On the Enzymes of Bacteria and Bacterial Metabolism

Abstract

The important class of bacteria includes an immense number of forms and types of living cells, wonderfully adapted to varying environments: from obligate aerobes to obligate anaerobes; from types growing at the temperature of zero to thermophilic groups; from strict autotrophs to strict metatrophs; etc. This rich vari-ety in growth requirements makes the bacterium an excellent ob-ject for metabolism and enzyme studies. The formation of enzymes in living cells is undoubtedly one of the fundamental problems of biochemistry. Regarding, as we do, the metabolism of the cell as a resultant of numerous enzymnic reactions, we may properly recognize the enzyme action of the cell as characterising the species, especially when dealing with bacteria whose morphologic characteristics cannot be clearly ascertained. The newer bacteriological literature contains fre-quent statements of a transformation of one species to another among the bacteria. Such a remarkable phenomenon would mean that the bacterial cell could easily change its enzyme action by producing entirely new enzymes or discontinuing the produc-tion of others, and that, consequently, the classical idea of the consistancy of bacterial species would have to be dropped. Un-fortunately these investigations fail to give reliable proofs with reference to the real gist of the matter: has a transformation actually taken place, i.e. has the enzyme action of a given bac-terial species been substantially changed? Our investigations, in which the enzyme actioln of bacterial cells