Name: sulfur uptake and cysteine synthesis
Uploaded: 2025-06-12T09:37:55.000Z
Duration: 1 min 20 s
Channel: JoVE

Siarka jest niezbędna do syntezy aminokwasów, takich jak cysteina i metionina, oraz koenzymów, takich jak koenzym A i biotyna. Mikroorganizmy absorbują siarkę głównie w postaci siarczanów z gleby i wody. Ponieważ siarczan jest silnie utleniony, musi przejść proces asymilacyjnej redukcji siarki, zanim zostanie włączony do biomolekuł. Proces ten rozpoczyna się od aktywacji siarczanu, katalizowanego przez sulfurylazę ATP, tworząc adenozyno-5-fosfossiarczan. Jest on fosforylowany do 3-fosfoadenozyno-5-fosfossiarczanu lub PAPS. PAPS uwalnia siarczyn, który jest dalej reduktowany do siarkowodoru przez reduktazę siarczynową. W grzybach siarkowodór łączy się z seryną, tworząc cystynę, która później jest redukowana do cysteiny. U bakterii i niektórych archeonów siarkowodór łączy się z O-acetyloseryną lub O-fosfoseryną, tworząc cysteinę. Po utworzeniu cysteina dostarcza siarkę do syntezy metioniny i innych związków zawierających siarkę, takich jak koenzym A i biotyna.

asymilacja siarki

Sulfur Assimilation

Siarka jest niezb&#281;dnym pierwiastkiem w uk&#322;adach biologicznych, odgrywaj&#261;c kluczow&#261; rol&#281; w syntezie istotnych biomoleku&#322;, takich jak aminokwasy cysteina i metionina oraz kofaktory, w tym koenzym A i biotyna. Mikroorganizmy asymiluj&#261; siark&#281; g&#322;&#243;wnie w postaci siarczanu (SO_4^2-) pochodz&#261;cego ze &#347;rodowiska, kt&#243;ry musi przej&#347;&#263; szereg transformacji biochemicznych, zanim zostanie w&#322;&#261;czony do sk&#322;adnik&#243;w kom&#243;rkowych. Poniewa&#380; siarczan wyst&#281;puje w silnie utlenionej formie, musi zosta&#263; poddany asymilacyjnej redukcji siarczan&#243;w, aby sta&#322; si&#281; biologicznie u&#380;yteczny. Niekt&#243;re mikroorganizmy mog&#261; wykorzystywa&#263; alternatywne &#378;r&#243;d&#322;a siarki, takie jak siarkowe aminokwasy (cysteina, metionina) lub zwi&#261;zki siarki zredukowanej (tiosiarczan, siarka elementarna). Zwi&#261;zki te omijaj&#261; konieczno&#347;&#263; aktywacji i redukcji siarczanu, co pozwala na bardziej efektywn&#261; energetycznie asymilacj&#281; siarki.
Szlak aktywacji i redukcji siarczan&#243;w
Proces rozpoczyna si&#281; od aktywacji siarczanu przez enzym ATP-sulfurylaz&#281;, kt&#243;ry katalizuje powstawanie adenozylo-5&#8242;-fosfosiarczanu (APS). APS (adenozyno-5&#8242;-fosfosiarczan) pe&#322;ni rol&#281; kluczowego po&#347;rednika w metabolizmie siarczan&#243;w &#8211; mo&#380;e ulega&#263; dalszej fosforylacji, tworz&#261;c fosfoadenozyno-5&#8242;-fosfosiarczan (PAPS), lub w niekt&#243;rych bakteriach przechodzi&#263; bezpo&#347;rednio do redukcji. PAPS jest istotny nie tylko w procesie asymilacji siarczan&#243;w, ale r&#243;wnie&#380; w reakcjach sulfacji zachodz&#261;cych w kom&#243;rkach. 
Redukcja PAPS do siarczynu (SO_3^2-) zachodzi za po&#347;rednictwem reduktazy PAPS, a nast&#281;pnie siarczyn jest przekszta&#322;cany w siarkowod&#243;r (H_2S) przez reduktaz&#281; siarczynow&#261;. Te kolejne redukcje przekszta&#322;caj&#261; siark&#281; do formy biologicznie dost&#281;pnej dla cz&#261;steczek organicznych. Donory elektron&#243;w, takie jak NADPH, dostarczaj&#261; odpowiednich r&#243;wnowa&#380;nik&#243;w redukuj&#261;cych niezb&#281;dnych do przeprowadzenia tych reakcji.
W&#322;&#261;czenie siarkowodoru do cysteiny
Ostatni etap asymilacji siarki polega na w&#322;&#261;czeniu siarkowodoru do szlaku biosyntezy aminokwas&#243;w. U grzyb&#243;w H_2S reaguje z seryn&#261;, prowadz&#261;c do powstania cysteiny. U bakterii i niekt&#243;rych archeon&#243;w H_2S &#322;&#261;czy si&#281; z O-acetyloseryn&#261; lub O-fosfoseryn&#261;, prowadz&#261;c do syntezy cysteiny w reakcjach enzymatycznych. O-acetyloseryna jest cz&#281;&#347;ciej wykorzystywana przez Escherichia coli i pokrewne bakterie, natomiast szlaki zale&#380;ne od O-fosfoseryny wyst&#281;puj&#261; u niekt&#243;rych archeon&#243;w, takich jak Methanocaldococcus jannaschii.
Cysteina jest kluczowym prekursorem w biosyntezie metioniny oraz w produkcji kofaktor&#243;w zawieraj&#261;cych siark&#281;, takich jak koenzym A i biotyna. Dodatkowo metabolizm siarki odgrywa wa&#380;n&#261; rol&#281; w utrzymaniu homeostazy redoksowej, szczeg&#243;lnie poprzez syntez&#281; glutationu, kt&#243;ry chroni kom&#243;rki przed stresem oksydacyjnym.

Asymilacja siarki

Siarka jest niezb&#281;dnym pierwiastkiem w uk&#322;adach biologicznych, odgrywaj&#261;c kluczow&#261; rol&#281; w syntezie istotnych biomoleku&#322;, ...

Education

JoVE Core

Microbiology

Mikrobiologia

Unit

Jednostka

Microbial Metabolism

Metabolizm drobnoustrojów

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

KLUCZOWE TERMINY I POJĘCIA

sulfur uptake and cysteine synthesis

Sulfur uptake and cysteine synthesis are key parts of microbial metabolism. Sulfur is needed to build important biomolecules, including the amino acids cysteine and methionine, as well as cofactors such as coenzyme A and biotin. Microorganisms usually take in sulfur from the environment as sulfate, but sulfate must be changed before cells can use it.

Because sulfate is highly oxidized, it must go through assimilatory sulfate reduction to become biologically useful. Some microorganisms can also use sulfur-containing amino acids like cysteine and methionine, or reduced sulfur compounds such as thiosulfate and elemental sulfur. These sources bypass sulfate activation and reduction, so they provide a more energy-efficient route for sulfur assimilation.

The pathway starts when ATP sulfurylase activates sulfate and forms adenosine-5′-phosphosulfate, or APS. APS is an important intermediate in sulfate metabolism. In some bacteria, it is reduced directly, while in others it is first phosphorylated to phosphoadenosine-5′-phosphosulfate, or PAPS. PAPS also has a role in sulfation reactions inside cells.

PAPS reductase converts PAPS to sulfite, and sulfite reductase then reduces sulfite to hydrogen sulfide, or H2S. These steps use reducing equivalents such as NADPH to provide electrons. The sequence of reductions turns sulfur into a form that cells can build into organic molecules.

The final step is the use of hydrogen sulfide in amino acid metabolism. In fungi, H2S reacts with serine to form cysteine. In bacteria and some archaea, H2S combines with O-acetylserine or O-phosphoserine to make cysteine. O-acetylserine is common in Escherichia coli and related bacteria, while O-phosphoserine pathways occur in some archaea, including Methanocaldococcus jannaschii.

Cysteine then helps make methionine and sulfur-containing cofactors such as coenzyme A and biotin. Sulfur metabolism also supports redox balance through glutathione synthesis. Glutathione helps protect cells from oxidative stress.

Sulfur Uptake and Cysteine Synthesis

microbial nutrition

Microbial Energy and Carbon Sources

Microbial energy and carbon sources determine how microorganisms live and grow. These metabolic strategies help microbes survive in many habitats and keep energy moving through ecosystems. They also support nutrient cycling in nature. Microbes are grouped by where they get energy, electrons, and carbon. Phototrophs use light, while chemotrophs use chemical compounds for energy. Lithotrophs take electrons from reduced inorganic substances, and organotrophs take them from organic compounds.

atp and energy production

How Cells Make and Use ATP

ATP is the main energy carrier in cells. It is made of adenosine, which includes adenine and ribose, plus three phosphate groups. The bonds between the phosphate groups hold a large amount of potential energy. When ATP is hydrolyzed, it becomes ADP or AMP and releases energy for cell work. Cells use that energy for many essential tasks. It supports macromolecule synthesis, intracellular transport, and mechanical movement. ATP also acts as an energy manager by linking catabolic and anabolic...

redox reactions

Electron Carriers in Redox Metabolism

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introduction to metabolism

Metabolism: Energy Use and Biomolecule Synthesis

Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that keep living cells working. It includes reactions that break down biomolecules and reactions that build them up. These two sides of metabolism work together to support energy balance and cell function. Catabolic pathways break large molecules into smaller parts. Carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins can be broken down into monosaccharides, fatty acids, and amino acids. These reactions release energy, and cells store much of that energy as ATP, or...

carbohydrate catabolism

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glycolysis

Glycolysis and Pyruvate Fate

Glycolysis is a central pathway in glucose catabolism and a major way cells make energy. It is also called the Embden-Meyerhof pathway. This process takes place in the cytoplasm and can work with or without oxygen, which makes it useful in many organisms and conditions. Glycolysis has ten steps and turns one glucose molecule into two pyruvate molecules. It has two phases. In the preparatory phase, the cell uses two ATP to add phosphate groups to glucose and split it into two three-carbon...

other glycolytic pathways

Pentose Phosphate Pathway and Entner-Doudoroff

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cellular respiration

Cellular Respiration: ATP Production Pathways

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electron transport chain components

Electron Transport Chain and ATP Production

The electron transport chain helps cells make ATP by moving electrons through membrane protein complexes. In eukaryotic cells, it sits in the inner mitochondrial membrane. In prokaryotic cells, it is found in the plasma membrane and can differ in the number and type of complexes, depending on the organism and its environment. The chain uses several electron carriers to pass electrons along in redox reactions, which are reactions that involve oxidation and reduction. These carriers include...

chemiosmosis and atp synthesis

Electron Transport Chain Powers ATP Output

The electron transport chain powers ATP production during cellular respiration. It sits in the inner mitochondrial membrane and moves high-energy electrons from NADH and FADH2 to molecular oxygen, the final electron acceptor. As electrons move through the chain, protons are pushed across the membrane to build the gradient needed for ATP synthesis. Electrons from NADH enter the chain at Complex I, also called NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase. In prokaryotes, this step helps pump protons from the...

respiration pathways

TCA Cycle and Energy Pathways

Cellular respiration uses the TCA cycle, also called the Krebs cycle, to help cells make usable energy from organic molecules. This pathway is a central part of aerobic respiration and also supports biosynthesis. It links the breakdown of food molecules to the cell's energy needs. Pyruvate from glycolysis enters this process first. The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex converts pyruvate into acetyl-CoA through oxidative decarboxylation. This step produces one NADH and one carbon dioxide molecule.

microbial fermentation

Fermentation Products in Microbes

Fermentation is an anaerobic process that lets microbes make energy from sugar without oxygen or an electron transport chain. It is important in both biology and industry. The process is grouped by the products it makes. Pyruvate and its derivatives act as key electron acceptors in fermentative pathways. This step helps oxidize NADH back to NAD+, which is needed for glycolysis to keep running. Without NAD+ regeneration, glycolysis would stop and the cell would lose its main source of ATP under...

metabolism of chemolithotrophs

How Chemolithotrophs Make ATP

Chemolithotrophs make ATP by using inorganic chemicals as an energy source. They oxidize molecules such as hydrogen gas, ammonia, reduced sulfur compounds, and ferrous iron. Instead of relying on organic carbon like heterotrophs, they move electrons from these inorganic donors into the electron transport chain, or ETC. That electron flow builds a proton motive force, or PMF. The PMF drives ATP synthesis through oxidative phosphorylation. Because inorganic electron donors usually release less...

amino acid catabolism

Microbes Use Proteins for Energy

Microbes can use proteins as a carbon and energy source, especially when polysaccharides or lipids are scarce. But proteins are too large to pass through the plasma membrane on their own. To solve this, microbes secrete extracellular proteases and peptidases that break proteins into peptides. The peptides are then transported into the cell, where intracellular proteases cut them into free amino acids. Once amino acids are available, microbes break them down in two main ways: deamination and...

lipid catabolism

How Microbes Break Down Fats for Energy

Microbes break down triglycerides and fatty acids to make energy. Triglycerides are important long-term energy storage molecules in microorganisms. Lipases hydrolyze, or split with water, triglycerides into glycerol and free fatty acids. Each product then enters a different metabolic route that helps the cell make ATP, the main energy currency. Glycerol metabolism begins after glycerol is released from triglyceride hydrolysis. Glycerol kinase adds a phosphate group to form glycerol-3-phosphate.

oxygenic photosynthesis

How Plants Make Oxygen and ATP

Oxygenic photosynthesis is the process plants, algae, and cyanobacteria use to capture light energy and turn it into chemical energy. It uses water as the source of electrons and releases molecular oxygen, or O2. The process also produces ATP and NADPH, which cells need for later energy use and carbon fixation. The main reactions happen in the thylakoid membranes, where chlorophyll pigments absorb light. In cyanobacteria, these membranes come from folds in the plasma membrane. Two photosystems...

anoxygenic photosynthesis

Bacterial Light Capture Without Oxygen

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biosynthesis in bacteria

How Bacteria Build Key Macromolecules

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carbon-dioxide fixation

Microbial Carbon Fixation Pathways

Microbial carbon fixation pathways let prokaryotes turn carbon dioxide into organic molecules. This process supports biosynthesis, helps sustain ecosystems, and plays a role in the global carbon cycle. It also has industrial uses in carbon capture and bioproduct synthesis. Autotrophic organisms depend on this process to use CO2 as a carbon source in many environments. The Calvin cycle is the most common carbon fixation pathway. Cyanobacteria and other autotrophic prokaryotes use it, and it...

biosynthesis of polysaccharides

Activated Sugars for Polysaccharide Synthesis

Activated sugars drive polysaccharide synthesis in cells. Glycogen and starch are built from nucleoside diphosphate sugars, mainly uridine diphosphate glucose (UDPG) and adenosine diphosphate glucose (ADPG). These sugar donors act as high-energy intermediates in carbohydrate metabolism and biosynthesis. UDPG supports glycogen synthesis in animals and many bacteria. It forms when glucose-1-phosphate reacts with uridine triphosphate (UTP). UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase catalyzes this reaction.

inorganic nitrogen assimilation

Nitrogen Uptake by Microbes

Nitrogen uptake by microbes is essential for making proteins, nucleic acids, and other cell parts. Many bacteria and archaea take in nitrogen as nitrate or ammonia. They then convert it into forms that can be built into biomolecules. When nitrate enters a cell, it goes through assimilatory nitrate reduction. This is a two-step process. First, nitrate reductase changes nitrate to nitrite using NADH or FAD as an electron donor, depending on environmental and cellular conditions. Then nitrite...

sulfur assimilation

Sulfur uptake and cysteine synthesis are key parts of microbial metabolism. Sulfur is needed to build important biomolecules, including the amino acids cysteine and methionine, as well as cofactors such as coenzyme A and biotin. Microorganisms usually take in sulfur from the environment as sulfate, but sulfate must be changed before cells can use it. Because sulfate is highly oxidized, it must go through assimilatory sulfate reduction to become biologically useful. Some microorganisms can also...

amino acid biosynthetic pathways

Amino Acid Building from Cell Metabolites

Amino acid biosynthesis lets cells build amino acids from common metabolic intermediates. These amino acids support cell growth, protein synthesis, and metabolic regulation. The main source molecules come from glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and the pentose phosphate pathway. Key precursors include alpha-ketoglutarate, pyruvate, oxaloacetate, phosphoenolpyruvate, and erythrose-4-phosphate. They supply the carbon skeletons needed to form amino acids. Nitrogen must also be added...

biosynthesis of nucleic acids

Nucleotide Building Blocks for DNA and RNA

Nucleotide biosynthesis makes the building blocks needed for DNA and RNA. Cells use this pathway to make purine and pyrimidine nucleotides and keep their supply balanced. That balance helps protect genetic integrity and supports normal cell function. Purine nucleotide synthesis starts with ribose-5-phosphate, a sugar made in the pentose phosphate pathway. PRPP synthetase adds phosphate groups to form phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate, or PRPP, which is the activated starting point for the pathway.

biosynthesis of lipids

How Membrane Lipids Vary Across Life

Membrane lipids vary across Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya, and these differences help cells survive in different environments. The three domains of life make lipids through distinct biosynthetic pathways. Those pathways create membranes with different stability, permeability, and flexibility. Bacteria and eukaryotes both build fatty acid-based lipids from acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA. The pathway includes condensation, reduction, and dehydration steps. Bacteria use a type II fatty acid...

formation of lipopolysaccharides

Lipopolysaccharides and Gram-Negative Defense

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are important parts of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. They help stabilize the membrane and help protect bacteria from host immune responses. LPS has three main parts: lipid A, a core oligosaccharide, and an O antigen. LPS biosynthesis and assembly depend on a coordinated set of enzymes and transport steps. The molecule is also known as an endotoxin. It can activate Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in the host and trigger strong immune responses. In severe...

key terms and concepts

Learn how microbes activate sulfate, reduce it to hydrogen sulfide, and use it to make cysteine, methionine, and sulfur-containing cofactors.

Sulfur Uptake and Cysteine Synthesis | JoVE K12

JoVE Core Microbiology provides an engaging introduction to the microbial world and its influence on health, industry, and the environment. This comprehensive collection covers key concepts such as microbial structure, metabolism, genetics, and ecology. It introduces essential laboratory techniques and microscopy methods through visually engaging animations. Corresponding scientist-in-action videos bridge classroom concepts with real-world research and applications.

microbiology

Sulfur Uptake and Cysteine Synthesis

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