Energetics of end product excretion in anaerobic bacteria and the metabolism of fatty acids by Syntrophomonas wolfei: Progress report, March 15, 1985--June 30, 1988

Technical Report · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:6884958

McInerney, M J

We developed methods to physically separate cells of the anaerobic, fatty acid degrade, Syntrophomonas wolfei, from cells of the hydrogen user by Percoll gradient centrifugation and to selectively lyse S. wolfei cells using lysozyme. These methods allowed the study of the physiology of S. wolfei without significant contamination. Fatty acids were degraded by the B-oxidation pathway using a coenzyme A (CoA) transferase activity to activate the fatty acid and substrate- level phosphorylation reactions to synthesize. The substrate specificity of the CoA transferase activity in the pure culture of S. wolfei differed from that found in the coculture suggesting that the ability to use crotonate resulted from an alteration of this enzyme. S. wolfei grown alone degraded crotonate in a manner similar to that of other crotonate-fermenting anaerobes, but the molar growth yields of S. wolfei were 2 to 3 times higher than those organisms. This suggests that the reduction of crotonyl-CoA to butyryl-CoA is energy yielding. S. wolfei contained a c-type cytochrome which may be involved in this reaction. S. wolfei synthesized large amounts of the storage polymer, poly-B-hydroxybutyrate.

• Research Organization: Oklahoma Univ., Norman (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AS05-83ER13053
• OSTI ID: 6884958
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/13053-7; ON: DE88014744
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BACTERIA
BIOCHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS
CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
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ENZYMES
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MICROORGANISMS
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PROGRESS REPORT
REACTION KINETICS
TRACER TECHNIQUES
TRANSFERASES