Volume 23, No 5, May 2013
ISSN: 1001-0602
EISSN: 1748-7838 2018
impact factor 17.848*
(Clarivate Analytics, 2019)
Volume 23 Issue 5, May 2013: 635-644
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
L-glutamine provides acid resistance for Escherichia coli through enzymatic release of ammonia
Peilong Lu1,2,3,*, Dan Ma1,2,3,*, Yuling Chen1,2, Yingying Guo2,4, Guo-Qiang Chen2,4, Haiteng Deng1,2 and Yigong Shi1,2,3
1Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Protein Science, School of Life Sciences and School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
2Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences and School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
3Center for Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences and School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
4Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences and School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Correspondence: Yigong Shi,(shi-lab@tsinghua.edu.cn)
Bacteria, exemplified by enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli), rely on elaborate acid resistance systems to survive acidic environment (such as the stomach). Comprehensive understanding of bacterial acid resistance is important for prevention and clinical treatment. In this study, we report a previously uncharacterized type of acid resistance system in E. coli that relies on L-glutamine (Gln), one of the most abundant food-borne free amino acids. Upon uptake into E. coli, Gln is converted to L-glutamate (Glu) by the acid-activated glutaminase YbaS, with concomitant release of gaseous ammonia. The free ammonia neutralizes proton, resulting in elevated intracellular pH under acidic environment. We show that YbaS and the amino acid antiporter GadC, which exchanges extracellular Gln with intracellular Glu, together constitute an acid resistance system that is sufficient for E. coli survival under extremely acidic environment.
Cell Research (2013) 23:635–644. doi:10.1038/cr.2013.13; published online 22 January 2013
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