What is it about?

Glucosaminate is an amino acid that is formed from the oxidation of glucosamine, a common amino sugar. We found that Salmonella can use glucosaminate as the sole carbon and nitrogen source for supporting its growth, and identified the genes required for the transport and metabolism of this compound.

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Why is it important?

Salmonella colonizes the gastrointestinal tracts of a wide variety of animals and is a prevalent pathogen in humans. Salmonella can use a number of compounds as carbon or nitrogen sources, a property which likely contributes to the wide host range of the bacterium. The results of our studies identified a previously unknown pathway for the uptake and catabolism of glucosaminate in Salmonella.

Perspectives

Despite being one of the most intensely studied bacteria, there is still much we do not know about the physiology of Salmonella. One of the most satisfying aspects of this research project was characterizing a novel metabolic pathway in Salmonella.

Timothy Hoover
University of Georgia

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This page is a summary of: Salmonella Utilizes D-Glucosaminate via a Mannose Family Phosphotransferase System Permease and Associated Enzymes, Journal of Bacteriology, July 2013, ASM Journals,
DOI: 10.1128/jb.00290-13.
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