Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Bacterial physiology: Life without an essential coenzyme

Nature Microbiology volume 2, Article number: 16252 (2017) Cite this article

Subjects

The biologically active form of vitamin B1 is not required by Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, challenging the paradigm that this vitamin is essential for all living organisms.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: The absence of TPP affects metabolic strategy.

References

  1. Zhang, K. et al. Nat. Microbiol. 2, 16213 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Carpenter, K. J. Ann. Nutr. Metab. 61, 219–223 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Burgdorfer, W. et al. Nature 390, 580–586 (1997).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Gherardini, F. C. in Borrelia: Molecular Biology, Host Interaction and Pathogenesis (eds Samuels, D. S. & Radolf, J. D. ) 103–138 (Horizon Scientific Press, 2010).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Diana Downs is in the Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA.,

    Diana Downs

Authors
  1. Diana Downs
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Diana Downs.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Downs, D. Bacterial physiology: Life without an essential coenzyme. Nat Microbiol 2, 16252 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.252

Download citation

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.252

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing