Woods, Nigel R. (1988) The bacterial metabolism of propane. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

A range of enrichment/isolation procedures yielded over 80 strains of Gram-positive propane-utilizing bacteria from a variety of environments. All appeared to be members of the Corynebacterium-Mycobacterium-Nocardia complex. No Gram-negative organisms were isolated and screening of Pseudomonas spp. culture collections failed to isolate any gaseous alkane-utilizing strains. Three of the isolated strains, identified as Rhodococcus rhodochrous. R. erythropolis and a Mycobacterium sp., were subjected to further analyses. They showed differing specificities towards gaseous alkane substrates, R. rhodochrous growing only on propane, the Mycobacterium sp. on ethane and propane, and R. erythropolis on all three. None could grow on alkenes but all could epoxidate propene to 1,2-epoxypropane after growth on propane.

R. rhodochrous (designated strain PNKbl) was selected for detailed study. Its potential to epoxidate alkenes was investigated further. Attempts to grow the organism in steady-state, continuous culture on propane were unsuccessful. It grew batchwise on most of the putative Intermediates of propane metabolism. Simultaneous adaptation studies using whole cells suggested that the organism had the potential to use either the terminal or subterminal pathways of propane metabolism.

SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed proteins of molecular weight 67, 59, 57 kDal specific to cells grown on propane, which may be components of the propane-oxidizing system. Oxygenase activity induced by propane, was studied in whole cell and cell-free systems and results suggest that it may be different in nature to those previously described alkane oxygenase systems.

The enzyme complement of propane-grown cells suggested that propane could be assimilated by either terminal or subterminal oxidation pathways and the relative importance of each remains unclear.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	Q Science > QR Microbiology
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Microbial metabolism, Propane -- Metabolism, Propane -- Oxidation, Methanotrophs
Official Date:	February 1988
Dates:	Date Event February 1988 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Biological Sciences
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Murrell, J. C. (J. Colin) ; Shennan, Jean
Sponsors:	Science and Engineering Research Council (Great Britain) ; British Petroleum Company
Format of File:	pdf
Extent:	xiv, 254 leaves : illustrations, photographs
Language:	eng

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