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Thiobacillus denitrificans as an obligate chemolithotroph

II. Cell suspension and enzymic studies

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Summary

  1. 1.

    14C-acetate uptake by T. denitrificans required both an oxidizable inorganic substrate and bicarbonate. The extent of uptake was directly proportional to the amount of inorganic substrate oxidized. Autotrophically-grown Thiobacillus A2, in contrast, oxidized and assimilated 14C-acetate in the absence of bicarbonate and thiosulfate.

  2. 2.

    The uptake of 14C-acetate by anaerobically-grown T. denitrificans was supported by the oxidation of thiosulfate with nitrate, nitrite, nitrous oxide, or oxygen. Tetrathionate or sulfur also supported acetate uptake. Aerobically-grown cells oxidized thiosulfate, and assimilated 14C-acetate, with oxygen but not nitrate.

  3. 3.

    Oxaloacetate replaced bicarbonate for 14C-acetate uptake by T. denitrificans oxidizing thiosulfate with nitrate. Other organic compounds did not replace bicarbonate and also were not oxidized by T. denitrificans.

  4. 4.

    T. denitrificans, in contrast to autotrophically-grown Thiobacillus A 2, lacked α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase and had low specific activities of fumarate hydratase, succinate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, and NADH dehydrogenase.

  5. 5.

    NADH oxidase activity was detected by manometry in extracts of Thiobacillus A 2 with either oxygen or nitrate as the terminal electron acceptor. Extracts of T. denitrificans oxidized thiosulfate, with added AMP and reduced glutathione, or sulfite with nitrate and nitrogen was evolved: nitrogen was not evolved from nitrate with NADH as substrate.

  6. 6.

    Cells of Thiobacillus A 2 grown on thiosulfate and acetate had lower specific activities of carboxydismutase and sulfite oxidase than cells grown autotrophically. Addition of acetate to the growth medium did not significantly repress carboxydismutase or APS reductase in T. denitrificans.

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Author notes

  1. Barrie F. Taylor

    Present address: Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, 10 Rickenbacker Causeway, 33149, Miami, Florida, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, The University of Texas, 78712, Austin, Texas, USA

    Barrie F. Taylor & Derek S. Hoare

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  1. Barrie F. Taylor
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  2. Derek S. Hoare
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Taylor, B.F., Hoare, D.S. Thiobacillus denitrificans as an obligate chemolithotroph. Archiv. Mikrobiol. 80, 262–276 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00410127

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00410127

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