Carbohydrate Catabolism of Mima polymorpha I. Supplemental Energy from Glucose Added to a Growth Medium

Abstract

Bell, Emily J. (University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio), and Adrienne Marus . Carbohydrate catabolism of Mima polymorpha . I. Supplemental energy from glucose added to a growth medium. J. Bacteriol. 91: 2223–2228. 1966.— Mima polymorpha , unable to grow in the presence of nonphosphorylated sugars as sole source of carbon and energy, grows rapidly and well in the presence of acetate, ethyl alcohol, short-chained fatty acids, and permeable intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Chemical evidence indicates, however, a limited uptake of glucose. Further, glucose, although incapable of supporting growth as the sole source of carbon and energy, does increase both the rate of growth and the total cell crop when added as an ancillary nutrient to cells growing in a mineral salts medium which contains 0.03 m acetate as the carbon and energy source. A yield of energy from an abortive catabolism of glucose is hypothesized. In addition to the enhancement of growth rate and total cell crop, this hypothesis is supported by the facts that: (i) transport systems for the slightly permeable phosphorylated hexoses appear to be induced when glucose is incorporated into a medium capable of supporting growth and (ii) the rate of induction and the total activity of an inducible enzyme, isocitrate lyase E.C. 4.1.3.1., are markedly increased in the presence of supplemental glucose.