Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri encodes multiple pathways for hydrogen peroxide production

Abstract

‬‬Summary Several Mollicutes species import glycerol and related molecules as carbon sources, resulting in the release of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which has been suggested as a pathogenicity mechanism. We systematically deleted genes encoding components of the H2O2 pathways in Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri GM12 to get insight into the role of candidate factors constituting the pathways. As expected, glycerol metabolism in GM12 is associated with the highest H2O2 production compared with glycerophosphocholine. The absence of either L-alpha-glycerophosphate oxidase (GlpO) or the glycerol uptake facilitator GlpF, which is the main glycerol importer in GM12, ceased H2O2 production. However, our data did not support any role for the presumed glycerol transport system, GtsABC in glycerol- or glycerophosphocholine-dependent H2O2 production. Caprine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) did not show increased cytotoxic effects upon incubation with GM12 in the presence of glycerol, which does not support H2O2 to be a primary pathogenicity mechanism in GM12.