ethanolamine degradation polyhedral organelle

GO:0031471 · Microcompartment · Protein shelled organelle · Proposed

An organelle found in bacteria consisting of a proteinaceous coat containing enzymes for the degradation of ethanolamine whose purpose is the protection of the rest of the cell from the toxic acetaldehyde product of the enzyme ethanolamine ammonia lyase. [GO:0031471]

Synonyms: Eut metabolosome; ethanolamine utilization bacterial microcompartment

UniProt location names: UniProt Consortium, CC BY 4.0. Reference label and route sources.

Components

Component	Type	Part of / acts on	Grounding	Genes	Stoichiometry	Essential	Role
Eut BMC-domain shell proteins	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	eutS, eutM, eutL, eutK		UNKNOWN	Hexameric and pseudohexameric BMC-domain proteins that tile the facets and pores of the ethanolamine-utilization shell. `DOI:10.1128/jb.181.17.5317-5329.1999` Kofoid et al. identified the Salmonella eut operon and its eutS, eutM, eutL, eutK, and eutN shell homologues. `DOI:10.1128/JB.00652-10` Takenoya et al. solved E. coli EutL and EutM shell protein structures and assigned them to the ethanolamine-utilizing microcompartment shell. `DOI:10.1038/srep24359` Held et al. assembled EutS-only and EutSMNLK nanocompartments from Salmonella shell proteins in E. coli and confirmed BMC-like particles by TEM.
EutN BMC-P vertex shell protein	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	eutN		UNKNOWN	Pentameric BMV-family shell protein homologous to the pentamers that close bacterial microcompartment vertices. `DOI:10.1128/jb.181.17.5317-5329.1999` Kofoid et al. annotated eutN in the Salmonella eut locus as a carboxysome-shell homologue. `DOI:10.1002/pro.2246` Wheatley et al. re-examined EutN and showed that the protein is predominantly pentameric in solution.

Organism-specific protein examples

Named proteins in which each component's role was established, with the organism the evidence comes from. The component above is the taxon-agnostic family; these are the specific entries behind it.

Eut BMC-domain shell proteins

Accession	Protein	Gene	Organism	Entry
`UniProtKB:Q9ZFV7`	Bacterial microcompartment shell protein EutS	eutS	Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium str. LT2 (`NCBITaxon:99287`)	REVIEWED
Role and evidence (3 references) The single reviewed UniProtKB entry for gene eutS in Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium str. LT2, a taxon this record names. Identifier for the component's declared gene symbol; it is not itself evidence that the protein is part of this structure. `PMID:22428024` Choudhary S et al. 2012, ‘Engineered protein nano-compartments for targeted enzyme localization.’, PLoS One. ECO:0000269 experimental evidence cited by UniProt for the 'Bacterial microcompartment' localisation of Q9ZFV7. `PMID:27063436` Held M et al. 2016, ‘Engineering formation of multiple recombinant Eut protein nanocompartments in E. coli.’, Sci Rep. ECO:0000269 experimental evidence cited by UniProt for the 'Bacterial microcompartment' localisation of Q9ZFV7. `PMID:27450681` Quin MB et al. 2016, ‘Encapsulation of multiple cargo proteins within recombinant Eut nanocompartments.’, Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. ECO:0000269 experimental evidence cited by UniProt for the 'Bacterial microcompartment' localisation of Q9ZFV7.
`UniProtKB:P41791`	Bacterial microcompartment shell protein EutM	eutM	Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium str. LT2 (`NCBITaxon:99287`)	REVIEWED
Role and evidence (1 reference) The single reviewed UniProtKB entry for gene eutM in Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium str. LT2, a taxon this record names. Identifier for the component's declared gene symbol; it is not itself evidence that the protein is part of this structure. `PMID:27063436` Held M et al. 2016, ‘Engineering formation of multiple recombinant Eut protein nanocompartments in E. coli.’, Sci Rep. ECO:0000269 experimental evidence cited by UniProt for the 'Bacterial microcompartment' localisation of P41791.
`UniProtKB:P0A1C9`	Bacterial microcompartment shell protein EutL	eutL	Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium str. LT2 (`NCBITaxon:99287`)	REVIEWED
Role and evidence (1 reference) The single reviewed UniProtKB entry for gene eutL in Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium str. LT2, a taxon this record names. Identifier for the component's declared gene symbol; it is not itself evidence that the protein is part of this structure. `PMID:27063436` Held M et al. 2016, ‘Engineering formation of multiple recombinant Eut protein nanocompartments in E. coli.’, Sci Rep. ECO:0000269 experimental evidence cited by UniProt for the 'Bacterial microcompartment' localisation of P0A1C9.
`UniProtKB:Q9ZFU8`	Bacterial microcompartment shell protein EutK	eutK	Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium str. LT2 (`NCBITaxon:99287`)	REVIEWED
Role and evidence (1 reference) The single reviewed UniProtKB entry for gene eutK in Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium str. LT2, a taxon this record names. Identifier for the component's declared gene symbol; it is not itself evidence that the protein is part of this structure. `PMID:27063436` Held M et al. 2016, ‘Engineering formation of multiple recombinant Eut protein nanocompartments in E. coli.’, Sci Rep. ECO:0000269 experimental evidence cited by UniProt for the 'Bacterial microcompartment' localisation of Q9ZFU8.

EutN BMC-P vertex shell protein

Accession	Protein	Gene	Organism	Entry
`UniProtKB:P41792`	Bacterial microcompartment shell vertex protein EutN	eutN	Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium str. LT2 (`NCBITaxon:99287`)	REVIEWED
Role and evidence (1 reference) The single reviewed UniProtKB entry for gene eutN in Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium str. LT2, a taxon this record names. Identifier for the component's declared gene symbol; it is not itself evidence that the protein is part of this structure. `https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/P41792` UniProtKB reviewed (Swiss-Prot) entry P41792, the single reviewed entry for gene eutN in Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium str. LT2. Establishes the accession and gene identity only; the component's membership in this structure rests on the record's own sources.

Taxonomic distribution

NCBITaxon:2 Bacteria — VARIABLE: Ethanolamine-utilization bacterial microcompartment loci are patchily distributed in bacterial genomes rather than universal. [DOI:10.1038/s41467-021-24126-4]

Canonical examples

NCBITaxon:99287 Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium str. LT2 — Kofoid et al. mapped the 17-gene eut operon and Huseby and Roth dissected private cofactor recycling in the Salmonella Eut microcompartment. [DOI:10.1128/jb.181.17.5317-5329.1999]

Functions

ethanolamine catabolic process GO:0046336 — Sequesters ethanolamine-catabolic chemistry in a protein shell so the cell can convert ethanolamine through acetaldehyde to acetyl-phosphate, acetyl-CoA, and ethanol.
- DOI:10.1128/JB.02179-12 Huseby and Roth used Salmonella genetics to test how the Eut microcompartment routes ethanolamine catabolism and recycles private NAD and CoA pools.
acetaldehyde and cofactor confinement — Restricts acetaldehyde and large NAD/CoA cofactors from freely diffusing between the lumen and cytosol during ethanolamine breakdown.
- DOI:10.1128/JB.02179-12 Genetic evidence supported retention and recycling of NAD and CoA within the Eut compartment and restricted diffusion of the acetaldehyde intermediate.

Mechanism graphs

Eut shell proteins assemble a cargo-targeting compartment (ASSEMBLY)

Eut BMC-domain and BMC-P shell proteins form the ethanolamine-utilization protein shell. Short targeting sequences on lumen enzymes bind the shell protein EutS, and EutQ modulates the number of EutSMNLK compartments in a recombinant assembly system.

Subject	Predicate	Object	Evidence
Eut BMC-domain shell proteins	self-assemble into	ethanolamine degradation polyhedral organelle	`DOI:10.1038/srep24359` Held et al. observed EutS and EutSMNLK polyhedral bodies by TEM after recombinant expression in E. coli.
EutN BMC-P vertex shell protein	contributes pentameric shell vertices to	ethanolamine degradation polyhedral organelle	`DOI:10.1002/pro.2246` Wheatley et al. found that EutN is predominantly pentameric in solution while studying BMC vertex proteins.
EutC N-terminal targeting sequence	binds	Eut BMC-domain shell proteins	`DOI:10.1073/pnas.1207516109` Fan et al. showed that EutC and EutE targeting sequences bind the EutS shell protein to mediate cargo encapsulation.
EutC N-terminal targeting sequence	directs encapsulation of	Eut lumen enzymes	`DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0033342` Choudhary et al. used the 19-residue EutC targeting sequence to localize reporters to EutS and EutSMNLK compartments.
EutQ assembly factor	binds	Eut BMC-domain shell proteins	`DOI:10.1038/srep24359` Held et al. found EutQ-EutM binding in pull-down assays and linked EutQ to multiple EutSMNLK compartment formation.

Evidence

DOI:10.1128/mbio.00066-18 Kaval and Garsin review bacterial ethanolamine utilization, including eut loci and the Eut microcompartment in pathogens.
DOI:10.1128/jb.181.17.5317-5329.1999 Kofoid et al. defined the 17-gene Salmonella eut operon and recognized five shell-protein homologues.
DOI:10.1128/JB.02179-12 Huseby and Roth provide a mechanistic genetic model of ethanolamine catabolism and cofactor recycling within the Eut microcompartment.

Curation history

2026-09-06T08:06:19Z claude · CREATED_RECORD — Scaffolded by scripts/new_record.py
2026-09-06T08:08:08Z claude · CURATED_EUT_METABOLOSOME — Added Eut shell components, bacterial distribution, a Salmonella example, GO:0046336 function, acetaldehyde/cofactor confinement, and an assembly graph.
2026-09-06T08:27:30Z claude · NORMALIZE_EUT_EVIDENCE_DOI — Replaced the Huseby and Roth PMID reference with DOI:10.1128/JB.02179-12 because PubMed exposes a DOI for the article.
2026-09-08T07:39:53Z uniprot_genes · SEED_PROTEIN_EXAMPLES — #183: added 5 protein example(s) by resolving each of the component's declared gene symbols to the single reviewed UniProtKB entry for that symbol in a taxon this record names, deduplicated by accession. Symbols resolving to more than one reviewed entry were skipped rather than chosen between.

Source: data/structures/microcompartment/ethanolamine_degradation_polyhedral_organelle.yaml