PENTOSE UTILIZATION BY PEDIOCOCCUS PENTOSACEUS

Dobrogosz, Walter J. (University of Illinois, Urbana) and Ralph D. DeMoss. Pentose utilization by Pediococcus pentosaceus. J. Bacteriol. 85:1356-1364. 1963.-Data are presented which indicate that pentoses are metabolized by Pediococcus pentosaceus through the use of an inducible phosphoketolase pathway. The utilization of each of the pentoses (l-arabinose, d-ribose, and d-xylose) appears to involve a different regulatory process. Thus, d-ribose was fermented by cells grown on any pentose or glucose, although growth on a pentose resulted in an increased ribose-fermenting capacity. l-Arabinose fermentation was only observed when cultures were grown in the presence of this pentose. Similarly, d-xylose fermentation was a specific response to the presence of xylose in the growth medium. In this case, however, growth occurred only at a very low rate unless another readily utilizable substrate (in low concentration) was added to the growth medium. Under these conditions, an aerobic atmosphere was more stimulatory than anaerobiosis for induction and growth on xylose. The possible cryptic nature of xylose utilization in this organism is described.