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Pathway Description
Glycine betaine synthesis: gbsA, gbsB
Bacillus subtilis (strain 168)
Category:
Metabolite Pathway
Sub-Category:
Signaling
Created: 2025-03-13
Last Updated: 2025-07-30
The regulation of the gbsAB operon. The operon is inhibited by gbsR (HTH-type transcriptional repressor) and activated by high concentrations of choline. GbsR binds to the promoter preventing crp from binding and transcribing the operon. Choline is transported into the cell by the opuBB (Choline transport system permease protein) and opuC (opuCC, opuCD, opuCB, opuCA) transporters. Both of these transporters used ATP to bring in choline. When choline is in high concentration, it binds with gbsR causing conformational changes. These conformational changes prevent gbsR from binding to the promoter, allowing crp to transcribe the operon. The products of this operon are two enzymes: gbsA (Betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase) and gbsB (Choline dehydrogenase). Both enzymes are used in the two step process of breaking down choline to betaine. GbsB is used to break down choline to betaine aldehyde. GbsA is used to break down betaine aldehyde to betaine.
References
Glycine betaine synthesis: gbsA, gbsB References
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Pubmed: 32161752
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Pubmed: 9278503
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