Panothenic Acid and the Nodule Bacteria-Legume Symbiosis

Conservation of beneficial microbes between the rhizosphere and the cyanosphere

Biocrusts are phototroph-driven communities inhabiting arid soil surfaces. Like plants, most photoautotrophs (largely cyanobacteria) in biocrusts are thought to exchange fixed carbon for essential nutrients like nitrogen with cyanosphere bacteria. Here, we aim to compare beneficial interactions in rhizosphere and cyanosphere environments, including finding growth-promoting strains for hosts from both environments. To examine this, we performed a retrospective analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequencing datasets, host-microbe co-culture experiments between biocrust communities/biocrust isolates and a model grass (Brachypodium distachyon) or a dominant biocrust cyanobacterium (Microcoleus vaginatus), and metabolomic analysis. All 18 microbial phyla in the cyanosphere were also present in the rhizosphere, with additional 17 phyla uniquely found in the rhizosphere. The biocrust microbes promoted the growth of the model grass, and three biocrust isolates (Bosea sp._L1B56, Pseudarthrobacter sp._L1D14 and Pseudarthrobacter picheli_L1D33) significantly promoted the growth of both hosts. Moreover, pantothenic acid was produced by Pseudarthrobacter sp._L1D14 when grown on B. distachyon exudates, and supplementation of plant growth medium with this metabolite increased B. distachyon biomass by over 60%. These findings suggest that cyanobacteria and other diverse photoautotrophic hosts can be a source for new plant growth-promoting microbes and metabolites.

Chemical reactivity drives spatiotemporal organisation of bacterial metabolism

In this review, we examine how bacterial metabolism is shaped by chemical constraints acting on the material and dynamic layout of enzymatic networks and beyond. These are moulded not only for optimisation of given metabolic objectives (e.g. synthesis of a particular amino acid or nucleotide) but also for curbing the detrimental reactivity of chemical intermediates. Besides substrate channelling, toxicity is avoided by barriers to free diffusion (i.e. compartments) that separate otherwise incompatible reactions, along with ways for distinguishing damaging vs. harmless molecules. On the other hand, enzymes age and their operating lifetime must be tuned to upstream and downstream reactions. This time dependence of metabolic pathways creates time-linked information, learning and memory. These features suggest that the physical structure of existing biosystems, from operon assemblies to multicellular development may ultimately stem from the need to restrain chemical damage and limit the waste inherent to basic metabolic functions. This provides a new twist of our comprehension of fundamental biological processes in live systems as well as practical take-home lessons for the forward DNA-based engineering of novel biological objects.

THE EFFECTS OF PANTOTHENIC ACID ON RESPIRATORY ACTIVITY

Experiments using the Warburg-Barcroft apparatus led to the following results and conclusions: (1) Two yeasts in three different media were strikingly stimulated in their respiration by minute amounts of pantothenic acid. (2) Nine other compounds (vitamins and other biologically important substances) were tested and found in all cases to have on the deficient G.M. yeast, lesser and in some cases no appreciable stimulative effect. Thiamin was the most effective of these compounds. Its action was shown to be different and in some ways antagonistic to that of pantothenic acid. (3) Liver extract (Lilly's Number 343) contains substances capable of speeding up respiration (and growth) to a much higher level than seems possible with known compounds. (4) Pantothenic acid was found to have a definite stimulative effect on fermentation by dialyzed maceration juice from yeast. (5) It likewise stimulated respiration of apple and potato tissue and indications of a similar effect on certain animal tissues were obtained.

STUDIES ON THE LEGUME ROOT NODULE BACTERIA: III. GROWTH FACTOR REQUIREMENTS FOR EFFECTIVE, INEFFECTIVE, AND PARASITIC STRAINS

Under the experimental conditions used, amino acids played a very important part in the growth initiation of washed cells of alfalfa – sweet clover rhizobia. There were, however, distinct differences in utilization, both among genetically related mutants, and among other cultures when compared before and after plant passage. None of 15 vitamins, purines, and pyrimidines was able to initiate growth and hence these rhizobia are able to synthesize these compounds when a readily utilizable nitrogen source is present. Because of this fact, the stimulation of these bacteria by yeast extract is probably due, primarily, to the amino acid content. No strain was found able to concentrate free amino acids intracellularly or, when grown in lysine or tyrosine media, to excrete additional amino acids. No differences were found among effective, ineffective, or parasitic rhizobia in biochemical requirements.

PANTOTHENIC ACID AND THE UTILIZATION OF GLUCOSE BY LIVING AND CELL-FREE SYSTEMS

1. Added pantothenic acid was found to have no appreciable effect on the fermentation of glucose when used in conjunction with preparations of dialyzed yeast maceration juice or acetone-precipitated yeast maceration juice. 2. Addition of pantothenic acid failed to affect the rate of phosphorylation of glucose or the rate of decarboxylation of pyruvic acid by yeast maceration juice. 3. Pantothenic acid showed no effect on the rate of glycolysis by homogenized deficient chick tissues. 4. The accelerating effect of pantothenic acid on fermentation by deficient yeast cells was found to be accompanied by a "binding" of pantothenic acid by the yeast cells.