Anaerobic oxidation of fatty acids and alkenes by the hyperthermophilic sulfate-reducing archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus

Archaeoglobus fulgidus oxidizes fatty acids (C4 to C 18) and n-alk-1-enes (C12:1 to C21:1)in the presence of thiosulfate as a terminal electron acceptor. End products of metabolism were CO2 and sulfide. Growth on perdeuterated hexadecene yielded C15 -to C17-labeled fatty acids as metabolites, thus confirming the ability of A. fulgidus to oxidize alkyl chains. Copyright © 2010, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.