[Participation of 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol-2,4-cyclopyrophosphate in reactions of bacteria on oxidative stress and their persistence in macrophages].

In aerated medium, Corynebacterium ammoniagenes cells accumulate 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol-2,4-cyclopyrophosphate (MEC) during heat shock and in the presence of O2--generating compounds or ozone. The ability to accumulate MEC was genetically transformed from C. ammoniagenes to E. coli XL-1; transformed E. coli (2-31 clone) accumulates MEC in the presence of glucose and glucose oxidase (generation of H2O2) or benzylviologen (generation of O2-); the viability of transformed bacteria inside the murine peritoneal macrophages also significantly increases. However, model conditions of phagosomes of warm-blooded animals (NO + H2O2 + O2-) did not cause MEC accumulation by C. ammoniagenes but increased the formation of polyphosphate which can be due to selective oxidative aberration of biosynthetic processes. Growth rate of Acanthamoeba castellanii on solid medium with bacterial lawn was not significantly different in C. ammoniagenes, C. ammoniagenes with preaccumulated MEC, E. coli XL-1, and E. coli 2-31 and did not depend on the accumulation of MEC by bacteria. Unlike the recipient E. coli strain, the transformed 2-31 clone synthesizes two nonpolar lipids (Rf = = 0.85 and 0.75; TCL on Silufol in hexane) and carotinoid pigments; this can be due to changes in metabolic pathways of isopentenylpyrophosphate that can be a precursor of MEC biosynthesis. Thus, MEC is involved in bacterial responses to certain components of oxidative stress and in bacterial persistence inside the macrophages.