Occurrence of catalase in pleuropneumonia-like organisms and bacterial L forms

Morphology of pleuropneumonia-like organisms and bacterial L forms grown in liquid media

Weibull, C. (Central Bacteriological Laboratory of Stockholm City, Stockholm, Sweden) and Britt-Marie Lundin. Morphology of pleuropneumonia-like organisms and bacterial L forms grown in liquid media. J. Bacteriol. 85:440-445. 1963.-Cells of Mycoplasma hominis, M. laidlawii, and two tissue-culture strains of pleuropneumonia-like organisms (PPLO) moving freely in liquid medium were photographed with an electronic flash as the light source. The photomicrographs thus obtained demonstrated that, in young cultures of high viability, the cells of these organisms were mainly filamentous or, in the case of M. laidlawii, coccoid. In old cultures of the same organisms containing predominantly nonviable cells, granular and vesicular elements were found. By the use of the same photographic technique, liquid cultures of a stable Proteus L form were studied. Although no filaments of uniform thickness were found, there were spherical bodies and some threadlike material connected with the spheres. When samples of PPLO cultures containing filamentous forms were transferred to agar blocks, the filaments were converted to more or less spherical bodies. This conversion could be prevented by fixing the PPLO with formaldehyde. The morphology of Proteus L forms was not noticeably altered by fixation with this reagent.

METABOLIC PROPERTIES OF SOME L FORMS DERIVED FROM GRAM-POSITIVE AND GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIA

Weibull Claes (Central Bacteriological Laboratory of Stockholm City, Stockholm, Sweden), and Hans Gyllang. Metabolic properties of some L forms derived from gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. J. Bacteriol. 89:1443-1447. 1965.-L forms of two gram-positive bacteria, a staphylococcus and a diphtheroid, were found to be devoid of catalase and cytochromes, whereas the normal bacteria from which these L forms were derived contained large amounts of these enzymes. On the other hand, L forms of a gram-negative bacterium, Proteus mirabilis, contained the same cytochromes as normal Proteus bacteria. (Previous investigations showed that normal cells and L forms of P. mirabilis contain approximately the same amounts of catalase.) The respiratory quotients (Q(O2)) of all L forms studied were much lower than those of the corresponding normal bacteria. The conversion of the normal organisms into L forms did not markedly affect their growth rate, measured as the time required for doubling the bacterial mass during the exponential-growth phase.

RESPIRATORY PATHWAYS IN THE MYCOPLASMA. I. LACTATE OXIDATION BY MYCOPLASMA GALLISEPTICUM

Smith, S. L. (Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.), P. J. Van Demark, and J. Fabricant. Respiratory pathways in the Mycoplasma. I. Lactate oxidation by Mycoplasma gallisepticum. J. Bacteriol. 86:893-897. 1963.-Resting cells of Mycoplasma gallisepticum 293 required the addition of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, thiamine pyrophosphate, and flavine mononucleotide for the maximal rate of sodium lactate oxidation. Inhibitor studies, as well as spectrophotometric and chemical assays, indicate that the pathway of electron transport to oxygen during lactate oxidation does not involve heme catalysts, and is mediated by flavin-linked enzyme systems. The presence of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-specific lactic dehydrogenase, menadione reductase, ferricyanide reductase, and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide oxidase activities was detected in cell-free extracts. No cytochrome c reductase or reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide peroxidase activity was detected in these extracts.

RESPIRATORY PATHWAYS IN THE MYCOPLASMA. II. PATHWAY OF ELECTRON TRANSPORT DURING OXIDATION OF REDUCED NICOTINAMIDE ADENINE DINUCLEOTIDE BY MYCOPLASMA HOMINIS

VanDemark, P. J. (University of South Dakota, Vermillion), and P. F. Smith. Respiratory pathways in the Mycoplasma. II. Pathway of electron transport during oxidation of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide by Mycoplasma hominis. J. Bacteriol. 88:122-129. 1964.-Unlike the flavin-terminated respiratory pathway of the fermentative Mycoplasma, the respiratory chain of the nonfermentative M. hominis strain 07 appears to be more complex, involving quinones and cytochromes in addition to flavins. In addition to reduction by reduced nicotine adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and reduced nicotine adenine dinucleotide phosphate, nonpyridine nucleotide-linked reduction of the respiratory chain of this organism occurred with succinate, lactate, and short-chained acyl coenzyme A derivatives as electron donors. Enzymes catalyzing the oxidation of NADH included an NADH oxidase, a diaphorase, a quinone reductase, and a cytochrome c reductase. The oxidation of NADH was sensitive to a variety of inhibitors, including 10(-4)m Atabrine, 10(-3)m sodium amytal, 10(-5)mp-chloromercuribenzoate, 10(-4)m antimycin A, and 10(-4)m potassium cyanide. The oxidase was resolved by the addition of 5% trichloroacetic acid and reactivated by the addition of flavin adenine dinucleotide but not flavin mononucleotide. The M. hominis sonic extract contained an NADH-coenzyme Q reductase. The oxidation of NADH was stimulated by the addition of either menadione or vitamin K(2) (C(35)). The oxidase was inactivated by extraction with ether or irradiation at 360 mmu. The ether-inactivated enzyme was partially reactivated by the addition of "lipid" extract of the enzyme and coenzyme Q(6). Difference spectra of the cell extracts revealed the presence of "b" and "a" type cytochromes. These cell extracts were found to contain a cyanide-and azide-sensitive cytochrome oxidase and catalase.

Lipoquinones of some bacteria and mycoplasmas, with considerations on their functional significance

In a comparative study the lipoquinones of some chemoorganotrophic, facultatively aerobic bacteria, and representative Acholeplasma, Mycoplasma, Spiroplasma, and Thermoplasma strains were investigated. The quinones were partly purified by preparative thin layer chromatography of lipid extracts, and characterized by their difference spectra (reduced minus oxidized) and Rf values. Respiring bacteria expectedly contained benzoquinones and/or naphthoquinones in micromolar concentrations whereas some aerotolerant, cytochrome-less, gram-positive bacteria were found to contain menaquinones in nanomolar concentrations, or even no quinones; only Streptococcus faecalis, an organism supposed to use a rudimentary, flavin-terminated respiratory chain system produced desmethyl menaquinone in amounts ranging between "high" and "low" quinone contents. Among the mycoplasmas investigated, only Thermoplasma acidophilum was found to be capable of synthesizing quinones (MK-7) in the micromolar order of magnitude indicating a respiratory electron transport system. The presence of energetically useful respiratory chain systems in Acholeplasma, Mycoplasma, and Spiroplasma is questioned since these organisms contain quinones (MK-4) in nanomolar concentrations, or no quinones, depending on the presence of exogeneous MK-6 in the growth medium. The possible metabolite role of menaquinones present in "low" amounts, as well as the role of NADH oxidase systems more or less tightly bound to the cytoplasmic membrane with the mycoplasmas deserves further investigation.

Modified biochemical tests for characterization of L-phase variants of bacteria

Biochemical capabilities of bacterial and L-phase organisms of 15 bacterial strains were examined by using a variety of modified routine diagnostic biochemical tests. The results demonstrated that 13 of the tests examined were suitable for use with L-phase variants, that L-phase variants and revertant bacterial phase organisms retained diagnostically significant capabilities of the respective bacterial or L-phase organisms from which they were derived, and that the 13 biochemical tests could be usefully employed to relate a given L-phase variant to a given bacterial phase organism, to distinguish L-phase variants of different species, and to aid in the identification of nonreverting L-phase variants.

Relation of catalase to substrate utilization by Mycoplasma pneumoniae

No catalase activity was detected in four strains of glucose-grown Mycoplasma pneumoniae at any time during the replication of the organism. Exogenous catalase dramatically increased the O(2) uptake with glycerol, presumably by releasing inhibition caused by hydrogen peroxide. The effect of added catalase on the O(2) uptake of washed organisms with glucose as substrate was moderate and variable in degree. The production of hydrogen peroxide was demonstrated by the quantitative enzymatic assay for inorganic peroxide and by the fact that added pyruvate, which is non-enzymatically oxidized by H(2)O(2) to acetic acid and CO(2) could mimic the action of catalase.