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Influence of aeration on hydrogen cyanide biosynthesis byPseudomonas aeruginosa

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Abstract

Batch cultures ofPseudomonas aeruginosa were able to produce only low levels of cyanide during logarithmic growth with adequate aeration. The reduction of aeration caused a rapid increase in the ability of such cultures to produce hydrogen cyanide. The immediacy and the magnitude of this response depended on the oxygen level, with a concentration of 4% in the aeration gas giving optimal results. The reestablishment of normal aeration resulted in a cessation of the increase of the culture's cyanogenic capacity. This effect appeared to be a combination of inactivation of the hydrogen cyanide synthase and repression of synthesis of this enzyme.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, 15219, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

    Kathleen F. Castric, David A. McDevitt & Peter A. Castric

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  1. Kathleen F. Castric
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  2. David A. McDevitt
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  3. Peter A. Castric
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Castric, K.F., McDevitt, D.A. & Castric, P.A. Influence of aeration on hydrogen cyanide biosynthesis byPseudomonas aeruginosa . Current Microbiology 5, 223–226 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01571151

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