Abstract
Resting cells of Clostridium sticklandii took up thymine or uracil, when grown in a medium containing 40 mM serine and 20 mM thymine or uracil. The uptake was much lower, when the cells had been grown in a complex medium. Cell-free extracts from cells grown in the complex medium reduced the two bases to the dihydro compounds and decomposed dihydrothymine to β-ureidoisobutyrate, as indicated by thin-layer chromatography. Uptake and degradation were stimulated by both NADH and NADPH. Further breakdown did not occur, as 14CO2 was not evolved from C-2-labelled thymine or uracil. The rates of pyrimidine uptake and breakdown of C. sticklandii were lower than those reported for C. sporogenes (Hilton et al., 1975).
References
Andreesen, J. R., Schaupp, A., Neurauter, C., Brown, A., Ljungdahl, L. G.: Fermentation of glucose, fructose, and xylose by Clostridium thermoaceticum: Effect of metals on growth yield, enzymes, and the synthesis of acetate from CO2. J. Bacteriol. 114, 743–751 (1973)
Barker, H. A.: Fermentation of nitrogenous organic compounds. In: The bacteria, vol. 2 (I. C. Gunsalus, R. Y. Stanier, eds.), pp. 151–188. New York: Academic Press 1961
Brenner, M., Niederwasser, A., Pataki, G.: Aminosäuren und Derivate. In: Dünnschichtchromatographie, 2nd ed. (E. Stahl, ed.), pp. 696–748. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer 1967
Campbell, L. L., jr.: Reductive degradation of pyrimidines. The isolation and characterization of an uracil fermenting bacterium, Clostridium uracilium nov. spec. J. Bacteriol. 73, 220–224 (1957a)
Campbell, L. L., jr.: Reductive degradation of pyrimidines. II. Mechanism of uracil degradation by Clostridium uracilium. J. Bacteriol. 73, 225–229 (1957b)
Fink, R. M., Fink, K., Henderson, R. B.: β-Amino acid formation by tissue slices incubated with pyrimidines. J. Biol. Chem. 201, 349–355 (1953)
Fink, K., McGaughey, C.: Reductive pathway for pyrimidine metabolism in rat. Fed. Proc. 13, 207 (1954)
Fink, R. M., McGaughey, C., Cline, R. E., Fink, K.: Metabolism of intermediate pyrimidine reduction products in vitro. J. Biol. Chem. 218, 1–7 (1956a)
Fink, K., Cline, R. E., Henderson, R. B., Fink, R. M.: Metabolism of thymine (methyl-C14 or-2-C14) by rat liver in vitro. J. Biol. Chem. 221, 425–433 (1956b)
Hilton, M. G., Mead, G. C., Elsden, S. R.: The metabolism of pyrimidines by proteolytic clostridia. Arch. Microbiol. 102, 145–149 (1975)
Lieberman, I., Kornberg, A.: Enzymic synthesis and breakdown of a pyrimidine, orotic acid. I. Dihydro-orotic dehydrogenase. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 12, 223–234 (1953)
Schäfer, R., Schwartz, A. C.: Catabolism of purines in Clostridium sticklandii. Zbl. Bakt. Hyg. I. Abt. Orig. A 235, 165–172 (1976)
Schwartz, A. C., Schäfer, R.: New amino acids, and heterocyclic compounds participating in the Stickland reaction of Clostridium sticklandii. Arch. Microbiol. 93, 267–276 (1973)
Schwartz, A. C., Müller, W.: NADH-dependent reduction of D-proline in Clostridium sticklandii. Reconstitution from three fractions containing NADH dehydrogenase, D-proline reductase, and a third protein factor. Arch. Microbiol. (accepted, in press)
Turner, D. C., Stadtman, T. C.: Purification of protein components of the clostridial glycine reductase system, and characterization of protein A as a selenoprotein. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 154, 366–381 (1973)
Vogels, G. D., van der Drift, C.: Degradation of purines and pyrimidines by microorganisms. Bacteriol. Rev. 40, 403–468 (1976)
Whiteley, H. R.: The fermentation of purines by Micrococcus aerogenes. J. Bacteriol. 63, 163–174 (1952)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schäfer, R., Schwartz, A.C. Degradation of pyrimidine bases in Clostridium sticklandii . Arch. Microbiol. 124, 111–114 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00407038
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00407038