Glucose catabolism in Rhizobium japonicum.

Glucose catabolism in Rhizobium japonicum ATCC 10324 was investigated by the radiorespirometric method and by assaying for key enzymes of the major energy-yielding pathways. Specifically labeled glucose gave the following results for resting cells, with values expressed as per cent (14)CO(2) evolution: C-1=59%, C-2=51%, C-3=45%, C-4=59%, and C-6=43%. These values indicate that glucose was degraded by the Entner-Doudoroff pathway alone. Cells which grew in glucose-yeast extract-salts medium gave essentially the same pattern except for retardation of the C-6 carbon. The rates were: C-1=54%, C-2=42%, C-3=51%, C-4=59%, and C-6=32%. Hexokinase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, transketolase, and an enzyme system which produces pyruvate from 6-phosphogluconate were found to be present in these cells. No 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase was detected. Oxidation of specifically labeled pyruvate gave the following (14)CO(2) evolution pattern: C-1=78%, C-2=48%, and C-3=37%; the pattern from acetate was C-1=73%; and C-2=56%. Oxidation of glutamate showed the preferential rate of (14)CO(2) evolution to be C-1 > C-2=C-5 > C-3, 4, whereas a higher yield of (14)CO(2) was obtained from the C-1 and C-4 carbons of succinate than from the C-2 and C-3 carbons. These data are consistent with the operation of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway and tricarboxylic acid cycle as the catabolic pathways of glucose oxidation in R. japonicum.