Abstract
Six species of free-living nitrogen fixing bacteria, Azomonas agilis, Azospirillum brasilense, Azospirillum lipoferum, Azotobacter chroococcum, Azotobacter vinelandii, and Beijerinckia mobilis, were surveyed for their ability to grow and fix N2 using aromatic compounds as sole carbon and energy source. All six species grew and expressed nitrogenase activity on benzoate, catechol, 4-hydroxybenzoate, naphthalene, protocatechuate, and 4-toluate. In many cases, growth rates on one or more aromatic compounds were comparable to or greater than those on the non-aromatic substrates routinely used for cultivation of the organisms. Specific activity of nitrogenase in extracts of aromatic-grown cells often exceeded that in cells grown on non-aromatic substrates. All six species growing on substrates typically converted to catechol expressed inducible catechol 1,2-dioxygenase and/or catechol 2,3-dioxygenase. When grown on substrates typically converted to protocatechuate, inducible protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase and/or protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase was expressed. A. chroococcum expressed only ortho cleavage dioxygenases during growth on naphthalene and 4-toluate and only meta cleavage dioxygenases on the other aromatics. B. mobilis expressed only ortho cleavage dioxygenases. The other four species examined expressed both ortho and meta cleavage enzymes.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Becking J-H (1984) Genus Beijerinckia Derx 1950, 145AL. In: Krieg NR (ed) Bergey's manual of systematic bacteriology, vol 1. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, pp 94–104
Chen YP, Lovell CR (1990) Purification and properties of catechol 1,2-dioxygenase from Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar viceae USDA 2370. Appl Environ Microbiol 56: 1971–1973
Chen YP, Yoch DC (1987) Regulation of two nickel-requiring (inducible and constitutive) hydrogenases and their coupling to nitrogenase in Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b. J Bacteriol 160: 4778–4783
DeLey J (1992) The proteobacteria: ribosomal RNA cistron similarities and bacterial taxonomy. In: Balows A, Truper HG, Dworkin M, Harder W, Schleifer K-H (eds) The prokaryotes, 2nd edn. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 2111–2140
DeSmedt J, Bauwens M, Tytgat R, DeLey J (1980) Intra-and intergeneric similarities of ribosomal ribonucleic acid cistrons of free-living, nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Int J Syst Bacteriol 30: 106–122
Dunn NW, Gunsalus IC (1973) Transmissible plasmid coding early enzymes of naphthalene oxidation in Pseudomonas putida. J Bacteriol 114: 974–979
Fujisawa H (1970) Protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (Pseudomonas). Methods Enzymol 17A: 526–529
Hardison C, Sala-Trepat JM, Stanier RY (1969) Pathways for the oxidation of aromatic compounds by Azotobacter. J Gen Microbiol 59: 1–11
Jones DCN, Cooper RA (1990) Catabolism of 3-hydroxybenzoate by the gentisate pathway in Klebsiella pneumoniae M5a1. Arch Microbiol 154: 489–495
Krieg NR, Döbereiner J (1984) Genus Azospirillum Tarrand, Krieg and Döbereiner 1979, 79AL (effective publication: Tarrand, Krieg and Döbereiner 1978, 978). In: Krieg NR (ed) Bergey's manual of systematic bacteriology, vol 1. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, pp 94–104
Lowry OH, Rosebrough NJ, Farr AL, Randall RJ (1951) Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem 193: 265–275
Moreno J, Rubia T de la, Ramos-Cormenzana A, Vela GR (1990) Growth and nitrogenase activity of Azotobacter vinelandii on soil phenolic acids. J Appl Bacteriol 69: 850–855
Nakazawa T, Nakazawa A (1970) Pyrocatechase (Pseudomonas). Methods Enzymol 17A: 518–522
Nakazawa T, Yokota T (1973) Benzoate metabolism in Pseudomonas putida (arvilla) mt-2: demonstration of two benzoate pathways. J Bacteriol 115: 262–267
Newton JW, Wilson PW, Burris RH (1953) Direct demonstration of ammonia as an intermediate in nitrogen fixation by Azotobacter. J Biol Chem 204: 445–451
Nozaki M (1970) Metapyrocatechase (Pseudomonas). Methods Enzymol 17A: 522–525
Ono K, Nozaki M, Hayaishi O (1970) Purification and some properties of protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase. Biochim Biophys Acta 220: 224–238
Peterson JB, Peterson LS (1988) para-Hydroxybenzoate supported nitrogen fixation in Azotobacter vinelandii strain OP (13705). Can J Microbiol 34: 1271–1275
Sala-Trepat JM, Evans WC (1971) The meta cleavage of catechol by Azotobacter species. 4-Oxalocrotonate pathway. Eur J Biochem 20: 400–413
Sayler GS, Hooper SW, Layton AC, King JMH (1990) Catabolic plasmids of environmental and ecological significance. Microb Ecol 19: 1–20
Stanier RY, Ornston LN (1973) The β-ketoadipate pathway. Adv Microb Physiol 9: 89–151
Stanier RY, Palleroni NJ, Doudoroff M (1966) The aerobic pseudomonads: a taxonomic study. J Gen Microbiol 43: 159–271
Vance GF, Boyd SA, Mokma DL (1985) Extraction of phenolic compounds from a spodosol profile, evaluation of three extractants. Soil Sci 140: 412–420
Whitehead DC, Dibb H, Hartley RD (1981) Extractant pH and the release of phenolic compounds from soils, plant roots and leaf litter. Soil Biol Biochem 13: 343–348
Whitehead DC, Dibb H, Hartley RD (1982) Phenolic compounds in soil as influenced by the growth of different plant species. J Appl Ecol 19: 579–588
Williams PA, Murray K (1974) Metabolism of benzoate and the methylbenzoates by Pseudomonas putida (arvilla) mt-2: evidence for the existence of a TOL plasmid. J Bacteriol 120: 416–423
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chen, Y.P., Lopez-de-Victoria, G. & Lovell, C.R. Utilization of aromatic compounds as carbon and energy sources during growth and N2-fixation by free-living nitrogen fixing bacteria. Arch. Microbiol. 159, 207–212 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00248473
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00248473