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Effect of p-nitrophenol metabolites on microbial cell electro-optical characteristics
Oleg V Ignatov1, Olga I Guliy, Sergei Shchyogolev
1Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, 13 Prospekt Entuziastov, Saratov 410015, Russia. oignatov@ibppm.saratov.su
Abstract:
The effect of cellular p-nitrophenol (PNP) metabolism on the electro-optical (EO) characteristics of Pseudomonas putida C-11, P. putida BA-11, and Acinetobacter calcoaceticum A-122 was studied. When P. putida C-11 was incubated with hydroquinone, the orientational spectra of the cell suspensions changed considerably. When P. putida BA-11 and A. calcoaceticum A-122 were incubated with hydroquinone, no orientational spectrum changes were noted, possibly attesting to the operation of different PNP-metabolic pathways. In C-11, the initial metabolism of PNP may occur via the production of hydroquinone, an intermediate for PNP metabolism; in BA-11 and A. calcoaceticum A-122, via the production of 4-nitropyrocatechin, followed by a rupture of the aromatic ring. The respiratory activity of the strains toward hydroquinone was investigated concurrently. The results suggest that EO analysis is a good candidate for the study of cellular metabolism.