This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Chalumeau, H Articles by Gay, P Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Chalumeau, H Articles by Gay, P

Biochemical and genetic study of D-glucitol transport and catabolism in Bacillus subtilis.

ABSTRACT

The catabolic pathway of D-glucitol (sorbitol) in Bacillus subtilis Marburg 168M is characterized. It includes (i) a transport step catalyzed by a D-glucitol permease which is affected by the gutA mutations, (ii) an oxidation step of the intracellular D-glucitol catalyzed by a D-glucitol dehydrogenase, generating intracellular fructose, affected by gutB mutations, and (iii) phosphorylation of the intracellular fructose either at the C1 site or at the C6 site as described previously (A. Delobbe et al., Eur. J. Biochem., 66:485-491, 1976; A. Delobbe et al., EUR. J. Biochem. 51:503-510, 1975). Additional data are given concerning the phosphorylation of fructose by a fructokinase (fructose ATP 6-phosphotransferase), which is affected by the fruC mutation. The isolation of regulatory mutants affected in gutR that synthesize constitutively both the permease and the dehydrogenase indicates the existence of a D-glucitol operon in B. subtilis. Unlike the wild-type strain, these mutants are able to utilize D-xylitol as sole carbon source.