NOTE - SUCROSE TRANSPORT AND METABOLISM IN CLOSTRIDIUM-BEIJERINCKII NCIMB-8052

Sucrose is the major carbon source in molasses, the traditional substr ate employed in the industrial acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentat ion by solventogenic clostridia. The utilization of sucrose by Clostri dium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 was investigated. Extracts prepared from cultures grown on sucrose (but not xylose or fructose) as the sole car bon source possessed sucrose phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP)-dependent phosp hotransferase system (PTS) activity. Extract fractionation and reconst itution experiments revealed that the entire sucrose Enzyme II complex resides within the membrane in this organism. Sucrose-6-phosphate hyd rolase and fructokinase activities were also detected in sucrose grown cultures. The fructokinase activity, which is required specifically d uring growth on sucrose, was shown to be inducible under these conditi ons. ii pathway for sucrose metabolism in this organism is proposed.