Main Description

This book collates and reviews recent advances in the microbial metabolism of amino acids, emphasizing diversity - in terms of the range of organisms under investigation and their natural ecology - and the unique features of amino acid metabolism in bacteria, yeasts, fungi, protozoa and nematodes. As well as studying the individual amino acids, including arginine, sulfur amino acids, branched-chain amino acids and aromatic amino acids, a number of themes are explored throughout the work. These include:

- Comparative issues between the metabolism of microbes and those of higher organisms, including plants and mammals
- Potential for drug targets in pathways of both biosynthesis and degradation of amino acids
- Relationship between amino acids or associated enzymes and virulence in parasitic pathogens
- Practical implications for food microbiology and pathogen characterization
- Future priorities relating to fundamental biochemistry of microrganisms, food quality and safety, human and animal health, plant pathology, drug design and ecology

As the volume of research into the metabolism of amino acids grows, this comprehensive study of the subject is a vital tool for researchers in the fields of biological, medical and veterinary sciences, including microbiology, biochemistry, genetics and pathology. This book is also essential for corporate organizations with active research and development programmes, such as those in the pharmaceutical industry.

Table of Contents
-: Preface
PART I: GLUTAMATE
1: Structural and Functional Properties of Glutamate Dehydrogenases
2: Glutamate Decarboxylase in Bacteria
3: The Yeast GABA Shunt
PART II: LYSINE, ARGININE AND HYDROXYPROLINE
4: Lysine Biosynthesis in Microorganisms
5: Arginine Deiminase in Microorganisms
6: Arginase and Microbial Pathogenesis in the Lungs
7: Arginine and Methionine as Precursors of Polyamines in Trypanosomatids
8: Ornithine and Lysine Decarboxylation in Bacteria
9: The Role of Nitric Oxide Signalling in Yeast Stress Response and Cell Death
10: Hydroxyproline Metabolism in Microorganisms
PART III: SERINE AND THREONINE
11: Cellular Responses to Serine in Yeast
12: Threonine Degradation in Hyperthermophilic Organisms
PART IV: SULFUR AMINO ACIDS
13: Methionine Synthesis in Microbes
14: Regulation of Sulfur Amino Acid Metabolism in Fungi
15: Insight on O-Acetylserine Sulfhydrylase Structure, Function and Biopharmaceutical Applications
PART V: BRANCHED-CHAIN AMINO ACIDS
16: Metabolic Engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum for L-Valine Production
17: Flavour Formation From Leucine by Lactic Acid Bacteria
PART VI: AROMATIC AMINO ACIDS AND HISTIDINE
18: Microbial Degradation of Phenolic Amino Acids
19: The Biosynthesis of Tryptophan
20: Tryptophan Biosynthesis in Bacteria: Drug Targets and Immunology
21: The Kynurenine Pathway of Tryptophan Metabolism in Microorganisms
22: Histidine Degradation in Bacteria
23: Histidine Phosphatase Superfamily in Pathogenic Bacteria
PART VII: D-AMINO ACIDS
24: Functions and Metabolism of D-Amino Acids in Microorganisms
25: Pathways of Utilization of D-Amino Acids in Higher Organisms
PART VIII: ECOLOGY
26: Rhizobial Amino Acid Metabolism: Polyamine Biosynthesis and Functions
27: Working Together: Amino Acid Biosynthesis in Endosymbiont-Harbouring Trypanosomatidae
28: Amino Acid Metabolism in Helminths
29: Microbial Degradation of Amino Acids in Anoxic Environments
30: Utilization of N-Methylated Amino Acids by Bacteria
31: Biofilm Formation: Amino Acid Biomarkers in Candida albicans
32: Recent Advances Underpinning Innovative Strategies for the Future