Perturbation of the MetJ regulon impacts the consequences of 2-aminoacrylate stress in Salmonella enterica

In the absence of the broadly conserved deaminase RidA (Reactive intermediate deaminase A), <i>Salmonella enterica</i> and other organisms accumulate the reactive enamine species 2-aminoacrylate (2AA). Free 2AA, generated from serine by the serine/threonine dehydratase IlvA, reacts with and covalently inactivates a subset of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent enzymes. The metabolic stress caused by 2AA generates growth defects in <i>S. enterica</i>, including (i) when l-alanine is used as a nitrogen source, (ii) when pyruvate is used as a carbon source or (iii) in the presence of exogenous serine. Although the enzymatic targets of 2AA are consistent between growth conditions, the consequences of 2AA-dependent damage differ depending on the distribution of metabolic flux required in different conditions. Analysing the suppressors of a <i>ridA</i> mutant has furthered our understanding of the RidA stress paradigm and, more generally, how a metabolic network responds to perturbation. Many such suppressors modulate the metabolic network to eliminate 2AA production by IlvA. Here, we describe that eliminating the MetJ transcriptional repressor allows a <i>ridA</i> mutant to grow in the presence of 2AA stress in each of the three conditions. The mechanisms by which a Δ<i>metJ</i> suppresses a <i>ridA</i> mutant are nuanced and medium-dependent, emphasizing that consequences of 2AA stress differ based on environmental and metabolic context.