Synthesis of trehalose by R. tropici CIAT 899 from different carbon sources The results presented so far indicated that trehalose is synthesized from mannitol-derived glucose via the OtsA-OtsB pathway in the four Rhizobium strains tested. We were interested to know if trehalose could be also synthesized from other carbon sources. For this purpose, R. tropici CIAT 899 was grown in 0.1 M NaCl MAS with glucose, galactose, mannose and mannitol and the accumulated compounds were analyzed by 1H NMR. Figure

8A-D shows that whereas the unknown sugar (later identified as a cyclic β-glucan) was synthesized from any of the tested carbon sources, trehalose was only accumulated when glucose, galactose or mannitol, but not mannose, was present in the culture medium. Figure 8 Synthesis of trehalose by R. tropici CIAT 899 from different carbon sources. 1H-NMR analysis of cellular extracts from R. tropici CIAT899 grown in 100 mM NaCl MAS Combretastatin A4 ic50 medium containing glucose

(A), galactose (B), mannose (C) or manitol (D) as a carbon source. T and Gl indicate the signals corresponding to the anomeric protons of the glucose units of trehalose and the cyclic glucan, respectively. (E) 13C-NMR spectra of intracellular solutes accumulated by R. tropici CIAT899 grown in 0.1 M NaCl MAS medium with 13C1/6 manitol as a carbon source. find more Abbreviations: T, trehalose; Gl, cyclic β-glucan; M, manitol; G, Benzatropine glutamate. To elucidate if the synthesis of trehalose by R. tropici CIAT 899 involves the transformation of mannitol to one or both of the trehalose glucose units, or a full degradation of the carbon source followed by a synthesis de novo, this strain was grown

in 0.1 M NaCl MAS medium with 1-13C-mannitol as carbon source, and the cellular extracts were analyzed by 1H spectroscopy. As shown in Figure 8E, only resonances corresponding to the C1 and C6 carbons of the glucose units of trehalose and the unknown sugar, as well as those of the C1/C6 of mannitol, could be observed. In contrast, the three signals corresponding to glutamate were 13C-labelled. These findings indicate that the two glucose moieties of trehalose, as well as the unknown sugar units, were derived directly from mannitol, whereas glutamate synthesis occurred de novo, after complete mannitol degradation. The unknown sugar accumulated by R. tropici CIAT 899 at low salinity is a cyclic (1→2)-β-glucan Initially, the six remaining resonances in the 13C-NMR spectrum of cellular extracts from R. tropici CIAT 899 grown at low salinity could not be assigned to any known compatible solute (see Figure 3A). To determine the structure of this unknown sugar, we took LY2874455 advantage of the fact that R. tropici grown in the presence of mannose does not synthesize trehalose, which could interfere in the identification of this compound. Thus, cells of R.