Makoto Ishimoto

Anaerobic growth of Escherichia coli on formate by reduction of nitrate, fumarate, and trimethylamine N-oxide.

Anaerobic growth of E. coli, strain K-10, depending on formate oxidation by nitrate, fumarate, and trimethylamine N-oxide was followed in a medium containing peptone. The presence of formate and peptone was indispensable for growth with fumarate and trimethylamine N-oxide reduction. While there was no growth in the absence of acceptor, growth was observed in the absence of formate by nitrate reduction though not as much as under aerobic conditions. Per mole consumed formate equimolar succinate or trimethylamine was formed, but 1.2 mole of nitrate was produced, probably depending partly on peptone oxidation. The molar growth yield on formate was found to be 6.5, 7.6, and 7.0 g cells/mole depending on the reduction of nitrate, fumarate, and trimethylamine N-oxide, respectively, suggesting the formation of one mole ATP coupled to the anaerobic electron transfers from formate.

Reduction of trimethylamine N‐oxide by Escherichia coli as anaerobic respiration

E. coli was found to grow anaerobically on lactate in the presence of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMANO), reducing it to trimethylamine. Anaerobic growth on glucose was promoted in the presence of TMANO. When a culture grown in complex medium was transferred to defined medium, growth on glucose and ammonia took place in the presence of TMANO after consumption of complex nutrients introduced with the preculture, in contrast to growth in nitrate respiration. The amounts of ethanol, succinate, and lactate among the fermentation products were decreased and that of acetate was increased in the presence of TMANO. Formate generation was much reduced at pH 7.4, whereas stoichiometric formation of formate was observed in the absence of TMANO. Cells grown anaerobically in the presence of TMANO had a higher activity of amine N-oxide reductase than cells grown under other conditions. The content of cytochrome-558 was elevated in the presence of TMANO during growth in complex medium. Cytochrome c-552 found in cells grown in diluted complex medium or defined medium in the presence of TMANO was oxidized by TMANO in cell extracts. The molar growth yield on glucose was higher in the presence of TMANO than in its absence and lower than that in the presence of nitrate.

Proton translocation associated with sulfite reduction in a sulfate-reducing bacterium, Desulfovibrio vulgaris

It has long been postulated that sulfate-reducing bacteria conduct anaerobic respiration, conserving energy through oxidative phosphorylation in anaerobic sulfate reduction [1,2]. Experimental results supporting this hypothesis have been reported [1-3]. From chemiosmotic theory [4], electron transport in respiration should be associated with proton translocation across biomembranes. However, proton translocation coupled to electron transport for the reduction of inorganic sulfur compounds has not yet been reported. Here, we demonstrate proton translocation associated with sulfite reduction in a sulfate-reducing bacterium, Desulfovibrio vulgaris.