microbial chain degradation of cholesterol by arthrob acter simplex

because of the importance of microbial metabolites of cholesterol as precursors in the synthesis of steroidal drugs, we decided to study the ability of arthrobacter simplex to degrade cholesterol. arthrobacter simplex cleaves the side chain of cholesterol in the presence of 2,2'-dipyridyl and produces 4-androstene-3,17- dione (ad) and androsta- 1,4-diene-3,17-dione(add). two other intermediates with intact side chain, 4-cholestene-3-one and cholesta- l,4-diene-3-one were also detected and purified in the culture of a. simplex