Bacterial microcompartments linked to the flavin-based extracellular electron transfer drives anaerobic ethanolamine utilization in Listeria monocytogenes

Ethanolamine (EA) is a valuable microbial carbon and nitrogen source derived from phospholipids present in cell membranes. EA catabolism is suggested to occur in so-called bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) and activation of EA utilization ( eut ) genes is linked to bacterial pathogenesis. Despite reports showing that activation of eut in Listeria monocytogenes is regulated by a vitamin B12-binding riboswitch and that upregulation of eut genes occurs in mice, it remains unknown whether EA catabolism is BMC dependent. Here, we provide evidence for BMC-dependent anaerobic EA utilization via metabolic analysis, proteomics and electron microscopy. First, we show B12-induced activation of the eut operon in L. monocytogenes coupled to uptake and utilization of EA thereby enabling growth. Next, we demonstrate BMC formation in conjunction to EA catabolism with the production of acetate and ethanol in a molar ratio of 2:1. Flux via the ATP generating acetate branch causes an apparent redox imbalance due to reduced regeneration of NAD+ in the ethanol branch resulting in a surplus of NADH. We hypothesize that the redox imbalance is compensated by linking eut BMC to anaerobic flavin-based extracellular electron transfer (EET). Using L. monocytogenes wild type, a BMC mutant and a EET mutant, we demonstrate an interaction between BMC and EET and provide evidence for a role of Fe3+ as an electron acceptor. Taken together, our results suggest an important role of anaerobic BMC-dependent EA catabolism in the physiology of L. monocytogenes , with a crucial role for the flavin-based EET system in redox balancing. IMPORTANCE Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogen causing severe illness and, as such, it is crucial to understand the molecular mechanisms contributing to pathogenicity. One carbon source that allows L. monocytogenes to grow in humans is ethanolamine (EA), which is derived from phospholipids present in eukaryotic cell membranes. It is hypothesized that EA utilization occurs in bacterial microcompartments (BMCs), self-assembling subcellular proteinaceous structures and analogs of eukaryotic organelles. Here, we demonstrate that BMC-driven utilization of EA in L. monocytogenes results in increased energy production essential for anaerobic growth. However, exploiting BMCs and the encapsulated metabolic pathways also requires balancing of oxidative and reductive pathways. We now provide evidence that L. monocytogenes copes with this by linking BMC activity to flavin-based extracellular electron transfer (EET) using iron as an electron acceptor. Our results shed new light on an important molecular mechanism that enables L. monocytogenes to grow using host-derived phospholipid degradation products.