Carbon monoxide metabolism by photosynthetic bacteria: Progress report
The photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodospirillum rubrum, is capable of converting carbon monoxide to CO/sub 2/ and cellular material. Because carbon monoxide is a major industrial pollutant in this country and a product of the biological oxidation of CO is the product of H/sub 2/, a major industrial feedstock, this process has practical importance. The oxidation of carbon monoxide to CO/sub 2/ by microorganisms is a major component of the carbon monoxide cycle on earth. We have isolated the enzyme responsible for this process from Rhodospirillum rubrum. Carbon monoxide dehydrogenase is an iron - sulfur, nickel- and zinc-containing enzyme. The enzyme is quite stable to heat and amendable to purification, however, it is very labile to oxygen, and all experiments must be conducted anaerobically. We are studying the activities of this enzyme, its regulation and its induction by its substrate carbon monoxide. The enzyme is absent in cells that have not been exposed to carbon monoxide, but cells produce the enzyme at a maximal rate upon exposure to carbon monoxide for as little as ten minutes. Oxygen, a potent and irreversible inhibitor of the enzyme, represses the synthesis of this enzyme. 1 tab.
- Research Organization:
- Wisconsin Univ., Madison (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-87ER13691
- OSTI ID:
- 7165761
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ER/13691-T1; ON: DE88011569
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
CARBON MONOXIDE
METABOLISM
OXIDOREDUCTASES
BIOCHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
PHOTOSYNTHETIC BACTERIA
BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS
CARBON CYCLE
DNA-CLONING
FRACTIONATION
METALLOPROTEINS
PROGRESS REPORT
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CLONING
DOCUMENT TYPES
ENZYMES
KINETICS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PROTEINS
REACTION KINETICS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
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