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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, September 2005, p. 4966-4971, Vol. 71, No. 9
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.9.4966-4971.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Pyruvate Fermentation by Oenococcus oeni and Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Role of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase in Anaerobic Fermentation

Nicole Wagner,1 Quang Hon Tran,2 Hanno Richter,1 Paul M. Selzer,2 and Gottfried Unden1*

Institut für Mikrobiologie und Weinforschung, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Becherweg 15, 55099 Mainz,1 Intervet Innovation GmbH, Drug Discovery, BioChemInformatics, 55270 Schwabenheim, Germany2

Received 6 January 2005/ Accepted 21 March 2005

The heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria Oenococcus oeni and Leuconostoc mesenteroides are able to grow by fermentation of pyruvate as the carbon source (2 pyruvate -> 1 lactate + 1 acetate + 1 CO2). The growth yields amount to 4.0 and 5.3 g (dry weight)/mol of pyruvate, respectively, suggesting formation of 0.5 mol ATP/mol pyruvate. Pyruvate is oxidatively decarboxylated by pyruvate dehydrogenase to acetyl coenzyme A, which is then converted to acetate, yielding 1 mol of ATP. For NADH reoxidation, one further pyruvate molecule is reduced to lactate. The enzymes of the pathway were present after growth on pyruvate, and genome analysis showed the presence of the corresponding structural genes. The bacteria contain, in addition, pyruvate oxidase activity which is induced under microoxic conditions. Other homo- or heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria showed only low pyruvate fermentation activity.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Institut für Mikrobiologie und Weinforschung, Becherweg 15, 55099 Mainz, Germany. Phone: 49-6131-3923550. Fax: 49-6131-3922695. E-mail: unden{at}uni-mainz.de.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, September 2005, p. 4966-4971, Vol. 71, No. 9
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.9.4966-4971.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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