ENZYMATIC CONTROL OF METABOLIC ACTIVITY OF PSEUDOMONAS-AERUGINOSA GROWN IN GLUCOSE OR SUCCINATE MEDIA

Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027 lacks phosphofructokinase and therefore does not have a functional Embden-Meyerhof pathway. However, it possesses the enzyme complement to carry out gluconeogenesis through the reversal of the Embden-Meyerhof pathway reactions. Glucose did not repress the enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. The results show that the tricarboxylic acid cycle plays a significant role in the metabolism of succinate apart from its essential biosynthetic role. The significance of a unique control pattern of glucose-metabolizing enzymes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa as compared to that found in coliforms and aerobic spore-forming bacilli is discussed. © 1969.