Adenine toxicity and transport in the moderately halophilic eubacterium Halomonas elongata

• Published in: Journal of basic microbiology Vol. 41; no. 2; pp. 97 - 104
• Main Authors: Perlman, A.M., Wolfe, J.K., Bush, T.E., Dyer, J.K., Martin, E.L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin WILEY-VCH Verlag Berlin GmbH 01.01.2001; WILEY‐VCH Verlag Berlin GmbH
• Subjects: Adenine - metabolism; Adenine - pharmacology; Biological Transport, Active; Culture Media; Cytosine - metabolism; Escherichia coli; Eubacteria; Eubacterium; Halomonas - drug effects; Halomonas - growth & development; Halomonas - metabolism; Halomonas elongata; Purines - metabolism; Pyrimidines - metabolism; Sodium Chloride
• DOI: 10.1002/1521-4028(200105)41:2<97::AID-JOBM97>3.0.CO;2-D
• ISSN: 0233-111X

The presence of adenine in the L‐alanine defined medium substantially inhibited the growth ofthe moderately halophilic eubacterium Halomonas elongata. Extensive attempts to reverse theadenine toxicity for growth were made using a variety of purine and pyrimidine compounds,vitamins, and amino acids. Of the compounds tested, only cytosine was found to reverse the adenine growth inhibition. This indicates a mechanism similar to that found for some strains of Escherichia coli in which the presence of exogenous purines (e.g. adenine) was found to stop purine denovo synthesis and repress the synthesis of the pyrimidine salvage enzyme cytosine deaminase. H.elongata was found to possess an active adenine uptake system that was sodium dependentwith only lithium having a considerable capacity to replace the sodium. A competition studyindicated that the adenine transport system was quite specific. This paper represents the initial study of purine and pyrimidine salvage pathways and adenine uptake for the moderately halophilic eubacteria.