Abstract
Klebsiella aerogenes NCIB 418 assimilates glycerol via alternative pathways: one involves a glycerol kinase with a high affinity for glycerol (apparent K m=1–2×10−6 M), and the second a glycerol dehydrogenase with a much lower affinity for its substrate (apparent K m=2–4×10−2 M).
In variously-limited chemostat cultures, one or the other pathway predominated. Thus, aerobic carbonlimited organisms contained only the glycerol kinase pathway whereas aerobic sulphate-limited or ammonia-limited organisms (grown on glycerol) used only the glycerol dehydrogenase pathway. Anaerobic cultures invariably contained glycerol dehydrogenase, and glycerol kinase was absent.
Washed suspensions of aerobically-grown organisms oxidized glycerol with kinetics similar to that of the particular enzyme (the primary enzyme of the assimilatory pathway) which they possessed, thus indicating a close association between these two enzymes and the uptake process. But a supply of exogenous glycerol was not a prerequisite for the synthesis of either glycerol kinase or glycerol dehydrogenase, and nor was molecular oxygen the key factor in effecting modulation between the alternative pathways of glycerol metabolism, as had been previously suggested.
The physiological significance of dual pathways of glycerol assimilation is discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bergmeyer, H. U.: Methoden der enzymatischen Analyse, 3rd ed., Vol. I, p. 498. Weinheim: Verlag Chemie 1974
Calcott, P. H., Postgate, J. R.: The effects of β-galactosidase activity and cyclic AMP on lactose accelerated death. J. gen. Microbiol. 85, 85–90 (1974)
Evans, C. G. T., Herbert, D., Tempest, D. W.: The continuous cultivation of micro-organisms. 2. Construction of a chemostat. In: Methods in microbiology, Vol. 2, J. R. Norris, D. W. Ribbons, eds., pp. 277–327. London-New York: Academic Press 1970
Hayashi, S., Lin, E. C. C.: Capture of glycerol by cells of Escherichia coli. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 94, 479–487 (1965)
Herbert, D., Phipps, P. J., Tempest, D. W.: The chemostat: design and instrumentation. Lab. Pract. 14, 1150–1161 (1965)
Koch, J. P., Shin-ichi Hayashi, Lin, E. C. C.: The control of dissimilation of glycerol and l-α-glycerophosphate in Escherichia coli. J. biol. Chem. 239, 3106–3108 (1964)
Lin, E. C. C., Levin, A. P., Magasanik, B.: The effect of aerobic metabolism on the inducible glyceroldehydrogenase of Aerobacter aerogenes. J. biol. Chem. 235, 1824–1829 (1960)
Lin, E. C. C., Magasanik, B.: The activation of glycerol dehydrogenase from Aerobacter aerogenes by monovalent cations. J. biol. Chem. 235, 1820–1823 (1960)
Meyer, D. J., Jones, C. W.: Oxidative phosphorylation in bacteria which contain different cytochrome oxidases. Europ. J. Biochem. 36, 144–151 (1973)
Nelson, D. L., Kennedy, E. P.: Transport of magnesium by a repressible and a nonrepressible system in Escherichia coli. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 69, 1091–1093 (1972)
Postgate, J. R., Hunter, J. R.: Accelerated death of Aerobacter aerogenes starved in the presence of growth-limiting substrates. J. gen. Microbiol. 34, 459–473 (1964)
Rush, D., Karibian, D., Karnovsky, M. L., Magasanik, B.: Pathways of glycerol dissimilation in two strains of Aerobacter aerogenes: enzymatic and tracer studies. J. biol. Chem. 226, 891–899 (1957)
Tempest, D. W., Meers, J. L., Brown, C. M.: Synthesis of glutamate in Aerobacter aerogenes by a hitherto unknown route. Biochem. J. 117, 405–407 (1970)
Wieland, O.: Glycerin UV-Methode. In: Methoden der enzymatischen Analyse, 3rd ed., Vol. II. H. U. Bergmeyer, ed., pp. 1448–1453. Weinheim: Verlag Chemie 1974
Zwaig, N., Kistler, W. S., Lin, E. C. C.: Glycerolkinase, the pacemaker for the dissimilation of glycerol in Escherichia coli. J. Bact. 102, 753–759 (1970)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Neijssel, O.M., Hueting, S., Crabbendam, K.J. et al. Dual pathways of glycerol assimilation in Klebsiella aerogenes NCIB 418. Arch. Microbiol. 104, 83–87 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00447304
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00447304