Ectoine and hydroxyectoine are well-recognized members of the compatible solutes and are widely employed by microorganisms as osmostress protectants. The EctABC enzymes catalyze the synthesis of ectoine from the precursor L-aspartate-β-semialdehyde. A subgroup of the ectoine producers can convert ectoine into 5-hydroxyectoine through a region-selective and stereospecific hydroxylation reaction....

The halophilic γ-proteobacterium Halomonas elongata DSM 2581(T) thrives at high salinity by synthesizing and accumulating the compatible solute ectoine. Ectoine levels are highly regulated according to external salt levels but the overall picture of its metabolism and control is not well understood. Apart from its critical role in cell adaptation to halophilic environments, ectoine can be used ...

Ectoine is an important osmolyte, which allows microorganisms to survive in extreme environmental salinity. The hygroscopic effects of ectoine in pure water can be explained by a strong water binding behavior whereas a study on the effects of ectoine in salty solution is yet missing. We provide Raman spectroscopic evidence that the influence of ectoine and NaCl are opposing and completely indep...

Many bacteria amass compatible solutes to fend-off the detrimental effects of high osmolarity on cellular physiology and water content. These solutes also function as stabilizers of macromolecules, a property for which they are referred to as chemical chaperones. The tetrahydropyrimidine ectoine is such a compatible solute and is widely synthesized by members of the Bacteria. Many ectoine produ...

Transcription of the ectoine biosynthesis genes ectA, ectB and ectC from Marinococcus halophilus in recombinant Escherichia coli DH5alpha is probably initiated from three individual sigma70/sigmaA-dependent promoter sequences, upstream of each gene. Consequently, mRNA-fragments containing the single genes and combinations of the genes ectA and ectB or ectB and ectC, respectively, could be detec...

Problem statement: The cyclic imino acid ectoine is a widely distributed compatible solute synthesizing by halophilic and halotolerant bacteria to prevent osmotic stress at high external salinity. This water-keeping compound is used in a variety of commercial cosmetics and therapeutic products. Approach: Development of integrated, predictive functional model of the metabolic and regulatory netw...

BACKGROUND Recently, the compatible solute 1, 4, 5, 6-tetrahydro-2-methyl-4-pyrimidinecarboxylic acid (ectoine) has attracted considerable interest due to its great potential as a protecting agent. To overcome the drawbacks of high salinity in the traditional bioprocess of ectoine using halophilic bacteria, various attempts have been made to engineer ectoine biosynthesis in nonhalophilic bacter...

The formation of hydroxyectoine in the industrial ectoine producer Halomonas elongata was improved by the heterologous expression of the ectoine hydroxylase gene, thpD, from Streptomyces chrysomallus. The efficient conversion of ectoine to hydroxyectoine was achieved by the concerted regulation of thpD by the H. elongata ectA promoter.

By using natural-abundance (13)C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis we have investigated the types of compatible solutes that are synthesized de novo in a variety of Bacillus species under high-osmolality growth conditions. Five different patterns of compatible solute production were found among the 13 Bacillus species we studied. ...