Summary
-
1.
Growing cells of Spirochaeta aurantia performed an incomplete aerobic oxidation of glucose to CO2, acetate, pyruvate, and lactate. Approximately half of the glucose carbon metabolized was incorporated into cell material. Slightly more than one-third of the assimilated sugar carbon was recovered in cell lipids which comprise a large proportion (29 to 36%) of the dry weight of S. aurantia.
-
2.
Aerobic and anaerobic molar growth yield determinations indicated that S. aurantia derives more energy from the aerobic oxidation of maltose than from fermentation of this sugar and suggested the presence of an oxidative phosphorylation mechanism in this bacterium.
-
3.
O2-dependent NADH2 dehydrogenase activity, cytochrome b 558, and cytochrome o were associated primarily with the particulate portion of cell extracts of S. aurantia. The latter two pigments may be one and the same hemoprotein. No a or c-type cytochromes were detected in this spirochete. Protoheme, but not heme a or mesoheme, was detected in S. aurantia.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bartlett, G. R.: Phosphorus assay in column chromatography. J. biol. Chem. 234, 466–468 (1959).
Baseman, J. B., Cox, C. D.: Intermediate energy metabolism of Leptospira. J. Bact. 97, 992–1000 (1969a).
——: Terminal electron transport in Leptospira. J. Bact. 97, 1001–1004 (1969b).
Biggins, J., Dietrich, W. E., Jr.: Respiratory mechanisms in the Flexibacteriaceae. I. Studies on the terminal oxidase system of Leucothrix mucor. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 128, 40–50 (1968).
Block, R. J., Durrum, E. L., Zweig, G.: Paper chromatography and paper electrophoresis, p. 239, New York: Academic Press, Inc. 1959.
Breznak, J. A., Canale-Parola, E.: Spirochaeta aurantia, a pigmented, facultatively anaerobic spirochete. J. Bact. 97, 386–395 (1969).
——: Metabolism of Spirochaeta aurantia. I. Anaerobic energy-yielding pathways. Arch. Mikrobiol. 83, 261–277 (1972).
Cheah, K. S.: Properties of electron transport particles from Halobacterium cutirubrum. The respiratory chain system. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 180, 320–333 (1969).
Daniel, R. M.: The electron transport system of Acetobacter suboxydans with particular reference to cytochrome o. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 216, 328–341 (1970).
Deeb, S. S., Hager, L. P.: Crystalline cytochrome b 1 from Escherichia coli. J. biol. Chem. 239, 1024–1031 (1964).
Dietrich, W. E., Jr., Biggins, J.: Respiratory mechanisms in the Flexibacteriaceae: terminal oxidase systems of Saprospira grandis and Vitreoscilla species. J. Bact. 105, 1083–1089 (1971).
Falk, J. E.: Porphyrins and metalloporphyrins, pp. 181–188. New York: Elsevier Pub. Co. 1964.
Fink, K., Cline, R. E., Fink, R. M.: Paper chromatography of several classes of compounds: correlated R fvalues in a variety of solvent systems. Analyt. Chem. 35, 389–398 (1963).
Forrest, W. W., Walker, D. J.: Synthesis of reserve materials for endogenous metabolism in Streptococcus faecalis. J. Bact. 89, 1448–1452 (1965).
Gel'man, N. S., Lukoyanova, M. A., Ostrovskii, D. N.: Respiration and phosphorylation of bacteria. New York: Plenum Press 1967.
Gunsalus, I. C., Shuster, C. W.: Energy-yielding metabolism in bacteria. In: I. C. Gunsalus and R. Y. Stanier (eds.): The bacteria, vol. II, pp. 1–58. New York: Academic Press 1961.
Hempfling, W. P.: Studies of the efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation in intact Escherichia coli B. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 205, 169–182 (1970).
Jacobs, N. J., Wolin, M. J.: Electron-transport system of Vibrio succinogenes. I. Enzymes and cytochromes of the electron-transport system. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 69, 18–28 (1963).
Keilin, D., Hartree, E. F.: Cytochrome oxidase. Proc. roy. Soc. B 125, 171–186 (1938).
Lascelles, J.: Tetrapyrrole synthesis in microorganisms. In: I. C. Gunsalus and R. Y. Stanier (eds.). The bacteria, Vol. III, pp. 335–372. New York: Academic Press 1962.
LePage, G. A.: Measurements of keto acids in normal and neoplastic rat tissue. Cancer Res. 10, 393–397 (1950).
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).
Meister, A., Abendschein, P. A.: Chromatography of alpha-keto acid 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazones and their hydrogenation products. Analyt. Chem. 28, 171–173 (1956).
Morita, S., Gibson, J., Edwards, M. L.: The hemoprotein content of Chromatium sp. strain D. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 216, 384–391 (1970).
Moustafa, H. H., Collins, E. B.: Molar growth yield of Streptococcus faecalis on pyruvate. J. Bact. 97, 1496–1497 (1969).
Neish, A. C.: Analytical methods for bacterial fermentation. Nat. Res. Council of Canada, Report No. 46-8-3 (2nd revision), Saskatoon 1952.
Porra, R. J., Jones, O. T. G.: Studies on ferrochelatase. 1. Assay and properties of ferrochelatase from a pig-liver mitochondrial extract. Biochem. J. 87, 181–185 (1963).
Roberton, A. M., Wolfe, R. S.: Adenosine triphosphate pools in Methanobacterium. J. Bact. 102, 43–51 (1970).
Roberts, R. B., Abelson, P. H., Cowie, D. B., Bolton, E. T., Britten, R. J.: Studies of biosynthesis in Escherichia coli, pp. 3–12. Washington: Kirby Lithographic Co., Inc. 1957.
Smith, L.: Cytochrome systems in aerobic electron transport. In: I. C. Gunsalus and R. Y. Stanier (eds.): The bacteria, vol. II, pp. 365–396. New York: Academic Press 1961.
Stanier, R. Y., Palleroni, N. J., Doudoroff, M.: The aerobic pseudomonads: a taxonomic study. J. gen. Microbiol. 43, 159–217 (1966).
Stouthamer, A. H.: Determination and significance of molar growth yields. In: J. R. Norris and D. W. Ribbons (eds.): Methods in microbiology, vol. I, pp. 629–663. New York: Academic Press 1969.
Takacs, B. J., Holt, S. C.: Thiocapsa floridana; a cytological, physical and chemical characterization. II. Physical and chemical characteristics of isolated and reconstituted chromatophores. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 233, 278–295 (1971).
Webster, D. A., Hackett, D. P.: The purification and properties of cytochrome o from Vitreoscilla. J. biol. Chem. 241, 3308–3315 (1966).
Wells, M. A., Dittmer, J. C.: The use of Sephadex for the removal of nonlipid contaminants from lipid extracts. Biochemistry 2, 1259–1263 (1963).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Breznak, J.A., Canale-Parola, E. Metabolism of Spirochaeta aurantia . Archiv. Mikrobiol. 83, 278–292 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00425240
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00425240