Environmental factors affecting indole metabolism under anaerobic conditions

Journal Article · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · Appl. Environ. Microbiol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5381262

Madsen, E L; Francis, A J; Bollag, J M

The influence of physiological and environmental factors on the accumulation of oxindole during anaerobic indole metabolism was investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography. Under methanogenic conditions, indole was temporarily converted to oxindole in stoichiometric amounts in media inoculated with three freshwater sediments and an organic soil. In media inoculated with methanogenic sewage sludge, the modest amounts of oxindole detected at 35/sup 0/C reached higher concentrations and persisted longer when the incubation temperature was decreased from 35 to 15/sup 0/C. Also, decreasing the concentration of sewage sludge used as an inoculum from 50 to 1% caused an increase in the accumulation of oxindole from 10 to 75% of the indole added. Under denitrifying conditions, regardless of the concentration or source of the inoculum, oxindole appeared in trace amounts but did not accumulate during indole metabolism. In addition, denitrifying consortia which previously metabolized indole degraded oxindole with no lag period. Our data suggest that oxindole accumulation under methanogenic, but not under denitrifying conditions is caused by differences between relative rates of oxindole production and destruction.

• Research Organization: Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park
• DOE Contract Number: FG02-87ER60556
• OSTI ID: 5381262
• Journal Information: Appl. Environ. Microbiol.; (United States), Journal Name: Appl. Environ. Microbiol.; (United States) Vol. 54:1; ISSN AEMID
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550500* -- Metabolism
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ANAEROBIC CONDITIONS
AROMATICS
AZAARENES
AZOLES
BACTERIA
BIODEGRADATION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
DENITRIFICATION
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
INDOLES
METABOLISM
METHANOGENIC BACTERIA
MICROORGANISMS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PH VALUE
PYRROLES
SEWAGE
SEWAGE SLUDGE
SLUDGES
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
WASTES