Microbial desulfonation pathways for natural and pharmacologically relevant C3 sulfonates

C3磺酸盐既是天然化合物，也是外来生物，其中的一些例子会被细菌降解。广泛的天然产物是l -半胱氨酸（3-磺基-2-氨基丙酸酯）和硫酸酯，其中对细菌脱硫的初步了解是可用的。同型牛磺酸（3-氨基丙磺酸）及其衍生物(i)在治疗阿尔茨海默病、中风或酒精中毒方面具有药理学意义，（ii）在化学中广泛用作表面活性剂或缓冲液。人们对高牛磺酸及其相关的1,3-二磺酸丙烷的氧解脱硫过程知之甚少。一个博士论文项目涉及生理、生化和遗传方法来建立这些合成C3磺酸盐的完整降解途径。同型牛磺酸被细菌用作碳源或氮源，预计会有不同的降解途径。我们最感兴趣的是脱硫酶，相应的基因，它们的调控和转运体的识别。两个广泛的HiWi项目将扩大我们对天然C3磺酸盐降解的认识，并探索已知的首个在生物体内的脱硫反应。

C3 sulfonates are both natural compounds and xenobiotics, examples of which are subject to bacterial degradation. Widespread natural products are L-cysteate (3-sulfo-2-aminopropionate) and sulfolactate where an initial understanding of the bacterial desulfonation is available. Homotaurine (3-aminopropanesulfonate) and its derivatives are (i) pharmacologically relevant in the treatement of Alzheimer´s disease, stroke or alcoholism, and (ii) widly used as surfactants or buffers in chemistry. Little is known about the presumably oxygenolytic desulfonation of homotaurine and the related propane-1,3-disulfonate. A project for a PhD thesis involves physiological, biochemical and genetic methods to establish complete degradative pathways for these synthetic C3 sulfonates. Homotaurine is used by bacteria as a carbon or as a nitrogen source, and different degradative pathways are anticipated. We are most interested in the desulfonative enzymes, the corresponding genes, their regulation and in identifying the transporters. Two extensive HiWi projects will expand our knowledge on the degradation of the natural C3 sulfonates and explore the first known desulfonation reaction in an archeon.