Studies on bacterial utilization of uronic acids. III. Induction of oxidative enzymes in a marine isolate.

MacLeod et al. (1954) noted that a number of strains of bacteria from the marine environment which can not grow on fresh water media are dependent upon Na+, K+, and Mg++, whereas several similar isolates capable of growth on fresh water media have no Na+ dependence. A subsequent investigation of the effect of these metal ions on the viability in storage and the activity of oxidative systems of a Na+ dependent strain (Tomlinson and MacLeod, 1957) showed a definite requirement for the three ions for storage and for Na+ and K+ for the oxidation of succinate and alanine. In this laboratory a marine bacterium capable of forming induced enzymes for the oxidation of uronic acids has been isolated from glucuronate enriched marsh mud from Sapelo Island, Georgia. This paper represents a study of the effects of substrate, sea salt, and Na, K, and Mg salts on the induction of the oxidative system.