DEGRADATION OF ERGOTHIONEINE BY ALCALIGENES FAECALIS

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Abstract
Fourteen laboratory strains of bacteria showed no capability to degrade ergothioneine. An ergothioneine-metabolizing strain of A. faecalis isolated from soil degraded ergothioneine by first splitting the molecule to tri-methylamine and thiolurocanic acid. Trimethylamine did not undergo further change. Thiolurocanic acid accumulated rapidly but then disappeared gradually through further degradation. The steps of this latter process are unknown. The organism did not metabolize L-2-thiolhistidine. A method for the preparation of pure thiolurocanic acid from ergothioneine enzymatically and a method for the determination of ergothioneine in the presence of thiolurocanic acid are described.