Synthesis of an Iron-Oxidizing System during Growth of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans on Sulfur-Basal Salts Medium.

It was found that the de novo synthesis of not only sulfur:ferric ion oxidoreductase (ferric ion-reducing system) but also iron oxidase was absolutely required when Thiobacillus ferrooxidans AP19-3 was grown on sulfur-salts medium. The results strongly suggest that iron oxidase is involved in sulfur oxidation. This bacterium could not grow on sulfur-salts medium under anaerobic conditions with Fe as a terminal electron acceptor, suggesting that energy conservation by electron transfer between elemental sulfur and Fe is not available for this bacterium.