Complementation of a metK-deficient E. coli strain with heterologous AdoMet synthetase genes.

S-adenosyl-l-methionine (AdoMet) is an essential metabolite, playing a wide variety of metabolic roles. The enzyme that produces AdoMet from l-methionine and ATP (methionine adenosyltransferase, MAT) is thus an attractive target for anti-cancer and antimicrobial agents. It would be very useful to have a system that allows rapid identification of species-specific inhibitors of this essential enzyme.

Correction of a genetic deficiency in pantothenate kinase 1 using phosphopantothenate replacement therapy.

Coenzyme A (CoA) is a ubiquitous cofactor involved in numerous essential biochemical transformations, and along with its thioesters is a key regulator of intermediary metabolism. Pantothenate (vitamin B5) phosphorylation by pantothenate kinase (PanK) is thought to control the rate of CoA production. Pantothenate kinase associated neurodegeneration is a hereditary disease that arises from mutations that inactivate the human PANK2 gene.

Physiological roles of the pantothenate kinases.

CoA (coenzyme A) is an essential cofactor that is involved in many metabolic processes. CoA is derived from pantothenate in five biosynthetic reactions. The CoA biosynthetic pathway is regulated by PanKs (pantothenate kinases) and four active isoforms are expressed in mammals.

Structure of an unusual S-adenosylmethionine synthetase from Campylobacter jejuni.

S-Adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) participates in a wide range of methylation and other group-transfer reactions and also serves as the precursor for two groups of quorum-sensing molecules that function as regulators of the production of virulence factors in Gram-negative bacteria. The synthesis of AdoMet is catalyzed by AdoMet synthetases (MATs), a ubiquitous family of enzymes found in species ranging from microorganisms to mammals. The AdoMet synthetase from the bacterium Campylobacter jejuni (cjMAT) is an outlier among this homologous enzyme family, with lower sequence identity, numerous insertions and substitutions, and higher catalytic activity compared with other bacterial MATs.

Alternative substrates selective for S-adenosylmethionine synthetases from pathogenic bacteria.

S-adenosyl-l-methionine (AdoMet) synthetase catalyzes the production of AdoMet, the major biological methyl donor and source of methylene, amino, ribosyl, and aminopropyl groups in the metabolism of all known organism. In addition to these essential functions, AdoMet can also serve as the precursor for two different families of quorum sensing molecules that trigger virulence in Gram-negative human pathogenic bacteria. The enzyme responsible for AdoMet biosynthesis has been cloned, expressed and purified from several of these infectious bacteria.