Induction of TktA expression could recover growth of BJ502-P3 on M9 plates with L-arabinose as the sole carbon source, while Tkt1 expression could not recover growth of BJ502-P2 (Figure 4). These results suggested that Tkt1 has very little transketolase activity, if any. Figure

4 Tkt1 could not complement TktA in E. coli K12. 1, APEC O1; 2, APEC O1 M tkt1 ; 3, APEC O1 M tktA ; 4, BJ502; 5, BJ502-P1; 6, BJ502-P2 and 7 BJ502-P3. Tkt1 is involved in peptide nitrogen Sotrastaurin cost metabolism Transketolase TktA is involved in carbon metabolism, and Tkt1 shows a high similarity (68%) to transketolase TktA. To determine if this transketolase-like protein is involved in metabolism, we performed the PM assay under a total of 760 culture conditions (carbon sources, nitrogen sources, phosphorus and sulfur sources, nutrient supplements, and peptide nitrogen

sources). Growth of wild-type APEC O1 and its tkt1 isogenic mutant was measured using the PM assay system. The time course of cell growth was monitored by measuring the cell density-dependent buy Poziotinib increase in respiration. No difference between the tkt1 mutant and its wild type in the utilization of carbon sources was detected nor were differences in the use of nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur sources or nutrient supplements observed. Interestingly, the tkt1 mutant showed defects in the use of Pro-Ala or Phe-Ala as a peptide nitrogen source. These defective phenotypes were reproducible, and induction of Tkt1 expression in APEC O1-P1 resulted in the use of both peptides as nitrogen sources R428 order reverting the lost phenotype. Complementation assay

was also done by using Biolog plates and 0.2% arabinose was added to induce expression of Tkt1. Discussion Human and avian ExPEC are both important pathogens that cause widely prevalent and/or highly significant extraintestinal diseases. The gene tkt1, encoding a transketolase-like protein and sharing 68% amino acid identity with TktA of a V. cholerae strain [13], was firstly identified as Selleckchem Osimertinib a virulence-associated gene from APEC strains by genomic subtractive hybridization [23]. This gene was also thought to be involved in APEC virulence from the results of a previous STM study [12]. Unlike tktA or tktB, which are unequivocally present in both avian fecal E. coli and APEC, tkt1 was predominantly present among APEC (39.6%) but absent from most of the intestinal E. coli (6.25%) examined [27], suggesting that this gene may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of avian colibacillosis.