Micromorphology of Gram-negative hydrogen bacteria - I. Cell morphology and flagellation.

The cell morphology, the arrangement and fine structure of flagella and the piliation of the following Gram-negative aerobic hydrogen bacteria have been studied: Alcaligenes eutrophus, Alcaligenes paradoxus, Alcaligenes ruhlandii, Pseudomonas flava, Pseudomonas pseudoflava, Pseudomonas palleronii, Pseudomonas facilis, Aquaspirillum autotrophicum, Paracoccus denitrificans, Corynebacterium autotrophicum, and strains MA 2 and SA 35. The identity of the bacteria was examined by their substrate spectra and type of flagellation. Three types of flagellar fine structure were differentiated. The presence of pili was noted in strains of Alcaligenes paradoxus, Pseudomonas flava, P. pseudoflava, P. palleronii, and P. facilis

Micromorphology of Gram-negative hydrogen bacteria - II. Cell envelope, membranes, and cytoplasmic inclusions.

The fine structure of the cell envelope, of membrane systems and of cytoplasmic inclusions of Gram-negative aerobic hydrogen bacteria has been studied. The results have been tabulated, and three main groups could be recognized: Group 1: Alcaligenes eutrophus, A. paradoxus, A. ruhlandii, Pseudomonas facilis, P. flava, P. pseudoflava, P. palleronii, and Aquaspirillum autotrophicum; Group 2: "Corynebacterium" autotrophicum and strains MA 2 and SA 35; Group 3: Paracoccus denitrificans. Special structures related to the chemoautotrophic way of life of the hydrogen bacteria were not observed

Cloning and Expression of a Ralstonia eutropha HF39 Gene Mediating Indigo Formation in Escherichia coli

On complex medium Escherichia coli strains carrying hybrid plasmid pBEC/EE:11.0, pSKBEC/BE:9.0, pSKBEC/PP:3.3, or pSKBEC/PP:2.4 harboring genomic DNA of Ralstonia eutropha HF39 produced a blue pigment characterized as indigo by several chemical and spectroscopic methods. A 1,251-bp open reading frame (bec) was cloned and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence of bec showed only weak similarities to short-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenases, and the gene product catalyzed formation of indoxyl, a reactive preliminary stage for production of indigo