STUDIES ON SOIL BACTERIA DECOMPOSING GLYCEROL Part II: Metabolism of Streptomyces and Azotobacter species

Abstract

Streptomyces produce acetyl methyl carbinol under certain conditions. Glycerol is metabolised by Stnptomyces the Embden-Meyerboff-Parnas scheme as well as some other route. Azotobacter species fix nitrogen with glycerol as the sale source of carbon 0.001 M sodium arsenite and 0.1 M sodium fluoride completely inhibit both glycerol decomposition and nitrogen fixation in both the strains studied whereas 0.025 M fluoride has a variable effect on the two processes in two different strains. Similarly 0.0001 M sodium azide and 0.0005 M2-4 dinitrophenol do not inhibit glycerol decomposition while their effect on 'nitrogen fixation was different on two strains.Cell-free extracts of Azotobacter require Mg+ +and ATP for activity and these oxidised glycerol but no oxygen uptake was obtained with a glycerophosphate and glycolate.0.001 M and 0.0001 M sodium azide and 0.001 M arsenite had no effect on oxygenuptake by cell-free extracts:. Results with sodium fluoride were variable.