MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY AND

METABOLISM

Course code: MCB 408

Session: 2020/2021

Dr. F.M. ADEYEMI

Department of Microbiology
Faculty of Basic and Applied Sciences
Osun State University
Osogbo
 WEEK 4: Microbial Metabolism

Metabolism – the sum of the biochemical reactions required for energy

generation AND the use of energy to synthesize cell material from small
molecules in the environment i.e. The processes of catabolism and
anabolism .
Two components:
a) Catabolism:
b) Anabolism:
 WEEK 4: Microbial Metabolism
1. Anabolism - biosynthesis
a) The processes by which energy and raw materials are used to build macromolecules
and cellular structures i.e. building complex molecules from simple ones
b) requires ENERGY (ATP)

2. Catabolism - degradation
a) The processes by which a living organism obtains its energy and raw materials from
nutrients i.e. breaking down complex molecules into simple ones
b) generates ENERGY (ATP - Adenosine Triphosphate) which can be utilized in anabolic
reactions to build cell material from nutrients in the environment.
 Basic Concepts

Reduction and Oxidation

a) An atom becomes more reduced when it undergoes a chemical reaction in which it
• Gains electrons
• By bonding to a less electronegative atom
• And often this occurs when the atom becomes bonded to a hydrogen

b) An atom becomes more oxidized when it undergoes a chemical reaction in which it

• Loses electrons
• By bonding to a more electronegative atom
• And often this occurs when the atom becomes bonded to an oxygen
 Basic Concepts (cont’d)
Reduction and Oxidation (cont’d)
c) In metabolic pathways, we are often concerned with the oxidation or reduction of carbon.

d) Reduced forms of carbon (e.g. hydrocarbons, methane, fats, carbohydrates, alcohols) carry a
great deal of potential chemical energy stored in their bonds.

e) Oxidized forms of carbon (e.g. ketones, aldehydes, carboxylic acids, carbon dioxide) carry very
little potential chemical energy in their bonds.

f) Reduction and oxidation always occur together. In a reduction-oxidation reaction (redox

reaction), one substance gets reduced, and another substance gets oxidized. The thing that
gets oxidized is called the electron donor, and the thing that gets reduced is called the electron
acceptor.
 Basic Concepts (cont’d)
Enzymatic Pathways for Metabolism
a) Metabolic reactions take place in a step-wise fashion in which the
atoms of the raw materials are rearranged, often one at a time, until the
formation of the final product takes place.

b) Each step requires its own enzyme.

c) The sequence of enzymatically-catalyzed steps from a starting raw

material to final end products is called an enzymatic pathway (or
metabolic pathway)
 Basic Concepts (cont’d)
Cofactors for Redox Reactions
a) Enzymes that catalyze redox reactions typically require a cofactor to
“shuttle” electrons from one part of the metabolic pathway to another
part.

b) There are two main redox cofactors: NAD and FAD. These are
(relatively) small organic molecules in which part of the structure can
either be reduced (e.g., accept a pair of electrons) or oxidized (e.g.,
donate a pair of electrons)
 Basic Concepts (cont’d)
Cofactors for Redox Reactions (cont’d)

NAD(oxidized) + H+ + Pair of electrons  NADH(reduced)

FAD(oxidized) + H+ + Pair of electrons  FADH(reduced)

NAD and FAD are present only in small (catalytic) amounts – they cannot
serve as the final electron acceptor, but must be regenerated (reoxidized)
in order for metabolism to continue
 Basic Concepts (cont’d)
ATP: A “currency of energy” for many cellular reactions
a) ATP stands for adenosine triphosphate. It is a nucleotide with three phosphate
groups linked in a small chain.

b) The last phosphate in the chain can be removed by hydrolysis (the ATP becomes
ADP, or adenosine diphosphate).
This reaction is energetically favorable.
ATP + H2O ® ADP + Phosphate + Energy (7.5 kcal/mol)
 Basic Concepts (cont’d)
ATP
c) ATP hydrolysis is used as an energy source in many biological
reactions that require energy – for example, active transport in the
sodium-potassium pump

d) During catabolism, energy released from the oxidation of carbon is

captured and used to synthesize ATP from ADP and phosphate.
C6H12O6 + 6 O2 ® 6 CO2 + 6 H2O + Energy
ADP + Phosphate + Energy ® ATP + H2O`
 Metabolic diversity
Bacterial metabolism is classified into nutritional groups on the
basis of three major criteria:
1. Source of energy, used for growth
a. Phototrophs —can use light energy
b. Chemotrophs —must obtain energy from oxidation-reduction of external chemical compounds

2. Source of carbon
a. Autotrophs —can draw carbon from carbon dioxide
b. Heterotrophs —carbon from organic compounds
c. Mixotrophic – carbon is obtained from both organic compounds and by fixing carbon dioxide

3. Source of electron donors used for growth.

 Metabolic diversity (cont’d)

1. Photoautotrophs - light energy, carbon from

2. Photoheterotrophs —light energy, carbon from organic
compounds
3. Chemoautotrophs —energy from chemical compounds,
carbon from CO2
4. Chemoheterotrophs —energy from chemical compounds,
carbon from organic compounds
Types of microbial metabolism
 Glycolytic Pathways

1. Features of glycolytic pathways

a) Partial oxidation of glucose to form pyruvic acid
b) A small amount of ATP is made
c) A small amount of NAD is reduced to NADH
 Glycolytic Pathways
2. 4 major glycolytic pathways found in different
bacteria:
a) Embden-Meyerhoff-Parnas pathway
• “Classic” glycolysis
• Found in almost all organisms
b) Hexose monophosphate pathway
• Also found in most organisms
• Responsible for synthesis of pentose sugars used in
nucleotide synthesis
c) Entner-Doudoroff pathway
• Found in Pseudomonas and related genera
d) Phosphoketolase pathway
• Found in Bifidobacterium and Leuconostoc
EMP PATHWAY
EMP PATHWAY (2)
ENTNER DOUDOROFF PATHWAY
PHOSPHOKETOLASE
PATHWAY
 Fermentation

1. Features of fermentation pathways

a) Pyruvic acid is reduced to form reduced
organic acids or alcohols.
b) The final electron acceptor is a reduced
derivative of pyruvic acid
c) NADH is oxidized to form NAD: Essential for
continued operation of the glycolytic pathways.
d) O2 is not required.
e) No additional ATP are made.
f) Gasses (CO2 and/or H2) may be released
 Fermentation (cont’d)

2. Fermentation pathways are useful as tools

in biochemical identification.
3. Also used in industry: Synthesis of certain
organic compounds.
 Fermentation (cont’d)

4. Examples of fermentation pathways

a) Lactic acid fermentation
• Found in many bacteria;
e.g. Streptococcus cremoris, Lactobacillus acidophilus
b) Mixed acid fermentation
• e.g. Escherichia coli
• Basis of the methyl red test
c) 2,3-Butanediol fermentation
• e.g. Enterobacter aerogenes
• Basis of the Voges-Proskauer reaction
 Fermentation (cont’d)

d) Other important fermentation end products

• Ethanol
Saccharomyces cerevesiae
• Propionic acid
Propionibacterium
• Acetone, buteraldehyde, and butanol
Clostridium acetobutylicum
 Respiration

1. Features of respiratory pathways

a) Pyruvic acid is oxidized completely to CO2.
b) The final electron acceptor is usually an inorganic
substance.
c) NADH is oxidized to form NAD: Essential for
continued operation of the glycolytic pathways.
d) O2 may or may not be required.
• Aerobic respiration: O2 is the final e- acceptor.
• Anaerobic respiration: An substance, usually inorganic, other
than O2 is the acceptor (eg nitrate, nitrite, sulfate)
e) A lot of additional ATP are made (up to 36 per glucose
molecule).
 Respiration (cont’d)

2. Stages of Respiration
a) Preliminary reactions and the Krebs cycle
(TCA or Citric Acid Cycle)
b) Respiratory electron transport
KREB CYCLE
FERMENTATION
FERMENTATION (2)
FERMENTATION (3)