Biomaterial Database

[n-Alkane oxidation by propionic acid bacteria]. 1979

L I Vorob'eva, and N I Kraeva, and L Ebringer, and N L Ol'sinskaia

Propionic acid bacteria were found for the first time to be capable of oxidizing n-alkanes. The value of QO2 is higher on a mixture of n-alkanes (C12--C20) than on individual hydrocarbons whose availability is determined by the length of a hydrocarbon chain: C15 and C16-alkanes are oxidized best of all; C14, C13 and C12-alkanes are oxidized at a lower rate; and alkanes whose chain comprises less than ten carbon atoms are not oxidized at all. Hexadecane is oxidized to CO2, cetyl alcohol and palmitic acid being intermediates; this suggests the existence of the monoterminal pathway for oxidation of n-alkanes in propionic acid bacteria.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010084	Oxidation-Reduction	A chemical reaction in which an electron is transferred from one molecule to another. The electron-donating molecule is the reducing agent or reductant; the electron-accepting molecule is the oxidizing agent or oxidant. Reducing and oxidizing agents function as conjugate reductant-oxidant pairs or redox pairs (Lehninger, Principles of Biochemistry, 1982, p471).	Redox,Oxidation Reduction
D011424	Propionibacterium	A genus of gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria whose cells occur singly, in pairs or short chains, in V or Y configurations, or in clumps resembling letters of the Chinese alphabet. Its organisms are found in cheese and dairy products as well as on human skin and can occasionally cause soft tissue infections.
D002245	Carbon Dioxide	A colorless, odorless gas that can be formed by the body and is necessary for the respiration cycle of plants and animals.	Carbonic Anhydride,Anhydride, Carbonic,Dioxide, Carbon
D002701	Chloramphenicol	An antibiotic first isolated from cultures of Streptomyces venequelae in 1947 but now produced synthetically. It has a relatively simple structure and was the first broad-spectrum antibiotic to be discovered. It acts by interfering with bacterial protein synthesis and is mainly bacteriostatic. (From Martindale, The Extra Pharmacopoeia, 29th ed, p106)	Cloranfenicol,Kloramfenikol,Levomycetin,Amphenicol,Amphenicols,Chlornitromycin,Chlorocid,Chloromycetin,Detreomycin,Ophthochlor,Syntomycin
D003470	Culture Media	Any liquid or solid preparation made specifically for the growth, storage, or transport of microorganisms or other types of cells. The variety of media that exist allow for the culturing of specific microorganisms and cell types, such as differential media, selective media, test media, and defined media. Solid media consist of liquid media that have been solidified with an agent such as AGAR or GELATIN.	Media, Culture
D000473	Alkanes	The generic name for the group of aliphatic hydrocarbons Cn-H2n+2. They are denoted by the suffix -ane. (Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed)	Alkane