Bacteria Genome Research Could Save Orchards and Assist Blood Transfusions

The researchers were interested in how the bacteria naturally produced a family of chemicals called desferrioxamines. Desferrioxamine E is produced by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora. The bacterium uses it to damage apple or pear trees and acquire iron from them. This allows it to establish an infection that leads to the economically-damaging agricultural disease known as “Fire Blight” that can sweep through an orchard if the infected trees are not removed. The bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor produces desferrioxamine B, which is used to treat iron overload in humans – for instance following extensive blood transfusions.

By studying the genomes of the two bacteria, the researchers were able to work out that each uses a similar biochemical pathway to produce desferrioxamines. In both cases they use a “remarkable” trimerisation-macrocyclisation reaction cascade in the key step. The researchers purified the enzyme responsible and showed that it could catalyse the reaction cascade in a test tube.

The current industrial process to create desferrioxamine B relies on the fermentation of the bacterium Streptomyces pilosus. The Warwick-led research has identified how Streptomyces bacteria create it using only four enzyme catalysts and four different building blocks. In contrast, the laboratory synthesis of desferrioxamine B requires 10 steps and uses numerous chemicals. Harnessing the enzymes may result in much cheaper pharmaceuticals based on desferrioxamine B and manipulating them could lead to the creation of new orally-active analogues of this important pharmaceutical.

The new understanding of how desferrioxamine E is created by Erwinia amylovora opens the way for the creation of new chemical inhibitors that may prevent this bacterium from inflicting Fire Blight on orchards

The research was led by Professor Greg Challis from the University of Warwick and involved colleagues from the University of Warwick and the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. It was published online in Nature Chemical Biology on Sunday 19th of August.

Media Contact

Richard Fern alfa

More Information:

http://www.warwick.ac.uk

All latest news from the category: Life Sciences and Chemistry

Articles and reports from the Life Sciences and chemistry area deal with applied and basic research into modern biology, chemistry and human medicine.

Valuable information can be found on a range of life sciences fields including bacteriology, biochemistry, bionics, bioinformatics, biophysics, biotechnology, genetics, geobotany, human biology, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biology, cellular biology, zoology, bioinorganic chemistry, microchemistry and environmental chemistry.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

Results for control of pollutants in water

Brazilian scientists tested a simple and sustainable method for monitoring and degrading a mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, compounds present in fossil fuels and industrial waste. An article published in the journal Catalysis…

A tandem approach for better solar cells

Perovskite-based solar cells were first proved in 2009 to have excellent light-absorbing properties of methylammonium lead bromide and methylammonium lead iodide, collectively referred to as lead halide perovskites or, more…

The behavior of ant queens is shaped by their social environment

Specialization of ant queens as mere egg-layers is reversible / Queen behavioral specialization is initiated and maintained by the presence of workers. The queens in colonies of social insects, such…

Partners & Sponsors