Biocathodes in bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) can be used to convert CO2 into diverse organic compounds through a process called microbial electrosynthesis. Unfortunately, start-up of anaerobic biocathodes in BESs is a difficult and time consuming process. Here, a pre-enrichment method was developed to improve start-up of anaerobic facultatively autotrophic biocathodes capable of using catho...

During postgerminative seedling establishment, reserves stored during seed filling are mobilized to provide energy and carbon for the growing seedling until autotrophic growth is possible. A plastid isoform of triose phosphate isomerase (pdTPI) plays a crucial role in this transition from heterotrophic to autotrophic growth. A T-DNA insertion in Arabidopsis thaliana pdTPI resulted in a fivefold...

Metallosphaera sedula (Sulfolobales, Crenarchaeota) uses the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle for autotrophic carbon fixation. In this pathway, acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) and succinyl-CoA are the only intermediates that can be considered common to the central carbon metabolism. We addressed the question of which intermediate of the cycle most biosynthetic routes branch off. We labeled a...

Microbial nitrogen fixation (diazotrophy) is a functional trait widely associated with tropical reef-building (scleractinian) corals. While the integral role of nitrogen fixation in coral nutrient dynamics is recognized, its ecological significance across different coral functional groups remains yet to be evaluated. Here we set out to compare molecular and physiological patterns of diazotrophy...

A nine year study was carried out on the evolution of macroscopic "acid streamer" growths in acidic, metal-rich mine water from the point of construction of a new channel to drain an abandoned underground copper mine. The new channel became rapidly colonized by acidophilic bacteria: two species of autotrophic iron-oxidizers (Acidithiobacillus ferrivorans and "Ferrovum myxofaciens") and a hetero...

Batch culture of Ralstonia eutropha using the recycled gas closed circuit culture system was conducted in order to develop a practical fermentation system for industrial autotrophic culture for poly (hydroxybutrate) production. The gas phase of the culture system consisted of substrate gas so that gases in this culture could be recycled as long as the amount of the gas consumed would be repleni...

Sulfur-utilizing autotrophic denitrification relies on an inorganic carbon source to reduce the nitrate by producing sulfuric acid as an end product and can be used for the treatment of wastewaters containing high levels of nitrates. In this study, sulfur-denitrifying bacteria were used in anoxic batch tests with sulfur as the electron donor and nitrate as the electron acceptor. Various medium ...

It was found that S. meliloti strain SmA818, which is cured of pSymA, could not grow on defined medium containing only formate and bicarbonate as carbon sources. Growth experiments showed that Rm1021 was capable of formate/bicarbonate-dependent growth, suggesting that it was capable of autotrophic-type growth. The annotated genome of S. meliloti Rm1021 contains three formate dehydrogenase genes...

Ammonia oxidation in laboratory liquid batch cultures of autotrophic ammonia oxidizers rarely occurs at pH values less than 7, due to ionization of ammonia and the requirement for ammonium transport rather than diffusion of ammonia. Nevertheless, there is strong evidence for autotrophic nitrification in acid soils, which may be carried out by ammonia oxidizers capable of using urea as a source ...

In order to investigate the propionate-degrading community of agricultural biogas plants, four propionate-degrading consortia (Ap1a, N12, G12, and Wp2a) were established from different biogas plants which were fed with renewable resources. The consortia were cultivated in a batch for a period of 2-4 years and then analyzed in an 8-week batch experiment for microbial succession during propionate...