Poly metabolism

In both procedures, a concern is the extent to which the poly(ethylene) undergoes wear within the artificial joint. The constant rubbing of metal on polymer is capable of generating particles of wear debris, and these can collect around the joint. In extreme cases, this debris can interfere with the metabolic processes in the remaining bone, leading to bone resorption and... 

Incorporation of C02 into poly-p-hydroxybutyrate by a strain of Xanthomonas sp. that metabolizes propene or its oxide (Small and Ensign 1995 Allen and Ensign 1996)... 

Aim Metabolic engineering E. coli phaCRc + ORFZck Poly(4HB) [90]... 

Keywords. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), Metabolic sequences, Fine regulation, Poly(3HB) cycle, Strategic survival polymer, Growth-associated synthesis, Energy-generating and -consuming synthesis, Optimization... 

Fig. 1. The metabolic cycle for the synthesis and degradation of poly(3HB). (1) 3-ketothiolase (2) NADPH-dependent acetoacetyl-CoA reductase (3) poly(3HB) synthase (4) NADH-dependent acetoacetyl-CoA reductase (5), (6) enolases (7) depolymerase (8) d-(-)-3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (9) acetoacetyl-CoA synthetase (10) succinyl-CoA transferase (11) citrate synthase (12) see Sect. 3...

The 3-ketothiolase has been purified and investigated from several poly(3HB)-synthesizing bacteria including Azotobacter beijerinckii [10], Ral-stonia eutropha [11], Zoogloea ramigera [12], Rhodococcus ruber [13], and Methylobacterium rhodesianum [14]. In R. eutropha the 3-ketothiolase occurs in two different forms, called A and B, which have different substrate specificities [11,15]. In the thiolytic reaction, enzyme A is only active with C4 and C5 3-ketoacyl-CoA whereas the substrate spectrum of enzyme B is much broader, since it is active with C4 to C10 substrates [11]. Enzyme A seems to be the main biosynthetic enzyme acting in the poly(3HB) synthesis pathway, while enzyme B should rather have a catabolic function in fatty-acid metabolism. However, in vitro studies with reconstituted purified enzyme systems have demonstrated that enzyme B can also contribute to poly(3HB) synthesis [15]. 

Acetyl-CoA as a central intermediate in the metabolism of all carbon compounds can be dissimilated to generate biologically useful energy or assimilated and used for growth and multiplication. But the shortest and quickest way to store this carbon skeleton is synthesis of poly(3HB) via formation of aceto-acetyl-CoA (Fig. 1). Since the enzymes involved in the metabolic route to poly(3HB) are unspecific, the synthesis of other homopolyesters and heteropolyesters is possible. Such analogues are formed if appropriate prefabricated substrates (which merely need to be activated and incorporated) are offered. Compounds of this type are called related substrates. 

Nothing seems to be known as yet of the metabolic regulation of enzymes of poly(3HB) producing bacteria that catalyze the last step of the poly(3HB) cycle, i. e., the activation of acetoacetate (Fig. 1, steps 9,10). Since both enzymes are involved in a catabolic sequence, it may be speculated that they are inhibited, for... 

If poly(3HB) formation is an effective strategy for survival the poly(3HB) machinery should be ready for use at all times. Its utilization (and the extent to which it is expressed) is determined by external conditions, the metabolic and regulatory disposition of a given strain, and the substrate offered. From this perspective, growth-associated synthesis of poly(3HB) (or, more precisely, poly(3HB) formation-associated growth) ought to occur more frequently than has yet been observed and reported. 

The yield coefficient of the poly(3HB) synthesis determined solely from carbon metabolism can easily be calculated if the metabolic sequence from the carbon substrate to poly(3HB) C4H602 is known, for instance ... 

Fig. 1. Modification of plant metabolic pathways for the synthesis of poly(3HB) and poly(3HB-co-3HV). The pathways created or enhanced by the expression of transgenes are highlighted in bold, while endogenous plant pathways are in plain letters. The various transgenes expressed in plants are indicated in italics. The ilvA gene encodes a threonine deaminase from E. coli. The phaARe, phaBRe, and phaCRe genes encode a 3-ketothiolase, an aceto-acetyl-CoA reductase, and a PHA synthase from R. eutropha, respectively. The btkBRe gene encodes a second 3-ketothiolase isolated from R. eutropha which shows high affinity for both propionyl-CoA and acetyl-CoA [40]. PDC refers to the endogenous plant pyruvate dehydrogenase complex...

Fig. 4. Modification of plant metabolic pathways for the synthesis of poly(3HAMCL) in peroxisomes. The pathways created or enhanced by the expression of transgenes (P. aeruginosa PHA synthase and C. lanceolata decanoyl-ACP thioesterase) and of mutant alleles of plant fatty acid desaturase genes are highlighted by bold arrows and the enzymes involved underlined...

Poly(3HB) synthesis in various subcellular compartments could be used to study how plants adjust their metabolism and gene expression to accommodate the production of a new sink, and how carbon flux through one pathway can affect carbon flux through another. For example, one could study how modifying the flux of carbon to starch or lipid biosynthesis in the plastid affects the flux of carbon to acetyl-CoA and poly(3HB). Alternatively, one could study how plants adjust the activity of genes and proteins involved in isoprenoid and flavonoid biosynthesis to the creation of the poly(3HB) biosynthetic pathway in the cytoplasm, since these three pathways compete for the same building block, i. e., acetyl-CoA. 

With data obtained by the analysis of fusion proteins consisting of a domain unrelated to poly(3HB) metabolism (e.g., maltose binding protein MalE or glutathione-S-transferase and the poly(3HB) depolymerase binding domain [57,59-61]. 

Poly(L-malate) [poly(malic acid) (PMA)], is a water-soluble polyanion produced by slime molds and some yeasts such as Physarum polycephalum or Aureobasidium pullulans, respectively. Its function and metabolism has been studied during the last few years [122-125]. Recently, several PMA-degrad-ing bacteria have been isolated, and a cytoplasmic membrane-bound PMA hydrolase was purified from Comamonas acidovans strain 7789 [126] that... 

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