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Sulfur Compounds as Photosynthetic Electron Donors

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Anoxygenic Photosynthetic Bacteria

Part of the book series: Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration ((AIPH,volume 2))

Summary

Most photosynthetic bacteria can grow photoautotrophically using inorganic sulfur compounds (i. e. sulfide, sulfur, polysulfides, thiosulfate, or sulfite) as electron donors for CO2 fixation. The different types of phototrophs that use sulfur compounds as electron donors, and their varying sulfur-oxidizing capabilities are briefly described. Several species of purple sulfur bacteria can also grow aerobically or microaerophilically as chemolithotrophs, oxidizing sulfur compounds to obtain energy as well as electrons for CO2 reduction. They share this ability with nonphotosynthetic sulfur bacteria such as thiobacilli. Although thiobacilli are not particularly closely related to purple sulfur bacteria, studies on sulfur oxidation by thiobacilli have yielded information that may be relevant to sulfur oxidation by photosynthetic bacteria. A variety of enzymes catalyzing sulfur oxidation reactions have been isolated from photosynthetic bacteria, and possible pathways for sulfur oxidation involving those enzymes are discussed. Except for flavocytochrome c and sulfide-quinone reductase, which catalyze electron transfer from sulfide to cytochrome c and quinone, respectively, the in vivo electron acceptors used by the sulfur-oxidizing enzymes are generally unknown. So far, no enzyme has been isolated that catalyzes oxidation of elemental sulfur, and some new possibilities for how elemental sulfur is oxidized are considered. Finally, some suggestions for future research are made that use metabolically versatile purple bacteria to examine donation of electrons by sulfur compounds to the electron transport chain, active transport of ionic sulfur compounds, and the molecular genetics of sulfur-oxidizing enzymes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Center for the Study of Early Events in Photosynthesis, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287-1604, USA

    Daniel C. Brune

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  1. Daniel C. Brune
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA

    Robert E. Blankenship

  2. Department of Microbiology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, USA

    Michael T. Madigan

  3. Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA

    Carl E. Bauer

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© 1995 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Brune, D.C. (1995). Sulfur Compounds as Photosynthetic Electron Donors. In: Blankenship, R.E., Madigan, M.T., Bauer, C.E. (eds) Anoxygenic Photosynthetic Bacteria. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47954-0_39

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47954-0_39

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-3681-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-306-47954-0

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