Global control of enzyme activity in the food-borne human pathogen Campylobacter jejuni

Campylobacter jejuni is the commonest bacterial food-borne pathogen, responsible for an estimated 800,000 cases p.a. of gastroenteritis in the UK alone, mainly from undercooked chicken. The BBSRC priority strategy for eradicating this pathogen from the food chain demands greater understanding of its biology to identify new intervention targets. One important aspect of its metabolism that has not been investigated previously is the control of protein activity by post-translational modifications (PTMs). Recently it has become apparent that reversible acetylation on specific lysine residues is a widespread mechanism in bacteria for control of the activity of diverse enzymes. We have identified a conserved gene in C. jejuni that encodes a candidate lysine deacetylase (a Sirtuin homologue). We have also found that a key metabolic enzyme, acetyl-CoA synthetase, has a conserved lysine residue that in other bacteria is known to be acetylated. This project will therefore seek to uncover the importance of acetylation in the global control of enzyme activity using molecular biological and proteomic techniques.