Work

N4-Methylcytosine Supports the Growth of Escherichia coli Uracil Auxotrophs

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: N4-methylcytosine is a modified heterocyclic base present both in RNA and DNA. The biosynthesis and function of this derivative are widely investigated. However, how the demethylation of this base occurs is not known. Here, we have investigated the growth of an Escherichia coli uracil auxotroph strain in minimal M9 medium supplemented with N4-methylcytosine. We have found that this compound, but not the related N4,N4-dimethylcytosine, well supports growth with a generation time of the bacterium being 3 h compared to 1.5 h for media supplemented with cytosine or uracil. Using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), we have demonstrated that the concentration of N4-methylcytosine in the growth medium decreases by 12% after 24 h of growth. We have shown that N4-methylcytosine is not directly converted into uracil by E. coli CodA cytosine deaminase. Instead, we propose the enzymatic pathway in which N4-methylcytosine is converted into cytosine by yet unknown demethylase, whereas CodA converts the resulting cytosine to uracil, thereby supporting the growth.

Source: International Journal of Molecular Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/ijms26051812

Authors: Jaunius Urbonavičius, Aušrinė Čekytė, Daiva Tauraitė

Institution: Vilnius Gediminas Technical University

Language: English

Topic: Biochemical and Molecular Research

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,499

Funder: Lietuvos Mokslo Taryba