Regulation of cellulose synthesis in Acetobacter xylinum by cyclic diguanylic acid (original) (raw)

Nature volume 325, pages 279–281 (1987)Cite this article

Abstract

Cellulose is the most abundant renewable carbon resource on earth and is an indispensable raw material for the wood, paper, and textile industries. A model system to study the mechanism of cellulose biogenesis is the bacterium Acetobacter xylinum which produces pure cellulose as an extracellular product. It was from this organism that in vitro preparations which possessed high levels of cellulose synthase activity were first obtained in both membranous and soluble forms1–3. We recently demonstrated that this activity is subject to a complex multi-component regulatory system4,5, in which the synthase is directly affected by an unusual cyclic nucleotide activator enzymatically formed from GTP, and indirectly by a Ca2+-sensitive phosphodiesterase which degrades the activator. The cellulose synthase activator (CSA) has now been identified as bis-(3′ → 5′)-cyclic diguanylic acid (5′G3′p5′G3′p) on the basis of mass spectroscopic data, nuclear magnetic resonance analysis and comparison with chemically synthesized material. We also report here on intermediary steps in the synthesis and degradation of this novel circular dinucleotide, which have been integrated into a model for the regulation of cellulose synthesis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Chemistry, Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel
    P. Ross, H. Weinhouse, Y. Aloni, D. Michaeli, P. Weinberger-Ohana, R. Mayer, S. Braun & M. Benziman
  2. Gorlaeus Laboratories, PO Box 9502, Leiden, 2300 RA, The Netherlands
    E. de Vroom, G. A. van der Marel & J. H. van Boom

Authors

  1. P. Ross
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  2. H. Weinhouse
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  3. Y. Aloni
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  4. D. Michaeli
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  5. P. Weinberger-Ohana
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  6. R. Mayer
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  7. S. Braun
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  8. E. de Vroom
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  9. G. A. van der Marel
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  10. J. H. van Boom
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  11. M. Benziman
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Ross, P., Weinhouse, H., Aloni, Y. et al. Regulation of cellulose synthesis in Acetobacter xylinum by cyclic diguanylic acid.Nature 325, 279–281 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/325279a0

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