RESUMEN

To understand basic principles of bacterial metabolism organization and regulation, but also the impact of genome size, we systematically studied one of the smallest bacteria, Mycoplasma pneumoniae. A manually curated metabolic network of 189 reactions catalyzed by 129 enzymes allowed the design of a defined, minimal medium with 19 essential nutrients. More than 1300 growth curves were recorded in the presence of various nutrient concentrations. Measurements of biomass indicators, metabolites, and 13C-glucose experiments provided information on directionality, fluxes, and energetics; integration with transcription profiling enabled the global analysis of metabolic regulation. Compared with more complex bacteria, the M. pneumoniae metabolic network has a more linear topology and contains a higher fraction of multifunctional enzymes; general features such as metabolite concentrations, cellular energetics, adaptability, and global gene expression responses are similar, however.

Asunto(s)

Proteínas Bacterianas/metabolismo , Regulación Bacteriana de la Expresión Génica , Genoma Bacteriano , Redes y Vías Metabólicas , Mycoplasma pneumoniae/genética , Mycoplasma pneumoniae/metabolismo , Adenosina Trifosfato/metabolismo , Medios de Cultivo , Metabolismo Energético , Enzimas/genética , Enzimas/metabolismo , Perfilación de la Expresión Génica , Glucólisis , Mycoplasma pneumoniae/crecimiento & desarrollo , ARN Bacteriano/genética , ARN Bacteriano/metabolismo , Transducción de Señal , Biología de Sistemas , Transcripción Genética , Operón de ARNr