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Sugar Catabolism in Aquaspirillum gracile

¹ Department of Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061

ABSTRACT

Aquaspirillum (Spirillum) gracile is one of the few spirilla that cause acidification of the medium when cultured with sugars. Acidic reactions have been reported only for D-glucose, D-galactose, and L-arabinose, and the mode of attack of these sugars has not been previously investigated. The soluble portion of extracts of glucose-cultured cells of A. gracile ATCC 19624 was found by spectrophotometric methods to contain enzyme activities characteristic of the Entner-Doudoroff and Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathways. No activity for 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.44) was detected. Pyridine nucleotide-linked dehydrogenase activities for L-arabinose and D-galactose (EC 1.1.1.46 and EC 1.1.1.48) occurred in the soluble fraction of cells cultured with either sugar. Glucose-cultured cells contained not only glucokinase (EC 2.7.1.2) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.49) activities but also glucose dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.47) activity. Enzymes capable of oxidizing gluconate were not detectable, but gluconokinase (EC 2.7.1.12) activity was present. Paper chromatographic analysis of the spent culture supernatant media from glucose-cultured cells indicated an accumulation of gluconic acid, and this was confirmed by enzymatic methods. Evidence is presented for the production of D-galactonic and L-arabonic acids in cultures containing D-galactose or L-arabinose, respectively.