Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1974 Nov;120(2):702–714. doi: 10.1128/jb.120.2.702-714.1974

Glucose Metabolism in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Stephen A Morse a,1, Stefanie Stein a, James Hines a
PMCID: PMC245830  PMID: 4156358

Abstract

The metabolism of glucose was examined in several clinical isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Radiorespirometric studies revealed that growing cells metabolized glucose by a combination on the Entner-Doudoroff and pentose phosphate pathways. A portion of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate formed via the Entner-Doudoroff pathway was recycled by conversion to glucose-6-phosphate. Subsequent catabolism of this glucose-6-phosphate by either the Entner-Doudoroff or pentose phosphate pathways yielded CO2 from the original C6 of glucose. Enzyme analyses confirmed the presence of all enzymes of the Entner-Doudoroff, pentose phosphate, and Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathways. There was always a high specific activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.49) relative to that of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.44). The glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase utilized either nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide as electron acceptor. Acetate was the only detectable nongaseous end product of glucose metabolism. Following the disappearance of glucose, acetate was metabolized by the tricarboxylic acid cycle as evidenced by the preferential oxidation of [1-14C]acetate over that of [2-14C]acetate. When an aerobically grown log-phase culture was subjected to anaerobic conditions, lactate and acetate were formed from glucose. Radiorespirometric studies showed that under these conditions, glucose was dissimilated entirely by the Entner-Doudoroff pathway. Further studies determined that this anaerobic dissimilation of glucose was not growth dependent.

Full text

PDF
702

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ALLISON W. S., KAPLAN N. O. THE COMPARATIVE ENZYMOLOGY OF TRIOSEPHOSPHATE DEHYDROGENASE. J Biol Chem. 1964 Jul;239:2140–2152. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. D'Alessio G., Josse J. Glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase, phosphoglycerate kinase, and phosphoglyceromutase of Escherichia coli. Simultaneous purification and physical properties. J Biol Chem. 1971 Jul 10;246(13):4319–4325. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Dobrogosz W. J. Altered end-product patterns and catabolite repression in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1966 Jun;91(6):2263–2269. doi: 10.1128/jb.91.6.2263-2269.1966. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Eisenberg R. C., Dobrogosz W. J. Gluconate metabolism in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1967 Mar;93(3):941–949. doi: 10.1128/jb.93.3.941-949.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Flynn J., Waitkins S. A. A serum-free medium for testing fermentation reactions in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Clin Pathol. 1972 Jun;25(6):525–527. doi: 10.1136/jcp.25.6.525. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hunter K. M., McVeigh I. Development of a chemically defined medium for growth of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 1970;36(2):305–316. doi: 10.1007/BF02069032. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. JYSSUM K., BORCHGREVINK B., JYSSUM S. Glucose catabolism in Neisseria meningitidis. 1. Glucose oxidation and intermediate reactions of the Embden-Meyerhof pathway. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand. 1961;53:71–83. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. James-Holmquest A. N., Wende R. D., Mudd R. L., Williams R. P. Comparison of atmospheric conditions for culture of clinical specimens of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Appl Microbiol. 1973 Oct;26(4):466–469. doi: 10.1128/am.26.4.466-469.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. KATZ J., WOOD H. G. The use of C14O2 yields from glucose-1- and -6-C14 for the evaluation of the pathways of glucose metabolism. J Biol Chem. 1963 Feb;238:517–523. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. KELLOGG D. S., Jr, PEACOCK W. L., Jr, DEACON W. E., BROWN L., PIRKLE D. I. NEISSERIA GONORRHOEAE. I. VIRULENCE GENETICALLY LINKED TO CLONAL VARIATION. J Bacteriol. 1963 Jun;85:1274–1279. doi: 10.1128/jb.85.6.1274-1279.1963. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Keele B. B., Jr, Hamilton P. B., Elkan G. H. Gluconate catabolism in Rhizobium japonicum. J Bacteriol. 1970 Mar;101(3):698–704. doi: 10.1128/jb.101.3.698-704.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kellogg D. S., Jr, Turner E. M. Rapid fermentation confirmation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Appl Microbiol. 1973 Apr;25(4):550–552. doi: 10.1128/am.25.4.550-552.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. MORTENSON L. E., HAMILTON P. B., WILSON P. W. Dissimilation of 6-phosphogluconate by Azotobacter vinelandii. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1955 Feb;16(2):238–244. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(55)90209-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. McIllmurray M. B., Lascelles J. Anaerobiosis and the activity of enzymes of pyrimidine biosynthesis in Staphylococcus aureus. J Gen Microbiol. 1970 Dec;64(3):269–277. doi: 10.1099/00221287-64-3-269. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Morse S. A., Bartenstein L. Factors affecting autolysis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1974 Apr;145(4):1418–1421. doi: 10.3181/00379727-145-38025. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Okinaka R. T., Dobrogosz W. J. Catabolite repression and pyruvate metabolism in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1967 May;93(5):1644–1650. doi: 10.1128/jb.93.5.1644-1650.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Olive C., Levy H. R. The preparation and some properties of crystalline glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides. Biochemistry. 1967 Mar;6(3):730–736. doi: 10.1021/bi00855a012. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Olsson I., Gardell S. Isolation and characterization of glycosaminoglycans from human leukocytes and platelets. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1967 Jul 25;141(2):348–357. doi: 10.1016/0304-4165(67)90109-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Quay S. C., Friedman S. B., Eisenberg R. C. Gluconate regulation of glucose catabolism in Pseudomonas fluorescens. J Bacteriol. 1972 Oct;112(1):291–298. doi: 10.1128/jb.112.1.291-298.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Ragland T. E., Kawasaki T., Lowenstein J. M. Comparative aspects of some bacterial dehydrogenases and transhydrogenases. J Bacteriol. 1966 Jan;91(1):236–244. doi: 10.1128/jb.91.1.236-244.1966. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Romano A. H., Eberhard S. J., Dingle S. L., McDowell T. D. Distribution of the phosphoenolpyruvate: glucose phosphotransferase system in bacteria. J Bacteriol. 1970 Nov;104(2):808–813. doi: 10.1128/jb.104.2.808-813.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. WANG C. H., STERN I., GILMOUR C. M., KLUNGSOYR S., REED D. J., BIALY J. J., CHRISTENSEN B. E., CHELDELIN V. H. Comparative study of glucose catabolism by the radiorespirometric method. J Bacteriol. 1958 Aug;76(2):207–216. doi: 10.1128/jb.76.2.207-216.1958. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Williams R. P., Wende R. D. "Anaerobic" growth of gonococci, and candle jars. JAMA. 1972 Oct 9;222(2):212–212. doi: 10.1001/jama.222.2.212b. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES