Showing papers in "Archives of Microbiology in 1981"

Studies on dissimilatory sulfate-reducing bacteria that decompose fatty acids. I. Isolation of new sulfate-reducing bacteria enriched with acetate from saline environments. Description of Desulfobacter postgatei gen. nov., sp. nov.

Abstract: Three strains (2ac9, 3ac10 and 4ac11) of oval to rod-shaped, Gram negative, nonsporing sulfate-reducing bacteria were isolated from brackish water and marine mud samples with acetate as sole electron donor. All three strains grew in simple defined media supplemented with biotin and 4-aminobenzoic acid as growth factors. Acetate was the only electron donor utilized by strain 2ac9, while the other two strains used in addition ethanol and/or lactate. Sulfate served as electron acceptor and was reduced to H2S. Complete oxidation of acetate to CO2 was shown by stoichiometric measurements with strain 2ac9 in batch cultures using sulfate, sulfite or thiosulfate as electron acceptors. With sulfate an average growth yield of 4.8 g cell dry weight was obtained per mol of acetate oxidized; with sulfite or thiosulfate the growth yield on acetate was about twice as high. None of the strains contained desulfoviridin. In strain 2ac9 cytochromes of the b- and c-type were detected. Strain 2ac9 is described as type strain of the new species and genus, Desulfobacter postgatei.

Metabolic products of microorganisms: 203. Inhibition of chitosomal chitin synthetase and growth of Mucor rouxii by nikkomycin Z, nikkomycin X, and polyoxin A: A comparison

Abstract: The effect of the nucleoside-peptide antibiotics nikkomycin Z, nikkomycin X, and polyoxin A was tested on chitosomal chitin synthetase from yeast cells of the dimorphic fungus Mucor rouxii. The Ki was 0.6 μM for polyoxin A and 0.5 μM for nikkomycin X; nikkomycin Z was slightly less inhibitory (Ki=3.5μM). Whereas the minimum inhibitory concentrations of the nikkomycins for growth and germination were quite low (about 1μM, or lower), polyoxin A displayed no antifungal activity against yeast cells and sporangiospores of the test organism, even when present in high concentrations. These results are discussed with respect to structure/activity relationships.

Selective isolation of Acetobacterium woodii on methoxylated aromatic acids and determination of growth yields

Abstract: Anaerobic enrichments with methoxylated aromatic compounds as substrates (vanillate, syringate, trimethoxycinnamate) were inoculated from freshwater mud and sewage sludge samples. In 12 out of 16 cultures the same type of rod-shaped, motile bacteria was selectively enriched. Two strains, NZva16 and NZva24, were isolated in pure culture and recognized as Acetobacterium woodii by comparison with the type strain (DSM 1030).

Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus gen. nov., spec. nov., a new, extreme thermophilic, anaerobic bacterium

Abstract: Two strains, JW 200 and JW 201, of an extreme thermophilic, non-spore-forming anaerobic bacterium were isolated from alkaline and slightly acidic hot springs located in Yellowstone National Park. Both strains were peritrichously flagellated rods. Cell size varied from 0.5–0.8 by 4–100 μm; coccoid-shaped cells of about 1 μm in diameter frequently occurred. Division was often unequal. Spheroplast-like forms were visible at the late logarithmic growth phase. The Gram reaction was variable. The DNA base composition of the two strains was between 37 and 39 mol% guanine plus cytosine as determined by buoyant density measurements and approximately 32% by the thermal denaturation method. The main fermentation products from hexoses were ethanol and CO2. Growth occurred between 37 and 78°C and from pH 4.4 to 9.8. The name Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus gen. nov., spec. nov. was proposed for the two, new isolates. Strain JW 200 was designated as the type strain.

Oxidation of short-chain fatty acids by sulfate-reducing bacteria in freshwater and in marine sediments.

Abstract: Colony counts of acetate-, propionate- and l-lactate-oxidizing sulfate-reducing bacteria in marine sediments were made. The vertical distribution of these organisms were equal for the three types considered. The highest numbers were found just beneath the border of aerobic and anaerobic layers.

Clostridium aceticum (Wieringa), a microorganism producing acetic acid from molecular hydrogen and carbon dioxide

Abstract: Spores of Clostridium aceticum (Wieringa) from 1947 have been revived, and a study for a redescription of this microorganism has been carried out. C. aceticum was Gram negative. The cells were rodshaped and peritrichously flagellated. Round spores were formed in terminal position. The DNA contained 33 mol % guanine plus cytosine. The organism was obligately anaerobic and grew either chemolithotrophically with H2 + CO2 or chemoorganotrophically with compounds such as fructose, L-glutamate, L-malate or pyruvate. H2 and CO2 were converted to acetic acid according to the following equation: 2CO2 + 4H2 leads to CH3COOH + 2H2O The optimal temperature for growth was 30 degrees C. The optimal pH for chemolithotrophic growth was 8.3. The doubling times for chemolithotrophic and chemoorganotrophic growth were 25 and 8 h, respectively.

The hydrophobicity of bacteria - an important factor in their initial adhesion at the air-water interface.

Abstract: Bacteria isolated from the surface and the subsurface water at four stations along the Swedish west coast were assessed for their hydrophobicity with hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC). The surface bacteria were sampled by the Teflon sheet technique. [3H]-l-leucine metabolically labeled isolates were run on a column packed with Octyl-Sepharose CL-4B gel. The relative hydrophobicity of the bacteria was expressed as the ratio, g/e, between the radioactivity of the gel and the eluate. The results revealed a positive correlation between the degree of enrichment of bacteria at the surface and their hydrophobicity. The subsurface bacteria exhibited a broader spectrum of g/e-values than the surface bacteria. The initial adhesion of bacteria to the surface microlayer depends on several factors of which the hydrophobic interaction may be one of the most important.

Relationship of nitrogen to the onset and suppression of ligninolytic activity and secondary metabolism in Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Abstract: Ligninolytic activity in the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium was previously found not to be induced by lignin, but to develop in cultures in response to nitrogen starvation Added NH4+suppressed existing activity The present study examined amino acid profiles and protein concentrations during onset of ligninolytic activity (synthetic 14C-lignin→14CO2) in nitrogen-limited cultures, and defined some characteristics of subsequent suppression by added nutrient nitrogen During the transition between depletion of medium nitrogen and the onset of ligninolytic activity, total free intracellular amino acids increased, then rapidly decreased; changes in glutamate concentration played a major role Intracellular protein concentration fluctuated in a manner roughly converse to that of the concentration of free amino acids Protein turnover was rapid (5–7%/h) during the transition period Glutamate, glutamine, and histidine were the most effective of 14 nitrogenous compounds in suppressing ligninolytic activity after its onset The suppressive effect was not mediated through carbon (glucose)-catabolite repression or by alterations in culture pH Activities responsible for oxidation of lignin and the ligninrelated phenol, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyacetophenone, responded similarly to added nitrogen Synthesis of a secondary metabolite, veratryl alcohol, like lignin oxidation, was suppressed quite sharply by glutamate and significantly by NH4+ Results indicate that nitrogen metabolism affects ligninolytic activity as a part of secondary metabolism, and suggest a role for glutamate metabolism in regulating this phase of culture development

Acetogenium kivui, a new thermophilic hydrogen-oxidizing acetogenic bacterium

Abstract: Hydrogen-oxidizing acetogenic bacteria in pure culture are presently represented by the two mesophilic species, Acetobacterium woodii and Clostridium aceticum. From Lake Kivu we have isolated a Gram negative, chemolithotrophic, thermophilic anaerobe (LKT-1) that oxidizes hydrogen and reduces carbon dioxide to acetic acid. It is a non-motile, non-sporeforming rod, about 0.7μm in width and 2–7.5μm in length, often occuring in pairs or chains. The cell wall has a banded appearance; the surface layer contains a regular array of particles with six-fold rotational symmetry. No outer membrane is present. The temperature optimum for growth is 66°C, and the pH optimum is 6.4. Organic growth substrates include glucose, mannose, fructose, pyruvate, and formate; acetate is the principal product. The doubling time for growth on hydrogen and carbon dioxide is about 2h. Vitamins are neither required nor stimulatory. Yeast extract and Trypticase enhance the final yield but do not affect the growth rate. Cysteine or sulfide are required and cannot be replaced by thioglycolate or dithiothreitol. LKT-1 was mass cultured on hydrogen and carbon dioxide in a 24.1 fermentor with a yield of 34g (wet weight) of cells. The DNA base composition as determined by buoyant density is 38 mol % guanine plus cytosine. LKT-1 appears only distantly related to physiologically similar bacteria. A new genus Acetogenium is proposed, and the species is Acetogenium kivui.

Biosynthesis of the secondary metabolite veratryl alcohol in relation to lignin degradation in Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Abstract: The lignin-degrading basidiomycete Phanerochaete chrysosporium synthesizes veratryl alcohol (3,4-dimethoxybenzyl alcohol) via phenylalanine, 3,4-dimethoxycinnamyl alcohol and veratrylglycerol Study of the conversion of 3,4-dimethoxycinnamyl alcohol to veratrylglycerol and veratryl alcohol showed is to be (a) catalyzed by a secondary metabolic system, (b) markedly suppressed by culture agitation, and (c) strongly inhibited by l-glutamate The amount of veratryl alcohol synthesized de novo was positively correlated with the O2 concentration after primary growth Other work has shown that the cinnamyl alcohol terminal residue in a lignin substructure model compound is degraded via arylglycerol and benzyl alcohol structures in ligninolytic cultures of P chrysosporium, and that the ligninolytic system exhibits traits (a)-(c) above Ligninolytic activity is also strongly and positively correlated with O2 concentration The results here suggest, therefore, that the actual biosynthetic secondary metabolic product is 3,4-dimethoxycinnamyl alcohol, but that this is degraded by the ligninolytic system to veratryl alcohol via veratrylglycerol Veratryl alcohol is only slowly metabolized by the fungus, and accumulates

The structure of Gloeobacter violaceus and its phycobilisomes

Abstract: The fine structure of the atypical cyanobacterium Gloeobacter violaceus has been studied on frozen-etched replicas and compared to that of a typical unicellular strain: Synechocystis 6701. The complementary fracture faces of G. violaceus cytoplasmic membrane contain particles less numerous and more heterogenous in size than either the cytoplasmic membrane or the thylakoid membranes of Synechocystis. The most frequently observed particles of the exoplasmic fracture (EF) face of the G. violaceus cytoplasmic membrane are 11 nm in diameter and occasionally form short alignments. This particle class is similar in appearance to the numerous, aligned EF particles of Synechocystis thylakoid membranes. In replicas of cross-fractured G. violaceus, a layer 50–70 nm thick, composed of rod-like elements, underlies the inner surface of the cytoplasmic membrane. The rods, 12–14 nm in diameter, are oriented perpendicularly to the cytoplasmic membrane and show a 6 nm repeat along their length.

The effects of sublethal concentrations of zinc, cadmium and mercury on Euglena

Abstract: Results on the effect of sub-lethal concentrations of zinc chloride (ZnCl2), cadmium chloride (CdCl2), and mercuric chloride (HgCl2) on Euglena are presented. During the growth cycle respiratory oxygen uptake and photosynthetic oxygen evolution in the light are initially strongly inhibited by Zn, Cd and Hg. The effects of the three metals on photosynthesis, using oxygen evolution as a criterion was confirmed by carbon fixation techniques. Photosystem I (PSI) associated electron transport 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol (DCPIP)red. → methyl viologen (MV) → O2, in contrast to total photosynthetic capacity, was only slightly inhibited by Zn, Cd and Hg, whereas the levels of activity of NADP-oxidoreductase in cells untreated or treated with heavy metals showed development like total photosynthesis. Metals strongly inhibited this enzyme which means that the supply of NADPH is lowered due to the action of Zn, Cd and Hg. Photosystem II (PSII) associated electron transport (H2O → dibromothymoquinone/2,3-dimethyl-5,6-methylenedioxy-D-benzoquinone → O2), however, was severely inhibited in a way similar to total photosynthesis. Effects on the cooperation of PSI + II showed patterns similar to PSII alone, i.e., heavy metals strongly reduced PSI + II dependent activities.

Dehalogenation of dichloromethane by cell extracts of hyphomicrobium DM2

Abstract: A facultatively methylotrophic bacterium was isolated from enrichment cultures containing dichloromethane as the sole carbon source. It was identified as a Hyphomicrobium species. The organism grew exponentially in batch cultures with 10 mM dichloromethane at a specific growth rate of 0.07 h-1. The release of Cl- from dichloromethane and the disapperance of substrate paralleled growth. Resting dichloromethane-grown cells, in the presence of potassium sulphite as a trapping agent, converted cichloromethane methane quantitatively to formaldehyde. The conversion of dichloromethane to formaldehyde by cell extracts was stricly dependent on glutathione. Other thiols were inactive. Glutathione was not consumed in the course of the reaction. The specific activity of the enzymic dehalogenation of dichloromethane amounted to 3.8 mkat/kg protein in extracts of dichloromethane-grown cells and to less than 0.1 mkat/kg protein in extracts from cells grown on methanol.

Generation of succinyl-coenzyme A in photosynthetic bacteria

Abstract: Pathways of succinyl-Coenzyme A (succinyl-CoA) formation in various photosynthetic bacteria were investigated through several approaches, including determination of activity levels of relevant enzymes. Extracts of photosynthetically grown cells of representative Rhodospirillaceae and Chromatium vinosum showed α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (KGD) activities sufficient to account for generation of the succinyl-CoA required for biosynthetic metabolism. Except as noted below, the observed ratios of fumarate reductase/succinate dehydrogenase activities were low, consistent with the conclusion that these organisms produce succinyl-CoA oxidatively from α-ketoglutarate (KG), rather than by reductive metabolism of fumarate. On the other hand, the green bacterium Chlorobium limicola appears to produce succinyl-CoA by the reductive pathway; in this organism, KGD activity could not be detected, and a high fumarate reductase/succinate dehydrogenase ratio was observed. Results obtained with Rhodopseudomonas gelatinosa suggest that this otherwise typical member of the Rhodospirillaceae may be able to generate succinyl-CoA via both “arms” of the citric acid cycle, that is, oxidatively from KG, and reductively from fumarate. To further explore the several physiological roles of the conversion: KG→succinyl-CoA in Rhodopseudomonas capsulata, a mutant (strain KGD 11) almost completely blocked in KGD activity was isolated and studied in detail. Under anaerobic photosynthetic conditions, KGD 11 grows readily on succinate as the sole carbon source; in contrast to the wild type parent, however, it cannot grow with l-glutamate as the source of carbon. The R. capsulata parental strain can grow in darkness as an aerobic heterotroph on various carbon/energy sources including pyruvate, D,L-malate, or succinate. Mutant KGD 11, however, is unable to grow aerobically on the substrates noted. These results indicate that the energy for aerobic dark growth of R. capsulata is provided by ”respiratory phosphorylation” fueled by citric acid cycle function, and that this requires a substantial level of KGD activity. The present findings also indicate that citric acid cycle sequences in most of the Rhodospirillaceae prominently used in current research are geared to operate in the oxidative direction, as in nonphotosynthetic aerobic heterotrophs.

Effects of water stress on cryptoendolithic cyanobacteria from hot desert rocks

Abstract: Four strains of Chroococcidiopsis and one Chroococcus, all isolated from extreme arid desert rocks, and one marine Chroococcus, were subjected to water stress using both matric and osmotic control methods. For all Chroococcidiopsis strains, photosynthetic rates decreased with decreasing water potential. After 24h preincubation the decrease was linear but after 72h there was a sharp drop below-3400 kPa (aw≏0.976). In contrast, the two Chroococcus strains showed optimum photosynthesis between-3000 and-4000 KPa. It appears, therefore, that Chroococcidiopsis in deserts may have a different survival strategy in response to aridity than Chroococcus (rare in deserts).

Antibiotics from basidiomycetes: XIV. Isolation and biological characterization of hypnophilin, pleurotellol, and pleurotellic acid from Pleurotellus hypnophilus (Berk.) Sacc.

Abstract: Three new antibiotically active metabolites were isolated from cultures of the fungus Pleurotellus hypnophilus. The structures which are closely related to the coriolins were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. Hypnophilin (1) has a hirsutane sceleton whereas pleurotellol (2) and pleurotellic acid (3) are sesquiterpenoids with novel hirsutane skeletons. The common structural feature of all three metabolites is an α-methylene ketone moiety. The antibiotics inhibited the growth of several bacteria as well as of some fungi. In cells of the ascitic form of Ehrlich carcinoma RNA and DNA syntheses were more affected than protein synthesis. The mode of action was compared with the antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects of complicatic acid (4) and other α-methylene ketones and lactones from higher plants. All the compounds tested reacted rapidly with cysteine to form adducts which were almost devoid of biological activity.

Hybridization of Candida albicans through fusion of protoplasts.

Abstract: Protoplasts of complementing auxotrophs of Candida albicans can fuse in the presence of polyethylene glycol and generate prototrophic cells. The yields of prototrophs from fusion mixtures depend greatly on the particular combinations of auxotrophies involved but not on other features of the strain backgrounds of protoplasts. The initial cellular products of fusions isolated on selective media are heterokaryons which replicate slowly but also segregate single parental nuclei into blastospores in high frequency. Karyogamy within heterokaryons produces hybrid nuclei which, on segregation, give rise to rapidly growing, uninucleate substrains. Analyses of the substrains show that hybrid nuclei either stabilize as diploid or undergo random loss of chromosomes to stabilize at various levels of aneuploidy prior to segregation. Chromosome losses and radiation induced mitotic crossing-over can effect recombination for parental auxotrophic markers in hybrids; patterns of recombination for ader and arg markers provide the first documented example of chromosomal linkage in C. albicans. Thus, protoplast fusions offer opportunities otherwise unavailable for applying the incisive tools of genetic recombination to analysis of this important, asexual yeast.

Evidence for a dual role of cytochrome c-553 and plastocyanin in photosynthesis and respiration of the cyanobacterium, Anabaena variabilis

Abstract: The cytochrome oxidase activity (oxygen uptake in the dark) of a membrane preparation from Anabaena variabilis was found to be stimulated by cytochrome c-553 and plastocyanin obtained from this alga. Cytochrome c from horse heart was as active as cytochrome c-553, whereas little or no stimulation of oxygen uptake was obtained with cytochromes c 2 from two Rhodospirillaceae, the plastidic cytochrome c-552 from Euglena, and plastocyanin from spinach. Cytochrome c-553 (A. variabilis) stimulated photosystem 1 activity in the same preparation much more than cytochrome c (horse heart). The results indicate that cytochrome c-553 and plastocyanin, besides their established function as electron donors of photosystem 1, participate in respiratory electron transport as reductants of a terminal oxidase. Photooxidation and dark oxidation show a different donor specificity.

Effect of molecular hydrogen and carbon dioxide on chemo-organotrophic growth of Acetobacterium woodii and Clostridium aceticum.

Abstract: During growth of Acetobacterium woodii on fructose, glucose or lactate in a medium containing less than 0.04% bicarbonate, molecular hydrogen was evolved up to 0.1 mol per mol of substrate. Under an H2-atmosphere growth of A. woodii with organic substrates was completely inhibited whereas under an H2/CO2-atmosphere rapid growth occurred. Under these conditions H2+CO2 and the organic substrate were utilized simultaneously indicating that A. woodii was able to grow mixotrophically. Clostridium aceticum differed from A. woodii in that H2 was only evolved in the stationary phase, that the inhibition by H2 was observed at pH 8.5 but not at pH 7.5, anf that in the presence of fructose and H2+CO2 only fructose was utilized. The hydrogenase activity of fructose-grown cells of C. aceticum amounted to only 12% of that of H2+CO2-grown cells. With A. woodii a corresponding decrease of the activity of this enzyme was not observed.

The subunits of the parasporal crystal of Bacillus thuringiensis : Size, linkage and toxicity

Abstract: The solubility properties and the number of disulfide groups per molecule of the crystal protein of Bacillus thuringiensis were shown to be similar to that of wool keratin. Dissolution of the crystals required scission of S-S bonds. This could be achieved at neutral pH without loss of toxicity. Molecular weight determinations with gel electrophoresis and ultracentrifugation indicated that the crystal subunit is a dimer. With the exception of the variety israelensis, all strains belonging to ten different subspecies revealed crystal subunits of the same molecular weight.

Bacterial mesosomes: Method dependent artifacts

Abstract: The occurrence of mesosomes was investigated during septum formation of vegetative and sporulating cells of Bacillus cereus. It has been demonstrated that bacterial mesosomes which are considered by numerous microbiologists as an integrated constituent of Gram positive bacteria, are in reality artifacts arising during the preparation for electron microscopy. The conventional fixation methods allowed enough time for the cytoplasmic membrane to react to the changed conditions and to form the typical pocket-like membrane invaginations. With cryofixation followed by freeze-substitution it was shown in ultrathin sections that mesosomes do not occur. The extremely rapid freezing and the substitution of the ice by an organic solvent containing the fixative prevented the formation of membraneous artifacts.

Metabolism of aromatic hydrocarbons by yeasts

Abstract: Six yeasts were examined for their ability to metabolize naphthalene, biphenyl and benzo(a)pyrene. All of the organisms tested oxidized these aromatic hydrocarbons. Candida lipolytica oxidized naphthalene to 1-naphthol, 2-naphthol, 4-hydroxy-1-tetralone and trans-1,2-dihydroxy-1,2-dihydronaphthalene. The major metabolite was 1-naphthol. C. lipolytica oxidized biphenyl to produce 2-, 3-, and 4-hydroxybiphenyl, 4,4′-dihydroxybiphenyl and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxybiphenyl. 4-Hydroxybiphenyl was the predominant metabolite formed. C. lipolytica oxidized benzo(a)pyrene to 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene and 9-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene. Metabolites were isolated and identified by absorption spectrophotometry, mass spectrometry and thin-layer, gasliquid and high-pressure liquid chromatography. Where possible the structures of these metabolites were confirmed by comparison with authenic compounds.

Arthrobacter P 1, a Fast Growing Versatile Methylotroph with Amine Oxidase as a Key Enzyme in the Metabolism of Methylated Amines

Abstract: A facultative methylotrophic bacterium was isolated from enrichment cultures containing methylamine as the sole carbon source. It was tentatively identified as an Arthrobacter species. Extracts of cells grown on methylamine or ethylamine contained high levels of amine oxidase (E.C. 1.4.3) activity. Glucose- or choline-grown cells lacked this enzyme. Oxidation of primary amines by the enzyme resulted in the formation of H2O2; as a consequence high levels of catalase were present in methylamine- and ethylamine-grown cells. The significance of catalase in vivo was demonstrated by addition of 20 mM aminotriazole (a catalase inhibitor) to exponentially growing cells. This completely blocked growth on methylamine whereas growth on glucose was hardly affected. Cytochemical studies showed that methylamine-dependent H2O2 production mainly occurred on invaginations of the cytoplasmic membrane. Assimilation of formaldehyde which is generated during methylamine oxidation was by the FBP variant of the RuMP cycle of formaldehyde fixation. The absence of NAD-dependent formaldehyde and formate dehydrogenases indicated the operation of a non-linear oxidation sequence for formaldehyde via hexulose phosphate synthase. Enzyme profiles of the organism grown on various substrates suggested that the synthesis of amine oxidase, catalase and the enzymes of the RuMP cycle is not under coordinate control.

Biochemical and nucleic acid hybridisation studies on Brevibacterium linens and related strains

Abstract: Twenty coryneform bacteria identified as Brevibacterium linens or related strains from different private and public collections were studied biochemically in respect to the composition of the cell walls and in respect to the nucleic acid hybridisation. Investigation of the cell walls revealed an identical meso-diaminopimelic acid containing directly cross-linked peptidoglycan type which is not amidated. The characteristic polymers of the polysaccharide moiety of the cell walls were found to be teichoic acids which belong to the poly(glycerolphosphate) and the poly(ribitolphosphate) type. Furthermore a novel mannitol containing teichoic acid is present which is tentatively characterized as poly(mannitolphosphate). Arabinoglactan and ribose as distinctive sugar components together with galactose and glucose in the cell walls of B. linens could not be detected in any strain. The biochemical findings lend support to the view that B. linens and related strains form a distinctive group which is clearly distinguished from all other coryneform bacteria. This is supported by DNA-23S/16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid reassociation studies. Deoxyribonucleic acid-deoxyribonucleic acid homology studies show the incoherency of B. linens which obviously comprises two species.

Sporulation and further nutritional characteristics of Desulfotomaculum acetoxidans

Abstract: Acetate-oxidizing sulfate-reducing bacteria of the Desulfotomaculum acetoxidans type have been enriched from animal manure, rumen content and dung contaminated freshwater habitats, indicating that they are primarily intestinal bacteria. Sporulation was observed only when acetate was the organic substrate; with butyrate, which allowed faster growth than acetate, spore formation never occurred. The cone-shaped highly refractile areas adjacent to the spores in spore-forming mother cells were shown to be gas vacuoles. Biotin was the only growth factor required by Desulfotomaculum acetoxidans strain 5575 in minimal media with sulfate and acetate or other organic substrates.

Occurrence in soil of thermo-acidophilic bacilli possessing ω-cyclohexane fatty acids and hopanoids

Abstract: Out of different soil samples from neutral environments 50 thermo-acidophilic bacilli were isolated. All 23 strains tested contain ω-cyclohexane fatty acids in the range of 15–91% of the total fatty acids. In this group six strains possess hopane containing lipids (hopanoids). In contrast Bacillus coagulans, sometimes described as thermoacidophilic, contains no ω-cyclohexane fatty acids as was shown in seven strains. The degree to which the described strains were related to Bacillus acidocaldarius could not definitely be determined.

Phototaxis in the flagellates, Euglena gracilis and Ochromonas danica

Abstract: Oriented movement with respect to laterally impinging white light of the flagellates Euglena gracilis and Ochromonas danica has been analyzed in an individual cell study with a microvideographic technique. Using the deviation of track segments (in given time intervals of 1 s) from the light direction as raw data allowed a computer based analysis of the direction distribution. A number of statistical methods employed to test the significance of the obtained results demonstrated an obvious phototactic orientation in Ochromonas which was positive (toward the light source) in low illuminance (1.25 lx=5.3×10-3 Wm-2) and negative in higher illuminance (>12.5 lx=5.3×10-2 Wm-2). Since in this flagellate the threshold for negative phototaxis is much lower than that for the step-up photophobic response, the hypothesis that negative phototaxis may be brought about by repetitive step-up phobic responses can be rejected for at least this organism. In Euglena positive phototaxis was observed in ≤50 lx (=0.21 Wm-2), while an illuminance of 500 lx (=2.1 Wm-2) caused a negative phototaxis.

The effects of nitrogen limitation on the ultrastructure of the cyanobacterium Agmenellum quadruplicatum

Abstract: The effects of nitrogen limitation on the ultrastructure of the unicellular cyanobacterium, Agmenellum quadruplicatum, were studied by thin sectioning transmission electron microscopy. Nitrogen became limiting for growth 14–15 h after transfer to nitrogen-limiting medium, but cultures retained full viability for at least 45 h. The c-phycocyanin: chlorophyll a ratio and cellular nitrogen content of the culture dropped rapidly after 14–15 h, as a progressive deterioration of major cell structures took place. Phycobilisomes were degraded first, followed by ribosomes and, then, thylakoid membranes. These structures were virtually depleted from the cells within 26 h. Intracellular polysaccharide accumulated in place of the normal cell structures throughout this period. Nitrogen limitation did not affect polyphosphate bodies, carboxysomes, lipid granules, the cell envelope, or the extra-cellular glycocalyx. All of the ultrastructural changes resulting from nitrogen limitation were reversed upon addition of nitrate to a starved culture. Most cell structures were restored within 3 h, and restoration was complete within 9 h.

The uptake and hydrolysis of disaccharides by fast-and slow-growing species of Rhizobium

Abstract: Slow growing strains of rhizobia appear to lack both uptake systems and catabolic enzymes for disaccharides. In the fast-growing strains of rhizobia there are uptake mechanisms and catabolic enzymes for disaccharide metabolism. In Rhizobium leguminosarum WU 163 and WU235 and R. trifolii WU290, sucrose and maltose uptake appears to be constitutive whereas in R. meliloti WU60 and in cowpea Rhizobium NGR234 uptake of these disaccharides is inducible. There is evidence that there are at least two distinct disaccharide uptake systems in fast-growing rhizobia, one transporting sucrose, maltose and trehalose and the other, lactose. Disaccharide uptake is via an active process since uptake is inhibited by azide, dinitrophenol and carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone but not by arsenate. Bacteroids of R. leguminosarum WU235 and R. lupini WU8 are unable to accumulate disaccharides.

Sodium dependence of growth and methane formation in Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum

Abstract: Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum was found to require sodium for growth and for CO2 reduction to methane. The dependence of the rate of growth and methane formation on the sodium concentration was hyperbolic with an apparent K s for sodium of approximately 1 mM. The findings indicate that sodium has a specific function in the energy metabolism of this bacterium.