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Encystment of Azotobacter nigricans grown diazotrophically on kerosene as sole carbon source

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Abstract

Encystment of Azotobacter nigricans was induced by its diazotrophic cultivation on kerosene. Its growth and nitrogenase activity were affected by kerosene in comparison to cultures grown on sucrose. Electron microscopy of vegetative cells showed that when nitrogenase activity was higher and the poly-β-hydroxybutyrate granules were not present to a significant extent, peripheral bodies were abundant. After 8 days of culture on kerosene, the presence of cysts with intracellular bunches of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate granules was observed. Germination of cysts bears germinating multicelled yet unbroken capsule cysts with up to three cells inside. This is the first report of encystment induction of Azotobacter species grown on kerosene.

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Acknowledgments

Special acknowledgment is given to Victoria Teresita Velásquez Martínez and Ma. De Lourdes Rojas for their technical assistance in the microscopic studies. The first author, Gabriela Garcia Esquivel, acknowledges a doctoral fellowship (124460) from CONACyT.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biotechnology and Bioengineering Department, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, C. P. 07360, Mexico D. F., Mexico

    Gabriela García-Esquivel, Graciano Calva-Calva, Refugio Rodríguez Vázquez & Fernando José Esparza-García

  2. Edaphology Department, Colegio de Posgraduados, Montecillo, Estado de México, Mexico

    Ronald Ferrera-Cerrato

  3. Centro de Investigación en Calidad Ambiental, Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Estado de México, Mexico

    Luis Carlos Fernández-Linares

Authors
  1. Gabriela García-Esquivel
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  2. Graciano Calva-Calva
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  3. Ronald Ferrera-Cerrato
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  4. Luis Carlos Fernández-Linares
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  5. Refugio Rodríguez Vázquez
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  6. Fernando José Esparza-García
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fernando José Esparza-García.

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Communicated by Mary Allen.

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García-Esquivel, G., Calva-Calva, G., Ferrera-Cerrato, R. et al. Encystment of Azotobacter nigricans grown diazotrophically on kerosene as sole carbon source. Arch Microbiol 191, 275–281 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-008-0444-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-008-0444-9

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