Open AccessIn vivo 31 P‐NMR studies of Desulfovibrio species
Author(s) -
SANTOS Helena,
FARELEIRA Paula,
PEDREGAL Carmen,
LeGALL Jean,
XAVIER António V.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
european journal of biochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1432-1033
pISSN - 0014-2956
DOI - 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1991.tb16285.x
Subject(s) - desulfovibrio , chemistry , thiosulfate , sulfate , metabolite , in vivo , phosphorus , electron acceptor , metabolism , nuclear chemistry , bacteria , biochemistry , stereochemistry , sulfur , biology , organic chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics
The phosphorus metabolism of sulfate‐reducing bacteria was, for the first time, probed by in vivo 31 P NMR. A novel phosphoric anhydride diester compound was detected in Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ATCC 27774 at intracellular concentration up to 5 mM. The compound has been extracted and partially purified by anion‐exchange chromatography and analysed by 31 P, 13 C and 1 H NMR. These studies show that the novel phosphorus‐containing compound is formed by five carbon atoms and is probably cyclic, with a M r of approximately 300. Various Desulfovibrio strains were examined in vivo for the presence of this phosphorus‐contianing compound. Detectable amounts of the novel metabolite were found in D. desulfuricans ATCC 27774 when grown on lactate/sulfate lactate/thiosulfate or pyruvate/sulfate. The phosphorus‐containing compound was not detected when this strain of D. desulfuricans was grown on lactate/nitrate or pyruvate; neither was it detected in two other strains which, like D. desulfuricans ATCC 27774, have the capability of utilizing nitrate as a terminal electron acceptor.