Skip to main content
bioRxiv
  • Home
  • About
  • Submit
  • ALERTS / RSS
Advanced Search
New Results

Revealing metabolic flexibility of Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis through redox cofactor analysis and metabolic network modeling

View ORCID ProfileLeonor Guedes da Silva, View ORCID ProfileKarel Olavarria Gamez, Joana Castro Gomes, Kasper Akkermans, Laurens Welles, Ben Abbas, View ORCID ProfileMark C.M. van Loosdrecht, View ORCID ProfileSebastian Aljoscha Wahl
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/458331
Leonor Guedes da Silva
Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Leonor Guedes da Silva
  • For correspondence: LeonorGuedesdaSilva@gmail.com
Karel Olavarria Gamez
Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Karel Olavarria Gamez
Joana Castro Gomes
Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Kasper Akkermans
Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Laurens Welles
Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Ben Abbas
Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Mark C.M. van Loosdrecht
Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Mark C.M. van Loosdrecht
Sebastian Aljoscha Wahl
Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Sebastian Aljoscha Wahl
  • Abstract
  • Full Text
  • Info/History
  • Metrics
  • Supplementary material
  • Preview PDF
Loading

ABSTRACT

Environmental fluctuations in the availability of nutrients lead to intricate metabolic strategies. Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis, a polyphosphate accumulating organism (PAO) responsible for enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) from wastewater treatment systems, is prevalent in aerobic/anaerobic environments. While the overall metabolic traits of these bacteria are well described, the inexistence of isolates has led to controversial conclusions on the metabolic pathways used.

Here, we experimentally determined the redox cofactor preference of different oxidoreductases in the central carbon metabolism of a highly enriched Ca. A. phosphatis culture. Remarkably, we observed that the acetoacetyl-CoA reductase engaged in polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) synthesis is NADH-preferring instead of the generally assumed NADPH dependency. Based on previously published meta-omics data and the results of enzymatic assays, a reduced central carbon metabolic network was constructed and used for simulating different metabolic operating modes. In particular, scenarios with different acetate-to-glycogen consumption ratios were simulated. For a high ratio (i.e. more acetate), a polyphosphate-based metabolism arises as optimal with a metabolic flux through the glyoxylate shunt. In case of a low acetate-to-glycogen ratio, glycolysis is used in combination with reductive branch of the TCA cycle. Thus, optimal metabolic flux strategies will depend on the environment (acetate uptake) and on intracellular storage compounds availability (polyphosphate/glycogen).

This metabolic flexibility is enabled by the NADH-driven PHA synthesis. It allows for maintaining metabolic activity under varying environmental substrate conditions, with high carbon conservation and lower energetic costs compared to NADPH dependent PHA synthesis. Such (flexible) metabolic redox coupling can explain PAOs’ competitiveness under oxygen-fluctuating environments.

IMPORTANCE Here we demonstrate how microbial metabolism can adjust to a wide range of environmental conditions. Such flexibility generates a selective advantage under fluctuating environmental conditions. It can also explain the different observations reported in PAO literature, including the capacity of Ca. Accumulibacter phosphatis to act like glycogen accumulating organisms (GAO). These observations stem from slightly different experimental conditions and controversy only arises when one assumes metabolism can only operate in one single mode. Furthermore, we also show how the study of metabolic strategies is possible when combining-omics data with functional assays and modeling. Genomic information can only provide the potential of a microorganism. The environmental context and other complementary approaches are still needed to study and predict the functional application of such metabolic potential.

Footnotes

  • These investigations were supported by the SIAM Gravitation Grant 024.002.002, the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).

  • The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.
Back to top
PreviousNext
Posted March 11, 2019.
Download PDF

Supplementary Material

Email

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv.

NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Revealing metabolic flexibility of Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis through redox cofactor analysis and metabolic network modeling
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Share
Revealing metabolic flexibility of Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis through redox cofactor analysis and metabolic network modeling
Leonor Guedes da Silva, Karel Olavarria Gamez, Joana Castro Gomes, Kasper Akkermans, Laurens Welles, Ben Abbas, Mark C.M. van Loosdrecht, Sebastian Aljoscha Wahl
bioRxiv 458331; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/458331
Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Google logo LinkedIn logo Mendeley logo
Citation Tools
Revealing metabolic flexibility of Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis through redox cofactor analysis and metabolic network modeling
Leonor Guedes da Silva, Karel Olavarria Gamez, Joana Castro Gomes, Kasper Akkermans, Laurens Welles, Ben Abbas, Mark C.M. van Loosdrecht, Sebastian Aljoscha Wahl
bioRxiv 458331; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/458331

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Subject Area

  • Microbiology
Subject Areas
All Articles
  • Animal Behavior and Cognition (3589)
  • Biochemistry (7553)
  • Bioengineering (5498)
  • Bioinformatics (20742)
  • Biophysics (10305)
  • Cancer Biology (7962)
  • Cell Biology (11624)
  • Clinical Trials (138)
  • Developmental Biology (6596)
  • Ecology (10175)
  • Epidemiology (2065)
  • Evolutionary Biology (13586)
  • Genetics (9525)
  • Genomics (12824)
  • Immunology (7911)
  • Microbiology (19518)
  • Molecular Biology (7647)
  • Neuroscience (42014)
  • Paleontology (307)
  • Pathology (1254)
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology (2195)
  • Physiology (3260)
  • Plant Biology (7027)
  • Scientific Communication and Education (1294)
  • Synthetic Biology (1948)
  • Systems Biology (5420)
  • Zoology (1113)