SpringerLink
Log in

Fermentation of glycolate by a pure culture of a strictly anaerobic gram-positive bacterium belonging to the family Lachnospiraceae

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Archives of Microbiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The component bacteria of a three-membered mixed culture able to ferment glycolate to acetate, propionate and CO2 were isolated in pure culture. All three strains were strict anaerobes that, on the basis of comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, belonged to the order Clostridiales in the phylum Firmicutes (low G+C gram-positive bacteria). Two of the strains were not involved in glycolate metabolism. The third, the glycolate-fermenting strain 19gly4 (DSM 11261), was related to members of the family Lachnospiraceae. The cells of strain 19gly4 were oval- to lemon-shaped, 0.85 µm long and 0.65 µm in diameter, occurring singly, in pairs, or in chains of up to 30 cells. Strain 19gly4 fermented glycolate or fumarate to acetate, succinate, and CO2. Hydrogen was not formed, and strain 19gly4 was able to grow on glycolate in pure culture without any syntrophic hydrogen transfer and without the use of an external electron acceptor. There was no evidence for homoacetogenic metabolism. This bacterium therefore differs in metabolism from previously reported glycolate-utilising anaerobes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1. A
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3. A

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bateson MM, Ward DM (1988) Photoexcretion and fate of glycolate in a hot spring cyanobacterial mat. Appl Environ Microbiol 54:1738–1743

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beudeker RF, Kuenen JG, Codd GA (1981) Glycolate metabolism in the obligate chemolithotroph Thiobacillus neapolitanus grown in continuous culture. J Gen Microbiol 126:337–346

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Buckel W, Janssen PH, Schuhmann A, Eikmanns U, Messner P, Sleytr U, Liesack W (1994) Clostridium viride sp. nov., a strictly anaerobic bacterium using 5-aminovalerate as growth substrate, previously assigned to Clostridium aminovalericum. Arch Microbiol 162:387–394

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chin KC, Liesack W, Janssen PH (2001) Opitutus terrae gen. nov., sp. nov., to accommodate novel strains of the division 'Verrucomicrobia' isolated from rice paddy soil. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 51:1965–1968

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Codd GA, Smith BM (1974) Glycolate formation and excretion by the purple photosynthetic bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum. FEBS Lett 48:105–108

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Codd GA, Bowien B, Schlegel HG (1976) Glycolate production and excretion by Alcaligenes eutrophus. Arch Microbiol 110:167–171

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coombs J, Whittingham CP (1966) The mechanisms of inhibition of photosynthesis by high partial pressures of oxygen in Chlorella. Proc R Soc Lond, Series B 164:511–520

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dorn M, Andreesen JR, Gottschalk G (1978) Fermentation of fumarate and l-malate by Clostridium formicoaceticum. J Bacteriol 133:26–32

    Google Scholar 

  • Frenzel P, Bosse U (1996) Methyl fluoride, an inhibitor of methane oxidation and methane production. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 21:25–36

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Friedrich M, Schink B (1993) Hydrogen formation from glycolate driven by reversed electron transport in membrane vesicles of a syntrophic glycolate-oxidizing bacterium. Eur J Biochem 217:233–240

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Friedrich M, Schink B (1995) Isolation and characterization of a desulforubidin-containing sulfate-reducing bacterium growing with glycolate. Arch Microbiol 164:271–279

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Friedrich M, Laderer U, Schink B (1991) Fermentative degradation of glycolic acid by defined syntrophic cocultures. Arch Microbiol 156:398–404

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Friedrich M, Springer N, L udwig W, Schink B (1996) Phylogenetic positions of Desulfofustis glycolicus gen. nov., sp. nov., and Syntrophobotulus glycolicus gen. nov., sp. nov., two new strict anaerobes growing with glycolic acid. Int J Syst Bacteriol 46:1065–1069

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garrity GM, Winters M, Searles DB (2001) Taxonomic outline of the prokaryotic genera Bergey's manual of systematic bacteriology, 2nd edn. Release 1.0, http://www.cme.msu.edu/bergeys/

  • Godon JJ, Zumstein E, Dabert P, Habouzit F, Moletta R (1997) Molecular microbial diversity of an anaerobic digestor as determined by small-subunit rDNA sequence analysis. Appl Environ Microbiol 63:2802–2813

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gottschalk G (1986) Bacterial metabolism, 2nd edn. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York

  • Grech-Mora I, Fardeau ML, Patel BKC, Ollivier B, Rimbault A, Presnier G, Garcia JL, Garnier-Sillam E (1996) Isolation and characterization of Sporobacter termitidis gen. nov., sp. nov., from the digestive tract of the wood-feeding termite Nasutitermes lujae. Int J Syst Bacteriol 46:512–518

    Google Scholar 

  • Huelsenbeck JP, Ronquist F (2001) MRBAYES: Bayesian inference of phylogenetic trees. Bioinformatics 17:754–755

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Huelsenbeck JP, Ronquist F, Nielsen R, Bollback JP (2001) Bayesian inference of phylogeny and its impact on evolutionary biology. Science 294:2310–2314

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Janssen PH (1990) Fermentation of glycolate by a mixed culture of anaerobic bacteria. System Appl Microbiol 13:327–332

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Janssen PH (1991) Characterization of a succinate-fermenting bacterium isolated from a glycolate-degrading mixed culture. Arch Microbiol 155:288–293

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Janssen PH (1998) Pathway of glucose catabolism by strain VeGlc2, an anaerobe belonging to the Verrucomicrobiales lineage of bacterial descent. Appl Environ Microbiol 64:4830–4833

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Janssen PH, O'Farrell KA (1999) Succinispira mobilis gen. nov., sp. nov., a succinate-decarboxylating anaerobic bacterium. Int J Syst Bacteriol 49:1009–1013

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Janssen PH, Liesack W, Kluge C, Seeliger S, Schink B, Harfoot CG (1996) Sodium-dependent succinate decarboxylation by a new anaerobic bacterium belonging to the genus Peptostreptococcus. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 70:11–20

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Janssen PH, Schuhmann A, Mörschel E, Rainey FA (1997) Novel anaerobic ultramicrobacteria belonging to the Verrucomicrobiales lineage of bacterial descent isolated by dilution culture from anoxic rice paddy soil. Appl Environ Microbiol 63:1382–1388

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lane DJ (1991) 16S/23S rRNA sequencing. In: Stackebrandt E, Goodfellow M (eds) Nucleic acid techniques in bacterial systematics. Wiley, Chichester, pp 115–175

  • Leser TD, Amenuvor JZ, Jensen TK, Lindecrona RH, Boye M, Moller, K (2002) Culture-independent analysis of gut bacteria: the pig gastrointestinal tract microbiota revisited. Appl Environ Microbiol 68:673–690

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lovley DR, Phillips EJP (1986) Organic matter mineralization with reduction of ferric iron in anaerobic sediments. Appl Environ Microbiol 51:683–689

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pfennig N (1978) Rhodocyclus purpureus gen. nov., sp. nov., a ring-shaped, vitamin B12-requiring member of the family Rhodospirillaceae. Int J Syst Bacteriol 28:283–288

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pfennig, N, Biebl H (1976) Desulfuromonas acetoxidans gen. nov. and sp. nov., a new anaerobic, sulfur-reducing, acetate-oxidizing bacterium. Arch Microbiol 110:3–12

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seifritz C, Fröstl JM, Drake HL, Daniel SL (1999) Glycolate as a metabolic substrate for the acetogen Moorella thermoacetica. FEMS Microbiol Lett 170:399–405

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart R, Codd GA (1981) Glycolate and glyoxylate excretion by Sphaerocystis schroeteri (Chlorophyceae). Br Phycol J 16:177–182

    Google Scholar 

  • Stouthamer AH (1979) The search for correlations between theoretical and experimental growth yields. In: Quayle JR (ed) Microbial biochemistry. University Park , Baltimore, pp 1–47

  • Swofford DL (2002) PAUP*. Phylogenetic analysis using parsimony (*and other methods), version 4. Sinauer , Sunderland, Massachusetts

  • Tajima K, Aminov RI, Nagamine T, Ogata K, Nakamura M, Matsui H, Benno Y (1999) Rumen bacterial diversity as determined by sequence analysis of 16S rDNA libraries. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 29:159–169

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tajima K, Arai S, Ogata K, Nagamine T, Matsui H, Namakura M, Aminov RI, BennoY (2000) Rumen bacterial community transition during adaptation to high-grain diet. Anaerobe 6:273–284

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tanaka K, Mikami E, Suzuki T (1986) Methane fermentation of 2-methoxyethanol by mesophilic digesting sludge. J Ferment Technol 64:305–309

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thauer RK, Jungermann K, Decker K (1977) Energy conservation in chemotrophic anaerobic bacteria. Bacteriol Rev 41:100–180

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tolbert NE, Zill LP (1956) Excretion of glycolic acid by algae during photosynthesis. J Biol Chem 222:895–906

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Widdel F, Bak F (1992) Gram-negative mesophilic sulfate-reducing bacteria. In: Balows A, Trüper HG, Dworkin M, Harder W, Schleifer KH (eds) The prokaryotes. A handbook on the biology of bacteria. Ecophysiology, isolation, identification, applications, 2nd edn. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 3352–3378

Download references

Acknowledgements

Prof. Dr. Bernhard Schink and Dr. Michael Friedrich are thanked for stimulating discussions regarding the anaerobic metabolism of glycolate. Paul Taylor's technical help is gratefully acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, 3010, Victoria, Australia

    Peter H. Janssen

  2. Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA

    Philip Hugenholtz

Authors
  1. Peter H. Janssen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Philip Hugenholtz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter H. Janssen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Janssen, P.H., Hugenholtz, P. Fermentation of glycolate by a pure culture of a strictly anaerobic gram-positive bacterium belonging to the family Lachnospiraceae . Arch Microbiol 179, 321–328 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-003-0528-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-003-0528-5

Key words

Search

Navigation