Growth of Acetobacter suboxydans and the oxidation of aldoses, related carboxylic acids, and aldehydes

Abstract

Maximum growth of A. suboxydans in complex and semi-defined media was obtained with D-mannitol and D-sorbitol as energy source, good growth with glycerol, D-glucose in the presence of chalk, and D-fructose, and poor growth with calcium D-gluconate; negligible growth resulted with sodium D-gluconate, L-sorbose, D-mannose, D-galactose, D-xylose, L-arabinose and sucrose. Glucose oxidation by washed cells was influenced by the age and pH of the culture and the energy source for growth, and was sensitive to cyanide, fluoride, 2,4-dinitrophenol and phenylmercury acetate. Maximum oxidation of glucose by washed organisms occurred with an uptake of 3.75 moles of O2 and an output of up to 4.0 moles of CO2/mole of glucose; gluconate and 2- and 5-oxogluconate are intermediates and apparently formed without the participation of phosphate esters. Washed organisms oxidized and decarboxylated 2-oxogluconate to give arabonate; 5-oxogluconate, in the presence of added readily oxidized substrate, was extensively oxidized with an uptake of O2 of up to 3.5 moles and CO2 output of 4.0 moles/mole. Glucose was the only aldose extensively oxidized by washed cells; some derivatives of glucose, other hexoses, pentoses and aldehydes were oxidized to a limited extent. A number of intermediates of the tricarboxy-lie acid cycle and acids formed during the growth of Acetobacter and Pseudomonas species in media containing glucose were not oxidized. When grown on a medium containing glucose and under conditions where acid production was allowed to proceed unchecked, cells lacked the characteristic cytochrome spectrum of A. suboxydans and oxidized only glucose and 2-deoxy-D-glucose to the corresponding aldonic acids.