The clostridial fermentations of choline and ethanolamine. 1. Preparation and properties of cell-free extracts.

Evidence was also obtained that the dismutation of acetaldehyde was accompanied by phosphorylation of ADP, presumably via intermediary acetyl phosphate, to form ATP. During the course of these studies, Hayward (4) isolated a clostridium from a medium that contained choline as a major source of energy. This organism was found to catalyze the same over-all fermentation of choline as that of the vibrio. The present papers are a direct continuation of the studies of Hayward and Stadtman, and the choline-fermenting clostridium has been used throughout to provide the experimental material. One of the primary aims of the present study was the further elucidation of Reaction 1, especially since Hayward had shown t,hat the catalysis of this reaction by cell-free extracts from both the vibrio (3) and the clostridium (4) was substantially inhibited by 2,4-dinitrophenol at 1O-4 M. The ability of the clostridium to ferment analogues of choline has been studied, and its ability to grow on a medium in which choline was replaced by ethanolamine was detected. Results are presented in this paper to show that cell-free extracts from cells grown in ethanolamine are able to catalyze a fermentation of ethanolamine which is analogous to that of choline, and in which Reaction 1 is replaced by the deamination of ethanolamine to acetaldehyde and ammonia (Reaction 3).