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Continuous culture of Methanococcus jannaschii , an extremely thermophilic methanogen
Author(s) -
Tsao JiaHuey,
Kaneshiro Stacey M.,
Yu ShuSan,
Clark Douglas S.
Publication year - 1994
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.260430309
Subject(s) - methanogen , methanococcus , thermophile , hydrogenase , growth rate , methane , methanobacterium , methanogenesis , chemistry , biochemistry , enzyme , archaea , organic chemistry , geometry , mathematics , gene
Abstract Methanococcus jannaschii , an extremely thermophilic methanogen isolated from a deep‐sea hydrothermal vent, was grown at 80°C in continuous culture on a mineral salts medium gassed with H 2 and CO 2 at three different flow rates. The maximum specific growth rate was 0.56 h −1 , and the maximum specific methane productivity was 0.32 (mol g −1 h −1 ). Uncoupling of growth and methane production was evidenced by an increase in teh non‐growth‐associated rate of methane formation, β, with increasing gaseous input. The specific hydrogenase activity exhibited growth‐assiciated behaviour at low growth rates, but showed no dependence on growth at higher growth rates. The growth dependence of hydrogenase activity is consistent with the pressure dependence of hydrogenase activity measured in previous experiments. In contrast, the specific protease activity was independent of the growth rate over the entire range of dilution rates studied. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.