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Growth of strain SES-3 with arsenate and other diverse electron acceptors

A.M. Laverman·J.S. Blum·J.K. Schaefer·Elizabeth J.P. Phillips·Derek R. Lovley·R.S. Oremland
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Abstract

The selenate-respiring bacterial strain SES-3 was able to use a variety of inorganic electron acceptors to sustain growth. SES-3 grew with the reduction of arsenate to arsenite, Fe(III) to Fe(II), or thiosulfate to sulfide. It also grew in medium in which elemental sulfur, Mn(IV), nitrite, trimethylamine N -oxide, or fumarate was provided as an electron acceptor. Growth on oxygen was microaerophilic. There was no growth with arsenite or chromate. Washed suspensions of cells grown on selenate or nitrate had a constitutive ability to reduce arsenate but were unable to reduce arsenite. These results suggest that strain SES-3 may occupy a niche as an environmental opportunist by being able to take advantage of a diversity of electron acceptors.

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A.M. Laverman, J.S. Blum, J.K. Schaefer, Elizabeth J.P. Phillips, Derek R. Lovley, R.S. Oremland. 1995. Growth of strain SES-3 with arsenate and other diverse electron acceptors. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.61.10.3556-3561.1995

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