Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40342073›Full record

ArticleMolecular microbiology2025

The Pxp Complex Detoxifies 5-Oxoproline and Promotes the Growth of Clostridioides difficile.

Cheyenne D Lee, Arshad Rizvi, Zavier A Carter, Adrianne N Edwards, Shonna M McBride

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular microbiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Growth ofApplied and environmental microbiology · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Proline Stickland fermentation supportsApplied and environmental microbiology · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Cheyenne D LeeDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Arshad RizviDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Zavier A CarterDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Adrianne N EdwardsDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Shonna M McBrideDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6221-714X

Funding

Host-induced Initiation of Clostridium difficile SporulationR01AI116933 · NIAID · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI SHONNA M. MCBRIDE · 2015 to 2026
$4.8M
Antimicrobial Resistance and Therapeutic Discovery Training ProgramT32AI106699 · NIAID · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI Graeme L Conn, Joanna B Goldberg · 2014 to 2026
$2.7M
Mechanisms Underlying Nutrient-Mediated Sporulation in C. difficileR01AI156052 · NIAID · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI MCBRIDE, SHONNA M. · 2021 to 2025
$2.4M
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases AI106699National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases AI116933National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases AI156052NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI116933NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI156052NIAID NIH HHS T32 AI106699
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Clostridioides difficile is an anaerobic enteric pathogen that disseminates in the environment as a dormant spore. For C. difficile and other sporulating bacteria, the initiation of sporulation is a regulated process that prevents spore formation under favorable growth conditions. In Bacillus subtilis, one such mechanism for preventing sporulation is the prokaryotic 5-oxoprolinase, PxpB (KipI), which impedes the activation of the main sporulation kinase. In addition, PxpB functions as part of a complex that detoxifies the intermediate metabolite, 5-oxoproline (OP), a harmful by-product of glutamic acid and its derivatives. In this study, we investigate the orthologous Pxp proteins in C. difficile to determine their roles in the regulation of sporulation and metabolism. Through deletion of the pxpAGBC operon, we show that, unlike in B. subtilis, the Pxp (Kip) proteins have no significant impact on sporulation. However, we found that the pxp operon encodes a functional oxoprolinase that facilitates detoxification of OP. Furthermore, our data demonstrate that PxpAGBC not only detoxifies OP but also allows OP to be used as a nutrient source that supports the growth of C. difficile, thereby facilitating the conversion of a toxic by-product of metabolism into an energy source.

Indexed as

Bacterial ProteinsClostridioides difficileProlineBacillus subtilisGene Expression Regulation, BacterialOperonSpores, BacterialBacterial ProteinsProline5‐oxoprolineClostridium difficiledefined minimal mediumkinase inhibitory proteinNiehaus defined mediumpxp

Identifiers

PMID40342073
PMCPMC12245574

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.