Catabolism of leucine to branched-chain fatty acids in Staphylococcus xylosus

AIMS

Staphylococcus xylosus is an important starter culture in the production of flavours from the branched-chain amino acids leucine, valine and isoleucine in fermented meat products. The sensorially most important flavour compounds are the branched-chain aldehydes and acids derived from the corresponding amino acids and this paper intends to perspectivate these flavour compounds in the context of leucine metabolism.

METHODS AND RESULTS

GC and GC/MS analysis combined with stable isotope labelling was used to study leucine catabolism. This amino acid together with valine and isoleucine was used as precursors for the production of branched-chain fatty acids for cell membrane biosynthesis during growth. A 83.3% of the cellular fatty acids were branched. The dominating fatty acid was anteiso-C(15:0) that constituted 55% of the fatty acids. A pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and alpha-ketoacid dependent reaction catalysed the deamination of leucine, valine and isoleucine into their corresponding alpha-ketoacids. As alpha-amino group acceptor alpha-keto-beta-methylvaleric acid and alpha-ketoisovaleric acid was much more efficient than alpha-ketoglutarate. The sensorially and metabolic key intermediate on the pathway to the branched-chain fatty acids, 3-methylbutanoic acid was produced from leucine at the onset of the stationary growth phase and then, when the growth medium became scarce in leucine, from the oxidation of glucose via pyruvate.

CONCLUSIONS

This paper demonstrates that the sensorially important branched-chain aldehydes and acids are important intermediates on the metabolic route leading to branched-chain fatty acids for cell membrane biosynthesis.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The metabolic information obtained is extremely important in connection with a future biotechnological design of starter cultures for production of fermented meat.

Melatonin activates the peroxidase-oxidase reaction and promotes oscillations

We have studied the peroxidase-oxidase reaction with NADH and O2 as substrates and melatonin as a cofactor in a semibatch reactor. We show for the first time that melatonin is an activator of the reaction catalyzed by enzymes from both plant and animal sources. Furthermore, melatonin promotes oscillatory dynamics in the pH range from 5 to 6. The frequency of the oscillations depends on the pH such that an increase in pH was accompanied by a decrease in frequency. Conversely, an increase in the flow rate of NADH or an increase in the average concentration of NADH resulted in an increase in oscillation frequency. Complex dynamics were not observed with melatonin as a cofactor. These results are discussed in relation to observations of oscillatory dynamics and the function of melatonin and peroxidase in activated neutrophils.

Direct detection of polyaromatic hydrocarbons, estrogenic compounds and pesticides in water using desorption chemical ionisation membrane inlet mass spectrometry

This paper describes the use of desorption chemical ionisation membrane inlet mass spectrometry (DCI-MIMS) for the detection of a broad range of common contaminants in water. In addition, we discuss the advantages/disadvantages of two different types of chemical ionisation reagent gases, i-butene (a Broensted acid reagent) and argon (a charge exchange reagent). We found that polyaromatic hydrocarbons was detectable at ppt levels, the estrogenic compounds diethyl phthalate and octylphenol at high ppt levels, steroid hormones at ppb levels, hydrophobic pesticides at low ppb levels, whereas hydrophilic pesticides and bisphenol A were not detectable at all. With the exception of the polyaromatic hydrocarbons and pentachlorophenol, none of the reported compounds have to our knowledge been detected previously by other MIMS systems. In most cases the Broensted acid reagent gave characteristic ions at high mass/charge ratio, whereas the charge exchange reagent gave less characteristic ions at low m/z ratio. However, the sensitivity was generally not as good with the Broensted acid reagent as with the charge exchange reagent, since the Broensted acid reagent, i-butene, gave a large chemical background.

Direct detection of large fat-soluble biomolecules in solution using membrane inlet mass spectrometry and desorption chemical ionization

This paper presents the first membrane inlet mass spectrometry system capable of detecting large biomolecules, such as testosterone (M(r) 288), testosterone acetate (M(r) 330) and alpha-tocopherol (M(r) 430, vitamin E). The result was obtained using a home-made chemical ionization ion source with a thermostated tubular silicone membrane mounted right in the centre of a methane CI plasma. The liquid sample was flushed through the inside of the membrane for a period of 20-25 min, where the analyte diffused into the membrane. Following this trapping period the analyte was released from the membrane into the mass spectrometer by the combined action of heat radiation from the filament and charge transfer from the chemical ionization plasma. As a result of this stimulated desorption a good desorption peak was obtained as the analyte vaporized out of the membrane. Retinol (M(r) 286, vitamin A), cholecalciferol (M(r) 384, vitamin D3) and cholesterol (M(r) 386) were also detected. However, these compounds (all containing a long hydrocarbon chain and being aliphatic alcohols) did not give a protonated molecule. They gave a series of cluster ions with the dominant located 20 mass units below the molecular ion. The detection limits of the new desorption chemical ionization MIMS technique were at low or sub-micromolar concentrations (high ppb levels) and the reproducibility was within 20%, when the area of the desorption peak was used for quantitation.

The parasitic flagellates Trichomonas vaginalis and Tritrichomonas foetus produce indole and dimethyl disulphide: direct characterization by membrane inlet tandem mass spectrometry

The use of a membrane inlet triple quadrupole mass spectrometer revealed indole as an end product in the growth medium of cultures of the cattle parasite Tritrichomonas foetus and the human parasite Trichomonas vaginalis: formation of indole is enhanced in the presence of added tryptophan. Two different clinical isolates of Trich. vaginalis also produce dimethyl disulphide. Electron impact ionization yielded complex fragmentation mixtures, but the facility for analysis of daughter ions enabled unequivocal assignments. Chemical ionization gave [M + 1]+ species, and tandem mass spectrometry produced identification through daughter ions. The method provides a rapid single-step procedure for the characterization of microbial products without the need for preliminary separation and derivatization.