Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1983 Jun;154(3):1104–1109. doi: 10.1128/jb.154.3.1104-1109.1983

Intermediary metabolism in Legionella pneumophila: utilization of amino acids and other compounds as energy sources.

M J Tesh, S A Morse, R D Miller
PMCID: PMC217580  PMID: 6133845

Abstract

The utilization of amino acids and other compounds as carbon and energy sources by Legionella pneumophila was examined. Based on the stimulation of oxygen consumption in washed-cell suspensions, glutamate, serine, threonine, and tyrosine were the only amino acids which were utilized as energy sources. Other stimulators of oxygen uptake were lactate, pyruvate, acetate, fumarate, and succinate. Citrate was a good stimulator only when the bacteria were grown in the presence of the substrate. Radiolabeling studies showed that [14C]glutamate was rapidly metabolized, with the label distributed evenly in all cell fractions. [14C]pyruvate and [14C]acetate were incorporated into the lipid-containing cell fraction, whereas glucose and glycerol were found in both the lipid- and polysaccharide-containing cell fractions. Radiorespirometry of differentially labeled [14C]glucose indicated that this compound was metabolized primarily by the pentose phosphate and Entner-Doudoroff pathways rather than by the glycolytic pathway.

Full text

PDF
1104

Selected References

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

  1. Edelstein P. H. Improved semiselective medium for isolation of Legionella pneumophila from contaminated clinical and environmental specimens. J Clin Microbiol. 1981 Sep;14(3):298–303. doi: 10.1128/jcm.14.3.298-303.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Feeley J. C., Gorman G. W., Weaver R. E., Mackel D. C., Smith H. W. Primary isolation media for Legionnaires disease bacterium. J Clin Microbiol. 1978 Sep;8(3):320–325. doi: 10.1128/jcm.8.3.320-325.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Fricke U. Tritosol: a new scintillation cocktail based on Triton X-100. Anal Biochem. 1975 Feb;63(2):555–558. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(75)90379-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. George J. R., Pine L., Reeves M. W., Harrell W. K. Amino acid requirements of Legionella pneumophila. J Clin Microbiol. 1980 Mar;11(3):286–291. doi: 10.1128/jcm.11.3.286-291.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. KATZ J., WOOD H. G. The use of C14O2 yields from glucose-1- and -6-C14 for the evaluation of the pathways of glucose metabolism. J Biol Chem. 1963 Feb;238:517–523. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. 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]
  7. Morse S. A., Stein S., Hines J. Glucose metabolism in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Bacteriol. 1974 Nov;120(2):702–714. doi: 10.1128/jb.120.2.702-714.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Okinaka R. T., Dobrogosz W. J. Catabolite repression and pyruvate metabolism in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1967 May;93(5):1644–1650. doi: 10.1128/jb.93.5.1644-1650.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Pine L., George J. R., Reeves M. W., Harrell W. K. Development of a chemically defined liquid medium for growth of Legionella pneumophila. J Clin Microbiol. 1979 May;9(5):615–626. doi: 10.1128/jcm.9.5.615-626.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Reeves M. W., Pine L., Hutner S. H., George J. R., Harrell W. K. Metal requirements of Legionella pneumophila. J Clin Microbiol. 1981 Apr;13(4):688–695. doi: 10.1128/jcm.13.4.688-695.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Ristroph J. D., Hedlund K. W., Gowda S. Chemically defined medium for Legionella pneumophila growth. J Clin Microbiol. 1981 Jan;13(1):115–119. doi: 10.1128/jcm.13.1.115-119.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Saito A., Rolfe R. D., Edelstein P. H., Finegold S. M. Comparison of liquid growth media for Legionella pneumophila. J Clin Microbiol. 1981 Dec;14(6):623–627. doi: 10.1128/jcm.14.6.623-627.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Tesh M. J., Miller R. D. Amino acid requirements for Legionella pneumophila growth. J Clin Microbiol. 1981 May;13(5):865–869. doi: 10.1128/jcm.13.5.865-869.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Tesh M. J., Miller R. D. Growth of Legionella pneumophila in defined media: requirement for magnesium and potassium. Can J Microbiol. 1982 Sep;28(9):1055–1058. doi: 10.1139/m82-158. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Warren W. J., Miller R. D. Growth of Legionnaires disease bacterium (Legionella pneumophila) in chemically defined medium. J Clin Microbiol. 1979 Jul;10(1):50–55. doi: 10.1128/jcm.10.1.50-55.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES