Abstract
Thermotoga maritima is a hyperthermophilic anaerobic bacterium that produces molecular hydrogen (H2) by fermentation. It catabolizes a broad range of carbohydrates through the action of diverse ABC transporters. However, in T. maritima and related species, highly similar genes with ambiguous annotation obscure a precise understanding of genome function. In T. maritima, three putative malK genes, all annotated as ATPase subunits, exhibited high identity to each other. To distinguish between these genes, malK disruption mutants were constructed by gene replacement, and the resulting mutant cell lines were characterized. Only a disruption of malK3 produced a defect in maltose catabolism. To verify that the mutant phenotype arose specifically from malK3 inactivation, the malK3 mutation was repaired by recombination, and maltose catabolism was restored. This study demonstrates the importance of a maltose ABC-type transporter and its relationship to sugar metabolism in T. maritima.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | e00930 |
Journal | Applied and environmental microbiology |
Volume | 83 |
Issue number | 18 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 1 2017 |
Keywords
- ABC transporter
- Genetic systems
- Homologous recombination
- Hydrogen
- Hyperthermophile
- Maltose
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biotechnology
- Food Science
- Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
- Ecology