C1-compounds

Examples of C1-compounds in the following topics:

• Organic Acid Metabolism

  • Some microbes are capable of utilizing such compounds as a sole source of energy.
  • It is vital in the catabolism of C1 compounds such as methanol (see the "Methylotrophy and Methanotrophy" atom for more information on C1 compound utilization).
  • Methylotrophic microbes convert single-carbon compounds to formaldehyde, which is oxidized to formate by formaldehyde dehydrogenase.

• Methylotrophy and Methanotrophy

  • Methylotrophs and methanotrophs are a diverse group of microorganisms that can derive energy from the metabolism of single-carbon compounds.
  • Multiple diverse microorganisms have evolved the intriguing ability to utilize single-carbon (C1) compounds (e.g. methanol or methane) or multi-carbon compounds lacking carbon bonds (e.g. dimethyl ether and dimethylamine) as the sole energy source for their growth.
  • Methylotrophs, in general, aerobically utilize C1 compounds by oxidizing them to yield formaldehyde.
  • The fact that some methylotrophs can also make use of multi-carbon compounds distinguishes them from methanotrophs, which are usually fastidious methane and methanol oxidizers.
  • This is the general utilization pathway for C1 compounds.

• Alphaproteobacteria

  • The Alphaproteobacteria comprise most phototrophic genera, but also several genera metabolising C1-compounds (e.g., Methylobacterium spp.), symbionts of plants (e.g., Rhizobium spp.) and animals, and a group of pathogens, the Rickettsiaceae.

• The Complement System

  • Initiation of the classical pathway occurs when C1q, in complex with C1r and C1s serine proteases (the C1 complex), binds to the Fc region of complement-fixing antibodies (generally IgG1and IgM) attached to pathogenic surfaces.
  • Autocatalytic activation of C1r and C1s in turn cleaves C4 and C2 into larger (C4b, C2a) and smaller (C4a, C2b) fragments.

• Scarlet Fever

  • The carboxy terminal portion of the protein exhibits extensive homology with the carboxy terminus of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins B and C1.

• Growth Terminology

  • To produce these organic compounds it either uses energy from light (by photosynthesis) or inorganic chemical reactions.
  • This reduction process forms an organic compound that stores chemical energy.
  • They derive their energy from chemical reactions and synthesize all necessary organic compounds from carbon dioxide.
  • They use compounds formed by autotrophs (such as carbohydrates, fatty acids, and alcohols) as their food.
  • They are unable to fix carbon and form their own organic compounds so they must use products formed by autotrophs.

• Citric Acid and Other Organic Compounds

  • Many organic compounds, like citric acid, are produced industrially by microorganisms.
  • Many of the cycle compounds are also needed for the synthesis of the cells' own proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.
  • Microorganisms replaced the industrial chemical production of many different organic compounds, like enzymes and amino acids.
  • Explain how citric acid and other organic compounds are produced by the mold Aspergillus niger

• Fermentation Without Substrate-Level Phosphorylation

  • Fermentation is the process of extracting energy from the oxidation of organic compounds such as carbohydrates.
  • Fermentation is the process of extracting energy from the oxidation of organic compounds, such as carbohydrates, using an endogenous electron acceptor, which is usually an organic compound.
  • During fermentation, pyruvate is metabolised to various compounds.
  • However, more exotic compounds can be produced by fermentation, such as butyric acid and acetone.

• Oxidation of Reduced Sulfur Compounds

  • Sulfur oxidation involves the oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds, inorganic sulfur, and thiosulfate to form sulfuric acid.
  • Organic compounds are also the carbon source for biosynthesis.
  • In metabolic reactions, sulfur compounds serve as both fuels and respiratory (oxygen-alternative) materials for simple organisms.
  • Winogradsky referred to this form of metabolism as inorgoxidation (oxidation of inorganic compounds).
  • Organic compounds are also the carbon source for biosynthesis.

• Antibiotics from Prokaryotes

  • Gramicidin is a heterogeneous mixture of six antibiotic compounds, all of which are obtained from the soil bacterial species Bacillus brevis and called collectively gramicidin D.
  • Almost all of the bioactive compounds produced by Streptomyces are initiated during the time coinciding with the aerial hyphal formation from the substrate mycelium.
  • Such an example are some Pseudomonas species which produce antimicrobial compounds.
  • P. aurantiaca produces di-2,4-diacetylfluoroglucylmethane, a compound antibiotically active against Gram-positive organisms.
  • Other Pseudomonas spp. might produce compounds antagonistic to other soil microbes, such as phenazine-type antibiotics or hydrogen cyanide.