Metabolism

The Bacteria: A Treatise on Structure and Function, Volume II: Metabolism deals with the gross metabolism of microorganisms in energy liberating reactions and pathways. The book investigates energy-yielding metabolism in bacteria; fermentation; terminal oxidation and its cyclic mechanisms; electron transport; and bacterial photosynthesis and luminescence. This volume is organized into 11 chapters and begins with a discussion of problems of energy metabolism that apply to all cells and unicellular organisms. The book also explains the biologically available energy released by glycolysis, oxidation, and light to chemical bond transformation and its quantitative relationships to whole cell requirements. The reader is then introduced to the fermentation of carbohydrates and related compounds, particularly the pathways of carbon and the role of hydrogen acceptors in fermentation, along with the decomposition of nitrogenous compounds such as amino acids, purines, and pyrimidines. The remaining chapters focus on the cyclic mechanisms for the synthesis of cellular components and for the yield of energy by oxidation. The breakdown of high molecular weight substances such as polysaccharides and bacterial cell walls is also explained. The chapters discuss as well the mechanisms of electron transport in microbes. The book concludes by exploring the physiological aspects of bacterial luminescence as well as the taxonomy and evolution of luminous bacteria. This book is a valuable resource for biochemists, microbiologists, bacteriologists, investigators, and students interested in the metabolic processes affecting bacteria.