COMPARISON OF THE METABOLISM OF AMMONIA AND MOLECULAR NITROGEN IN CLOSTRIDIUM

Abstract

Nl5 supplied to growing N2-fixing Clostridium pasteurianum cells for a short time, either as N2 or NH4+, accumulates in the glutamic acid of the cells. There is an over-all similarity in the distribution of N15 among the amino acids of the cells when either N215 or N15H4* is supplied. These data further confirm that NH3 is a key intermediate in N2 fixation by Clostridium and indicate the marked similarity of the mechanisms of N2 fixation by aerobes and anaerobes.