Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A M Cook.
A strain of Pseudomonas acidovorans used the organophosphorus pesticide breakdown products, ionic O,O-diethyl phosphorothioate and ionic O,O-diethyl phosphorodithioate, as sulfur sources. The growth yields from the thiophosphates and sulfate were 3.6 to 4.1 kg of protein per mol of sulfur. Elemental sulfur and sulfide also served as sulfur sources but gave lower growth yields.
An organism, identified as a strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae, was proved by direct assay to utilize ionic methyl phenylphosphonate as sole phosphorus source. One product from C-P-bond cleavage was identified as benzene by combined g.l.c.-mass spectrometry. The molar yield of benzene from the phosphonate was 89%.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Soils that had a high binding capacity for inorganic orthophosphate (Pi) had reduced capacities to bind ionic alkyl phosphorus compounds. Only ionic methylphosphonate (MPn) and ionic phenylphosphonate exhibited moderate binding. Pseudomonas testosteroni used either MPn or Pi as a sole phosphorus source and exhibited diauxic utilization of MPn and Pi. The utilization of MPn was suppressed in the presence of Pi. This suppression was abolished by a Pi-binding soil. The soil did not have a significant effect on the maximum rate of degradation of either MPn or the poorly bound ionic O-isopropyl methylphosphonate, whereas the amount of MPn (but not the amount of O-isopropyl methylphosphonate) metabolized was reduced in the presence of soil
Bacteria were isolated that could utilize representatives of the following ionic phosphorus-containing breakdown products of organophosphorus pesticides as sole phosphorus sources: dialkyl phosphates, dialkyl phosphorothioates, dialkyl phosphorodithioates, alkyl arylphosphonates, alkyl arylphosphonothioates, and alkyl alkylphosphonates. Utilization of each organophosphorus compound, which was complete for 7 of 12 compounds studied, was confirmed by determination of protein yield from the amount of phosphorus source consumed. This is the first report of the utilization of an ionic dialkyl thiophosphate or dithiophosphate by microorganisms.
Bacteria able to use at least one of 13 ionic alkylphosphonates of O-alkyl or O,O-dialkyl alkylphosphonates as phosphorus sources were isolated from sewage and soil. Four of these isolates used 2-aminoethylphosphonic acid (AEP) as a sole carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus source. None of the other phosphonates served as a carbon source for the organisms. One isolate, identified as Pseudomonas putida, grew with AEP as its sole carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus source and released nearly all of the organic phosphorus as orthophosphate and 72% of the AEP nitrogen as ammonium. This is the first demonstration of utilization of a phosphonoalkyl moiety as a sole carbon source. Cell-free extracts of P. putida contained an inducible enzyme system that required pyruvate and pyridoxal phosphate to release orthophosphate from AEP; acetaldehyde was tentatively identified as a second product. Phosphite inhibited the enzyme system.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Formation of benzoate and catechol during oxidation of benzyl alcohol by washed suspensions of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus NCIB8250 confirmed earlier results indicating that this organism metabolizes benzyl alcohol via benzaldehyde, benzoate, and the 3-oxoadipate pathway. There was no evidence for feedback inhibition of benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase or benzaldehyde dehydrogenase II. Examination of growth curves and patterns of substrate utilization, as well as measurement of enzyme activities, showed that benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase and benzaldehyde dehydrogenase II are repressed when A. calcoaceticus utilizes L-mandelate or phenylglyoxylate. Growth of bacteria on L-mandelate prior to their inoculation into benzyl alcohol/salts medium leads to an exceptionally long lag period before benzyl alcohol is used at the maximum rate. Benzyl alcohol metabolism is also suppressed during growth on benzoate.
Batch culture of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus in L-mandelate- or phenylglyoxylate-salts medium showed an unusual non-exponential pattern unless the inoculum had been grown on benzyl alcohol. There were transient accumulations of benzaldehyde and benzyl alcohol caused by the limitation of L-mandelate oxidation by low activities of benzaldehyde dehydrogenase and the diversion of reducing power to the formation of benzyl alcohol. In vivo enzymic activities were estimated from patterns of substrate utilization in batch cultures containing pairs of substrates. When bacteria previously grown in L-mandelate-salts medium were inoculated into media containing L-mandelate and a second carbon source, metabolism of L-mandelate was arithmetical in the presence of benzoate, catechol or succinate, but accelerated on exhaustion of the second substrate. This indicated repression of the enzymes involved in L-mandelate oxidation. Inoculation of bacteria grown in benzoate-salts medium into medium containing L-mandelate and benzoate gave diauxie with initial utilization of benzoate. Similar experiments showed that benzoate oxidation was not repressed by catechol and only partially repressed by succinate. Measurement of L-mandelate dehydrogenase, phenylglyoxylate carboxy-lyase and benzaldehyde dehydrogenase I in bacterial extracts showed no evidence for feedback inhibition by intermediates of the pathway. The rates of L-mandelate and benzoate utilization by bacterial suspensions were inhibited by succinate and catechol but not by other intermediates of the pathway.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.