Cellular ATP changes in Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans cultures oxidizing ferrous iron and elemental sulfur
Authors | |
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Year of publication | 2013 |
Type | Article in Periodical |
Magazine / Source | Geomicrobiology Journal |
MU Faculty or unit | |
Citation | |
Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01490451.2011.636790 |
Field | Geochemistry |
Keywords | Acidithiobacillus; acidophiles; ATP assay; iron-oxidizing bacteria; sulfur-oxidizing bacteria |
Description | Cellular ATP content of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans cultures was determined with a bioluminescence assay in relation to batch growth and oxidation of ferrous iron and elemental sulfur. Inhibitory effects of inorganic substrates and products on luciferase were eliminated. Extracellular ATP levels were negligible. The ATP content of sulfur-grown cells decreased anomalously due to a culture pH increase at the stationary phase. Although the rates of growth and sulfur oxidation reached the original levels, the ATP content of the culture remained constant because of gradual decrease in the cellular ATP. The maximum ATP levels in A. ferrooxidans grown with Fe(II) and S(0) were 1.16 and 0.33 amol per cell, respectively. The results defined conditions under which biomass growth could be monitored by the ATP assay to study biogeochemical activities of acidophilic iron- and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. |
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