This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Visscher, P T Articles by Taylor, B F Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Visscher, P T Articles by Taylor, B F Agricola Articles by Visscher, P T Articles by Taylor, B F

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl Environ Microbiol. 1993 December; 59(12): 4083-4089

Aerobic and anaerobic degradation of a range of alkyl sulfides by a denitrifying marine bacterium.

P T Visscher and B F Taylor

Division of Marine and Atmospheric Chemistry, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Miami, Florida 33149-1098.

ABSTRACT

A pure culture of a bacterium was obtained from a marine microbial mat by using an anoxic medium containing dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and nitrate. The isolate grew aerobically or anaerobically as a denitrifier on alkyl sulfides, including DMS, dimethyl disulfide, diethyl sulfide (DES), ethyl methyl sulfide, dipropyl sulfide, dibutyl sulfide, and dibutyl disulfide. Cells grown on an alkyl sulfide or disulfide also oxidized the corresponding thiols, namely, methanethiol, ethanethiol, propanethiol, or butanethiol. Alkyl sulfides were metabolized by induced or derepressed cells with oxygen, nitrate, or nitrite as electron acceptor. Cells grown on DMS immediately metabolized DMS, but there was a lag before DES was consumed; with DES-grown cells, DES was immediately used but DMS was used only after a lag. Chloramphenicol prevented the eventual use of DES by DMS-grown cells and DMS use by DES-grown cells, respectively, indicating separate enzymes for the metabolism of methyl and ethyl groups. Growth was rapid on formate, acetate, propionate, and butyrate but slow on methanol. The organism also grew chemolithotrophically on thiosulfate with a decrease in pH; growth required carbonate in the medium. Growth on sulfide was also carbonate dependent but slow. The isolate was identified as a Thiobacillus sp. and designated strain ASN-1. It may have utility for removing alkyl sulfides, and also nitrate, nitrite, and sulfide, from wastewaters.

---

Appl Environ Microbiol. 1993 December; 59(12): 4083-4089

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Schafer, H. (2007). Isolation of Methylophaga spp. from Marine Dimethylsulfide-Degrading Enrichment Cultures and Identification of Polypeptides Induced during Growth on Dimethylsulfide. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 2580-2591 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Fuse, H., Takimura, O., Murakami, K., Yamaoka, Y., Omori, T. (2000). Utilization of Dimethyl Sulfide as a Sulfur Source with the Aid of Light by Marinobacterium sp. Strain DMS-S1. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66: 5527-5532 [Abstract] [Full Text]