Analysis of Sucrose-6-Phosphate Hydrolase gene expression linked to central sugar metabolism of Pseudomonas syringae
The plant-borne disaccharide, sucrose, is a readily available carbon source for plant pathogens, bacteria of the oral cavity, and microbes associated with bio-ethanol production. These microorganisms use the extra-cellular enzyme, levansucrase, to release glucose from sucrose and to polymerize fructosyl residues into the branched polymer levan.
Our previous studies showed that two levansucrases of the gram negative bacterium, Pseudomonas syringae, i) are expressed in a temperature dependent manner and ii) led to an accumulation of levan in ‘storage compartments’ of biofilms.
Herein, it will be determined how levansucrase gene expression is regulated, and what the actual physiological role of levan formation is in context of carbon metabolism. The role of the sucrose metabolism regulator ScrR, and its interaction with upstream promoter region of scrB, Sucrose-6-Phosphate Hydrolase, gene will be investigated.
The hypothesis that levan formation might be a form of bacterial ‘waste disposal’ for later carbon recycling will be tested.
