STUDIES ON THE ANAEROBIC DISSIMILATION OF GLUCOSE BY BACILLUS SUBTILIS (FORD'S TYPE)

1953 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. C. Neish

Bacillus subtilis (Ford's type) was able to fix only 3% of the NaHC14O3 added during anaerobic dissimilation of glucose, under conditions where Serratia marcescens and Aerobacter aerogenes fixed 38% and 54% respectively. The carbon-14 was found mainly in succinic acid, lactic acid carboxyl, and formic acid, in decreasing order of specific activity. Similar experiments with labelled formate showed it to be relatively inert, most of it being recovered unchanged. Acetate was readily metabolized by B. subtilis during the fermentation of glucose with a marked increase in the amount of 2,3-butanediol and ethanol formed, while the amount of glycerol was decreased to less than one-tenth of the normal value. Experiments with CH3C14OONa proved that the acetate was reduced to ethanol, only traces of acetate carbon being found in 2,3-butanediol or lactic acid. Fermentation of glucose-1-C14 gave 2,3-butanediol and lactic acid labelled in the methyl groups and glycerol labelled mainly in the primary alcohol groups; only a small part of the carbon-14 being found in carbon dioxide.

1954 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. C. Neish ◽  
F. J. Simpson

D-Glucose-1-C14, D-arabinose-1-C14, and L-arabinose-1-C14 were dissimilated anaerobically by Aerobacter aerogenes. The major products (2,3-butanediol, ethanol, acetic acid, lactic acid, formic acid, and carbon dioxide) were isolated and the location of C14 determined. The products from glucose were all labeled, mainly in the methyl groups, in agreement with the hypothesis that they were derived from methyl-labeled pyruvate formed by the reactions of the classical Embden–Meyerhof scheme for glycolysis. The products from both pentoses appeared to have been formed from pyruvate labeled in both the methyl and carboxyl groups with twice as much C14 in the methyl group as in the carboxyl group. This result may be explained quantitatively by a hypothesis assuming complete conversion of pentose to triose via a heptulose.


1954 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. C. Neish ◽  
F. J. Simpson

D-Glucose-1-C14, D-arabinose-1-C14, and L-arabinose-1-C14 were dissimilated anaerobically by Aerobacter aerogenes. The major products (2,3-butanediol, ethanol, acetic acid, lactic acid, formic acid, and carbon dioxide) were isolated and the location of C14 determined. The products from glucose were all labeled, mainly in the methyl groups, in agreement with the hypothesis that they were derived from methyl-labeled pyruvate formed by the reactions of the classical Embden–Meyerhof scheme for glycolysis. The products from both pentoses appeared to have been formed from pyruvate labeled in both the methyl and carboxyl groups with twice as much C14 in the methyl group as in the carboxyl group. This result may be explained quantitatively by a hypothesis assuming complete conversion of pentose to triose via a heptulose.


1963 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Reisener ◽  
A. J. Finlayson ◽  
W. B. McConnell

When uredospores of Puccinia graminis var. tritici race 15B were shaken in a medium containing M/30 phosphate buffer, pH 6.2, and valerate-2-C14, about 88% of the radioactivity was removed from the buffer solution in a period of 3 hours. About 40% of the carbon-14 taken from the buffer was found in a water-soluble extract of the spores and about 15% was respired as carbon dioxide. The result is compared with an earlier report that carbon 1 of valerate is more extensively released as carbon dioxide and less extensively incorporated into spore components. Glutamic acid, glutamine, γ-aminobutyric acid, and alanine of high specific activity were isolated. It was estimated from partial degradation that more than one-half of the carbon-14 of glutamic acid occurred in position 4 and that carbon 5 was very weakly labelled. Citric acid was also of high specific activity and was labelled predominantly in the internal carbons.It is concluded that respiring rust spores utilize externally supplied valerate by β-oxidation, which releases carbons 1 and 2 in a form which is metabolized as acetate by the tricarboxylic acid cycle.


1955 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 615-621 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. A. Altermatt ◽  
F. J. Simpson ◽  
A. C. Neish

The lactic acid produced from D-ribose-1-C14 or D-xylose-1-C14 had only a trace of isotopic carbon in the carbinol group, while the methyl carbon had 40% and carboxyl carbon 20% of the specific activity of carbon-1 of the pentose. The lactic acid from D-xylose-2-C14 was labelled to a slight extent in the methyl group, while the carbinol carbon and the carboxyl carbon had 40% and 20% respectively of the C14 concentration of carbon-2 of the sugar. D-Xylose-5-C14 gave lactic acid labelled mainly in the methyl carbon, which had about 60% of the specific activity of carbon-5 of the pentose. The other fermentation products (2,3-butanediol, ethanol, acetic acid, formic acid, and carbon dioxide) were labelled as if they had been formed from pyruvate with the same labelling as the lactic acid. These results offer additional support to the hypothesis whereby complete conversion of pentose to triose occurs via a heptulose.


1955 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 615-621 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. A. Altermatt ◽  
F. J. Simpson ◽  
A. C. Neish

The lactic acid produced from D-ribose-1-C14 or D-xylose-1-C14 had only a trace of isotopic carbon in the carbinol group, while the methyl carbon had 40% and carboxyl carbon 20% of the specific activity of carbon-1 of the pentose. The lactic acid from D-xylose-2-C14 was labelled to a slight extent in the methyl group, while the carbinol carbon and the carboxyl carbon had 40% and 20% respectively of the C14 concentration of carbon-2 of the sugar. D-Xylose-5-C14 gave lactic acid labelled mainly in the methyl carbon, which had about 60% of the specific activity of carbon-5 of the pentose. The other fermentation products (2,3-butanediol, ethanol, acetic acid, formic acid, and carbon dioxide) were labelled as if they had been formed from pyruvate with the same labelling as the lactic acid. These results offer additional support to the hypothesis whereby complete conversion of pentose to triose occurs via a heptulose.


1945 ◽  
Vol 23b (6) ◽  
pp. 290-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. C. Neish ◽  
A. C. Blackwood ◽  
G. A. Ledingham

Ford's strain of Bacillus subtilis (N.C.T.C. 2586) dissimilated glucose mainly to 2,3-butanediol and glycerol under anaerobic conditions at pH 6.2 to 6.8. For each 100 moles of glucose fermented, 57 moles of 2,3-butanediol, 40 moles of glycerol, 20 moles of lactic acid, 13 moles of ethanol, and 5 moles of formic acid were produced. Aerobic conditions favoured formation of 2,3-butanediol and acetoin, oxidation of the substrate, and formation of acetic and butyric acids, but greatly depressed the amount of glycerol and lactic acid formed. In alkaline media (pH 7.5), acids were formed at the expense of the diol and glycerol.


1942 ◽  
Vol 6a (1) ◽  
pp. 45-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Sigurdsson ◽  
A. J. Wood

The products of fermentation of glucose by "resting cell" suspensions of certain bacteria (Serratia, Achromobacter, and Micrococcus) isolated from decomposing cod muscle include lactic acid, acetic acid, formic acid, ethyl alcohol, carbon dioxide and small amounts of acetylmethylcarbinol. With increased acidity in the fermentation system there is a marked increase in the percentage of lactic acid formed, with a corresponding decrease in the other products. The optimum pH for the fermentation of glucose appears to be in the vicinity of 6.8—that is at, or near, the pH of fresh cod muscle.


1948 ◽  
Vol 26b (3) ◽  
pp. 335-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. C. Neish ◽  
A. C. Blackwood ◽  
Florence M. Robertson ◽  
G. A. Ledingham

The genus Serratia may be divided into three groups on the basis of three characteristic fermentations found under anaerobic conditions. The first group, comprised of all strains of S. marcescens, S. anolium, and S. indica tested and one strain named S. kielensis, dissimilates glucose as follows: C6H12O6 → CH3CHOHCHOHCH3 + HCOOH + CO2. The second group, containing S. plymouthensis and some unnamed strains, dissimilates glucose according to the equation: C6H12O6 → CH3CHOHCHOHCH3 + 2CO2 + H2. The third group containing only the most typical strain of S. kielensis carries out the reaction: C6H12O6 + 2H2O → 2CH3COOH + 2CO2 + 4H2. These reactions account for approximately one-half of the glucose utilized, the remainder being accounted for chiefly by the ethanol and lactic acid fermentations which are found in varying proportions with different strains. All strains form some succinic acid, probably by carbon dioxide fixation. Under aerobic conditions carbon dioxide formation is stimulated, chiefly at the expense of formic acid with organisms of the first group, while hydrogen formation by organisms of the second and third groups is depressed.


Author(s):  
A H Breeze

Additives based on acids, have been widely used. Rather than encouraging latic acid fermentation, these act by partially, or completely, inhibiting microbial growth. With continuing concern over the safety aspects of these products, many farmers have tried inoculants, which encourage a lactic acid fermentation. However, in good silage making conditions, inoculants like other additives have not shown any consistent benefits in terms of silage fermentation or intakes. In poor silage making conditions, the industry still relies on tried and tested acid products to ensure adequate preservation of silage.A new granular additive is now being evaluated. Its use is not to supress fermentation, but to supplement the natural fermentation by the addition of 1500 g/kg of sulphuric acid. This study was carried out to compare this additive with an untreated control and a positive control, formic acid.


1955 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 368-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stewart A. Brown

A series of reactions reported previously for the degradation of glucose has been modified and extended to permit the determination of carbon-14 in each of the five carbons of a single 2 mM. xylose sample. Methyl xylopyranoside was oxidized with periodic acid giving C-3 as formic acid, and a dialdehyde which was converted to strontium methoxy-diglycolate. The purified salt was hydrolyzed to glyoxylic and glycolic acids. The glyoxylic acid was isolated as the 2, 4-dinitrophenylhydrazone (C-1 + C-2) which was decarboxylated to give carbon dioxide from C-2. The glycolic acid was oxidized by lead tetraacetate to give C-4 as carbon dioxide and C-5 as formaldehyde. The activity in C-1 was determined by difference. The method was applied to xylose-1-C14, xylose-5-C14, and a biologically synthesized xylose sample with satisfactory results. This degradation procedure is theoretically applicable to other aldopentoses and aldotetroses.


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