Deoxyribonucleoside kinases in two aquatic bacteria with high specificity for thymidine and deoxyadenosine.

Tinkara Tinta, Louise Slot Christiansen, Anke Konrad, David A Liberles, Valentina Turk, Birgitte Munch-Petersen, Jure Piskur, Anders Ranegaard Clausen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Deoxyribonucleoside kinases (dNKs) are essential in the mammalian cell but their 'importance' in bacteria, especially aquatic ones, is less clear. We studied two aquatic bacteria, Gram-negative Flavobacterium psychrophilum JIP02/86 and Polaribacter sp. MED152, for their ability to salvage deoxyribonucleosides (dNs). Both had a Gram-positive-type thymidine kinase (TK1), which could phosphorylate thymidine, and one non-TK1 dNK, which could efficiently phosphorylate deoxyadenosine and slightly also deoxycytosine. Surprisingly, the four tested dNKs could not phosphorylate deoxyguanosine, and apparently, these two bacteria are missing this activity. When tens of available aquatic bacteria genomes were examined for the presence of dNKs, a majority had at least a TK1-like gene, but several lacked any dNKs. Apparently, among aquatic bacteria, the role of the dN salvage varies.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)120-127
JournalFEMS Microbiology Letters
Volume331
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Biological Sciences

Free keywords

  • aquatic bacteria
  • 3H-thymidine incorporation
  • deoxyribonucleoside kinase
  • nucleoside salvage

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Deoxyribonucleoside kinases in two aquatic bacteria with high specificity for thymidine and deoxyadenosine.'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this