This Article Full Text (PDF) Other Versions of this Article: AEM.02589-07v1 74/6/1717    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Chalabaev, S. Articles by Biville, F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Chalabaev, S. Articles by Biville, F. Agricola Articles by Chalabaev, S. Articles by Biville, F.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl. Environ. Microbiol. doi:10.1128/AEM.02589-07
Copyright (c) 2008, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.

Cinnamic acid, an autoinducer of its own biosynthesis, is processed via Hca enzymes in Photorhabdus luminescens

Unité de Génétique des Génomes Bactériens, CNRS URA 2171, Institut Pasteur; Unité de Chimie Organique, CNRS URA 2128, Institut Pasteur; Unité de Génétique des Membranes Bactériennes, CNRS URA2172, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: fbiville{at}pasteur.fr.

	Abstract

Photorhabdus luminescens, an entomopathogenic bacterium and nematode symbiont, has homologues of the Hca and Mhp enzymes. In Escherichia coli, these enzymes catalyze degradation of the aromatic compounds 3-phenylpropionate (3PP) and cinnamic acid (CA), and allow the use of 3PP as sole carbon source. P. luminescens is not able to use 3PP and CA as sole carbon sources, but can degrade them. Hca dioxygenase is involved in this degradation pathway. P. luminescens synthesizes CA from phenylalanine via a phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), and degrades it via the not yet characterized biosynthetic pathway of 3,5-dihydroxy-4-isopropylstilbene (ST) antibiotic. CA induces its own synthesis, by enhancing expression of the stlA gene, coding for PAL. P. luminescens releases endogenous CA into the medium at the end of exponential growth, and then consumes it. Hca dioxygenase is involved in the consumption of endogenous CA, but is not required for ST production. This suggests that CA is consumed via at least two separate pathways in P. luminescens: biosynthesis of ST, and a pathway involving the Hca and Mhp enzymes.