title: Trimethylamine oxide: a terminal electron acceptor in anaerobic respiration of bacteria.
abstract: Trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) stimulated both the anaerobic growth rate and the growth yield of Proteus NTHC 153. The molar growth yield from glucose and pyruvate in tryptone/yeast extract medium doubled in the presence of TMAO, and the organism grew anaerobically on the non-fermentable substrates L-lactate and formate when TMAO was added to the medium. We conclude that TMAO stimulated growth by serving as a terminal electron acceptor in an oxidative phosphorylation process.
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D004579:Electron Transport; D005561:Formates / Q000378:metabolism; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D007773:Lactates / Q000378:metabolism; D008744:Methylamines / Q000378:metabolism*; D010085:Oxidative Phosphorylation; D011511:Proteus / Q000378:metabolism*; D011773:Pyruvates / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005561:Formates; D007773:Lactates; D008744:Methylamines; D011773:Pyruvates; D005947:Glucose