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. 1992 Feb;58(2):450–454. doi: 10.1128/aem.58.2.450-454.1992

Enzymatic iron oxidation by Leptothrix discophora: identification of an iron-oxidizing protein.

P L Corstjens 1, J P de Vrind 1, P Westbroek 1, E W de Vrind-de Jong 1
PMCID: PMC195268  PMID: 1610168

Abstract

An iron-oxidizing factor was identified in the spent culture medium of the iron- and manganese-oxidizing bacterial strain Leptothrix discophora SS-1. It appeared to be a protein, with an apparent molecular weight of approximately 150,000. Its activity could be demonstrated after fractionation of the spent medium by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A spontaneous mutant of L. discophora SS-1 was isolated which excreted neither manganese- nor iron-oxidizing activity, whereas excretion of other proteins seemed to be unaffected. Although the excretion of both metal-oxidizing factors was probably linked, the difference in other properties suggests that manganese and iron oxidation represent two different pathways. With a dot-blot assay, it was established that different bacterial species have different metal-oxidizing capacities. Whereas L. discophora oxidized both iron and manganese, Sphaerotilus natans oxidized only iron and two Pseudomonas spp. oxidized only manganese.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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