Multiple formaldehyde oxidation/detoxification pathways in Burkholderia fungorum LB400

J Bacteriol. 2004 Apr;186(7):2173-8. doi: 10.1128/JB.186.7.2173-2178.2004.

Abstract

Burkholderia species are free-living bacteria with a versatile metabolic lifestyle. The genome of B. fungorum LB400 is predicted to encode three different pathways for formaldehyde oxidation: an NAD-linked, glutathione (GSH)-independent formaldehyde dehydrogenase; an NAD-linked, GSH-dependent formaldehyde oxidation system; and a tetrahydromethanopterin-methanofuran-dependent formaldehyde oxidation system. The other Burkholderia species for which genome sequences are available, B. mallei, B. pseudomallei, and B. cepacia, are predicted to contain only the first two of these pathways. The roles of the three putative formaldehyde oxidation pathways in B. fungorum LB400 have been assessed via knockout mutations in each of these pathways, as well as in all combinations of knockouts. The resulting mutants have the expected loss of enzyme activities and exhibit defects of varying degrees of severity during growth on choline, a formaldehyde-producing substrate. Our data suggest that all three pathways are involved in formaldehyde detoxification and are functionally redundant under the tested conditions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Aldehyde Oxidoreductases / genetics
  • Aldehyde Oxidoreductases / metabolism
  • Burkholderia / enzymology*
  • Burkholderia / genetics
  • Burkholderia / growth & development
  • Formaldehyde / metabolism*
  • Mutation
  • NAD / metabolism
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-NH Group Donors / genetics
  • Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-NH Group Donors / metabolism

Substances

  • NAD
  • Formaldehyde
  • formaldehyde dehydrogenase (glutathione)
  • Aldehyde Oxidoreductases
  • formaldehyde dehydrogenase, glutathione-independent
  • Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-NH Group Donors
  • methylenetetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase