Ethanolamine (EA) is a valuable source of carbon and/or nitrogen for bacteria capable of its catabolism. Because it is derived from the membrane phospholipid phosphatidylethanolamine, it is particularly prevalent in the gastrointestinal tract, which is membrane rich due to turnover of the intestinal epithelium and the resident microbiota. Intriguingly, many gut pathogens carry the eut (ethanola...

Perkinsus marinus is a protozoan parasite that causes high mortality in its commercially and ecologically important host, the Eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica. In order to understand the host-parasite relationship in lipid metabolism, the ability of P. marinus to synthesize phospholipids from polar headgroup precursors was investigated. Pulse/chase experiments were conducted using radiolabl...

Ethanolamine is deaminated by the action of ethanolamine ammonia-lyase (EC 4.3.1.7), an adenosylcobalamin-dependent enzyme. Consequently, to grow on ethanolamine as a sole nitrogen source, Bacillus megaterium requires vitamin B12. Identification of B. megaterium mutants deficient for growth on ethanolamine as the sole nitrogen source yielded a total of 34 vitamin B12 auxotrophs. The vitamin B12...

The in vivo biosynthesis of lecithin in rats has been studied with the precursors choline-1,2-(14)C, ethanolamine-1,2-(14)C and methionine-CH(3)-(14)C or -CH(3)-(3)H. Lecithin synthesis from choline is rapid in all organs. No sex difference was observed in this pathway. The biosynthesis of lecithin by methylation of phosphatidyl ethanolamine is of quantitative significance in the liver, but not...

BACKGROUND Among the various methods of combined endoscopic therapy for high-risk bleeding peptic ulcers the use of adrenaline followed by injection of ethanolamine is minimally demanding in terms of the endoscopic skills and instrumentation but has not been adequately studied. The aim of the present study is to determine whether the injection of ethanolamine in combination with epinephrine com...

Conventional wisdom holds that microbes support their growth in vertebrate hosts by exploiting a large variety of nutrients. We show here that use of a specific nutrient (ethanolamine) confers a marked growth advantage on Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) in the lumen of the inflamed intestine. In the anaerobic environment of the gut, ethanolamine supports little or no gr...

The role of phospholipids in the assembly and secretion of very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) has been investigated by incubation of monolayer cultures of rat hepatocytes with monomethylethanolamine, an analogue of ethanolamine and choline. The cellular concentration of phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine was increased 17-fold in response to treatment of hepatocytes with monomethylethanolamine...

Adenylate cyclase [atp pyrophosphate-lyase (cyclizing): EC 4.6.4.4] activities were examined in mouse LM cell (fibroblast) membranes that were supplemented with ethanolamine and/or fatty acids. The supplements were incorporated into the plasma membrane phospholipids in significant amounts. Fatty acid supplementations had distinct effects as compared to polar head group supplementations. All lip...

Enterococcus faecalis is a gram-positive commensal bacterium of the human intestinal tract. Its opportunistic pathogenicity has been enhanced by the acquisition of multiple antibiotic resistances, making the treatment of enterococcal infections an increasingly difficult problem. The extraordinary capacity of this organism to colonize and survive in a wide variety of ecological niches is attribu...