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J. Bacteriol., 06 1995, 3058-3066, Vol 177, No. 11
S Encarnacion, M Dunn, K Willms and J Mora
Strains of Rhizobium etli, Rhizobium meliloti, and Rhizobium tropici
decreased their capacity to grow after successive subcultures in minimal
medium, with a pattern characteristic for each species. During the growth
of R. etli CE 3 in minimal medium (MM), a fermentation-like response was
apparent: the O2 content was reduced and, simultaneously, organic acids and
amino acids were excreted and poly-beta- hydroxybutyrate (PHB) was
accumulated. Some of the organic acids excreted into the medium were
tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates, and, concomitantly, the
activities of several TCA cycle and auxiliary enzymes decreased
substantially or became undetectable. Optimal and sustained growth and a
low PHB content were found in R. etli CE 3 when it was grown in MM
inoculated at a low cell density with O2 maintained at 20% or with the
addition of supplements that have an effect on the supply of substrates for
the TCA cycle. In the presence of supplements such as biotin or thiamine,
no amino acids were excreted and the organic acids already excreted into
the medium were later reutilized. Levels of enzyme activities in cells from
supplemented cultures indicated that carbon flux through the TCA cycle was
maintained, which did not happen in MM. It is proposed that the
fermentative state in Rhizobium species is triggered by a cell density
signal that results in the regulation of some of the enzymes responsible
for the flux of carbon through the TCA cycle and that this in turn
determines how much carbon is available for the synthesis and accumulation
of PHB.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Copyright © 1995, American Society for Microbiology
Fermentative and aerobic metabolism in Rhizobium etli
Departamento de Ecologia Molecular, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Cuernavaca, Morelos.
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