Abstract
Nucleoside diphosphate kinase (Ndk) is an important enzyme that generates nucleoside triphosphates (NTPs) or their deoxy derivatives by terminal phosphotransfer from an NTP such as ATP or GTP to any nucleoside diphosphate or its deoxy derivative. As NTPs, particularly GTP, are important for cellular macromolecular synthesis and signalling mechanisms, Ndk plays an important role in bacterial growth, signal transduction and pathogenicity. Specific examples of the role of Ndk in regulating growth, NTP formation and cell surface polysaccharide synthesis in two respiratory tract pathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, are discussed.
Publication types
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
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Review
MeSH terms
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Alginates / metabolism
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Guanosine Tetraphosphate / metabolism
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Guanosine Triphosphate / metabolism
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Mycobacterium tuberculosis / growth & development
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Mycobacterium tuberculosis / metabolism
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Mycobacterium tuberculosis / pathogenicity
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Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase / metabolism
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Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase / physiology*
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Polyphosphates
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Polysaccharides / biosynthesis*
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Pseudomonas aeruginosa / growth & development
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Pseudomonas aeruginosa / metabolism
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Pseudomonas aeruginosa / pathogenicity
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Signal Transduction*
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Virulence
Substances
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Alginates
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Polyphosphates
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Polysaccharides
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Guanosine Tetraphosphate
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Guanosine Triphosphate
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Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase