A vitamin B12 transporter in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Issue 2 (February 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gopinath, Krishnamoorthy; Venclovas, Česlovas; Ioerger, Thomas R.; Sacchettini, James C.; McKinney, John D.; Mizrahi, Valerie; Warner, Digby F.
• Is Part Of: Open biology. Volume 3:Issue 2(2013)
• Publication Date: 2013-02
• Subjects: tuberculosis -- vitamin B12 -- corrinoids -- BtuFCD -- BacA; Biology -- Periodicals; 570
• DOI: 10.1098/rsob.120175
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2046-2441

Abstract

Abstract : Vitamin B12 -dependent enzymes function in core biochemical pathways in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, an obligate pathogen whose metabolism in vivo is poorly understood. Although M. tuberculosis can access vitamin B12 in vitro, it is uncertain whether the organism is able to scavenge B12 during host infection. This question is crucial to predictions of metabolic function, but its resolution is complicated by the absence in the M. tuberculosis genome of a direct homologue of BtuFCD, the only bacterial B12 transport system described to date. We applied genome-wide transposon mutagenesis to identify M. tuberculosis mutants defective in their ability to use exogenous B12 . A small proportion of these mapped to Rv1314c, identifying the putative PduO-type ATP : co(I)rrinoid adenosyltransferase as essential for B12 assimilation. Most notably, however, insertions in Rv1819c dominated the mutant pool, revealing an unexpected function in B12 acquisition for an ATP-binding cassette (ABC)-type protein previously investigated as the mycobacterial BacA homologue. Moreover, targeted deletion of Rv1819c eliminated the ability of M. tuberculosis to transport B12 and related corrinoids in vitro . Our results establish an alternative to the canonical BtuCD-type system for B12 uptake in M. tuberculosis, and elucidate a role in B12 metabolism for an ABC protein implicated in chronic mycobacterial infection.