THE ASSIMILATION OF CHOLESTEROL BY MYCOBACTERIUM SMEGMATIS

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Abstract
M. smegmatis consumes cholesterol actively when this substance is in the solid phase or in soln. as succinate. The presence of the side chain appears to be necessary for this action, thus differentiating this organism from several others in respect to its action on steroids. An attempt to find evidence for the dehydrogenation of the steroid nucleus was unsuccessful, as were attempts to demonstrate the conversion of several other theoretical procarcinogens into carcinogens. Several unidentified breakdown products of cholesterol were found, and it is pointed out that acid derivatives might be artifacts produced by molecular oxidation rather than bacterial metabolites.