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Sulfite oxidation in chlorobaculum tepidum.

Jesse Rodriguez¹, Jennifer Hiras, Thomas E Hanson

¹Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware Newark, DE, USA.

Frontiers in Microbiology

|July 13, 2011

Summary

The green sulfur bacterium Chlorobaculum tepidum oxidizes sulfur compounds using cytoplasmic sulfite, facilitated by the Qmo complex. Mutant strains lacking QmoABC accumulate sulfite and show reduced growth, confirming sulfite

Keywords:

Chlorobi Qmo complex sulfite

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Area of Science:

Microbiology
Biochemistry
Environmental Science

Background:

Green sulfur bacteria are crucial in sulfur cycling.
Chlorobaculum tepidum utilizes sulfide and elemental sulfur for energy.
The precise mechanism and location of sulfur oxidation intermediates remain under investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the role of sulfite as an obligate intermediate in Chlorobaculum tepidum sulfur oxidation.
To determine the involvement of the QmoABC complex in sulfite oxidation.
To investigate the subcellular localization of the sulfite oxidation pathway.

Main Methods:

Growth experiments with wild-type and mutant strains of Chlorobaculum tepidum.
Utilizing sulfide and exogenous sulfite as electron donors.
Construction and analysis of qmoB and qmoC mutant strains (CT0867/qmoB::TnOGm and CT0868/qmoC::TnOGm).

Main Results:

Exogenous sulfite significantly enhanced growth yield in sulfide-limited wild-type cultures.
Mutant strains lacking functional QmoB or QmoC showed no growth stimulation by sulfite.
Mutant strains accumulated sulfite and exhibited decreased growth yields when utilizing sulfide.

Conclusions:

Sulfite is an obligate cytoplasmic intermediate in Chlorobaculum tepidum's sulfur oxidation pathway.
The QmoABC complex is essential for oxidizing this cytoplasmic sulfite pool.
These findings clarify the canonical sulfur oxidation pathway in this important bacterium.