Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1982 Jun;150(3):1391–1399. doi: 10.1128/jb.150.3.1391-1399.1982

Differential metabolism of cellobiose and glucose by Clostridium thermocellum and Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum.

T K Ng, J G Zeikus
PMCID: PMC216365  PMID: 6210689

Abstract

Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum consumed glucose in preference to cellobiose as an energy source for growth. The rates of substrate uptake in glucose- and cellobiose-grown cell suspensions were 45 and 24 nmol/min per mg (dry weight), respectively, at 65 degrees C. The molar growth yields (i.e., grams of cells per mole of glucose equivalents) were similar on cellobiose and glucose (19 and 16, respectively). Both glucose- and cellobiose-grown cells contained a glucose permease activity and high levels of hexokinase (greater 0.34 mumol/min per mg of protein at 40 degrees C). Growth on cellobiose was associated with induction of a cellobiose permease activity. In contrast, Clostridium thermocellum metabolized cellobiose in preference to glucose as an energy source and displayed lower growth rates on both substrates. The substrate uptake rates in cellobiose- and glucose-grown cell suspensions were 18 and 17 nmol/min per mg (dry weight), respectively. The molar yields were 38 on cellobiose and 20 on glucose. Extracts of glucose- and cellobiose-grown cells both contained cellobiose phosphorylase and phosphoglucomutase activities, whereas only glucose-grown cells contained detectable levels of glucose permease and hexokinase activities. The general catalytic and kinetic properties of the glucose- and cellobiose-catabolizing enzymes in the two species are described, and a model is proposed to distinguish differential saccharide metabolism by these thermophilic ethanologens.

Full text

PDF
1394

Selected References

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

  1. ALEXANDER J. K. Characteristics of cellobiose phosphorylase. J Bacteriol. 1961 Jun;81:903–910. doi: 10.1128/jb.81.6.903-910.1961. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. AYERS W. A. Phosphorolysis and synthesis of cellobiose by cell extracts from Ruminococcus flavefaciens. J Biol Chem. 1959 Nov;234:2819–2822. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. AYERS W. A. Phosphorylation of cellobiose and glucose by Ruminococcus flavefaciens. J Bacteriol. 1958 Nov;76(5):515–517. doi: 10.1128/jb.76.5.515-517.1958. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Aït N., Creuzet N., Cattanéo J. Characterization and purification of thermostable beta-glucosidase from Clostridium thermocellum. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1979 Sep 27;90(2):537–546. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(79)91269-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Boos W. Bacterial transport. Annu Rev Biochem. 1974;43(0):123–146. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.43.070174.001011. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Daniels L., Zeikus J. G. One-carbon metabolism in methanogenic bacteria: analysis of short-term fixation products of 14CO2 and 14CH3OH incorporated into whole cells. J Bacteriol. 1978 Oct;136(1):75–84. doi: 10.1128/jb.136.1.75-84.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. HULCHER F. H., KING K. W. Disaccharide preference of an aerobic cellulolytic bacterium, Cellvibrio gilvus n. sp. J Bacteriol. 1958 Dec;76(6):565–570. doi: 10.1128/jb.76.6.565-570.1958. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. HULCHER F. H., KING K. W. Metabolic basis for disaccharide preference in a Cellvibrio. J Bacteriol. 1958 Dec;76(6):571–577. doi: 10.1128/jb.76.6.571-577.1958. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. HUNGATE R. E. The anaerobic mesophilic cellulolytic bacteria. Bacteriol Rev. 1950 Mar;14(1):1–49. doi: 10.1128/br.14.1.1-49.1950. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kornberg H. L., Reeves R. E. Inducible phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent hexose phosphotransferase activities in Escherichia coli. Biochem J. 1972 Aug;128(5):1339–1344. doi: 10.1042/bj1281339. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lamed R., Zeikus J. G. Ethanol production by thermophilic bacteria: relationship between fermentation product yields of and catabolic enzyme activities in Clostridium thermocellum and Thermoanaerobium brockii. J Bacteriol. 1980 Nov;144(2):569–578. doi: 10.1128/jb.144.2.569-578.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. McBEE R. H. The anaerobic thermophilic cellulolytic bacteria. Bacteriol Rev. 1950 Mar;14(1):51–63. doi: 10.1128/br.14.1.51-63.1950. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Nelson D. R., Zeikus J. G. Rapid method for the radioisotopic analysis of gaseous end products of anaerobic metabolism. Appl Microbiol. 1974 Aug;28(2):258–261. doi: 10.1128/am.28.2.258-261.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Ng T. K., Ben-Bassat A., Zeikus J. G. Ethanol Production by Thermophilic Bacteria: Fermentation of Cellulosic Substrates by Cocultures of Clostridium thermocellum and Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1981 Jun;41(6):1337–1343. doi: 10.1128/aem.41.6.1337-1343.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Ng T. K., Weimer T. K., Zeikus J. G. Cellulolytic and physiological properties of Clostridium thermocellum. Arch Microbiol. 1977 Jul 26;114(1):1–7. doi: 10.1007/BF00429622. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Ng T. K., Zeikus J. G. Comparison of Extracellular Cellulase Activities of Clostridium thermocellum LQRI and Trichoderma reesei QM9414. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1981 Aug;42(2):231–240. doi: 10.1128/aem.42.2.231-240.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Ng T. K., Zeikus J. G. Purification and characterization of an endoglucanase (1,4-beta-D-glucan glucanohydrolase) from Clostridium thermocellum. Biochem J. 1981 Nov 1;199(2):341–350. doi: 10.1042/bj1990341. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Patni N. J., Alexander J. K. Catabolism of fructose and mannitol in Clostridium thermocellum: presence of phosphoenolpyruvate: fructose phosphotransferase, fructose 1-phosphate kinase, phosphoenolpyruvate: mannitol phosphotransferase, and mannitol 1-phosphate dehydrogenase in cell extracts. J Bacteriol. 1971 Jan;105(1):226–231. doi: 10.1128/jb.105.1.226-231.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Patni N. J., Alexander J. K. Utilization of glucose by Clostridium thermocellum: presence of glucokinase and other glycolytic enzymes in cell extracts. J Bacteriol. 1971 Jan;105(1):220–225. doi: 10.1128/jb.105.1.220-225.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Petre J., Longin R., Millet J. Purification and properties of an endo-beta-1,4-glucanase from Clostridium thermocellum. Biochimie. 1981 Jul;63(7):629–639. doi: 10.1016/s0300-9084(81)80061-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. SIJPESTEIJN A. K. On Ruminococcus flavefaciens, a cellulose-decomposing bacterium from the rumen of sheep and cattle. J Gen Microbiol. 1951 Nov;5(5 Suppl):869–879. doi: 10.1099/00221287-5-5-869. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. SWISHER E. J., STORVICK W. O., KING K. W. METABOLIC NONEQUIVALENCE OF THE TWO GLUCOSE MOIETIES OF CELLOBIOSE IN CELLVIBRIO GILVUS. J Bacteriol. 1964 Oct;88:817–820. doi: 10.1128/jb.88.4.817-820.1964. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Weimer P. J., Zeikus J. G. Fermentation of cellulose and cellobiose by Clostridium thermocellum in the absence of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1977 Feb;33(2):289–297. doi: 10.1128/aem.33.2.289-297.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Zeikus J. G., Ben-Bassat A., Hegge P. W. Microbiology of methanogenesis in thermal, volcanic environments. J Bacteriol. 1980 Jul;143(1):432–440. doi: 10.1128/jb.143.1.432-440.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Zeikus J. G., Ben-Bassat A., Ng T. K., Lamed R. J. Thermophilic ethanol fermentations. Basic Life Sci. 1981;18:441–461. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4684-3980-9_26. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Zeikus J. G. Chemical and fuel production by anaerobic bacteria. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1980;34:423–464. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.34.100180.002231. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES