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Anaerobic degradation of acetone by Desulfococcus biacutus spec. nov.

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Abstract

From anaerobic digestor sludge of a waste water treatment plant, a gram-negative, strictly anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacterium was isolated with acetone as sole organic substrate. The bacterium was characterized as a new species, Desulfococcus biacutus. The strain grew with acetone with doubling times of 72 h to 120 h; the growth yield was 12.0 (±2.1) g · [mol acetone]-1. Acetone was oxidized completely, and no isopropanol was formed. In labelling studies with 14CO2, cell lipids (including approx. 50% PHB) of acetone-grown cells became labelled 7 times as high as those of 3-hydroxy-buyrate-grown cells. Enzyme studies indicated that acetone was degraded via acetoacetyl-CoA, and that acetone was channeled into the intermediary metabolism after condensation with carbon dioxide to a C4-compound, possibly free acetoacetate. Acetoacetyl-CoA is cleaved by a thiolase reaction to acetyl-CoA which is completely oxidized through the carbon monoxide dehydrogenase pathway. Strain KMRActS was deposited with the Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen, Braunschweig, under the number DSM 5651.

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Author notes

  1. Harald Platen

    Present address: Passavant-Institut für Entwicklung und Umweltanalytik GmbH, D-6209, Aarbergen 7, FRG

  2. Armi Temmes

    Present address: Metsä-Serla Oy, SF-08800, Kirkniemi, Finland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mikrobiologie I, Eberhard-Karls-Universität, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, D-7400, Tübingen, Federal Republic of Germany

    Harald Platen, Armi Temmes & Bernhard Schink

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  1. Harald Platen
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  2. Armi Temmes
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  3. Bernhard Schink
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Platen, H., Temmes, A. & Schink, B. Anaerobic degradation of acetone by Desulfococcus biacutus spec. nov.. Arch. Microbiol. 154, 355–361 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00276531

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