DEGRADATION OF ERGOTHIONEINE BY CELL-FREE EXTRACTS OF ALCALIGENES FAECALIS II

Booth, James S. (University of Southern California, Los Angeles)and Milo D. Appleman . Degradation of ergothioneine by cell-free extracts ofAlcaligenes faecalis . II. Production of glutamic acid. J. Bacteriol.85: 654–657. 1963.—On the basis of oxidation and paper chromatographic procedures, glutamic acid was identified as the end product of ergothioneine degradation by cell-free extracts ofAlcaligenes faecalis . Hydrogen sulfide and ammonia yields were determined. Several differences between the metabolism of whole cells and cell-free extracts were noted. Cleavage of the imidazole ring by cell-free extracts appeared to be hydrolytic rather than oxidative.