Syntrophothermus lipocalidus DSM 12680

Syntrophothermus lipocalidus is a thermophilic, neutrophilic, fatty-acid oxidizing syntroph, which was obtained from granular sludge of a thermophilic (55 degrees Celsius) upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor which had been fed with an artificial wastewater containing sucrose, acetate and propionate as the major carbon sources i.e. from wastewater treatment sludge. Cells are weakly motile, slightly curved rods with round ends, 2-4 um long and 0.4-0.5 um wide, occurring singly or in pairs. Some flagella are seen by electron microscopy. Cells strain Gram negative, although the strain is a Firmicute. It is a strict anaerobe, growth in pure culture is observed only on crotonate. Fermentation products from crotonate are almost equimolar amounts of acetate and butyrate. In coculture with M. thermoautotrophicum strain delta H (syntrophic growth), under optimal condition, 55 degrees Celsius and neutral pH, strain TGB-C1T is able to oxidize the following saturated fatty acids: butyrate (20 mM), straight chain fatty acids from C4 to C10 (5 mM) and isobutyrate (5 mM). In coculture fatty acids with even numbers of carbon atoms are changed to acetate and methane, whilst fatty acids having odd numbers of carbon atoms are degraded to acetate, propionate and methane (adapted from PMID 10758888). (HAMAP: SYNLT)