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Lithoautotrophic growth of sulfate-reducing bacteria, and description of Desulfobacterium autotrophicum gen. nov., sp. nov.

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Abstract

The capacity of mesophilic sulfate-reducing bacteria to grow lithoautotrophically with H2, sulfate and CO2 was investigated with enrichment cultures and isolated species. (a) Enrichments in liquid mineral media with H2, sulfate and CO2 consistently yielded mixed cultures of nonautotrophic, acetate-requiring Desulfovibrio species and autotrophic, acetate-producing Acetobacterium species (cell ratio approx. 20:1). (b) By direct dilution of mud samples in agar, various non-sporing sulfate reducers were isolated in pure cultures that did grow autotrophically. Two oval cell types (strains HRM2, HRM4) and one curved cell type (strain HRM6) from marine sediment were studied in detail. The strains grew in mineral medium supplemented only with vitamins (biotin, p-aminobenzoate, nicotinate). Carbon autotrophy was evident (i) from comparative growth experiments with non-autotrophic, acetate-requiring species, (ii) from high cell densities ruling out a cell synthesis from organic impurities in the mineral media, and (iii) by demonstrating that 96–99% of the cell carbon was derived from 14C-labelled CO2. Autotrophic growth occurred with a doubling time of 16–20 h at 24–28°C. Formate, fatty acids up to palmitate, ethanol, lactate, succinate, fumarate, malate and other organic acids were also used and completely oxidized. The three strains possessed cytochromes of the b-and c-type, but no desulfoviridin. Strain HRM2 is described as a new species of a new genus, Desulfobacterium autotrophicum. (c) The capacity for autotrophic growth was also tested with sulfate-reducing bacteria that originally had been isolated on organic substrates. The incompletely oxidizing, non-sporing types such as Desulfovibrio and Desulfobulbus species and Desulfomonas pigra were confirmed to be obligate heterotrophs that required acetate for growth with H2 and sulfate. In contrast, several of the completely oxidizing sulfate reducers were facultative autotrophs, such as Desulfosarcina variabilis, Desulfonema limicola, Desulfococcus niacini, and the newly isolated Desulfobacterium vacuolatum and Desulfobacter hydrogenophilus. The only incompletely oxidizing sulfate reducer that could grow autotrophically was the sporing Desulfotomaculum orientis, which obtained 96% of its cell carbon from 14C-labelled CO2. Desulfovibrio baarsii and Desulfococcus multivorans may also be regarded as types of facultative autotrophs; they could not oxidize H2, but grew on sulfate with formate as the only organic substrate.

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  1. F. Widdel

    Present address: Mikrobiologie, FB Biologie, Philipps Universität, Lahnberge, D-3550, Marburg, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fakultät für Biologie, Universität Konstanz, D-7750, Konstanz, Germany

    K. Brysch, C. Schneider & F. Widdel

  2. Abteilung für Angewandte Mikrobiologie, Universität Ulm, Oberer Eselsberg, D-7900, Ulm, Germany

    G. Fuchs

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  1. K. Brysch
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  2. C. Schneider
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  3. G. Fuchs
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  4. F. Widdel
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Brysch, K., Schneider, C., Fuchs, G. et al. Lithoautotrophic growth of sulfate-reducing bacteria, and description of Desulfobacterium autotrophicum gen. nov., sp. nov.. Arch. Microbiol. 148, 264–274 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00456703

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