One‐carbon metabolism and microbial pathogenicity

Abstract

One‐carbon metabolism (OCM) pathways are responsible for several functions, producing a number of one‐carbon unit intermediates (formyl, methylene, methenyl, methyl) that are required for the synthesis of various amino acids and other biomolecules such as purines, thymidylate, redox regulators, and, in most microbes, folate. As humans must acquire folate from the diet, folate production is a target for antimicrobials such as sulfonamides. OCM impacts the regulation of microbial virulence such that in a number of instances, limiting the availability of para‐aminobenzoic acid (pABA), an essential OCM precursor, causes a reduction in pathogenicity. Porphyromonas gingivalis, however, displays increased pathogenicity in response to lower pABA levels, and exogenous pABA exerts a calming influence on heterotypic communities of P. gingivalis with pABA‐producing partner species. Differential responses to pABA may reflect both the physiology of the organisms and their host microenvironment. OCM plays an integral role in regulating the global rate of protein translation, where the alarmones ZMP and ZTP sense insufficient stores of intracellular folate and coordinate adaptive responses to compensate and restore folate to sufficient levels. The emerging interconnections between OCM, protein synthesis, and context‐dependent pathogenicity provide novel insights into the dynamic host–microbe interface.

Genetic correlation between circulating metabolites and chalazion: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study

“…Studies have shown that methylene groups can increase the lipophilicity of compounds ( Møller, 2020 ), and in addition, methylene groups can act as methylating agents, playing a key role in DNA methylation ( Botezatu et al, 2014 ). Additionally, methylene groups are involved in the synthesis of many amino acids and biologically active molecules as well as in metabolic processes ( Stocke and Lamont, 2023 ).…”