Removal of phosphoglycolate in hyperthermophilic archaea.

Abstract

Many organisms that utilize the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle for autotrophic growth harbor metabolic pathways to remove and/or salvage 2-phosphoglycolate, the product of the oxygenase activity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco). It has been presumed that the occurrence of 2-phosphoglycolate salvage is linked to the CBB cycle, and in particular, the C2 pathway to the CBB cycle and oxygenic photosynthesis. Here, we examined 2-phosphoglycolate salvage in the hyperthermophilic archaeon <i>Thermococcus kodakarensis</i>, an obligate anaerobe that harbors a Rubisco that functions in the pentose bisphosphate pathway. <i>T. kodakarensis</i> harbors enzymes that have the potential to convert 2-phosphoglycolate to glycine and serine, and their genes were identified by biochemical and/or genetic analyses. 2-phosphoglycolate phosphatase activity increased 1.6-fold when cells were grown under microaerobic conditions compared to anaerobic conditions. Among two candidates, TK1734 encoded a phosphatase specific for 2-phosphoglycolate, and the enzyme was responsible for 80% of the 2-phosphoglycolate phosphatase activity in <i>T. kodakarensis</i> cells. The TK1734 disruption strain displayed growth impairment under microaerobic conditions, which was relieved upon addition of sodium sulfide. In addition, glycolate was detected in the medium when <i>T. kodakarensis</i> was grown under microaerobic conditions. The results suggest that <i>T. kodakarensis</i> removes 2-phosphoglycolate via a phosphatase reaction followed by secretion of glycolate to the medium. As the Rubisco in <i>T. kodakarensis</i> functions in the pentose bisphosphate pathway and not in the CBB cycle, mechanisms to remove 2-phosphoglycolate in this archaeon emerged independent of the CBB cycle.