Which enzyme allows bacteria to utilize citrate as a carbon source?

Bacteria that can utilize citrate as a carbon source possess the enzyme citrate lyase. This enzyme catalyzes the cleavage of citrate into oxaloacetate and acetate, effectively allowing the bacteria to use citrate in various metabolic pathways, particularly in the Krebs cycle (or citric acid cycle). The ability to utilize citrate is an important characteristic for certain bacteria, as it enables them to thrive in environments where citrate is a primary carbon source.

Lactate dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase are involved in different metabolic processes that do not directly facilitate the utilization of citrate. For example, lactate dehydrogenase is important in the conversion of pyruvate to lactate during anaerobic respiration, while succinate dehydrogenase is involved in the Krebs cycle but does not catalyze the breakdown of citrate.

The term "Citric acid enzyme" is not a recognized name for any specific enzyme and does not refer to the specific function of cleaving citrate for carbon utilization. Thus, citrate lyase is the correct enzyme due to its direct role in enabling bacteria to utilize citrate as a carbon source.