Identification and characterization of Thermoplasma acidophilum 2-keto-3-deoxy-D-gluconate kinase:: A new class of sugar kinases

The thermoacidophilic archaeon Thermoplasma acidophilum has long been known to utilize D-glucose via the non-phosphorylated Entner-Doudoroff (nED) pathway. We now report the identification of a gene encoding 2-keto-3-deoxy-D-gluconate (KDG) kinase. The discovery of this gene implies the presence of a glycolysis pathway, other than the nED pathway. It was found that Ta0122 in the T. acidophilum genome corresponded to KDG kinase. This enzyme shares no similarity with known KDG kinases, and belongs to a novel class of sugar kinases. Of the five sugars tested only KDG was utilized as a substrate.