Synthesis of glutamic acid and alanine by Salmonella pullorum.

The literature reveals many references to transamination by bacteria. Two well substantiated works are those of Cutinelli (1945) and Lichstein and Cohen (1945). Goodlow, Mika, and Braun (1950) and Altenbern and Housewright (1951) have demonstrated synthesis of alanine by BruceUa abortus involving this method. Altenbern and Housewright also showed that their organism was capable of direct or reductive amination to produce alanine. Fairhurst, King, and Sewell (1952) have reported that Bacillus subtilis and several other organisms are capable of reductive amination using ammonia or ammonium lactate as the sole source of the amino group. These workers demonstrated the presence of alanine by paper partition chromatography. Fowler and Werkman (1952) demonstrated the synthesis of alanine and glutamate from pyruvate by cell-free extracts of Aerobactor aerogenes. This report deals with the synthesis of amino acids by several strai of Salmonella pullorum.