Huber, Gertrud

Stetter, Karl Otto

English

University of Regensburg Publication Server

Properties of Newly Isolated Metal-mobilizing Sulfolobus-like Organisms GERTRUD HUBER and KARL O. STETTER Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie, Universität Regensburg, Universitätsstr.31, D-8400 Regensburg, Federal Republic of Germany Sulfolobus strains are able to grow autotrophically by the oxi-dation of sulfur or ferrous iron and are capable of mixotrophic growth on these substrates when the autotrophic media are sup-plemented with organic carbon, e. g. in the form of yeast extract. They also grow heterotrophically on yeast extract, certain sugars and amino acids {Brock, 1978; Brierley and Brierley, 1973). In addition, Sulfolobus brierleyi and a few SulfolobusAike organ-isms with an upper growth temperature limit of 70 °C are known to use mineral sulfides (e. g. pyrite, chalcopyrite) as substrates (Brierley, 1974; Marsh et al., 1983). In our hands, however, S. brierleyi shows this ability only in the presence of low amounts of yeast extract. None of the other Sulfolobus strains from the German Culture Collection and 30 SulfolobusAxVt isolates from W. Zillig and from our laboratory, which had been obtained by enrichment on a combination of sulfur and yeast extract, were able to use natural ores as energy sources with or without the addition of yeast extract. Subsequent to direct enrichment on sulfidic ores, several Sul-folobus-shaptd organisms were isolated by serial dilutions from samples taken from Italian (TH2) and Islandic (VE2, Kra23, NA4) solfatara fields. All these isolates grow chemolithoauto-trophically on an ore mixture containing pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and pitchblende. Isolates TH2, Kra23 and NA4 can also use sulfur as an energy source, both with and without the addition of yeast extract. TH2 can, alternatively, grow hetero-trophically on yeast extract. Isolate VE2 shows an upper growth temperature limit of 85 °C, which is the highest temperature known thus far at which microbial metal mobilization can take place. The GC-content of isolate TH2 is 45 mol%, and is there-fore about 8% higher than that of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius (37 mol%) and of Sulfolobus solfataricus (38 mol%). References Brierley, C. L., Brierley, J. A.: A chemoautotrophic and ther-mophilic microorganism isolated from an acid hot spring. Can. J. Microbiol. 19, 183-188 (1973). Brierley, C. L.: Molybdenite-leaching: use of a high-temperature microbe. J. Less-Common Met. 36, 237-247 (1974). Brock, T. D.: The Genus Sulfolobus. In: Thermophilic Microor-ganisms and Life at High Temperatures, pp. 117-179 (T. D. Brock, ed.). New York, Springer-Verlag (1978). Marsh, R. At, Norris, P. R„ Le Roux, N. W.; Growth and miner-al oxidation studies with Sulfolobus. In: Recent progress in biohydrometallurgy , pp. 71-81 (G. Rossi and A. E. Torma, eds.). Iglesias, Associazione Mineraria Sarda (1983). 

Properties of Newly Isolated Metal-mobilizing Sulfolobus-like Organisms (Kurzfassung)

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Properties of Newly Isolated Metal-mobilizing Sulfolobus-like Organisms (Kurzfassung)

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