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Role of formaldehyde in the utilization of C 1 compounds via the ribulose monophosphate cycle
Author(s) -
Papoutsakis Eleftherios,
Lim Henry C.,
Tsao George T.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.260200307
Subject(s) - formaldehyde , methanol , chemistry , ribulose , formaldehyde dehydrogenase , biochemistry , enzyme , organic chemistry , oxygenase , nad+ kinase
Formaldehyde, an intermediate in methanol oxidation, plays an important role in controlling methanol utilization by microorganisms which fix carbon via the ribulose monophosphate (RMP) cycle. The extracellular formaldehyde concentration profiles in batch cultures at low and high starting methanol concentrations with and without the presence of semicarbazide in the media, suggest the role played by formaldehyde. The impact of formaldehyde on growth is demonstrated by the time dependent and the initial methanol concentration‐dependent cell‐mass‐yield coefficient. Kinetic studies of the enzymes involved in the oxidation and incorporation of C 1 units suggest that enzyme inhibition cannot account for the observed growth inhibition. A mechanism is proposed to explain methanol and formaldehyde utilization that stresses the transcriptional regulation of mass flow around formaldehyde in assimilation and oxidation pathways through repression and induction.