Galactarate is a naturally occurring dicarboxylic acid analog of D-galactose. E. coli can use both diacid sugars galactarate and D-glucarate as the sole source of carbon for growth. The initial step in the degradation of galactarate is its dehydration to 5-dehydro-4-deoxy-D-glucarate(2--) by galactarate dehydratase. Glucaric acid can also be dehydrated by a glucarate dehydratase resulting in water and 5-dehydro-4-deoxy-D-glucarate(2--). The 5-dehydro-4-deoxy-D-glucarate(2--) is then metabolized by a alpha-dehydro-beta-deoxy-D-glucarate aldolase resulting in pyruvic acid and a tartonate semialdehyde. Pyruvic acid interacts with coenzyme A through a NAD driven Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex resulting in a carbon dioxide, an NADH and an acetyl-CoA. The tartronate semialdehyde interacts with a hydrogen ion through a NADPH driven tartronate semialdehyde reductase resulting in a NADP and a glyceric acid. The glyceric acid is phosphorylated by an ATP-driven glycerate kinase 2 resulting in an ADP, a hydrogen ion and a 2-phosphoglyceric acid. The latter compound is dehydrated by an enolase resulting in the release of water and a phosphoenolpyruvic acid. The phosphoenolpyruvic acid interacts with a hydrogen ion through an ADP driven pyruvate kinase resulting in an ATP and a pyruvic acid. The pyruvic acid then interacts with water and an ATP through a phosphoenolpyruvate synthetase resulting in the release of a hydrogen ion, a phosphate, an AMP and a Phosphoenolpyruvic acid.

D-Glucarate and D-Galactarate Degradation References