Amino acid utilization in plant toxin degrading bacterium

Plant toxins such as fluoroacetate have the ability to poison introduced animals such as livestock. A particular bacterium, Synergistetes strain MFA1 found in animal gastrointestinal tracts can degrade this toxin. In this study researchers from CSIRO Agriculture and the University of Queensland investigated the amino acid and peptide growth requirement under differing conditions. APAF conducted amino acid analysis of both free amino acids and peptide bound amino acids. This showed that the protein hydrolysates that contained glutamate and lysine containing peptides were utilised preferentially and thus promoted growth. This study sets a baseline for understanding the growth requirements of this bacterium which may be exploited to address fluoroacetate toxicity.

Image of Free Amino Acids

Leong LE, Denman SE, Hugenholtz P, McSweeney CS. Amino acid and peptide utilization profiles of the fluoroacetate-degrading bacterium Synergistetes Strain MFA1 under varying conditions. Microbial ecology 2016; 71: 494-504.