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Growth kinetics of haloalkaliphilic, sulfur-oxidizing bacterium Thioalkalivibrio versutus strain ALJ 15 in continuous culture

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Abstract

The chemolithoautotrophic, sulfur-oxidizing bacterium Thioalkalivibrio versutus strain ALJ 15, isolated from a soda lake in Kenya, was grown in a continuous culture, with thiosulfate or polysulfide as growth-limiting energy source and oxygen as electron acceptor, at pH 10 and at pH 0.6, 2 M and 4 M total sodium. The end product of the sulfur-compound oxidation was sulfate. Elemental sulfur and a cell-bound, polysulfide-like compound appeared as intermediates during substrate oxidation. In the thiosulfate-limited culture, the biomass yields and maximum specific growth rates decreased two and three times, respectively, with increasing sodium concentration. The apparent affinity constant measured for thiosulfate and polysulfide was in the micromolar range (K s=6±3 μM). The maintenance requirement (m s=8±5 mmol S2O3 2/g dry weight h−1) was in the range of values found for other autotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. The organism had a comparable maximum specific rate of oxygen uptake with thiosulfate, polysulfide, and sulfide, while elemental sulfur was oxidized at a lower rate. Glycine betaine was the main organic compatible solute. The respiration rates with different species of polysulfides (Sn 2−) were tested. All polysulfide species were completely oxidized at high rates to sulfate. Overall data demonstrated efficient growth and sulfur compounds oxidation of haloalkaliphilic chemolithoautotrophic bacteria from soda lakes.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the Dutch Technology Foundation (STW) projects DST.4653 and WCB.5939.

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Author notes

  1. Dimitry Y. Sorokin

    Present address: Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 67, 2628 BC, Delft, The Netherlands

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 67, 2628 BC, Delft, The Netherlands

    Horia Banciu, Robbert Kleerebezem, Gerard Muyzer & J. Gijs Kuenen

  2. Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect 60-let Octyabrya 7/2, 117811, Moscow, Russia

    Dimitry Y. Sorokin

  3. Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University, Meckenheimer Allee 168, 53115 , Bonn, Germany

    Erwin A. Galinski

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  1. Horia Banciu
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  2. Dimitry Y. Sorokin
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Correspondence to Horia Banciu.

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Communicated by W.D. Grant

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Banciu, H., Sorokin, D.Y., Kleerebezem, R. et al. Growth kinetics of haloalkaliphilic, sulfur-oxidizing bacterium Thioalkalivibrio versutus strain ALJ 15 in continuous culture. Extremophiles 8, 185–192 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-004-0376-5

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