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Engineered ketol-acid reductoisomerase and alcohol dehydrogenase enable anaerobic 2-methylpropan-1-ol production at theoretical yield in Escherichia coli  

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

2-methylpropan-1-ol (isobutanol) is a leading candidate biofuel for the replacement or supplementation of current fossil fuels. Recent work has demonstrated glucose to isobutanol conversion through a modified amino acid pathway in a recombinant organism. Although anaerobic conditions are required for an economically competitive process, only aerobic isobutanol production has been feasible due to an imbalance in cofactor utilization. Two of the pathway enzymes, ketol-acid reductoisomerase and alcohol dehydrogenase, require nicotinamide dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH); glycolysis, however, produces only nicotinamide dinucleotide (NADH). Here, we compare two solutions to this imbalance problem: (1) over-expression of pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase PntAB and (2) construction of an NADH-de...

2011-01-01

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Vitamins B2 and B6 and genetic polymorphisms related to one-carbon metabolism as risk factors for gastric adenocarcinoma in the European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition  

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

B vitamins and polymorphisms in genes coding for enzymes involved in one-carbon metabolism may affect DNA synthesis and methylation and thereby be implicated in carcinogenesis. Previous data on vitamins B2 and B6 and genetic polymorphisms other than those involving MTHFR as risk factors for gastric cancer (GC) are sparse and inconsistent. In this case-control study nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort, cases (n = 235) and controls (n = 601) were matched for study center, age, sex, and time of blood sampling. B2 and B6 species were measured in plasma, and the sum of riboflavin and flavin mononucleotide was used as the main exposure variable for vitamin B2 status, whereas the sum of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, pyridoxal, and 4-pyridoxic acid was used to define vitamin B6 status. In addition, we determined eight polymorphisms related to one-carbon metabolism. Relative risks for GC risk were calculated ...

2010-01-01

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Structural definition of the active site and catalytic mechanism of 3,4-dihydroxy-2-butanone 4-phosphate synthase  

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

X-ray crystal structures of L-3,4-dihydroxy-2-butanone-4-phosphate synthase from Magnaporthe grisea are reported for the E-SO{sub 4}{sup 2-}, E-{sub 4}{sup 2-}-Mg{sup 2+}, E-SO{sub 4}{sup 2-}-Mn{sup 2+}, E-SO{sub 4}{sup 2-}-Mn{sup 2+}-glycerol, and E-SO{sub 4}{sup 2-}-Zn{sup 2+} complexes with resolutions that extend to 1.55, 0.98, 1.60, 1.16, and 1.00 {angstrom}, respectively. Active-site residues of the homodimer are fully defined. The structures were used to model the substrate ribulose 5-phosphate in the active site with the phosphate group anchored at the sulfate site and the placement of the ribulose group guided by the glycerol site. The model includes two Mg{sup 2+} cations that bind to the oxygen substituents of the C2, C3, C4, and phosphate groups of the substrate, the side chains of Glu37 and His153, and water molecules. The position of the metal cofactors and the substrate's phosphate group are further stabilized by an ...

2010-03-08