Abstract
The coryneform hydrogen bacterium strain GZ 29, assigned to Corynebacterium autotrophicum fixed molecular nitrogen under autotrophic (H2, CO2) as well as under heterotrophic (sucrose) conditions. Physiological parameters of nitrogen fixation were measured under heterotrophic conditions. The optimal dissolved oxygen concentration for cells grown in a fermenter with N2 was rather low (0.14 mg O2/l) compared with cells grown in the presence of NH +4 (4.45 mg O2/l). C. autotrophicum GZ 29 had a doubling time of 3.7 h at 30°C with N2 as N-source and sucrose as carbon source and at optimal pO2. Acetylene reduction reached values of 12 nmoles of ethylene produced/minxmg protein. Although the oxygen concentration in the growing culture was kept constant, the optimal dissolved oxygen tension for the acetylene reduction assay shifted to higher pO2-values. The overall efficiency of nitrogen fixation amounted to 22 mg N fixed/g sucrose consumed; it reached a maximal value of 65 mg N fixed/g sucrose consumed at the beginning of the exponential growth phase. Intact cells reduced acetylene even under anaerobic test conditions; further anaerobic metabolic activity could not be ascertained so far.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aragno, M.: Mise en évidence d'hydrogénobactéries corynéformes auxo-hétérotrophes pour la biotine dans l'eau d'un lac eutrophe. Ann. Microbiol. (Inst. Pasteur) 126A, 539–542 (1975)
Auling, G.: Intakte und defekte Phagen von Wasserstoffbakterien. Thesis, Univ. Göttingen (1975)
Baumgarten, J., Reh, M., Schlegel, H.-G.: Taxonomic studies on some Gram-positive coryneform hydrogen bacteria. Arch. Microbiol. 100, 207–217 (1974)
Bergmeyer, H. N.: Methoden der enzymatischen Analyse, 3. Aufl., Bd. 2. Weinheim: Verlag Chemie 1974
Berndt, H., Ecker, E.: Ein neues System zur Dosierung von Gasen. Anwendung bei der Messung der Sauerstoff-abhängigen Nitrogenase-Reaktion an aeroben Bakterienzellen. GIT, Fachzeitschrift für das Laboratorium 19, 850–858 (1975)
Biggins, D. R., Postgate, J. R.: Nitrogen fixation by cultures and cell-free extracts of Mycobacterium flavum 301. J. gen. Microbiol. 56, 181–193 (1969)
Bishop, D. H. L., Pandya, K. P., King, H. K.: Ubiquinone and vitamin K in bacteria. Biochem. J. 83, 606–614 (1962)
de Bont, J. A. M., Leijten, M. W. M.: Nitrogen fixation by hydrogen-utilizing bacteria. Arch. Microbiol. 107, 235–240 (1976)
Costeron, J. W., Ingram, J. M., Cheng, K.-J.: Structure and function of the cell envelope of Gram-negative bacteria. Bact. Rev. 38, 87–110 (1974)
Cowan, S. T., Steel, K. J.: Manual for the identification of medical bacteria. London: Cambridge University Press 1965
Dalton, H., Postgate, J. R.: Growth and physiology of Azotobacter chroococcum in continuous culture. J. gen. Microbiol. 56, 307–319 (1969)
Dilworth, M. J.: Acetylene reduction by nitrogen-fixing preparations from Clostridium pasteurianum. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 127, 285–294 (1966)
Drozd, J., Postgate, J. R.: Interference by oxygen in the acetylenereduction test for aerobic nitrogen-fixing bacteria. J. gen. Microbiol. 60, 427–429 (1970)
Gadkari, D., Stolp, H.: Influence of nitrogen source on growth and nitrogenase activity in Azotobacter vinelandii. Arch. Microbiol. 96, 135–144 (1974)
Gogotov, J. N., Schlegel, H.-G.: N2-fixation by chemoautotrophic hydrogen bacteria. Arch. Microbiol. 97, 359–362 (1974)
Haaker, H., Bresters, T. W., Veeger, C.: Relation between anaerobic ATP synthesis from pyruvate and nitrogen fixation in Azotobacter vinelandii. FEBS Letters 23, 160–162 (1972)
Haaker, H., De Kok, A., Veeger, C.: Regulation of dinitrogen fixation in intact Azotobacter vinelandii. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 357, 344–357 (1974)
Hill, S., Drozd, J. W., Postgate, J. R.: Environmental effects on the growth of nitrogen-fixing bacteria. J. appl. Chem. Biotechnol. 22, 541–558 (1972)
Jensen, H. L., Petersen, E. J., De, P. K., Bhattacharya, R.: A new nitrogen-fixing bacterium: Derxia gummosa nov. gen. nov. spec. Arch. Mikrobiol. 36, 182–195 (1960)
Jüttner, R.-R., Lafferty, R. M., Knackmuss, H. J.: A simple method for the determination of poly-β-hydroxybutyric acid in microbial biomass. Europ. J. appl. Microbiol. 1, 233–237 (1975)
Kaltwasser, H.: Die Rolle der Polyphosphate im Phosphatstoffwechsel eines Knallgasbakteriums (Hydrogenomonas Stamm 20). Arch. Mikrobiol. 41, 282–306 (1962)
Keister, D. L.: Acetylene reduction by pure cultures of Rhizobia. J. Bact. 123, 1265–1268 (1975)
Lowry, O. H., Rosebrough, N. J., Farr, A. L., Randall, R. J.: Protein measurement with the folin phenol reagent. J. biol. Chem. 193, 265–275 (1951)
Manual of Microbiological Methods: Society of American Bacteriologists. New York-Toronto-London: McGraw-Hill 1957
Mauruschat, A.: Cytologische Charakterisierung von Hydrogenomonas eutropha H 16 und anderen Knallgasbakterien. Diplomarbeit, Univ. Göttingen (1974)
Minari, O., Zilversmit, D. B.: Use of KCN for stabilization of colour in direct Nesslerization of Kjeldahl digests. Analyt. Biochem. 6, 320–327 (1963)
Mulder, E. G., Brotonegoro, S.: Free-living heterotrophic nitrogenfixing bacteria. In: The biology of nitrogen fixation (A. Quispel, ed.), pp. 37–85. Amsterdam: North-Holland 1974
Ooyama, J.: Simultaneous fixation of CO2 and N2 in the presence of H2 and O2 by a bacterium. Rep. Ferment. Res. Inst. 39, 41–44 (1971)
Robra, K.-H.: Optimierung der Begasung in Submerskulturen von Hydrogenomonas eutropha Stamm H 16 mit H2 und O2 und enzymatische KDPG-Synthese. Thesis, Univ. Göttingen (1971)
Schlegel, H.-G., Kaltwasser, H., Gottschalk, G.: Ein Submersverfahren zur Kultur wasserstoffoxydierender Bakterien: Wachstums-physiologische Untersuchungen. Arch. Mikrobiol. 38, 209–222 (1961)
Schmidt-Lorenz, W., Rippel-Baldes, A.: Wirkung des Sauerstoff-Partialdrucks auf Wachstum und Stickstoffbindung von Azotobacter chroococcum Beij. Arch. Mikrobiol. 28, 45–68 (1957)
Spiegelberg, T.: Untersuchungen zur Regulation der Citratsynthase bei Enterobacter aerogenes und Candida oleophila. Thesis, Univ. Göttingen (1975)
Stackebrandt, E.: Biochemisch-taxonomische Untersuchungen an der Gattung Cellulomonas. Thesis, Univ. München (1974)
Stewart, W. D. P.: Biological and ecological aspects of nitrogen fixation by free-living micro-organisms. Proc. roy. Soc. B 172, 367–388 (1969)
Weitzman, P. D. J., Jones, D.: Regulation of citrate synthase and microbial taxonomy. Nature (Lond.) 219, 270–272 (1968)
Weitzman, P. D. J., Jones, D.: The mode of regulation of bacterial citrate synthase as a taxonomic tool. J. gen. Microbiol. 89, 187–190 (1975)
Wiegel, J., Schlegel, H.-G.: Enrichment and isolation of nitrogen fixing hydrogen bacteria. Arch. Microbiol. 107, 139–142 (1976)
Yamada, K., Komagata, K.: Taxonomic studies on coryneform bacteria. IV. Morphological, cultural, biochemical and physiological characteristics. J. gen. appl. Microbiol. 18, 399–416 (1972)
Yates, M. G., Daniel, R. M.: Acetylene reduction with physiological electron donors by extracts and particulate fractions from nitrogen-fixing Azotobacter chroococcum. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 197, 161–169 (1970)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Berndt, H., Ostwal, K.P., Lalucat, J. et al. Identification and physiological characterization of the nitrogen fixing bacterium Corynebacterium autotrophicum GZ 29 . Arch. Microbiol. 108, 17–26 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00425088
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00425088