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Cyanide assimilation in Rhizobium ORS 571: influence of the nitrogenase catalyzed hydrogen production on the efficiency of growth

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Abstract

When cyanide is gradually added to a nitrogenfixing culture, Rhizobium ORS 571 is capable of assimilating large amounts of cyanide using its nitrogenase. Under these conditions the molar growth yield on succinate (Y succ) increases from 27 at the start of cyanide addition to 38 at the end. The respiratory chain of cells grown at a concentration of 7 mM cyanide is still very sensitive to cyanide. The increase in growth yield is explained by a decrease in hydrogen production by nitrogenase as soon as cyanide is assimilated. This is confirmed by calculating the influence of hydrogen production on Y succ. Hydrogen production by nitrogenase has a greater influence on growth yields than the presence or absence of hydrogenase activity. At the end of cyanide addition when all cell nitrogen is synthesized from cyanide and no nitrogen fixation occurs, nitrogenase will be in a very oxidized state.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Biologisch Laboratorium, Vrije Universiteit, Postbus 7161, NL-1007 MC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Hein Stam, Adriaan H. Stouthamer & Henk W. van Verseveld

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  1. Hein Stam
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  2. Adriaan H. Stouthamer
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  3. Henk W. van Verseveld
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Stam, H., Stouthamer, A.H. & van Verseveld, H.W. Cyanide assimilation in Rhizobium ORS 571: influence of the nitrogenase catalyzed hydrogen production on the efficiency of growth. Arch. Microbiol. 143, 196–202 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00411047

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00411047

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