Abstract
Several strains of Clostridium sticklandii, isolated from small colonies arising after treatment with 1-methyl-3-nitro-1-nitrosoguanidine, exhibited markedly depressed activities of certain catabolic enzyme systems known to provide energy to the organism in the form of adenosine triphosphate. In some of these strains the levels of glycine reductase, the ability to ferment lysine to fatty acids and ammonia, and formate-dependent 2,3-5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride reduction were only 0 to 10% of that of the wild type. Another subgroup of mutants exhibited activities of some of these enzymes from 1.3 to 3 times higher than those of the wild type. Small-colony mutants of an obligate anaerobe, like those of oxygen-utilizing organisms, can therefore be due to defects in one or more of their energy-providing systems. The merits of small-colony formation as an auxiliary marker for the isolation of catabolic mutants are discussed.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- CHINARD F. P. Photometric estimation of proline and ornithine. J Biol Chem. 1952 Nov;199(1):91–95. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- COHEN-BAZIRE G., JOLIT M. Isolement par sélection de mutants d'Escherichia coli synthétisant spontanément l'amylomaltase et la beta-galactosidase. Ann Inst Pasteur (Paris) 1953 May;84(5):937–945. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Courtright J. B., Henning U. Malate dehydrogenase mutants in Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol. 1970 Jun;102(3):722–728. doi: 10.1128/jb.102.3.722-728.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Josephson B. L., Fraenkel D. G. Transketolase mutants of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1969 Dec;100(3):1289–1295. doi: 10.1128/jb.100.3.1289-1295.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kraepelin G. Der Atmungsdefekt bei Hefezellen; eine kritische Betrachtung seiner Ursachen. I. Induktion und Reversibilität der "petite"-Mutation. Z Allg Mikrobiol. 1967;7(4):287–325. doi: 10.1002/jobm.3630070408. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Mortimer R. K., Hawthorne D. C. Yeast genetics. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1966;20:151–168. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.20.100166.001055. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- STADTMAN T. C. ANAEROBIC DEGRADATION OF LYSINE. II. COFACTOR REQUIREMENTS AND PROPERTIES OF THE SOLUBLE ENZYME SYSTEM. J Biol Chem. 1963 Aug;238:2766–2773. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- STADTMAN T. C., ELLIOTT P., TIEMANN L. Studies on the enzymic reduction of amino acids. III. Phosphate esterification coupled with glycine reduction. J Biol Chem. 1958 Apr;231(2):961–973. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- STADTMAN T. C. On the metabolism of an amino acid fermenting Clostridium. J Bacteriol. 1954 Mar;67(3):314–320. doi: 10.1128/jb.67.3.314-320.1954. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]