Identification of a New Phosphatase Enzyme Potentially Involved in the Sugar Phosphate Stress Response in Pseudomonas fluorescens.

In enteric bacteria, the sugar phosphate phosphatase YigL is known to play an important role in combating stress caused by sugar phosphate accumulation. In this study, we identified a sugar phosphate phosphatase, designated Spp, in Pseudomonas fluorescens Spp utilizes glucose 6-phosphate, fructose 6-phosphate, and ribose 5-phosphate as substrates, and overexpression of the gene had a positive effect on growth in P. fluorescens mutants experiencing sugar phosphate stress. The gene was localized downstream of gnd and zwf-2, which encode enzymes involved in the pentose phosphate and Entner-Doudoroff pathways. Genes encoding Spp homologues were identified in similar genetic contexts in some bacteria belonging to several phylogenetically diverse families, suggesting similar functions.