Hexose Phosphorylation by the Ruminal Bacterium Selenomonas ruminantium

¹ Departments of Animal and Dairy Science and Microbiology, The University of Georgia, Athens 30602-2771

Three strains of Selenomonas ruminantium (D, GA192, and H18) were surveyed for phosphorylation of D-glucose and 2-deoxyglucose by phosphoenolpyruvate and ATP. Cells of all three strains that had been treated with toluene had high rates of hexose phosphorylation with either phosphoryl donor; this activity was constitutive in strain D. Glucose phosphorylation that was dependent on phosphoenolpyruvate was maximal at pH 7.2, remained fairly high at pH 6.5, but decreased (65%) at pH 5.0 for all strains. Cell extracts were used to evaluate the involvement of soluble kinases in 2-deoxyglucose phosphorylation. Both glucose and 2-deoxyglucose were phosphorylated by ATP, but phosphorylation of either hexose was negligible with phosphoenolpyruvate in each bacterium. Because phosphoenolpyruvate could not serve as a phosphoryl donor, the activity dependent on phosphoenolpyruvate in cells treated with toluene might have been due to a phosphotransferase system associated with the membrane. Unlabeled 2-deoxyglucose was a strong inhibitor (59%) of [¹⁴C]glucose phosphorylation with ATP by cell extracts of all S. ruminantium strains, and unlabeled glucose was a strong inhibitor (78%) of [¹⁴C]2-deoxyglucose phosphorylation with ATP. Based on Lineweaver-Burk kinetics, 2-deoxyglucose was a competitive inhibitor of initial rates of kinase activity in strains D, GA192, and H18. These results collectively suggest that glucose phosphorylation with phosphoenolpyruvate and 2-deoxyglucose phosphorylation with ATP are common traits in these strains of S. ruminantium.

Key Words: hexose • phosphorylation • rumen • bacteria

Submitted on April 17, 1995
Accepted on December 14, 1995

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