Biology/chemoautotrophy
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Question
My understanding is that autrotrophs use RuBiCo to fix
carbon during the carbon cycle. To be able to be a
chemoautotroph, however, what compounds could be used from
aerobic respiration in the calvin cycle? other than ATP and
NAD(P)H. If any....
Hi Alex:
Thanks for your question. One thing that I like so much about answering questions on this site is that people throw me curve balls and I actually have to learn something!
Well, I had never thought about carbon fixation in chemoautotrophs and I had to look it up.
Guess what! They use RuBisCo! And the Calvin Cycle. Just like photoautotrophs!
http://www.aslo.org/lo/toc/vol_41/issue_2/0370.pdf
http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.micro.52.1.191
Chemoautotrophs are aerobic, so why wouldn’t they have NAD(H) and ATP? These products are used in the dark reaction of both phtoautotrophs and chemoautotrophs.
Hope this helps and thanks for piquing my interest.
FM Rollwagen, PhD
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Answers by Expert:
Florence M Rollwagen
Expertise
I can answer questions in biology, microbiology and immunology on the undergraduate or graduate level. I can also address medical and health concerns regarding alternative medicine, autoimmune diseases (lupus, MS) liver disease and intestinal problems.
Experience
I have over 20 years experience in research and teaching at the medical/graduate level, and 5 years teaching college biology and microbiology. My expertise is in microbiology and immunology, specifically the biology of cytokines and soluble immune response modifiers. I also carried out original research in blood substitutes and shock/trauma.
Organizations
American Association of Immunologists (AAI)
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Publications
Journal of Experimental Medicine, Journal of Immunology, Cytokine, Shock, Experimental Hematology
Education/Credentials
BS biology 1966
MS biology 1968
PhD immunology 1979
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