Skip to main content

The Utilization of Thiocyanate as a Nirogen-Source by a Heterotrophic Bacterium - the Degradative Patway Involves Formation of Ammonia and Tetrathionate

Stratford, Jane, Dias, Ana E. X. O., Knowles, Christopher J. (1994) The Utilization of Thiocyanate as a Nirogen-Source by a Heterotrophic Bacterium - the Degradative Patway Involves Formation of Ammonia and Tetrathionate. Microbiology, 140 (10). pp. 2657-2662. ISSN 0002-4564. (doi:10.1099/00221287-140-10-2657) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:20063)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/00221287-140-10-2657

Abstract

A Cram-negative soil bacterium (isolate 26B) has been shown to utilize up to 100 mM thiocyanate as a source of nitrogen when supplied with glucose as the source of carbon and energy. During growth of isolate 260 with thiocyanate as the source of nitrogen, no ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, cyanide, cyanate. sulfate, sulfite, sulfide or carbonyl sulfide was detected in the growth medium. Growth of the bacterium on C-14-labelled thiocyanate (1.6 mu Ci) and glucose, yielded C-14-labelled carbon dioxide (0.9 mu Ci). The addition of 2.9 mM thiocyanate to a bacterial suspension in phosphate buffer (50 mM, ph 7.4) resulted in the utilization of 2.1 mM thiocyanate and the production of 2.0 mM ammonia. This activity was inducible and only occurred after growth of the bacterium with thiocyanate as the source of nitrogen. Tetrathionate (0.7 mM) was detected in the medium after the utilization of thiocyanate (2.4 mM) by a suspension of the bacterium in phosphate buffer, and thiosulfate (1.0 mM) was detected as an intermediate. The addition of sulfide or thiosulfate to the bacterial suspension also resulted in the formation of tetrathionate. The utilization of both of these compounds appeared to be constitutive. A pathway for thiocyanate utilization by isolate 26B is proposed which involves the hydrolysis of thiocyanate to produce cyanate and sulfide. The cyanate then undergoes further hydrolysis to form ammonia and carbon dioxide. The sulfide is ultimately oxidized to tetrathionate via a pathway which includes thiosulfate.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1099/00221287-140-10-2657
Uncontrolled keywords: THIOCYANATE; HETEROTROPHIC UTILIZATION; TETRATHIONATE
Subjects: Q Science > QR Microbiology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Biosciences
Depositing User: P. Ogbuji
Date Deposited: 18 Jun 2009 09:49 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 09:58 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/20063 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Knowles, Christopher J..

Creator's ORCID:
CReDIT Contributor Roles:
  • Depositors only (login required):

Total unique views for this document in KAR since July 2020. For more details click on the image.