Biomaterial Database

Initial catabolism of sorbitol in Actinomyces naeslundii and Actinomyces viscosus. 1994

S Kalfas, and N Takahashi, and T Yamada

Department of Oral Microbiology, Centre for Oral Health Sciences, University of Lund, Malmö, Sweden.

The initial steps of sorbitol catabolism were studied in 4 strains of Actinomyces naeslundii and Actinomyces viscosus that had been isolated from human dental plaque. Cell-free extracts were prepared from cells grown in the presence of either sorbitol, xylitol or glucose. The extracts from all strains grown on sorbitol had nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-linked dehydrogenase activities for sorbitol and xylitol and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-linked reductase activities for fructose and xylulose. Two of the strains also exhibited these activities when grown in the presence of xylitol, and all glucose-grown cells lacked them. The results indicate that sorbitol metabolism in oral actinomyces involve oxidation of sorbitol to fructose by an inducible enzyme, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-linked sorbitol dehydrogenase. This step is followed by the phosphorylation of fructose with guanosine triphosphate as a main phosphoryl donor. Thus, the initial catabolic pathway of sorbitol in A. naeslundii and A. viscosus is different from those described for other oral bacteria.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007064	L-Iditol 2-Dehydrogenase	An alcohol oxidoreductase which catalyzes the oxidation of L-iditol to L-sorbose in the presence of NAD. It also acts on D-glucitol to form D-fructose. It also acts on other closely related sugar alcohols to form the corresponding sugar. EC 1.1.1.14	Iditol Dehydrogenase,Sorbitol Dehydrogenase,Polyol Dehydrogenase,2-Dehydrogenase, L-Iditol,Dehydrogenase, Iditol,Dehydrogenase, Polyol,Dehydrogenase, Sorbitol,L Iditol 2 Dehydrogenase
D009243	NAD	A coenzyme composed of ribosylnicotinamide 5'-diphosphate coupled to adenosine 5'-phosphate by pyrophosphate linkage. It is found widely in nature and is involved in numerous enzymatic reactions in which it serves as an electron carrier by being alternately oxidized (NAD+) and reduced (NADH). (Dorland, 27th ed)	Coenzyme I,DPN,Diphosphopyridine Nucleotide,Nadide,Nicotinamide-Adenine Dinucleotide,Dihydronicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide,NADH,Adenine Dinucleotide, Dihydronicotinamide,Dinucleotide, Dihydronicotinamide Adenine,Dinucleotide, Nicotinamide-Adenine,Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide,Nucleotide, Diphosphopyridine
D009247	NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases	A group of oxidoreductases that act on NADH or NADPH. In general, enzymes using NADH or NADPH to reduce a substrate are classified according to the reverse reaction, in which NAD+ or NADP+ is formally regarded as an acceptor. This subclass includes only those enzymes in which some other redox carrier is the acceptor. (Enzyme Nomenclature, 1992, p100) EC 1.6.	Oxidoreductases, NADH, NADPH,NADPH Oxidoreductases NADH,Oxidoreductases NADH, NADPH
D010088	Oxidoreductases	The class of all enzymes catalyzing oxidoreduction reactions. The substrate that is oxidized is regarded as a hydrogen donor. The systematic name is based on donor:acceptor oxidoreductase. The recommended name will be dehydrogenase, wherever this is possible; as an alternative, reductase can be used. Oxidase is only used in cases where O2 is the acceptor. (Enzyme Nomenclature, 1992, p9)	Dehydrogenases,Oxidases,Oxidoreductase,Reductases,Dehydrogenase,Oxidase,Reductase
D004790	Enzyme Induction	An increase in the rate of synthesis of an enzyme due to the presence of an inducer which acts to derepress the gene responsible for enzyme synthesis.	Induction, Enzyme
D005636	Fructosephosphates
D006593	Hexokinase	An enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of ATP and a D-hexose to ADP and a D-hexose 6-phosphate. D-Glucose, D-mannose, D-fructose, sorbitol, and D-glucosamine can act as acceptors; ITP and dATP can act as donors. The liver isoenzyme has sometimes been called glucokinase. (From Enzyme Nomenclature, 1992) EC 2.7.1.1.	Hexokinase A,Hexokinase D,Hexokinase II
D000190	Actinomyces	A genus of gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria whose organisms are nonmotile. Filaments that may be present in certain species are either straight or wavy and may have swollen or clubbed heads.
D013012	Sorbitol	A polyhydric alcohol with about half the sweetness of sucrose. Sorbitol occurs naturally and is also produced synthetically from glucose. It was formerly used as a diuretic and may still be used as a laxative and in irrigating solutions for some surgical procedures. It is also used in many manufacturing processes, as a pharmaceutical aid, and in several research applications.	Glucitol,Medevac,Sorbilax,Yal,klysma Sorbit
D016924	Actinomyces viscosus	A species of ACTINOMYCES found in the oral cavity of man and hamsters. It has been isolated from actinomycotic lesions in swine, cats, and dogs and has been identified as a causative agent of animal diseases.