Sulfate assimilation in Rhodopseudomonas globiformis

Effect of nutrients deficiency on biofilm formation and single cell protein production with a purple non-sulphur bacteria enriched culture

Purple non-sulphur bacteria (PNSB) are of interest for biorefinery applications to create biomolecules, but their production cost is expensive due to substrate and biomass separation costs. This research has utilized fuel synthesis wastewater (FSW) as a low-cost carbon-rich substrate to produce single-cell protein (SCP) and examines PNSB biofilm formation using this substrate to achieve a more efficient biomass-liquid separation. In this study, PNSB were grown in Ca, Mg, S, P, and N-deficient media using green shade as biofilm support material. Among these nutrient conditions, only N-deficient and control (nutrient-sufficient) conditions showed biofilm formation. Although total biomass growth of the control was 1.5 times that of the N-deficient condition and highest overall, the total biofilm-biomass in the N-deficient condition was 2.5 times greater than the control, comprising 49% of total biomass produced. Total protein content was similar between these four biomass samples, ranging from 35.0 ± 0.2% to 37.2 ± 0.0%. The highest protein content of 44.7 ± 1.3% occurred in the Mg-deficient condition (suspended biomass only) but suffered from a low growth rate. Overall, nutrient sufficient conditions are optimal for overall protein productivity and dominated by suspended growth, but where fixed growth systems are desired for cost-effective harvesting, N-deficient conditions provide an effective means to maximize biofilm production without sacrificing protein content.

New insights into the metabolic potential of the phototrophic purple bacterium Rhodopila globiformis DSM 161T from its draft genome sequence and evidence for a vanadium-dependent nitrogenase

Rhodopila globiformis: is the most acidophilic anaerobic anoxygenic phototrophic purple bacterium and was isolated from a warm acidic sulfur spring in Yellowstone Park. Its genome is larger than genomes of other phototrophic purple bacteria, containing 7248 Mb with a G + C content of 67.1% and 6749 protein coding and 53 RNA genes. The genome revealed some previously unknown properties such as the presence of two sets of structural genes pufLMC for the photosynthetic reaction center genes and two types of nitrogenases (Mo-Fe and V-Fe nitrogenase), capabilities of autotrophic carbon dioxide fixation and denitrification using nitrite. Rhodopila globiformis assimilates sulfate and utilizes the C1 carbon substrates CO and methanol and a number of organic compounds, in particular, sugars and aromatic compounds. It is among the few purple bacteria containing a large number of pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent dehydrogenases. It has extended capacities to resist stress by heavy metals, demonstrates different resistance mechanisms to antibiotics, and employs several toxin/antitoxin systems.

O-Acetylserine sulfhydrylase and S-sulfocysteine synthase activities of Rhodospirillum tenue

O-Acetylserine sulfhydrylase in cell-free extracts of Rhodospirillum tenue was markedly repressed after growth in the presence of sulfide or thiosulfate, whereas S-sulfocysteine synthase activity remained almost unchanged. Purification on DE52 cellulose resulted in the separation of two proteins: Protein I with a molecular weight of 57000 had O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase activity only, while protein II with a molecular weight of 46000 had S-sulfocysteine synthase activity in addition. The activity of protein II with O-acetylserine plus sulfide was about 1.5 of that with O-acetylserine plus thiosulfate. Protein I from sulfate-grown cells possessed 74% of the total O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase, protein II 26%. Growth with sulfide repressed only the synthesis of protein I, which after separation showed only 19% of the measurable O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase, whereas protein II now possessed 81%. Regulatory and kinetic phenomena of the two activities were studied. In addition to the phototrophic bacteria studied earlier, also Rhodomicrobium vannielii, Rhodopseudomonas acidophila, Rhodocyclus purpureus and Thiocystis violacea were found to contain O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase activities; the latter two species contained S-sulfocysteine synthase activities in addition.