Fig. 1

Potential routes of 5′-deoxyadenosine metabolism and gene clusters predicted to encode them. a 5′-Deoxyadenosine is converted to dR1P by a phosphorylase, or by a nucleosidase plus a kinase. dR1P is then metabolized to DHAP and acetaldehyde by the sequential action of an isomerase and an aldolase. b Gene clusters in genomes from six bacterial phyla that encode enzymes similar to 5-methylthioribose kinase or 5′-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase, 5-methylthioribose 1-phosphate isomerase, and fuculose 1-phosphate aldolase, a class II aldolase. Four of the clusters shown also include one or more putative sugar transporter genes. The sugar transporter genes in Denitrovibrio acetiphilus are not drawn to scale. The gray gene in D. acetiphilus is homologous to fucose mutarotase