Bacterial protein acetylation and its role in cellular physiology and metabolic regulation

Protein acetylation is an evolutionarily conserved posttranslational modification. It affects enzyme activity, metabolic flux distribution, and other critical physiological and biochemical processes by altering protein size and charge. Protein acetylation may thus be a promising tool for metabolic regulation to improve target production and conversion efficiency in fermentation. Here we review the role of protein acetylation in bacterial physiology and metabolism and describe applications of protein acetylation in fermentation engineering and strategies for regulating acetylation status. Although protein acetylation has become a hot topic, the regulatory mechanisms have not been fully characterized. We propose future research directions in protein acetylation.