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Abstract
SUMMARY: Pyrnvie acid accumulates in aerated cultures of Aerobacter aerogenes during logarithmic growth and disappears rapidly in the stationary phase. The amount accumulated depends upon the carbon source utilized, being greatest with glucose and malic acid and least with acetic acid, of the compounds studied. For aerated washed suspensions of cells trained to metabolize glucose, malate, fumarate or succinate respectively the rates of pyruvate production for various substrates are in the order: rate in malate > fumarate > succinate > acetate. Only cells trained to metabolize acetate produce pyruvate from acetate as fast as from suecinate and fumarate. When ammonium sail solution is added to these suspensions accumulation of pyruvate ceases.
Rates of pyruvate production at various substrate concentriation by washed suspensions accord with a kinetic scheme in which pyruvate appears as a transitory intermediate in a reaction sequence. Results are not compatible with the existence of the tricarbosylic acid cycle in bacteria.
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