JB Accepts, published online ahead of print on 15 December 2006

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J. Bacteriol. doi:10.1128/JB.01402-06
Copyright (c) 2006, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.

The L-tartrate/succinate antiporter TtdT (YgjE) of L-tartrate fermentation in Escherichia coli

Ok Bin Kim and Gottfried Unden^*

Institut für Mikrobiologie und Weinforschung, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Becherweg 15, 55099 Mainz, Germany

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: unden{at}uni-mainz.de.

Escherichia coli ferments L-tartrate under anaerobic conditions in the presence of an additional electron donor to succinate. The carrier for L-tartrate uptake and succinate export and its relation to the general C₄-dicarboxylate carriers DcuA, DcuB and DcuC were studied. The secondary carrier TtdT encoded by the ttdT (previous ygjE) gene is required for the uptake of L-tartrate. The ttdT gene is located downstream the ttdA ttdB genes encoding L-tartrate dehydratase TtdAB. Analysis of mRNA by RT-PCR showed that ttdA ttdB ttdT are cotranscribed. Deletion of ttdT abolishes growth by L-tartrate and degradation of L-tartrate completely. Bacteria containing TtdT catalyze L-tartrate or succinate uptake, and a specific heterologous L-tartrate/succinate antiport. D-Tartrate is no substrate for TtdT. TtdT operates preferentially in the direction of tartrate uptake and succinate excretion. The Dcu carriers did not support anaerobic growth on L-tartrate or L-tartrate transport. TtdT is related in sequence and function to CitT which catalyzes heterologous citrate/succinate antiport in citrate fermentation.

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