Skip to main content
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1968 Sep;96(3):706–712. doi: 10.1128/jb.96.3.706-712.1968

Paraffin Oxidation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa I. Induction of Paraffin Oxidation

J van Eyk 1, Trude J Bartels 1
PMCID: PMC252362  PMID: 4979100

Abstract

The induction of paraffin oxidation in intact cells of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was investigated. Oxidation of 14C-heptane by cell-free extracts of adapted cells showed that the activity of whole cells is a reliable reflection of the synthesis of the first enzyme in the degradation of n-alkanes. Induction was significantly affected by glucose and could be completely repressed by malate. The amino acids l-proline, l-alanine, l-arginine, and l-tyrosine exhibited a rather low repressor action. Malonate, a nonrepressive carbon source, allowed gratuitous enzyme synthesis. A number of compounds which did not sustain growth were found to be suitable substitutes for paraffins as an inducer. Among these were cyclopropane and diethoxymethane. The induction studied under conditions of gratuity with the latter compound as an inducer showed immediate linear kinetics only at saturating inducer concentrations. With n-hexane as the inducer, a lag time was always observed, even when high concentrations were used.

Full text

PDF
712

Selected References

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

  1. AMES B. N., MARTIN R. G. BIOCHEMICAL ASPECTS OF GENETICS: THE OPERON. Annu Rev Biochem. 1964;33:235–258. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.33.070164.001315. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. AZOULAY E., SENEZ J. C. [Bacterial degradation of paraffin hydrocarbons. II. Determination of intermediary products by the simultaneous adaptation method]. Ann Inst Pasteur (Paris) 1960 Jun;98:868–879. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. BURSTEIN C., COHN M., KEPES A., MONOD J. R OLE DU LACTOSE ET DE SES PRODUITS M'ETABOLIQUES DANS L'INDUCTION DE L'OP'ERON LACTOSE CHEZ ESCHERICHIA COLI. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1965 Apr 19;95:634–639. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. CHASE H. H., DAVIS J. B., RAYMOND R. L. Mycobacterium paraffinicum n. sp., a bacterium isolated from soil. Appl Microbiol. 1956 Nov;4(6):310–315. doi: 10.1128/am.4.6.310-315.1956. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. FUHS G. W. [Microbial catabolism of hydrocarbons]. Arch Mikrobiol. 1961;39:374–422. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gilbert W., Müller-Hill B. Isolation of the lac repressor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1966 Dec;56(6):1891–1898. doi: 10.1073/pnas.56.6.1891. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gorini L. ANTAGONISM BETWEEN SUBSTRATE AND REPRESSOR IN CONTROLLING THE FORMATION OF A BIOSYNTHETIC ENZYME. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1960 May;46(5):682–690. doi: 10.1073/pnas.46.5.682. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. HARRIS J. O. Respiration studies of a Micrococcus capable of oxidizing hydrocarbons. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1957 Aug;70(2):457–463. doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(57)90134-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. HAYAISHI O. Enzymatic decarboxylation of malonic acid. J Biol Chem. 1955 Jul;215(1):125–136. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. HERZENBERG L. A. Studies on the induction of beta-galactosidase in a cryptic strain of Escherichia coli. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1959 Feb;31(2):525–538. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(59)90029-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hegeman G. D. Synthesis of the enzymes of the mandelate pathway by Pseudomonas putida. I. Synthesis of enzymes by the wild type. J Bacteriol. 1966 Mar;91(3):1140–1154. doi: 10.1128/jb.91.3.1140-1154.1966. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Jacoby G. A. The induction and repression of amino acid oxidation in Pseudomonas fluorescens. Biochem J. 1964 Jul;92(1):1–8. doi: 10.1042/bj0920001. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. 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]
  14. MAGASANIK B. Catabolite repression. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1961;26:249–256. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1961.026.01.031. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. MANDELSTAM J. Induction and repression of beta-galactosidase in non-growing Escherichia coli. Biochem J. 1961 Jun;79:489–496. doi: 10.1042/bj0790489. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. MANDELSTAM J., JACOBY G. A. INDUCTION AND MULTI-SENSITIVE END-PRODUCT REPRESSION IN THE ENZYMIC PATHWAY DEGRADING MANDELATE IN PSEUDOMONAS FLUORESCENS. Biochem J. 1965 Mar;94:569–577. doi: 10.1042/bj0940569. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. MANDELSTAM J. The repression of constitutive beta-galactosidase in Escherichia coli by glucose and other carbon sources. Biochem J. 1962 Mar;82:489–493. doi: 10.1042/bj0820489. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. McKenna E. J., Kallio R. E. The biology of hydrocarbons. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1965;19:183–208. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.19.100165.001151. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. NEIDHARDT F. C., MAGASANIK B. Effect of mixtures of substrates on the biosynthesis of inducible enzymes in Aerobacter aerogenes. J Bacteriol. 1957 Feb;73(2):260–263. doi: 10.1128/jb.73.2.260-263.1957. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. OOYAMA J., FOSTER J. W. BACTERIAL OXIDATION OF CYCLOPARAFFINIC HYDROCARBONS. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 1965;31:45–65. doi: 10.1007/BF02045875. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. ROBINSON D. S. OXIDATION OF SELECTED ALKANES AND RELATED COMPOUNDS BY A PSEUDOMONAS STRAIN. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 1964;30:303–316. doi: 10.1007/BF02046736. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. THIJSSE G. J., van der LINDEN A. Iso-alkane oxidation by a Pseudomonas. I. Metabolism of 2-methylhexane. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 1961;27:171–179. doi: 10.1007/BF02538437. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. van der Linden A. C., Thijsse G. J. The mechanisms of microbial oxidations of petroleum hydrocarbons. Adv Enzymol Relat Areas Mol Biol. 1965;27:469–546. doi: 10.1002/9780470122723.ch10. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES