed. Plasmid-bound overexpression of ilvBNCE in C. glutamicum ⌬aceE resulted in an approximately 10-fold-lower intracellular pyruvate concentration (2.3 mM) and a shift of the extracellular product pattern from pyruvate and L-alanine towards L-valine. In fed-batch fermentations at high cell densities and an excess of glucose, C. glutamicum ⌬aceE(pJC4ilvBNCE) produced up to 210 mM L-valine with a volumetric productivity of 10.0 mM h ؊1 (1.17 g l ؊1 h ؊1 ) and a maximum yield of about 0.6 mol per mol (0.4 g per g) of glucose.

The E1p enzyme is an essential part of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC) and catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate with concomitant acetylation of the E2p enzyme within the complex. We analyzed the Corynebacterium glutamicum aceE gene, encoding the E1p enzyme, and constructed and characterized an E1p-deficient mutant. Sequence analysis of the C. glutamicum aceE gene and adjacent regions revealed that aceE is not flanked by genes encoding other enzymes of the PDHC. Transcriptional analysis revealed that aceE from C. glutamicum is monocistronic and that its transcription is initiated 121 nucleotides upstream of the translational start site. Inactivation of the chromosomal aceE gene led to the inability to grow on glucose and to the absence of PDHC and E1p activities, indicating that only a single E1p enzyme is present in C. glutamicum and that the PDHC is essential for the growth of this organism on carbohydrate substrates. Surprisingly, the E1p enzyme of C. glutamicum showed up to 51% identity to homodimeric E1p proteins from gram-negative bacteria but no similarity to E1 ␣-or ␤-subunits of heterotetrameric E1p enzymes which are generally assumed to be typical for gram-positives. To investigate the distribution of E1p enzymes in bacteria, we compiled and analyzed the phylogeny of 46 homodimeric E1p proteins and of 58 ␣-subunits of heterotetrameric E1p proteins deposited in public databases. The results revealed that the distribution of homodimeric and heterotetrameric E1p subunits in bacteria is not in accordance with the rRNA-based phylogeny of bacteria and is more heterogeneous than previously assumed.The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC) represents a member of a multienzyme complex family that also comprises the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (OGDHC) and the branched-chain 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase complex (BCOADHC). These enzymes catalyze the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate, 2-oxoglutarate, and the 2-oxo acids of the branched-chain amino acids L-leucine, L-valine, and L-isoleucine, respectively. In general, the multienzyme complexes are composed of multiple copies of three different enzymes, a thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) containing 2-oxoacid decarboxylase (E1), a lipoic acid-containing dihydrolipoamide acyltransferase (E2), and the flavin-containing lipoamide dehydrogenase (LPD). The E1 enzyme catalyzes the irreversible, TPP-dependent oxidative decarboxylation of the 2-oxoacid, followed by the acylation of the lipoyl prosthetic group covalently attached to the E2 chain. The E2 component catalyzes the transfer of the acyl group from the lipoyl group to coenzyme A (CoA). The resulting dihydrolipoyl group is reoxidized by LPD, generating NADH and H ϩ from NAD ϩ (for a recent review, see reference 11). The E1 and E2 enzymes are specific for each of the three multienzyme complexes and therefore specified as E1p and E2p in the PDHC, E1o and E2o in the OGDHC, and E1b, and E2b in the BCOADHC. In contrast, the LPD component is common in the three multienzyme complexes in most organ...

Global warming promotes soil calcification and salinization processes. As a result, soil phosphorus (P) is becoming deficient in arid and semiarid areas throughout the world. In this pot study, we evaluated the potential of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) for enhancing the growth and P uptake in maize under varying levels of lime (4.8%, 10%, 15% and 20%) and additional P supplements (farmyard manure, poultry manure, single super phosphate and rock phosphate) added at the rate of 45 mg P2O5 kg−1. Inoculation and application of P as organic manures (Poultry and farm yard manures) improved maize growth and P uptake compared to the control and soils with P applied from mineral sources. Liming adversely affected crop growth, but the use of PSB and organic manure significantly neutralized this harmful effect. Mineral P sources combined with PSB were as effective as the organic sources alone. Furthermore, while single supper phosphate showed better results than Rock phosphate, the latter performed comparably upon PSB inoculation. Thus, PSB plus P application as organic manures is an eco-friendly option to improve crop growth and P nutrition in a calcareous soil under changing climate.

Agriculture in the 21st century is facing multiple challenges, such as those related to soil fertility, climatic fluctuations, environmental degradation, urbanization, and the increase in food demand for the increasing world population. In the meanwhile, the scientific community is facing key challenges in increasing crop production from the existing land base. In this regard, traditional farming has witnessed enhanced per acre crop yields due to irregular and injudicious use of agrochemicals, including pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, but at a substantial environmental cost. Another major concern in modern agriculture is that crop pests are developing pesticide resistance. Therefore, the future of sustainable crop production requires the use of alternative strategies that can enhance crop yields in an environmentally sound manner. The application of rhizobacteria, specifically, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), as an alternative to chemical pesticides has gained much attention from the scientific community. These rhizobacteria harbor a number of mechanisms through which they promote plant growth, control plant pests, and induce resistance to various abiotic stresses. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms of rhizobacteria involved in plant growth promotion, biocontrol of pests, and bioremediation of contaminated soils. It also focuses on the effects of PGPR inoculation on plant growth survival under environmental stress. Furthermore, the pros and cons of rhizobacterial application along with future directions for the sustainable use of rhizobacteria in agriculture are discussed in depth.

Acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS), which catalyzes the key reactions in the biosynthesis pathways of branchedchain amino acids (valine, isoleucine, and leucine), is regulated by the end products of these pathways. The whole Corynebacterium glutamicum ilvBNC operon, coding for acetohydroxy acid synthase (ilvBN) and acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase (ilvC), was cloned in the newly constructed Escherichia coli-C. glutamicum shuttle vector pECKA (5.4 kb, Km r ). By using site-directed mutagenesis, one to three amino acid alterations (mutations M8, M11, and M13) were introduced into the small (regulatory) AHAS subunit encoded by ilvN. The activity of AHAS and its inhibition by valine, isoleucine, and leucine were measured in strains carrying the ilvBNC operon with mutations on the plasmid or the ilvNM13 mutation within the chromosome. The enzyme containing the M13 mutation was feedback resistant to all three amino acids. Different combinations of branched-chain amino acids did not inhibit wild-type AHAS to a greater extent than was measured in the presence of 5 mM valine alone (about 57%). We infer from these results that there is a single binding (allosteric) site for all three amino acids in the enzyme molecule. The strains carrying the ilvNM13 mutation in the chromosome produced more valine than their wild-type counterparts. The plasmid-free C. glutamicum ⌬ilvA ⌬panB ilvNM13 strain formed 90 mM valine within 48 h of cultivation in minimal medium. The same strain harboring the plasmid pECKAilvBNC produced as much as 130 mM valine under the same conditions.Corynebacterium glutamicum is used for the production of a number of amino acids, including valine. Acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS) (EC 4.1.3.18), also called acetolactate synthase, is the key enzyme of the pathways for biosynthesis of branched-chain amino acids (isoleucine, valine, and leucine) ( Fig. 1) and therefore is a potential target for metabolic engineering. The enzyme catalyzes decarboxylation of pyruvate and its condensation either with another molecule of pyruvate to produce acetolactate (a precursor of valine and leucine) or with 2-ketobutyrate to produce acetohydroxybutyrate (a precursor of isoleucine). The reactions play a key role in determining the relative fluxes to different end products (2). Three AHAS isoenzymes, differing in their genetic determinations, biochemical properties, and regulation of both biosynthesis and activity, were described for Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (26). The isoenzymes AHAS I, II, and III are encoded by the genes ilvBN, ilvGM, and ilvIH, respectively. Expression of these genes is subject to different multivalent repression by branched-chain amino acids. Expression of the ilvGMEDA operon is controlled by transcriptional attenuation mediated by all three amino acids, whereas the ilvBN operon is controlled by attenuation mediated only by valine and leucine. Expression of ilvIH is regulated by Lrp (leucine-responsive protein) (29). The large subunits (IlvB, IlvG, and IlvI) are responsib...

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Corynebacterium glutamicum is an important industrial producer of various amino acids and other metabolites. The C. glutamicum genome encodes seven sigma subunits (factors) of RNA polymerase: the primary sigma factor SigA (σA), the primary-like σB and five alternative sigma factors (σC, σD, σE, σH and σM). We have developed in vitro and in vivo methods to assign particular sigma factors to individual promoters of different classes. In vitro transcription assays and measurements of promoter activity using the overexpression of a single sigma factor gene and the transcriptional fusion of the promoter to the gfpuv reporter gene enabled us to reliably define the sigma factor dependency of promoters. To document the strengths of these methods, we tested examples of respective promoters for each C. glutamicum sigma factor. Promoters of the rshA (anti-sigma for σH) and trxB1 (thioredoxin) genes were found to be σH-dependent, whereas the promoter of the sigB gene (sigma factor σB) was σE- and σH-dependent. It was confirmed that the promoter of the cg2556 gene (iron-regulated membrane protein) is σC-dependent as suggested recently by other authors. The promoter of cmt1 (trehalose corynemycolyl transferase) was found to be clearly σD-dependent. No σM-dependent promoter was identified. The typical housekeeping promoter P2sigA (sigma factor σA) was proven to be σA-dependent but also recognized by σB. Similarly, the promoter of fba (fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase) was confirmed to be σB-dependent but also functional with σA. The study provided demonstrations of the broad applicability of the developed methods and produced original data on the analyzed promoters.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13568-017-0436-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.