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GLUCOSE AND NITRATE UTILISATION BY ANAEROBIC CULTURES OF PS. AERUGINOSA
Author(s) -
Collins FM
Publication year - 1960
Publication title -
australian journal of experimental biology and medical science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.999
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1440-1711
pISSN - 0004-945X
DOI - 10.1038/icb.1960.18
Subject(s) - nitrate , chemistry , anaerobic exercise , aeration , carbon dioxide , citric acid , metabolism , nitrogen , fumaric acid , lactic acid , malic acid , carbon fibers , succinic acid , food science , ammonia , biochemistry , organic chemistry , bacteria , biology , physiology , genetics , materials science , composite material , composite number
SUMMARY Ps. aeruginosa was grown under anaerobic conditions in a synthetic glucose nitrate medium. In the presence of nitrate, carbon dioxide and cellular carbon were the end products of glucose metabolism. The nitrate was reduced almost entirely to gaseous nitrogen or nitrous oxide (18 p.c. of utilised NO 3 ‐N). Continued incubation of anaerobic cultures after the exhaustion of the nitrate did very little to alter the end products of nitrate utilisation, but striking variations were recorded for the glucose utilisation. Up to 11 p.c. of the utilised glucose carbon was recovered as volatile and non‐volatile organic acids. The non‐volatile acids included extensive amounts of lactic and glycollic acids together with smaller quantities of succinic, malic, fumaric, citric, α keto glutaric and oxalacetic acids. The volatile acid was produced in approximately the same quantity in both aerated and anaerobic cultures whether nitrate was present or not. Carbon balances of 100 p.c. were obtained for the anaerobic cultures, but extensive discrepancies in the aerated culture indicated the formation of other undetected end products of glucose metabolism.