Biomedical subjects

W A CORPE

Publications and source records attributed to W A CORPE.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1965

CYANIDE FORMATION BY CHROMOBACTERIUM VIOLACEUM.

Michaels, Ruth (Columbia University, New York, N.Y.), and W. A. Corpe. Cyanide formation by Chromobacterium violaceum. J. Bacteriol. 89:106-112. 1965.-The formation of cyanide by a Chromobacterium violaceum strain was studied with growing cultures and with nonproliferating cells grown in complex and chemically defined media. Most of the cyanide was produced during the log-phase growth of the organism, and accumulated in the culture supernatant fluid. A synergistic effect of glycine and methionine on cyanide formation in a chemically defined medium was observed, and the amount of cyanide formed was found to be dependent on the concentrations of the two substances. Cyanide formation by nonproliferating cells was stimulated by preincubation with glycine and methionine. Cyanide formation by adapted cells in the presence of glycine and methionine was stimulated by succinate, malate, or fumarate, and depressed by azide and 2,4-dinitrophenol. Methionine could be replaced by betaine, dimethylglycine, and choline.

2,4-Dinitrophenol↗

PubMed1964

PRODIGIOSIN-PRODUCING BACTERIA FROM MARINE SOURCES.

Two aerobic, gramnegative, red-pigmented, rod-shaped bacteria were compared morphologically and physiologically with Serratia species, which they resembled superficially. The pigment produced by the marine isolates was shown to be similar to prodigiosin, the red pigment of S. marcescens. The isolates had a single polar flagellum, were oxidative, and did not produce acetoin from glucose or reduce nitrates, which made them distinct from both S. marcescens and S. marinorubra. The latter conformed well to the descriptions of S. marcescens in Bergey's Manual. The marine isolates displayed an absolute growth requirement for sea water or its equivalent. The growth requirement for sea water was replaced by sea-water levels of sodium, potassium, and magnesium chloride. Pigment was produced only when this salt mixture was further supplemented with calcium chloride. Neither sea water nor a high salt level was required for growth or prodigiosin synthesis by the Serratia species examined.

Calcium↗

PubMed1964

FACTORS INFLUENCING GROWTH AND POLYSACCHARIDE FORMATION BY STRAINS OF CHROMOBACTERIUM VIOLACEUM.

Corpe, William A. (Columbia University, New York, N.Y.). Factors influencing growth and polysaccharide formation by strains of Chromobacterium violaceum. J. Bacteriol. 88:1433-1441. 1964.-Gelatinous Chromobacterium violaceum strains elaborate a fibrous exopolysaccharide that forms a matrix in which growing cells are embedded. Stable, nongelatinous variants arising from gelatinous cultures were of two types: (i) those that had lost the ability to produce polysaccharide, and (ii) those that had lost the capacity to bind the polymer into a matrix. Gelatinous strains growing in Tryptone did not produce a matrix, but rather elaborated polysaccharide free into the medium. The effect of Tryptone was not one of selection of nongelatinous variants. Growth and polysaccharide synthesis in a defined medium were greatest when amino acids were substituted for ammonia as a nitrogen source. Best growth and polysaccharide yield occurred when the ratio of carbohydrate to nitrogen was in the order of 10:1. Depolymerization of formed polymer occurred in cultures grown with Casamino Acids as the nitrogen source. Calcium ion stimulated polysaccharide formation. Iron, although stimulating growth, inhibited polysaccharide formation.

Amino Acids↗

PubMed1963

Extracellular accumulation of pyrroles in bacterial cultures.

Aerobacter aerogenes, Paracolobactrum aerogenoides, Spirillum serpens, and gelatinous strains of Chromobacterium violaceum produced an extracellular, ether-soluble, Ehrlich-positive substance when grown in media prepared with gelatin hydrolysate. The substance has been tentatively identified as pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid. Both hydroxy-l-proline and allo-d-hydroxyproline have been shown to be precursors of the material. Gelatinous strains of Chromobacterium violaceum, but not the other positive cultures, produced two ether-insoluble pyrroles as well, the precursors of which occur in gelatin hydrolysate but have not yet been identified. The property of pyrrole formation in bacteria and its possible use as an aid in identification of bacteria was discussed.

Bacteriological Techniques↗

PubMed1961