HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Franz, B. Articles by Prange, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Franz, B. Articles by Prange, A. Agricola Articles by Franz, B. Articles by Prange, A.

Utilization of solid ‘elemental’ sulfur by the phototrophic purple sulfur bacterium Allochromatium vinosum: a sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy study

¹ Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Institut für Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Meckenheimer Allee 168, 53115 Bonn, Germany
² Hochschule Niederrhein, Mikrobiologie und Lebensmittelhygiene, Rheydter Straße 277, 41065 Mönchengladbach, Germany
³ Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Physikalisches Institut, Nußallee 12, 53115 Bonn, Germany
⁴ Louisiana State University, The John Bennett Johnston, Sr. Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices (CAMD), 6980 Jefferson Highway, Baton Rouge, LA 70806, USA

Correspondence
Alexander Prange
A.Prange{at}gmx.de
Christiane Dahl
ChDahl{at}uni-bonn.de

The purple sulfur bacterium Allochromatium vinosum can use elemental sulfur as an electron donor for anoxygenic photosynthesis. The elemental sulfur is taken up, transformed into intracellular sulfur globules and oxidized to sulfate. Commercially available ‘elemental’ sulfur usually consists of the two species cyclo-octasulfur and polymeric sulfur. The authors investigated whether only one sulfur species is used or at least preferred when Alc. vinosum takes up elemental sulfur and forms globules. To this end, Alc. vinosum was cultivated photolithoautotrophically with two types of elemental sulfur that differed in their cyclo-octasulfur : polymeric sulfur ratio, as well as with pure polymeric sulfur. Sulfur speciation was analysed using X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and sulfate contents were determined by HPLC to quantify the amount of elemental sulfur being taken up and oxidized by Alc. vinosum. The results show that Alc. vinosum uses only the polymeric sulfur (sulfur chain) fraction of elemental sulfur and is probably unable to take up and form sulfur globules from cyclo-octasulfur. Furthermore, direct cell–sulfur contact appears to be necessary for uptake of elemental sulfur by Alc. vinosum.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. N. George, M. Gnida, D. A. Bazylinski, R. C. Prince, and I. J. Pickering X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy as a Probe of Microbial Sulfur Biochemistry: the Nature of Bacterial Sulfur Globules Revisited J. Bacteriol., October 1, 2008; 190(19): 6376 - 6383. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y.-J. Lee, A. Prange, H. Lichtenberg, M. Rohde, M. Dashti, and J. Wiegel In Situ Analysis of Sulfur Species in Sulfur Globules Produced from Thiosulfate by Thermoanaerobacter sulfurigignens and Thermoanaerobacterium thermosulfurigenes J. Bacteriol., October 15, 2007; 189(20): 7525 - 7529. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]