Abstract
For anaerobic glucose-limited chemostat cultures of Aerobacter aerogenes a values of 14.0 g/mole was found for Y maxATP and a value of 6.8 mmoles ATP/g dry weight/hr for the maintenance coefficient. Both values are much lower than those previously determined for tryptophan-limited anaerobic chemostat cultures.
It is concluded that generally the largest part of the maintenance energy is not used for true maintenance processes.
For aerobic glucose-limited chemostat cultures two phases could be differentiated. Acetate production started at μ values higher than 0.53. The slopes of the curves relating the specific rates of glucose- and oxygen consumption with μ became higher and lower respectively above the μ value of 0.53. Using the Y ATP values obtained in the anaerobic experiment a P/O ratio of about 1.3 could be calculated for glucose- and tryptophan-limited chemostat cultures. In sulfate-limited chemostat cultures acetate was produced at all growth rates. At high growth rates also pyruvate and α-ketoglutarate were produced. With the Y ATP values obtained in the anaerobic experiment a P/O ratio of about 0.4 was calculated for sulfate-limited chemostat cultures.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
van der Beek, E.G., Stouthamer, A.H.: Oxidative phosphorylation in intact bacteria. Arch. Mikrobiol. 89, 327–339 (1973)
Bélaich, J.P., Bélaich, A., Simonpietri, P.: Uncoupling in bacterial growth: Effect of pantothenate starvation on growth of Zymomonas mobilis. J. gen. Microbiol. 70, 179–185 (1972)
Downie, J.A., Garland, P.B.: Respiration-driven proton translocation by yeast mitochondria with differing efficiencies of oxidative phosphorylation. Biochem. J. 134, 1045–1049 (1973)
Forrest, W. W., Walker, D.J.: The generation and utilization of energy during growth. Advanc. Microbiol. Physiol. 5, 213–274 (1971)
Gel'man, N.S., Lukoyanova, M.A., Ostrovskii, D.N.: Respiration and phosphorylation of bacteria. New York: Plenum Press 1967
Gunsalus, I.C., Shuster, C.W.: Energy-yielding metabolism in bacteria, pp. 1–58. In: The bacteria, I. C. Gunsalus, R. Y. Staier, eds., Vol. 2. New York-London: Academic Press 1961
Haddock, B.A., Garland, P.B.: Effect of sulphate-limited growth on mitochondrial electron transfer and energy conservation between reduced nicotinamide-adeninedi-nucleotide and the cytochromes in Torulopsis utilis. Biochem. J. 124, 155–170 (1971)
Hadjipetrou, L.P., Gerrits, J.P., Teulings, F.A.G., Stouthamer, A.H.: Relation between energy production and growth of Aerobacter aerogenes. J. gen. Microbiol. 36, 139–150 (1964)
Hadjipetrou, L.P., Stouthamer, A.H.: Energy production during nitrate respiration by Aerobacter aerogenes. J. gen. Microbiol. 38, 29–34 (1965)
Harold, F.M.: Conservation and transformation of energy by bacterial membranes. Bact. Rev. 36, 172–230 (1972)
Harrison, D.E.F., Loveless, J.E.: The effect of growth conditions on respiratory activity and growth efficiency in facultative anaerobic grown in chemostat culture. J. gen. Microbiol. 68, 35–43 (1971)
Kapralek, F.: The physiological role of tetrathionate respiration in growing Citrobacter. J. gen. Microbiol. 71, 133–139 (1972)
Lawford, H.G., Haddock, B.A.: Respiration-driven proton translocation in Escherichia coli. Biochem. J. 136, 217–220 (1973)
Lipmann, F., Tuttle, L.C.: A specific method for the determination of acyl-phosphates. J. biol. Chem. 159, 21–28 (1945)
Meyer, D.J., Jones, C.W.: Oxidative phosphorylation in bacteria which contain different cytochrome oxidases. Europ. J. Biochem. 36, 144–151 (1973)
Pirt, S.J.: The maintenance energy of bacteria in growing cultures. Proc. roy. Soc. B 163, 224–231 (1965)
Pirt, S.J., Callow, D.S.: Exocellular product formation by micro-organisms in continuous culture. I. Production of 2,3-butanediol by Aerobacter aerogenes in a single stage process. J. appl. Bact. 21, 188–205 (1958)
Reekers, A.: On the production of α-ketoglutaric acid by Pseudomonas reptilovora, Coldwell and Ryerson. Thesis, Technical University, Delft (1964)
Rose, J.A., Grunberg-Manago, M., Korey, S.R., Ochoa, S.: Enzymatic phosphorylation of acetate. J. biol. Chem. 211, 737–756 (1954)
Senez, J.C.: Some consideration on the energetics of bacterial growth. Bact. Rev. 26, 95–107 (1962)
Stouthamer, A.H.: Determination and significance of molar growth yields, pp. 629–663. In: Methods in microbiology, J. R. Norris, D. W. Ribbons, eds., Vol. 1. New York-London: Academic Press 1969
Stouthamer, A.H.: A theoretical study on the amount of ATP required for synthesis of microbial cell material. Antonie v. Leeuwenhoek 39, 545–565 (1973)
Stouthamer, A.H., Bettenhaussen, C.W.: Influence of hydrogen acceptors on growth and energy production of Proteus mirabilis. Antonie v. Leeuwenhoek 38, 81–90 (1972)
Stouthamer, A.H., Bettenhaussen, C.: Utilization of energy for growth and maintenance in continuous and batch cultures of microorganisms. A reevaluation of the method for the determination of ATP production by measuring molar growth yields. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 301, 53–70 (1973)
de Vries, W., Stouthamer, A.H.: Fermentation of glucose, lactose, galactose, mannitol and xylose by bifidobacteria. J. Bact. 96, 472–478 (1968)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Stouthamer, A.H., Bettenhaussen, C.W. Determination of the efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation in continuous cultures of Aerobacter aerogenes . Arch. Microbiol. 102, 187–192 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00428367
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00428367