Abstract
Geobacter species have great application potential in remediation
processes and electrobiotechnology. In all applications, understanding
the metabolism will enable target-oriented optimization of the
processes. The typical electron donor and carbon source of the Geobacter
species is acetate, while fumarate is the usual electron acceptor. Here,
we could show that depending on the donor/acceptor ratio in batch
cultivation of G. sulfurreducens different product patterns occur. With
a donor/acceptor ratio of 1:2.5 malate accumulated as an intermediate
product but was metabolized to succinate subsequently. At the end of the
cultivation, the ratio of fumarate consumed and succinate produced was
approximately 1:1. When fumarate was added in excess, malate accumulated
in the fermentation broth without further metabolization. After the
addition of acetate to stationary cells, malate concentration decreased
immediately and additional succinate was synthesized. Finally, it was
shown that also resting cells of G. sulfurreducens could efficiently
convert fumarate to malate without an additional electron donor.
Overall, it was demonstrated that by altering the donor/acceptor ratio,
targeted optimization of the metabolite conversion by G. sulfurreducens
can be realized.