Abstract
The role of nitroethane as an intermediate in the oxidation of pyruvic oxime to nitrate by an Alcaligenes sp. was examined. Unlike pyruvic oxime, which serves as a sole source of C and N for the bacterium, nitroethane was incapable of supporting the growth of the microbe. Nitroethane was metabolized and diauxic growth did occur, however, if the nitroethane medium was amended with yeast extract. Alcaligenes sp. resting cells and cell-free extracts were prepared from nitroethane-yeast extract grown cultures and the maximum rate of nitrite synthesis when nitroethane was the substrate was 6.8 nmol min −1 mg cell protein −1, a 10-fold lower rate than that previously noted for pyruvic oxime oxidation. These cell-free extracts were unable to metabolize pyruvic oxime. Resting cells and cell-free extracts prepared from Alcaligenes sp. cells grown in a pyruvic oxime medium were, conversely, incapable of metabolizing nitroethane. Collectively, these results indicate that nitroethane is not an intermediate in the pathway of pyruvic oxime oxidation and that two separate enzyme systems exist in the Alcaligenes sp. for the metabolism of pyruvic oxime and nitroethane.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.