Enzymatic versus spontaneous S-methyl thioester synthesis in Geotrichum candidum.

S Helinck, H E Spinnler, S Parayre, M Dame-Cahagne, P Bonnarme

Index: FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 193(2) , 237-41, (2000)

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Abstract

The synthesis of short chain S-methyl thioesters was investigated in Geotrichum candidum strain GcG. The results indicated the involvement of an enzymatic reaction in this microorganism that led to the synthesis of S-methyl thioacetate (MTA) when methanethiol and acetyl-CoA were used as substrates. MTA was generated from these substrates by enzymatic or spontaneous reactions, whose relative importance depended largely on pH and temperature. For longer chain acyl-CoA compounds (C3 to C6), thioester synthesis was primarily spontaneous. Short chain fatty acid activation by a CoA residue probably is a prerequisite for the synthesis of S-methyl thioesters.