Oxidative dissimilation in Acetobacter suboxydans.

Interest in this laboratory has focused upon the metabolism of the acetic acid bacteria since the superior activity of bound forms of pantothenic acid (PAC) ((1, 2); coenzyme A (3, 4)) over the free vitamin was discovered. The disclosure that pantetheine (Lactobadus bulgaricus factor) is a mercaptan capable of coexisting with an oxidized disulfide form (5) has led to speculation as to whether coenzyme A and other bound forms of pantothenic acid might contribute to oxidative metabolism in Acetobacter suboxyduns. However, even though this organism has been extensively used in industrial fermentations (cf. (6-8)), knowledge is generally lacking concerning the mechanisms of its oxidative patterns. The present study has therefore been designed to obtain initial pertinent information.