RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Riley, Sean P. A1 Bykowski, Tomasz. A1 Babb, Kelly A1 von Lackum, Kate A1 Stevenson, Brian.YR 2007 T1 Genetic and physiological characterization of the Borrelia burgdorferi ORF BB0374-pfs-metK-luxS operon JF Microbiology, VO 153 IS 7 SP 2304 OP 2311 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.2006/004424-0 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1465-2080, AB The Lyme disease spirochaete, Borrelia burgdorferi, produces the LuxS enzyme both in vivo and in vitro; this enzyme catalyses the synthesis of homocysteine and 4,5-dihydroxy-2,3-pentanedione (DPD) from a by-product of methylation reactions. Unlike most bacteria, B. burgdorferi is unable to utilize homocysteine. However, DPD levels alter expression levels of a subset of B. burgdorferi proteins. The present studies demonstrate that a single B. burgdorferi operon encodes both of the enzymes responsible for synthesis of DPD, as well as the enzyme for production of the Lyme spirochaete's only activated-methyl donor and a probable phosphohydrolase. Evidence was found for only a single transcriptional promoter, located 5′ of the first gene, which uses the housekeeping σ 70 subunit for RNA polymerase holoenzyme function. All four genes are co-expressed, and mRNA levels are growth-rate dependent, being produced during the exponential phase. Thus, high metabolic activity is accompanied by increased cellular levels of the only known borrelial methyl donor, enhanced detoxification of methylation by-products, and increased production of DPD. Therefore, production of DPD is directly correlated with cellular metabolism levels, and may thereby function as an extracellular and/or intracellular signal of bacterial health., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.2006/004424-0