Conservation of the chitin utilization pathway in the Vibrionaceae
Hunt, D.E.; Gevers, D.; Vahora, N.M.; Polz, M.F. (2008). Conservation of the chitin utilization pathway in the Vibrionaceae. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74(1): 44-51. https://dx.doi.org/10.1128/AEM.01412-07
In: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. American Society for Microbiology: Washington. ISSN 0099-2240; e-ISSN 1098-5336, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Hunt, D.E.
- Gevers, D., more
- Vahora, N.M.
- Polz, M.F.
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| Abstract |
Vibrionaceae are regarded as important marine chitin degraders, and attachment to chitin regulates important biological functions; yet, the degree of chitin pathway conservation in Vibrionaceae is unknown. Here, a core chitin degradation pathway is proposed based on comparison of 19 Vibrio and Photobacterium genomes with a detailed metabolic map assembled for V. cholerae from published biochemical, genomic, and transcriptomic results. Further, to assess whether chitin degradation is a conserved property of Vibrionaceae, a set of 54 strains from 32 taxa were tested for the ability to grow on various forms of chitin. All strains grew on N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), the monomer of chitin. The majority of isolates grew on α (crab shell) and β (squid pen) chitin and contained chitinase A (chiA) genes. chiA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis suggest that this gene is a good indicator of chitin metabolism but appears subject to horizontal gene transfer and duplication. Overall, chitin metabolism appears to be a core function of Vibrionaceae, but individual pathway components exhibit dynamic evolutionary histories. |
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