DEGRADATION OF MORPHOLINE BY MYCOBACTERIUM-AURUM-MO1

When Mycobacterium aurum MO1 was grown with morpholine, the release of ammonia into the supernatant was proportional to the disappearance of morpholine, showing that this compound was mineralized. MO1 was able to grow in high concentrations of morpholine but accumulation of ammon ia inhibited growth and degradation of morpholine. Immobilization of b acterial cells in carrageenan gel beads showed that morpholine degrada tion in these conditions began earlier and was faster than in free cul ture. One of the two branches of the lower pathway of morpholine biode gradation was induced while the other branch was inhibited in the pres ence of morpholine. Strain MO1 grew on heterocyclic compounds similar to morpholine, demonstrating that MO1 is able to degrade heterocyclic compounds containing nitrogen atoms (piperidine and pyrrolidine). Comp ounds containing sulphur or oxygen atoms or compounds with double bond s were not degraded.