J. Schiff, R. Hodson
Jun 1, 1973
Citations
3
Influential Citations
166
Citations
Quality indicators
Journal
Annual Review of Plant Biology
Abstract
Of the elements required by living systems, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur undergo extensive metabolic transformations. Sulfur, unlike carbon and nitrogen, can be utilized to some extent in its most highly oxidized naturally occurring form, sulfate; sulfate reduction is necessary for the formation of sulfur-containing amino acids and proteins (35). Figure 1 shows the relation of sulfate to the many reactions which sulfur undergoes in the biosphere. Sulfate is utilized by living systems to form sulfate esters of polysaccharides, phenols, steroids, and other organic compounds through a series of activation and transfer reactions which will be discussed sub sequently. It is also reduced by certain anaerobic organisms such as the bac terium Desulfovibrio in their energy metabolism where the process is called dis similatory sulfate reduction and the product is hydrogen sulfide. Many organisms reduce sulfate to the thiol level found in the amino acids cysteine and methio nine, and these serve as building blocks for proteins; this process is called assimiCopyright 1973. All rights reserved