Enzymatic production of pyrimidine nucleotides using Corynebacterium ammoniagenes cells and recombinant Escherichia coli cells: enzymatic production of CDP-choline from orotic acid and choline chloride (Part I)

Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 1997 Jun;61(6):956-9. doi: 10.1271/bbb.61.956.

Abstract

Enzymatic production of cytidine diphosphate choline (CDP-choline) using orotic acid and choline chloride as substrates was investigated using a 200-ml beaker as a reaction vessel. When Cornybacterium ammoniagenes KY13505 cells were used as the enzyme source, UMP was accumulated up to 28.6 g/liter (77.6 mM) from orotic acid after 26 h of reaction. In this reaction, UDP and UTP were also accumulated, but CTP, a direct precursor of CDP-choline, was not accumulated sufficiently. Escherichia coli JF646/pMW6 cells, which overproduce CTP synthetase by selfcloning of the pyrG gene, were used together with cells of KY12505 for the enzymatic reaction using orotic acid as a substrate. CTP was produced at 8.95 g/liter (15.1 mM) after 23 h of this reaction. To produce CDP-choline, two additional enzyme activities were needed. E. coli MM294/pUCK3 and MM294/pCC41 cells, which express a choline kinase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (CKIase; encoded by the CKI gene) and a cholinephosphate cytidylyltransferase from S. cerevisiae (CCTase; encoded by the CCT gene) respectively, were added to this CTP-producing reaction system. After 23 h of the reaction using orotic acid and choline chloride as substrates, 7.7 g/liter (15.1 mM) of CDP-choline was accumulated without addition of ATP or phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP). ATP and PRPP required in the CDP-choline forming reaction system are biosynthesized by those cells using glucose as a substrate.

MeSH terms

  • Carbon-Nitrogen Ligases*
  • Choline / chemistry
  • Choline / metabolism*
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Corynebacterium / enzymology*
  • Corynebacterium / genetics
  • Cytidine Diphosphate Choline / chemical synthesis*
  • Cytidine Triphosphate / biosynthesis
  • Escherichia coli / enzymology*
  • Escherichia coli / genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / genetics*
  • Ligases / biosynthesis
  • Orotic Acid / chemistry
  • Orotic Acid / metabolism*
  • Phosphoribosyl Pyrophosphate / chemistry
  • Phosphoribosyl Pyrophosphate / metabolism
  • Plasmids
  • Pyrimidine Nucleotides / biosynthesis*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / enzymology
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / genetics
  • Substrate Specificity
  • Uridine Diphosphate / biosynthesis
  • Uridine Monophosphate / biosynthesis
  • Uridine Monophosphate / chemistry
  • Uridine Monophosphate / metabolism
  • Uridine Triphosphate / biosynthesis

Substances

  • Pyrimidine Nucleotides
  • Cytidine Diphosphate Choline
  • Uridine Diphosphate
  • Orotic Acid
  • Cytidine Triphosphate
  • Phosphoribosyl Pyrophosphate
  • Uridine Monophosphate
  • Ligases
  • Carbon-Nitrogen Ligases
  • CTP synthetase
  • Choline
  • Uridine Triphosphate