Lysine Lactylation Regulates Metabolic Pathways and Biofilm Formation in Streptococcus Mutans
Published:03 Dec.2023 Source:Science Signaling
In eukaryotes, lactate produced during glycolysis is involved in regulating multiple metabolic processes through lysine lactylation (Kla). To explore the potential link between metabolism and Kla in prokaryotes, the researchers investigated the distribution of Kla in the cariogenic bacterium Streptococcus mutans during planktonic growth in low-sugar conditions and in biofilm-promoting, high-sugar conditions. They identified 1869 Kla sites in 469 proteins under these two conditions, with the biofilm growth state showing a greater number of lactylated sites and proteins.
Although high sugar increased Kla globally, it reduced lactylation of RNA polymerase subunit α (RpoA) at Lys173. Lactylation at this residue inhibited the synthesis of extracellular polysaccharides, a major constituent of the cariogenic biofilm. The Gcn5-related N-acetyltransferase (GNAT) superfamily enzyme GNAT13 exhibited lysine lactyltransferase activity in cells and lactylated Lys173 in RpoA in vitro. Either GNAT13 overexpression or lactylation of Lys173 in RpoA inhibited biofilm formation.
These results provide an overview of the distribution and potential functions of Kla and improve our understanding of the role of lactate in the metabolic regulation of prokaryotes.