Glycerol fermentation in Klebsiella pneumoniae: functions of the coenzyme B12-dependent glycerol and diol dehydratases

Glycerol and diol dehydratases are inducible, coenzyme B12-dependent enzymes found together in Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 25955 during anaerobic growth on glycerol. Mutants of this strain isolated by a novel procedure were separately constitutive for either dehydratase, showing the structural genes for the two enzymes to be under independent control in vivo. Glycerol dehydratase and a trimethylene glycol dehydrogenase were implicated as members of a pleiotropic control system that includes glycerol dehydrogenase and dihydroxyacetone kinase for the anaerobic dissimilation of glycerol (the "dha system"). The dehydratase and dehydrogenases were induced by dihydroxyacetone and were jointly constitutive in mutants isolated as constitutive for either the dha system or glycerol dehydratase. These data and the stimulation of growth by Co2+ suggested that glycerol dehydratase and trimethylene glycol dehydrogenase are obligatory enzymes for anaerobic growth on glycerol as the sole carbon source.