Ryall B, Mitchell H, Mossialos D, Williams H D
Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Lett Appl Microbiol. 2009 Jul;49(1):131-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1472-765X.2009.02632.x. Epub 2009 May 27.
To investigate whether the entomopathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas entomophila can synthesize hydrogen cyanide (HCN).
Cyanide production was assayed for during the growth of P. entomophila in liquid culture and during colonial growth. Pseudomonas entomophila produced HCN at a concentration of up to 40 micromol l(-1) during growth in liquid cultures and its production was found to be affected by oxygen availability, with levels increasing as the oxygen-transfer coefficient decreased. Pseudomonas entomophila made HCN during colonial growth at levels greater (approximately threefold) than those made by the well studied cyanogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
This study demonstrated unequivocally that P. entomophila can synthesize HCN, placing it among the small number of cyanogenic bacteria. Our data indicate that HCN production in P. entomophila is regulated by oxygen availability.
Pseudomonas entomophila was recently identified to be the only pseudomonad that naturally infects and induces lethality of Drosophila melanogaster. The virulence factors which contribute to entomopathogenicity exerted by this species are largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that P. entomophila produces HCN, a secondary metabolite implicated in biocontrol properties and pathogenicity exerted by other bacteria.
研究昆虫病原细菌嗜虫假单胞菌是否能合成氰化氢（HCN）。
在嗜虫假单胞菌液体培养生长期间以及菌落生长期间检测氰化物的产生。嗜虫假单胞菌在液体培养生长过程中产生的HCN浓度高达40微摩尔/升，并且发现其产生受氧气供应的影响，随着氧传递系数降低，HCN水平升高。嗜虫假单胞菌在菌落生长期间产生的HCN水平高于（约三倍）已充分研究的产氰细菌铜绿假单胞菌。
本研究明确证明嗜虫假单胞菌能够合成HCN，使其跻身于少数产氰细菌之列。我们的数据表明嗜虫假单胞菌中HCN的产生受氧气供应调节。
嗜虫假单胞菌最近被鉴定为唯一能自然感染并导致黑腹果蝇死亡的假单胞菌。该物种发挥昆虫致病性的毒力因子在很大程度上尚不清楚。在本研究中，我们证明嗜虫假单胞菌产生HCN，这是一种与其他细菌的生物防治特性和致病性有关的次生代谢产物。
