Energy production from polyphosphate during starvation in myxobacterium

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K05770
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 38020:Applied microbiology-related
• Research Institution: Kagawa University
• Principal Investigator: Kimura Yoshio 香川大学, 農学部, 教授 (10243750)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: ポリリン酸 / 粘液細菌 / ATP

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we mainly investigated the mechanism of polyphosphate synthesis and the role of polyphosphate produced during amino acid starvation using Myxococcus xanthus. The results suggest that polyphosphate is produced by polyphosphate synthase (Ppk1) using intracellularly abundant phosphate and diphosphate as primary substrates and adding phosphate at the γ-position of ATP to these substrates. It was presumed that during sporulation, polyphosphate is used to transfer phosphate to AMP, ADP, and NAD+.

Free Research Field

微生物生理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ポリリン酸の合成は幾つかの細菌で報告されているが、初発の基質については報告されておらず、また、分解酵素の役割も不明確であった。我々は詳細に粘液細菌におけるポリリン酸合成過程を研究し、その過程を明らかにすることができたこと、また、飢餓時に胞子形成を行う本菌においてポリリン酸の役割（エネルギー生成）を明らかにすることができたことに学術的意義があると考えている。