Browsing by Author "Hildenbrand, Jennie C."

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    Polyphosphat : ein unterschätztes Molekül
    (2022) Jendrossek, Dieter; Hildenbrand, Jennie C.
    Polyphosphate (polyP) is an inorganic biopolymer ubiquitously present in all species. It has a variety of functions ranging from that of a reservoir for phosphorous in many microorganisms to functions in blood coagulation and plays a role in neurogenerative diseases in humans. Here, we provide a summary of the structure and functions that have been addressed to polyP in microorganisms.
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    Polyphosphate kinases phosphorylate thiamine phosphates
    (2022) Hildenbrand, Jennie C.; Sprenger, Georg A.; Teleki, Attila; Takors, Ralf; Jendrossek, Dieter
    Polyphosphate kinases (PPKs) catalyze the reversible transfer of the γ-phosphate moiety of ATP (or of another nucleoside triphosphate) to a growing chain of polyphosphate (polyP). In this study, we describe that PPKs of various sources are additionally able to phosphorylate thiamine diphosphate (ThP2) to produce thiamine triphosphate (ThP3) and even thiamine tetraphosphate in vitro using polyP as phosphate donor. Furthermore, all tested PPK2s, but not PPK1s, were able to phosphorylate thiamine monophosphate (ThP1) to ThP2 and ThP3 although at low efficiency. The predicted masses and identities of the mono- and oligo-phosphorylated thiamine metabolites were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Moreover, the biological activity of ThP2, that was synthesized by phosphorylation of ThP1 with polyP and PPK, as a cofactor of ThP2-dependent enzymes (here transketolase TktA from Escherichia coli ) was confirmed in a coupled enzyme assay. Our study shows that PPKs are promiscuous enzymes in vitro that could be involved in the formation of a variety of phosphorylated metabolites in vivo.
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    A universal polyphosphate kinase : PPK2c of Ralstonia eutropha accepts purine and pyrimidine nucleotides including uridine diphosphate
    (2020) Hildenbrand, Jennie C.; Teleki, Attila; Jendrossek, Dieter
    Polyphosphosphate kinases (PPKs) catalyse the reversible transfer of the γ-phosphate group of a nucleoside-triphosphate to a growing chain of polyphosphate. Most known PPKs are specific for ATP, but some can also use GTP as a phosphate donor. In this study, we describe the properties of a PPK2-type PPK of the β-proteobacterium Ralstonia eutropha. The purified enzyme (PPK2c) is highly unspecific and accepts purine nucleotides as well as the pyridine nucleotides including UTP as substrates. The presence of a polyP primer is not necessary for activity. The corresponding nucleoside diphosphates and microscopically detectable polyphosphate granules were identified as reaction products. PPK2c also catalyses the formation of ATP, GTP, CTP, dTTP and UTP from the corresponding nucleoside diphosphates, if polyP is present as a phosphate donor. Remarkably, the nucleoside-tetraphosphates AT(4)P, GT(4)P, CT(4)P, dTT(4)P and UT(4)P were also detected in substantial amounts. The low nucleotide specificity of PPK2c predestines this enzyme in combination with polyP to become a powerful tool for the regeneration of ATP and other nucleotides in biotechnological applications. As an example, PPK2c and polyP were used to replace ATP and to fuel the hexokinase-catalysed phosphorylation of glucose with only catalytic amounts of ADP.