Quinones of phototrophic purple bacteria

Abstract The quinone composition of the recognized species of the phototrophic purple nonsulfur bacteria, the Ectothiorhodospiraceae, and some Chromatiaceae species has been determined. Altogether more than 50 strains of 33 species have been investigated. Some of the purple nonsulfur bacteria have Q-10 as sole quinone component, while others have Q-10, Q-9, or Q-8, respectively, together with menaquinones of the same isoprenoid chain length as the major components. Rhodoquinone is present in Rhodospirillum rubrum and Rhodospirillum photometricum . The Ectothiorhodospira species have either Q-8 and MK-8, like the Chromatiaceae species, or Q-7 and MK-7 as the major components.     

Carotenoids of purple nonsulfur bacteria

Summary The carotenoid composition of some recently isolated new species of purple nonsulfur bacteria was investigated. All of the investigated R. tenue and R. purpureus strains and three of the R. acidophila strains synthesize the components of the rhodopinal series. It was shown that spirilloxanthin was present in all strains of R. acidophila; in three R. acidophila strains a very small amount of -carotene was found. Large amounts of the glucosides of rhodopin and rhodopinal were isolated from the cells of seven R. acidophila strains. Some taxonomic aspects are discussed.     

A phylogenetic analysis of the purple photosynthetic bacteria

It is proposed that gliding motility in bacteria is based on rotary assemblies located in the cell envelope and that these assemblies may be analogous to basal regions of bacterial flagella. This proposal rests on the following evidence: (i) Structures resembling flagellar basal regions have been demonstrated in cells ofCytophaga johnsonae andFlexibacter columnaris, and such structures are absent from one nonmotile mutant ofF. columnaris. (ii) The effects of inhibitors of energy metabolism on gliding motility are identical with their effects on prokaryotic fiagellar motility. (iii) The active movement of latex spheres along surfaces of gliding bacteria appears to depend on mechanisms responsible for motility and can be explained by the presence of rotary surface assemblies.     

Protein phosphorylation in purple photosynthetic bacteria

Endogenous protein phosphorylation was shown in both in vitro and in vivo experiments in R. rubrum and in other purple photosynthetic bacteria. Among the substrates of this protein kinase activity the apoproteins of the light harvesting complex were tentatively identified. Phosphoamino acid analysis revealed the presence of phosphoserine, phosphothreonine and phosphotyrosine in R. rubrum. A tyrosine kinase was partially purified in the same bacteria.     

Sulfide utilization by purple nonsulfur bacteria

Summary The purple nonsulfur bacteria Rhodospirillum rubrum SMG 107, Rhodopseudomonas capsulata SMG 155, Rps. sphaeroides SMG 158 and Rps. palustris SMG 124 were tested for a possible utilization of sulfide. The first three strains were found to oxidize sulfide to extracellular elemental sulfur only, whereas Rps. palustris SMG 124 converted sulfide into sulfate without intermediate accumulation of elemental sulfur. Growth ceased at lower sulfide concentrations than usually found with purple sulfur bacteria. In consequence of the low sulfide tolerance information on the specific growth rates obtainable with sulfide as photosynthetic electron donor could not be provided by cultivation in batch cultures. Sulfide-limited chemostat cultures of Rps. capsulata SMG 155 showed that the maximum specific growth rate was close to 0.14 h^-1 (doubling time 5 h). Sulfide was converted into extracellular elemental sulfur at all dilution rates tested. The maximum specific growth rate of Rps. palustris SMG 124 was found to be much lower (less than 0.03 h^-1). Sulfate was the only product of the conversion of sulfide.These data show that at least some purple nonsulfur bacteria may play a role in the dissimilatory sulfur cycle in nature. Taxonomic implications of our results are discussed.Abbreviation SMG Sammlung für Mikroorganismen, Göttingen     

Thiosulfate oxidation by nonsulfur purple bacteria

The capability to oxidize thiosulfate was studied in 11 cultures of purple bacteria belonging to Rhodomicrobium vannielii, Rhodopseudmonas viridis, Rh. sphaeroides, Rh. capsulata, and Rhodospirillum rubrum. All the bacteria oxidized thiosulfate under aerobic conditions in the dark. The strains 2R, 8259, A1, A2 and D1 of Rh. sphaeroides oxidized thiosulfate under anaerobic conditions in the light, and the process was coupled with carbon dioxide fixation. All the strains contained thiosulfate reductase, and the majority of them possessed also the activity of thiosulfate oxidase and sulfite oxidase.     

Acetate metabolism in purple non-sulfur bacteria

Abstract The photosynthetic non-sulfur purple bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus E1F1 can grow on acetate or dl -malate photoheterotrophically under anerobic conditions or chemoheterotrophically in the dark in the presence of dioxygen. Bacterial cells grown under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions exhibited high amounts of the tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes especially in dark-aerobic cultures. A high activity of isocitrate lyase was found in cells of R. capsulatus E1F1 and, to a lesser extent, in those of R. capsulatus IP2, Rhodobacter sphaeroides and Rhodospirillum rubrum grown photoheterotrophically on acetate under anaerobic conditions. The second enzyme of the glyoxylate shunt, malate synthase, appears to be constitutive. Itaconate, a powerful inhibitor of isocitrate lyase, severely inhibited growth of R. capsulatus, R. rubrum and R. sphaeroides on acetate, thus corroborating a physiological role of the enzyme in acetate metabolism by Rhodospirillaceae.     

紫色非硫细菌的砷代谢机制

[目的]系统阐述紫色非硫细菌(PNSB)砷代谢机制和砷代谢基因簇的进化关系.[方法]通过生物信息学方法分析了PNSB砷代谢基因簇的分布、组成、排布方式.采用UV-Vis和HPLC-ICP-MS方法,研究了3个PNSB种类对砷的抗性、砷形态及价态的转化、砷在细胞中的积累和分布以及磷酸盐对As细胞毒性的影响.[结果]砷基因簇分析表明:已公布全基因组序列的17个PNSB菌株基因组中均含有以ars operon为核心的砷代谢基因簇,由1-4个操纵子组成,主要含有与细胞质砷还原和砷甲基化代谢相关的基因,但基因的组成和排列方式因种和菌株而异,尤其是arsM和两类进化来源不同的arsC.实验结果表明:光照厌氧条件下,3个PNSB种类对As(V)和As(Ⅲ)均具有抗性,As(V)和As(Ⅲ)均能进入细胞 ;在胞内As(V)能够还原为As(Ⅲ)并被排出胞外,但不能将As(Ⅲ)氧化为As(V),也未检测到甲基砷化物 ;磷酸盐浓度升高,能够抑制As(V)进入细胞,降低As(V)对细胞的毒性,而不能抑制As(Ⅲ)进入细胞.[结论]PNSB砷代谢机制主体为细胞质As(V)还原,也还有砷甲基化途径.通过对砷代谢基因簇结构多样性特点和进化方式分析,提出了与Rosen不同的ars operon进化途径.这对深入开展PNSB砷代谢和基因之间的相互作用研究奠定基础.     

Mass-energy balance of the growth of phototropic purple bacteria

The principles of the theory of mass-energy balance of the growth of cellular populations are described. Based on this theory, the effect of biochemical parameters of cell metabolism on the efficiency of phototrophic growth of bacterial culture was studied. The metabolism of phototrophic bacteria was subdivided into constructive and energetic partial metabolisms. The stoichiometric coefficients describing the energetics of the two metabolism types were calculated. An equation system of the mass-energy balance for the flows of reductivity, high-energy bonds, and protons--carriers of the transmembrane electrochemical potential was derived. Equations for biomass quantum yield were obtained. The calculated yield values are in agreement with experimental data.     

紫细菌光合色素指纹图谱的建立与色素分析

【目的】探索快速高效的色素样品制备方法;为建立紫细菌全色素TLC和HPLC标准指纹图谱和数据库提供研究方法和思路;为色素代谢与调控等研究提供快速的色素分析方法。【方法】选择沼泽红假单胞菌(Rhodopesudomonas palustris CQV97)为材料,采用改良丙酮甲醇提取法、TLC重复展层法、图像灰度分析法、吸收光谱法、HPLC和MS法进行色素分析。【结果】甲醇或丙酮可选择性地提取样品的细菌叶绿素和类胡萝卜素,通过对丙酮甲醇法的改良,使色素提取总量提高了13.5%。建立了CQV97菌株全色素的TLC和HPLC指纹图谱,二者均含有11种色素组分。图像灰度分析法估算了TLC指纹图谱各色素组分的表观相对含量。以TLC图谱的各色素组分为外标物,明确了HPLC图谱中各色素组分的保留时间(Rt)与TLC图谱中各色素组分的迁移率(Rf)之间的对应关系。结合色素代谢途径、光谱分析和MS,定性分析了指纹图谱中11种色素组分。TLC或HPLC分析结果表明,理论样品与对照样品色素组分和含量一致,而实际样品与对照样品色素组分一致,但含量不同,重复测定3次,样品中色素相对含量的RSD均小于5%。【结论】改良的丙酮甲醇法可以快速高效地提取光合细菌的色素。采用TLC重复展层法和HPLC法建立的全色素指纹图谱色素组成一致,重复稳定性好,各具特色。TLC和HPLC两种指纹图谱分析方法均能进行光合色素的快速分析,适合于紫细菌色素合成途径中主要积累色素的组分和含量变化规律研究。