Influence of age of aggregates and prokaryotic abundance on glucose and leucine uptake by heterotrophic marine prokaryotes Authors Iñigo Azúa Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain Marian Unanue Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain Begoña Ayo Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain Itxaso Artolozaga Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain Juan Iriberri Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain Keywords: marine prokaryotes, aggregates, glucose and leucine uptake Abstract The kinetics of glucose and leucine uptake in attached and free-living prokaryotes in two types of microcosms with different nutrient qualities were compared. Microcosm type M1, derived from unaltered seawater, and microcosm type M2, from phytoplankton cultures, clearly expressed different kinetic parameters (Vmax/cell and K´m). In aggregates with low cell densities (M1 microcosm), the attached prokaryotes benefited from attachment as reflected in the higher potential uptake rates, while in aggregates with high cell densities (M2 microcosm) differences in the potential uptake rates of attached and free-living prokaryotes were not evident. The aging process and the chemical changes in aggregates of M2 microcosms were followed for 15–20 days. The results showed that as the aggregates aged and prokaryotic abundance increased, attached prokaryotes decreased their potential uptake rate and their K´m for substrate. This suggests an adaptive response by attached prokaryotes when aggregates undergo quantitative and qualitative impoverishment. [Int Microbiol 2007; 10(1):13-18] Author Biographies Iñigo Azúa, Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain Marian Unanue, Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain Begoña Ayo, Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain Itxaso Artolozaga, Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain Juan Iriberri, Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain Downloads PDF Published 2010-01-27 Issue Vol. 10 No. 1 (2007) Section Research Articles License Submission of a manuscript to International Microbiology implies: that the work described has not been published before, including publication in the World Wide Web (except in the form of an Abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis); that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere; that all the coauthors have agreed to its publication. The corresponding author signs for and accepts responsability for releasing this material and will act on behalf of any and all coauthors regarding the editorial review and publication process.If an article is accepted for publication in International Microbiology, the authors (or other copyright holder) must transfer to the journal the right–not exclusive–to reproduce and distribute the article including reprints, translations, photographic reproductions, microform, electronic form (offline, online) or any other reproductions of similar nature. Nevertheless, all article in International Microbiology will be available on the Internet to any reader at no cost. The journal allows users to freely download, copy, print, distribute, search, and link to the full text of any article, provided the authorship and source of the published article is cited. The copyright owner's consent does not include copying for new works, or resale. In these cases, the specific written permission of International Microbiology must first be obtained.Authors are requested to create a link to the published article on the journal's website. The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The original publication is available on LINK at <http://www.im.microbios.org>. Please use the appropiate URL for the article in LINK. Articles disseminated via LINK are indexed, abstracted, and referenced by many abstracting and information services, bibliographic networks, subscription agencies, library networks, and consortia.
